Fatwa #4435520 March 2020United States of America
DNR and Health Proxy in Hospice care
Question
Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullah
I believe, I asked this question before but has not gotten an answer yet; my question is regarding Hospice (End-of-Life) care issues.
- is unconditional "Do Not Resucitate (DNR) valid and does it voilate any Islamic teachings.
- As a physician, would I be helping in euthanasia if I start giving the patient (in Hospice Care) painkillers (narcatics) to help him/her calm down and sedate him/her as this puts the patient to sleep and
- if I stop giving any nutrients through IV as this helps in expediting death?
- How about signing my Health Proxy with instruction to use or not to use any of the above methods.
Please guide with reference to original sources...
I am sure these questions must be asked by others before me too as these are the issues of our time that we face but I can't seem to find the answers on your website.
Thanks for your time and help.
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
You refer to multiple issues in your query.
Amongst them are DNR and Euthanasia.
The Darul Iftaa has previously answered these queries in detail. You may refer to the following links.
http://www.askimam.org/public/question_detail/17975
http://askimam.org/public/question_detail/35732
The laws regarding the health proxy will fall under the same category as DNR. Accordingly, you will apply the laws outlined in the DNR fatwa to signing the health proxy.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Bilal Yusuf Pandor
Student Darul Iftaa
Lusaka, Zambia
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.