Do not resuscitate, brain death, and organ transplantation: Islamic perspective

Muslim patients and families are often reluctant to discuss and accept fatal diagnoses and prognoses. In many instances, aggressive therapy is requested by a patient's family, prolonging the life of the patient at all costs. Islamic law permits the withdrawal of futile treatment, including life...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Hassan Chamsi Pasha, Mohammed Ali Albar
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Pvt. Ltd. 2017-04-01
Series:Avicenna Journal of Medicine
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DOI?10.4103/2231-0770.203608
_version_ 1819037413913133056
author Hassan Chamsi Pasha
Mohammed Ali Albar
author_facet Hassan Chamsi Pasha
Mohammed Ali Albar
author_sort Hassan Chamsi Pasha
collection DOAJ
description Muslim patients and families are often reluctant to discuss and accept fatal diagnoses and prognoses. In many instances, aggressive therapy is requested by a patient's family, prolonging the life of the patient at all costs. Islamic law permits the withdrawal of futile treatment, including life support, from terminally ill patients allowing death to take its natural course. “Do not resuscitate” is permitted in Islamic law in certain situations. Debate continues about the certainty of brain death criteria within Islamic scholars. Although brain death is accepted as true death by the majority of Muslim scholars and medical organizations, the consensus in the Muslim world is not unanimous, and some scholars still accept death only by cardiopulmonary criteria. Organ transplantation has been accepted in Islamic countries (with some resistance from some jurists). Many fatwas (decrees) of Islamic Jurisprudence Councils have been issued and allowed organs to be donated from living competent adult donor; and from deceased (cadavers), provided that they have agreed to donate or their families have agreed to donate after their death (usually these are brain-dead cases). A clear and well-defined policy from the ministry of health regarding do not resuscitate, brain death, and other end-of-life issues is urgently needed for all hospitals and health providers in most (if not all) Muslim and Arab countries.
first_indexed 2024-12-21T08:21:02Z
format Article
id doaj.art-0184f1be26b446d6a12db2ace7e4392b
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2231-0770
2249-4464
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-21T08:21:02Z
publishDate 2017-04-01
publisher Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
record_format Article
series Avicenna Journal of Medicine
spelling doaj.art-0184f1be26b446d6a12db2ace7e4392b2022-12-21T19:10:26ZengThieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Pvt. Ltd.Avicenna Journal of Medicine2231-07702249-44642017-04-010702354510.4103/2231-0770.203608Do not resuscitate, brain death, and organ transplantation: Islamic perspectiveHassan Chamsi Pasha0Mohammed Ali Albar1Department of Cardiology, King Fahd Armed Forces Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Medical Ethics, International Medical Center, Jeddah, Saudi ArabiaMuslim patients and families are often reluctant to discuss and accept fatal diagnoses and prognoses. In many instances, aggressive therapy is requested by a patient's family, prolonging the life of the patient at all costs. Islamic law permits the withdrawal of futile treatment, including life support, from terminally ill patients allowing death to take its natural course. “Do not resuscitate” is permitted in Islamic law in certain situations. Debate continues about the certainty of brain death criteria within Islamic scholars. Although brain death is accepted as true death by the majority of Muslim scholars and medical organizations, the consensus in the Muslim world is not unanimous, and some scholars still accept death only by cardiopulmonary criteria. Organ transplantation has been accepted in Islamic countries (with some resistance from some jurists). Many fatwas (decrees) of Islamic Jurisprudence Councils have been issued and allowed organs to be donated from living competent adult donor; and from deceased (cadavers), provided that they have agreed to donate or their families have agreed to donate after their death (usually these are brain-dead cases). A clear and well-defined policy from the ministry of health regarding do not resuscitate, brain death, and other end-of-life issues is urgently needed for all hospitals and health providers in most (if not all) Muslim and Arab countries.http://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DOI?10.4103/2231-0770.203608brain deathdo not resuscitateethicsislamorgan transplantation
spellingShingle Hassan Chamsi Pasha
Mohammed Ali Albar
Do not resuscitate, brain death, and organ transplantation: Islamic perspective
Avicenna Journal of Medicine
brain death
do not resuscitate
ethics
islam
organ transplantation
title Do not resuscitate, brain death, and organ transplantation: Islamic perspective
title_full Do not resuscitate, brain death, and organ transplantation: Islamic perspective
title_fullStr Do not resuscitate, brain death, and organ transplantation: Islamic perspective
title_full_unstemmed Do not resuscitate, brain death, and organ transplantation: Islamic perspective
title_short Do not resuscitate, brain death, and organ transplantation: Islamic perspective
title_sort do not resuscitate brain death and organ transplantation islamic perspective
topic brain death
do not resuscitate
ethics
islam
organ transplantation
url http://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DOI?10.4103/2231-0770.203608
work_keys_str_mv AT hassanchamsipasha donotresuscitatebraindeathandorgantransplantationislamicperspective
AT mohammedalialbar donotresuscitatebraindeathandorgantransplantationislamicperspective