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Fatwa CenterNot Reviving Terminally Ill Patients: Islamic Perspective
Question
What is the ruling on reviving a terminally ill patient knowing that if this patient is revived, he will occupy a bed in the intensive care unit when another patient whose condition is treatable is in need of it? Is it permissible to submit a written order to the patient’s file to not revive him if his heart and breathing completely stop in the future? Should his family be informed of this? Could you tell us, may Allah reward you the best, about the fatwas of the Islamic Fiqh Council or the Permanent Committee regarding this issue?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
Apparently, and Allah knows best, if two individuals need to be revived, and one whose condition is treatable if treated while the other’s is not and there is only enough equipment to revive one, then the one whose condition is treatable should be given priority since the hopeful takes precedence over the hopeless.
However, if the equipment can suffice both patients or if it was set up for the one who is untreatable before the one who is treatable arrived, then the opinion that we adopt here is that it is not permissible to stop reviving him nor to transfer the device from him to the other because this could kill him.
We should know that losing hope in getting cured is a form of despairing of the mercy of Allah Almighty. He says (what means):
· {He said, "And who despairs of the mercy of his Lord except for those astray?"} [Quran 15:56]
· {And despair not of relief from Allah. Indeed, no one despairs of relief from Allah except the disbelieving people.} [Quran 12:87]
Who knows? What physicians cannot cure may be cured by Allah Almighty without any cause or with medication that the patient nor the physician were aware of. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said:
· “There is no disease except that Allah also sent down a cure for it. Those who know it, know it, and those who do not know it, do not know it.” [An-Nasa‘i]
· Jabir 
narrated that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said, “For every disease there is a cure, and if this cure is applied to the disease, he will recover by Allah’s leave.” [Muslim]
This is what we adopt as preponderant here, although the matter is controversial among the Muslim scholars and we have pointed out their opinions and the opinion adopted by the Islamic Fiqh Council regarding it.
We did not find any opinion adopted by the Permanent Committee of Ifta’ regarding this issue.
As for the written order of the physician in the terminally ill patient’s file about not reviving him, allowing or prohibiting it is based on what one believes of allowing or prohibiting the idea of not reviving that patient. It is not required to inform his family of this unless informing them will not cause any harm. In this case, it will be permissible to tell them, otherwise, it will not.
Allah knows best.
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