Euthanasia
Learn at least One quote (preferably two)
from the Qur'an and Hadith. Euthanasia is
quite straightforward in Islam; it is forbidden and condemned as 'suicide'. As
for helping others to die, 'A Muslim must never give permission to others to
take their lives nor must they assist them'.
GCSE Questions:These are the sort of Questions you will have to answer:
10 b) Explain religious attitudes to either abortion or war. (8 marks)
c) There are three main attitudes to abortion, euthanasia and war:
-they are wrong;
-some of them can be justified;
-they can all be justified.
Why do you think religious people sometimes disagree on these issues? (5 marks)
(SEG Short Course Specimen Paper)
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From the Qur'an: "Take not life which Allah made sacred otherwise than in the course of justice" (Quran 6:151 and 17:33). "Do not kill (or destroy) yourselves, for verily Allah has been to you most Merciful" (Quran 4:29). From a Hadith: The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: 'In the time before you, a man was wounded. His wounds troubled him so much that he took a knife and cut his wrist and bled to death. Thereupon God said: 'My servant hurried in the matter of his life. 'Therefore he is deprived of the Garden.(Hadith:Bukhari 8:603) |
The Qur'an and Euthanasia: Euthanasia has no place in Islam. Death is a time allotted by God. God is the owner of Life. Euthanasia and Suicide are perceived by Muslims as morally equivalent. The hardships and sufferings of this life are a test of a person's Faith (IMAN) and God -consciousness (Taqwa). A Muslim needs therefore to have an optimistic approach to life and not run away from the difficulties of life. That is why the QUR'AN implores people "not to kill yourself; indeed, God is merciful to you"(QUR'AN 4:29)'The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: 'In the time before you, a man was wounded. His wounds troubled him so much that he took a knife and cut his wrist and bled to death. Thereupon God said: 'My servant hurried in the matter of his life. 'Therefore he is deprived of the Garden.(Hadith:Bukhari 8:603)From this quotation Muslims are forbidden to take their own lives. If out of despair, someone took their own life then not only has the individual taken what doesn't belong to him but significantly the community has also failed in its responsibility to meet the needs of one experiencing a psychological and spiritual void. A Muslim must never give permission to others to take their lives nor must they assist them. In lslamic communities the lives of the Old are just as sacred as the young. Death is a time allotted by God. Nor can a person die except by God's leave, The term being fixed as waiting' (Qur'an 3:145) Suffering resulting from old age, is never to be endured for its own sake, so far as it is possible to be eased. It can however be an occasion for Spiritual Growth Even the manner in which it is endured can have moral effect upon those privileged enough to be in attendance. God gave life and God is the owner of Life. People have a responsibility to preserve and prolong that life
From a good summary at:http://www.farmington.ac.uk/library/reports/me/me9.html
The sanctity of human life is a basic value as decreed by God. The Quran says: "Take not life which Allah made sacred otherwise than in the course of justice" (Quran 6:151 and 17:33). The Shari'a went into great detail in defining the conditions where taking life is permissible whether in war or in peace with rigorous prerequisites and precautions to minimize that event. Islam does not give us the right to suicide. Since we did not create ourselves we do not own our bodies. We are entrusted with them for care, nurture and safe keeping. However, God is the owner and giver of life and His rights in giving and in taking are not to be violated. The Quran tells us: "Do not kill (or destroy) yourselves, for verily Allah has been to you most Merciful" (Quran 4:29). To warn against suicide the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) taught: "There was a man in older times who had an infliction that taxed his patience, so he took a knife, cut his wrist and bled to death. Upon this God said: My subject hastened his end, I deny him paradise." Given these clear injunctions, mercy killing in Islam is considered a grave sin. There is still more reason why one who is suffering an illness should not be tempted to take his own life. Muslims are told, "Those who patiently preserve will truly receive a reward without measure" (Quran 39:10) and "bear in patience whatever (ill) may befall you: this, behold, is something to set one's heart upon" (Quran 31:17). When means of preventing or alleviating pain fall short, this spiritual dimension can be very effectively called upon to support the patient who believes that accepting and standing unavoidable pain will be to his/her credit in the hereafter, the real and enduring life.
By Hassan Hathout, M.D., Ph.D. at http://www.asca.com/updates/1-1/14a.htm
IS THERE A RIGHT TO SUICIDE? Not in Islam. Since we did not create ourselves we do not own our bodies. We are entrusted with them for care, nurture and safe keeping. God is the owner and giver of life and His rights in giving and in taking are not to be violated. Attempting to kill oneself is a crime in Islam as well as a grave sin. The Quran says: "Do not kill (or destroy) yourselves, for verily Allah has been to you most Merciful" (Quran 4:29).
There is still another dimension to the question of pain and suffering. Patience and endurance are highly regarded and highly rewarded values in Islam. "Those who patiently preserve will truly receive a reward without measure" (Quran 39:10). "And bear in patience whatever (ill) may befall you: this, behold, is something to set one's heart upon" (Quran 31:17).
This is a very detailed discussion of Islam and Euthanasia and is well worth a read:
http://www.primenet.com/icsc/euth.txt
Our duration here on this earth is not for us to determine or control. A Muslim believes that he has no right neither does he have the power to determine his nor any body else's time to die. Our lives belong to the creator, and we can neither shorten it nor prolong it. Although it might appear that a person committing suicide is ending his own life or that a rescue squad or a medical treatment has prolonged a person's life, it is a basic Islamic belief that a person's life ends only when Allah decides for it to end. Can we end the suffering..?
A controversial discussion is taking place nowadays in this and other countries of the world related to the right of individuals to end a life under certain circumstances. This is a critical issue in particular in our days with many cases of terminally ill individuals where the person, his family, or the doctor need to take a decision related to medical treatments and when to "pull the plug." In Islam, this controversy is looked upon in the light of three basic criteria:
We must do our best to maintain the trust given to us by Allah as he gave us life.
We must do our best to maintain life. Doing our best in maintaining life is within the limits of knowledge and financial resources.
We have to ensure that whatever we do does not introduce unbearable pain or suffering to the human in consideration. In other words, if an affordable medical treatment is available, it must be administered to the patient provided it does not expose the patient to unusual pains and suffering.
On the other hand, using devices or drugs aimed at ending a person's life is not allowed in Islam no matter how much is the illness or the suffering. Emotional factors should not be used in making the treatment decision since belief in the Will and Mercy of Allah should provide the patient, his family, and his friends with the needed support. Muslims look upon such hardships as tests from Allah. Patience, persistence, and hope in Allah's Mercy not only are prescribed for the patient and his family and friends but also are better rewarded by Allah. Treatment decisions are typically discussed between the doctor and the immediate family members. The doctor is trusted to have the scientific medical knowledge. An Islamic rule which is relevant to state here is that as long as the efforts are sincere and the intentions are to abide by the Islamic rules and follow the commands of Allah, no one is held responsible for the results. No one is asked to do things beyond his true means and his true abilities. In summary, knowing that every single one will die when Allah wills him to die, we all are asked to only do our best, within the Islamic regulations, in whatever treatment decisions we take.
http://filebox.vt.edu/org/islam_sa/death.txt
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