EUTHANASIA FROM THE ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE
(Faizan Khan ­ 5580034) After studying and watching a movie regarding Euthanasia in this class and being a member of the Islamic faith, I asked myself the question “If one is in a permanent vegetative state, is it
Haram (impermissible) to remove treatment? And if those people are assisted with their death, what is Islam’s view on ‘mercy killing’?” In this journal entry I share with you my personal response and opinion, based on my knowledge of the islamic teachings in the Quran and sharia’ (islamic law). To my understanding, the consensus is that where there is life in the human form, we have to assume that the rooh (soul) is still present and therefore any human intervention to separate the body and spirit would still be akin to illegitimate homicide. Therefore we do NOT turn of the machine. While doing some research on the topic, I came across an interesting case in
England of a father whose teenage daughter had choked on something and had gone into a coma. So the National Health Service were urging the parents to save the state hundreds and thousands of pounds by just pressing the button and turning the machine off, but the father insisted on keeping her alive (not sure if it was on religious grounds or not). After SEVEN years, the girl started to talk again and now she is more or less conscious and still a breathing human being, a creation of Allah (God). So in my opinion, that is an indication that we are absolutely forbidden from ‘playing’