An Islamic Medical Response regarding Care at the end of Life

Dear Editor

End-of-life decisions and End-of-life care are becoming today more complicated and with many different views and ideas as we have seen first in the Opinion article “Better care at the end of life: we need to change the conversation” by Charlotte Augst and in the Rapid Response submitted by Louisa Polak: “Conversations centred on choice and individual autonomy may not help improve end-of-life care”.

End-of-life decisions are linked in many cases to the religious beliefs of the dying patient and in some cases they are linked to the religious beliefs of the doctor who is treating the dying patient.

As we are having many views and some confusion, please allow me to explain the missing unknown view of about 4 million British Muslims. who many of them are dying in hospitals.

In relation to End-of-life decisions and End-of-life care Muslims believe that GOD, is the Creator of all of us, is the Owner of every one’s life, He gives life and He only takes life.

The moment of the end of life: DEATH is fixed only by our Merciful GOD.

In fact, the moment of death was fixed by GOD, when every one of us was 6 weeks during pregnancy.

No judge no Court no doctor no Member of Parliament no law no family member and no Muslim patient is allowed to interfere or to decide about ending his/her own life.

Every Muslim believer is made aware of sudden death frequently and to be READY and expect to die at any moment of his/her life.

Present life is SHORT and TEMPORAL and the REAL LIFE is the eternal after-life: Heaven or Hell and this will depend on the life of the Muslim if he/she was obeying GOD and was practising believer

Muslims believe that death should be NATURAL, as fixed by GOD, the Creator.

In the Islamic Holy Scriptures: Attempted suicide, Assisted suicide,Suicide or Euthanasia are FORBIDDEN to do by any Muslim believer

A Muslim believer is not allowed to organise any ‘living will’ (to end his/her life and be killed)

with the full right to be given halal (permissible) food, nutrition, water and life-saving treatment, and to be fully respected even if one becomes mentally or physically incapacitated, until the sudden natural stoppage of heart/circulation and lung/respiration, definitely not to die from starvation or dehydration, as this is considered killing and against God’s wishes.

To die as a practising Muslim believer, declaring and uttering frequently and again at moment of natural death:

There is only one GOD: the GOD of Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad: peace be upon them, and that the Prophet Muhammad was the final messenger.

Surrounded by family members in the privacy of one’s home (the Muslim’s hospice), after having the final halal (permissible) food and drink and halal (permissible) medicine.

A Will for inheritance should have been made out before to the family members and according to the teachings of Islam.

All efforts to be made to pay any loan before the death of the Muslim

Reassured that a quick burial (cremation is not allowed), after washing the body and after doing a special prayer to the dead person, with full respect to all the human body and organs, totally reassured that all his/her wishes have been respected and implemented.

“Patient autonomy” and “ Muslim patient decisions” are all according to the wishes and orders of our GOD

This is the best type of dying/ death for every Muslim (2000 million in the world) and is the best “COMPASSION IN DYING” and the MOST DIGNIFIED.

Dr MAJID KATME

Retired Psychiatrist. Former Chairman: Islamic Medical Association/UK

Note: Dr Katme commended the first edition of Talking about Dying