In our lives, we often face difficult decisions. Sometimes these decisions are= a matter of life and death. Should I donate a kidney so that another may live? Should I turn off life support for my brain-dead child? Should I mercifully= end the suffering of my terminally ill, elderly mother? If I am pregnant with quintuplets, should I abort one or more so that the others have a better ch= ance of surviving? If I face infertility, how far should I go in treatment so th= at I might, Allah-willing, have a child? As medical treatment continues to expand and advance, more ethical questions come up.
For guidance on such matters, Muslims turn first to the Qur'an. Allah gi= ves us general guidelines to follow that are constant and timeless.
"...We ordained for the Children of Israel that if any one slew a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he slew the whole people. And if anyone saved a life, it wou= ld be as if he saved the life of the whole people...." (Qur'an 5:32)
"Blessed be He in whose hands is the Dominion, and he has Power over all things. He who created death and life that He may test which of you are best in deed, and He is Exalted in Might, Oft-Forgiving." (Quran 67: 1= -2)
"No soul can die except by Allah's permission." (Quran 3:185)
"Does not man see that it is We who created him from sperm. Yet beh= old! He stands as an open adversary! And he makes comparisons for Us, and forgets his own creation. He says who can give life to (dry) bones and decomposed o= nes? Say, 'He will give them life who created them for the first time, for He is versed in every kind of creation.'" (Quran 36: 77-79)
"Kill not your children on a plea of want. We will provide sustenan= ce for you and for them. Come not near shameful deeds whether open or secret. = Take not life which God has made sacred except by way of justice and law. Thus He commands you that you may learn wisdom." (6:151)
"Kill not your children for fear of want. We shall provide sustenan= ce for them as well as for you. Verily the killing of them is a great sin.&quo= t; (17:31)
Dr. Shahid Athar, M.D. has one of the mo= st comprehensive sites on the subject of Islamic medical practice and ethics. Includes articles on a wide variety of medical issues.
Islamic Organization for Medical Science,
another comprehensive site based out of
Questions & Answers on Islamic Medical Ethics, from the 1997 convention of the Islamic Society of North America
Euthenasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide, an Islamic perspective
Bioethics in Infertility Management in the Muslim W= orld, an article by G. I. Serour, covers infertility treatments, embryo research,= and gene therapy.
Organ Donation and Transplantation
Health & Medical Issues in Islam Sources of Islamic Law Islamic Death Rites
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