by Tahmina Sattar

Created on: July 07, 2009   Last Updated: July 10, 2009

Suicide and euthanasia are controversial issues in medical ethics today. Muslims have dealt with the matter of suicide through various legislation in Shari-ah as well as through Fatwas given by current religious clerics.

According to Muslims all actions taken are regulated by Shari-ah. Shari-ah is the translation of guidance given through the Quran, the Ahadith (established sayings of the prophet Muhammad) and collective consensus of the scholars to legislative rulings concerning the lives of Muslims. Euthanasia and suicide are therefore also regulated by Shariah.

When Muslims proclaim faith in Allah, they understand the qualities and attributes of their god. One of these attributes is that of Al-Khaliq, The Creator. It is Allah alone who creates life and He assigns death as He wills. Death itself is a test or ordeal the believer must undergo before they are able to enter the next phase of life in eternity- whether it is Heaven or it is Hell. In the Quran, Muslims are instructed not to take any life except by "way of justice and law"(Al-An`am 6: 151) .

Unless a person is insane, or temporarily insane, under the influence of medication or under severe torture or duress due to their religious beliefs, suicide is considered an action that is in contempt of Allah's will. Interestingly according to Islamic philosophy, the time of death is fixed, so for one who attempts suicide, no matter how much they try, they would only be successful when the time appointed is coincidental with their action. However the action of attempting suicide is illegal. All Muslims are gravely aware that the punishment of suicide is eternal hell. The rights to a proper funeral service is also denied.

Euthanasia is slightly more complicated. Although assisted euthanasia is illegal even in the circumstances of severe pain or distress arising from a terminal illness, the matter changes for a patient who is on life assistance machines. In that instance the patient or the legal guardians of the patient are permitted to switch of the machine after consultation with physicians. This is allowed as the machine is considered a treatment, and treatment and medication is seen as recommended but not an obligation upon Muslims. Thus removing the treatment is not seen as taking a direct action against one's life but taking action on the element of choice that one has.

Overall the rulings pertaining to suicide and euthanasia in Islam seeks to protect the Muslim from interfering in Allah's will and absolute authority, at the same time making considerations for the special cases that may occur.

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