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Name
Kareem
-
Profession
Question
How does the Islamic perspective of a doctor's "bedside manner" compare to that of the non-Muslim doctors?
Answer
Thanks for this question.
First, the general philosophy in Islamic medicine is that the healer is Allah (SWT) and the doctor is the instrument that Allah uses to heal the people. The doctor-patient relationship is stronger in Islam than it is in modern medicine as he has responsibilities which he will be asked about them by Allah in the day of judgment .
The relationship now in the west is medical/legal. The emphasis has become one that has slipped into more materialism. Because the relationship between doctor and patient has become one that is based more on money than before, the level of trust has been decimated between the doctor and his/her patients.
There is also more sensitivity on the part of the patient, both man and woman, in the Islamic ethic. The patient is dealt with having more consideration. The patient does not want to be looked at completely naked when being examined, so their interest and privacy is considered more.
A Muslim doctor examining a female patient must have a third party in room (i.e. nurse) so that the issue of sexual harassment will not be a serious problem.
Also, there is extreme sensitivity about the question of virginity in the unmarried Muslim girl .
When you are taking the medical history of a patient, Islamically, it should be done in private. For example, if you ask a British unmarried girl if she has children, she would not be offended. However, if you asked an unmarried Muslim girl the same question, they would take offence to this due to the fact that she does not participate in relations outside of wedlock. Abortion is generally prohibited with certain exceptions and so is reproductive technology, which includes more than the husband and the wife, such as artificial insemination from a donor or using semen or ovum or uterus from a different person than the spouse.
Lastly, Muslim patients would rather have treatments with non-alcoholic medicines because Islam prohibits alcohol.
Suicide and assisted suicide (mercy killing) in medicine have no place in Islam.
Name
Marwa
- United Kingdom
Profession
Medical Research Student
Question
Alsalamo Alykum..
Can you tell me please what do you think about the mercy killing (or what is called Euthanasia) to end somebody's life who is terminally ill and who has been suffering for a long time. This situation is getting more common in the west here..?
Answer
Wa Alaikom Assalam.
The sanctity of human life is ordained in the Quran. "Do not take life which God has made sacred except in the course of Justice" (6:151), and "anyone who has killed a fellow human except in lieu of murder or mischief on earth, it would be as he slew the whole mankind" (5:32).
About suicide, Quran is very clear: "Do not kill yourselves as God has been to you very merciful" (4:29). Taking away the life should be the domain of the One who lives life. True, there is Pain and suffering at the terminal end of an illness, but we believe there is reward from God for those who patiently persevere in suffering (Quran 39:10 and 31:17) and doctors should be able to reduce that pain.
While Muslim Physicians are not encouraged to artificially prolong the misery in a vegetative state, they are ordained to help alleviate and reduce suffering. Quran says, "Anyone who has saved a life, it is as if he has saved the life of whole mankind" (5:32). Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) emphasized this by saying, " O Muslims, seek cure, since God has not created any illness without creating a cure."
There is no doubt that the financial cost of maintaining the incurably ill is a factor. However, the question is when the human machine has outlived the productive span and its maintenance becomes a financial burden on society, should it be discarded abruptly or allowed to die naturally, gradually and peacefully? Islamically, when individual means cannot cover the needed care, it becomes a collective responsibility of the society. To meet this objective, the society has to reshuffle its values and priorities and divert funds from those spent on alcoholism, drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, and other such "pursuits of happiness" to providing health care for those who are hopelessly ill and allowing them to live with quality and die in dignity.
I believe that there is no place for positive euthanasia in medical management for patients under whatever name or form (e.g., mercy killing, suicide, assisted suicide, the right to die, the duty to die, etc.) .
No one - not even the doctor - should be allowed to determine the patient's life span. On the other hand the sick person should patiently endure the pain and pray to Allah . If he/she is patient, there will be a great reward and blessing for him/her in the eternal life.
If, however, a number of medical experts determine that a patient is in a terminal condition and there is no hope for his/her recovery, then it could be permissible for them to stop the medication. If the patient is on life support, it may be permissible, with due consultation and care, to decide to switch off the life support machine and let nature take its own time.
I heard that organ donation is not allowed in Islam due to the need to preserve the integrity of the body. Is that true? and What is the Islamic ethical ruling of organ donation.
Answer
Akhi Ali, although I am NOT a Mufti, but I can tell you that the Holy Quran says: "and whoever saves a life it would be as if he saved the life of all the people." Perhaps there is no better way to implement this concept than in the area of saving lives by transplanting donated organs to replace failing vital ones.
And the Hadith of the Prophet (PBUH) “Whoever helps a brother in difficulty, God will help him through his difficulties on the Day of Judgement.”
This conclusion, however, had to be reached after some synthesis of Islamic rules. Basically, violating the human body, whether living or dead, is against the rulings of Islam. It would follow that incising the body of a living donor or of a cadaver and obtaining the organ to be donated, would be impermissible, had it not been for the invocation of two juridical rules that readily solve the impasse. The first is the rule of "Necessities overrule prohibition." The second is the "choice of the lesser of the two evils if both cannot be avoided." Since the saving of life is a necessity that carries more weight than preserving the integrity of the body of donor or cadaver and since the injury of the body of the donor is less evil compared with leaving the patient to die, the procedure of organ donation and transplantation is sanctioned. It should not pose danger on the donor, as far as medically ascertainable. Rules of free consent devoid of all kinds of pressure should be observed as the donor (or next of kin of deceased donor) indicate their willingness.
This code was recognised in the First International Conference on Islamic Medicine held in Kuwait in January 1981.
Name
Maher
- United Kingdom
Profession
Question
What is the Islamic position on fetal (embryo) tissue transplant?
Answer
As long as the procurement of the fetal tissue is legitimate, it is alright. It is not permissible to conceive or to induce abortion of a fetus for the sole purpose of taking its tissues for therapeutic use.
Name
Fatima
- Morocco
Profession
Question
Salaam. My sister is pregnant and her doctor told her that the fetus is diagnosed with a genetic disease ( Down's Syndrome). Can she have an abortion as she might not be able to look after such child?
Answer
Islamically not but, also Islamically society should support the life of the child if the parents cannot. Also you might know that there is an extra reward in going through this test from Allah (SWT) in caring for such a child.
Name
Mariam
-
Profession
Question
Did Muslims contribute in the past in solving medical ethical issues ? or it is all modern dilemmas?
Answer
Yes, they did . One of the most extensive works dealing with ethics in the middle ages was written by Ishaq ibn Ali. His book, Adab al-Tabib (Ethics of Physician) is an extensive work in the Arabic language. Its English translation appears in the Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, Vol. 57, part 3, 1967, Philadelphia. The Islamic philosophy served as a basis for defining and solutions to the ethical and moral problems facing physicians.
Adab al-Tabib is a beautiful illustration of the fact that problems of responsibility, ethical dilemmas, and needs of the society are nothing new to medicine.
If you are interested to read more about the history of Islamic Medicine you can find many articles in Arabic & English here: http://www.islamicmedicine.org/history.htm.
Please clarify the difference between genetic and inborn. Whatever its cause, its practice is prohibited. In Islam, the key is not "Be what you are" but "Be what you should be", irrespective of moods and inclinations. Sometimes inborn conditions can have a genetic expression later on.
Name
Abdul Hamid
- France
Profession
Question
If the mother cannot carry the child (fertile) for a medical reasons, is surrogacy to hire another lady to carry the embryo allowed?
Answer
Not in Islam. The marriage contract accommodates only two persons : husband and wife. Thus, assisted reproduction is allowed only between husband and wife while they are married. For more details please go to: http://www.islamicmedicine.org/views.htm.
Name
Lina
- Egypt
Profession
Question
How would you feel about abortion for pregnancy resulting from rape?
Answer
Why would you kill an innocent life? The baby should be the responsibility of society if the mother cannot support that baby. Coverage, care and sympathy are amongst her rights. I acknowledge a different position taken by other notable jurists or Muftis.
Why commit one crime because of another crime?
Name
Dr. Mohammed Chaudry
- United Kingdom
Profession
Doctor in Obs/Gyn hospital
Question
Assalamo Alaikom, can you tell me please if a Muslin doctor who is apposed to abortion and euthanasia is asked by his non-Muslim patient to perform such procedures which is also acceptable in some countries in the west, should he refuse because of his personal convictions?
Answer
Wa Alaikom Assalam. Yes, There is room for the conscientious objector in our system. I know here in England it is allowed for any doctor to refuse performing abortion if he/she is not happy to do so.
Name
Khaled
- Saudi Arabia
Profession
businessman
Question
Salamu Alaikum..
Should Muslim Physicians care for AIDS patients? Is that not endorsing homosexuality?
Answer
Wa Alaikom Assalam..
Akhi Khaled, We do not discriminate other patients because of their race, religion, or even lifestyle (smokers, alcoholics, over eaters etc) nor should we do so for AIDS patients. We should care for them as we care for any patient, taking all the necessary precautions to protect ourselves.
By the way, not all AIDS cases are due to homosexuality.
Name
Anwar
- Pakistan
Profession
student
Question
What is the role of Muslims in all this medical dilemma? What can we do to affect a positive change overall in what the state of the world is currently?
Answer
It seems that the preventive medicine of these illnesses lies in the teachings of Islam. It is no wonder that Islamic societies have a much lower incidence of these catastrophies (compare India and Pakistan on the issue of AIDS for example).
The real medicine is morality, although we Muslims have neglected much of our Islam, yet Islam still strongly influences the patterns of moral conduct for the individual and the society. We have to present this to the world and tell them that morality and chastity is not a theoretical thing, but it can be done and is already being done.
They have the illness and we have the medicine in the form and teachings of Islam. But we have first to be good representatives of Islam and second reach out with its teachings and introduce them to the people.
Name
Dr.Fadi
- United States
Profession
casualty doctor
Question
As a junior doctor working in the casualty department, is CPR (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation) part of the mandate to maintain life. What is the status of DNR (Do Not Resuscitate)?
Answer
Akhi Dr. Fadi, when the treatment becomes - scientifically - futile (i.e. hopeless), it is no more mandatory, and DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) would be acceptable.
My husband and me got married 7 months ago. My husband is in a coma after car accident and is expected to die soon according to the doctors. I love him very much. Can I save his sperm to have his baby after his death?
Answer
No. After his death, his sperm can not be used. All methods of assisted reproduction are allowed between husband and wife only during the intact span of marriage.
And Allah knows best.
Name
Amina
-
Profession
Question
You know that in europeen countries you have to work with dead people during your medicine study.
My question is: Is that islamically allowed?
My other question is: Am I as woman allowed to to study medicine and to treat male patients?
Please send me the answer! Thank you..
Answer
1- To study Anatomy you might need to work on cadavers . If there is no other ways (e.g. plastic modules like in many western countries now as well as computer programs which teach very good anatomy) in that case necessity (Dharoorah) is applied.
2- Yes, as female you will be rewarded to study medicine and there are many specialities you can work in.
some Fatwas in Islam on Line are worth reading , e.g: This Fatwa.
Salam. I would like to study Medicine, and I would like you please to tell me the main characters every doctor need to have? Wa Jazaka Allaho Khairan..
Please can you tell me your views on Islam and Cosmetic Surgery? This is not corrective surgery for a defect, however, just the enhancment for personal gratification.
Would this be against Islam, and what would the protocol be to have this accepted?
Answer
Dear sister Mari, Thanks for the question,
Over 22 articles (in English and Arabic) has been included into my site (Islamic Medicine On Line): http://www.islamicmedicine.org.
