Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions on Islamic law, bio-fiqh and medical ethics.
Is active euthanasia permissible in Islamic law?
Because the preservation of life is a fundamental objective, active euthanasia — directly ending a patient's life — is not regarded as permissible by the prevailing view and is treated as intentional killing. A detailed analysis appears in "Whose Life Is This?".
Are euthanasia and refusal of treatment the same thing?
No. Euthanasia involves active or passive intervention in life, whereas refusal of treatment is a patient declining a specific medical procedure. The two are discussed within different conceptual frameworks.
What are Tuba Erkoç Baydar's works on this subject?
Her main works are the book "Whose Life Is This?" and the article "The Right to Die: A Comparative Approach from Fritz Jahr and Islamic Law".
Is withdrawing life support sinful in Islam?
When treatment no longer offers benefit and merely prolongs dying, limiting life support is discussed within a different framework from active killing; the ruling depends on the medical situation, consent and maṣlaḥa.
Is seeking medical treatment obligatory?
Jurists differ on the ruling of seeking treatment; it is mostly held to be recommended or permissible, and obligatory in some cases. Details are addressed in "Withholding of Treatment in Islamic Law".
What is bio-fiqh?
Bio-fiqh is the interdisciplinary field in which developments in medicine and the life sciences are evaluated within usul al-fiqh; it is also called Islamic bioethics.
What are the core principles of Islamic medical ethics?
Preservation of life, non-maleficence, beneficence, patient consent, privacy and human dignity are the principal ones.
Is organ donation permissible in Islam?
Most contemporary fiqh councils permit organ donation and transplantation under certain conditions (necessity, consent, prohibition of commerce); it remains an issue of ongoing ijtihad.
Why is transplantation linked to brain death?
In cadaveric transplantation, determining death is critical for organ viability, so the debate over whether brain death counts as real death becomes decisive.
Is brain death real death according to Islam?
Contemporary jurists differ: some regard brain death as legal death, while others adhere to the traditional cardio-respiratory criterion. The matter is one of ijtihad.
How does Islamic bioethics differ from Western bioethics?
Western bioethics rests on autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice, whereas Islamic bioethics evaluates these issues through usul al-fiqh, the objectives of the law (maqāṣid) and the textual sources.
What issues does bio-fiqh cover?
It covers a broad field: the beginning and end of life, organ transplantation, reproductive technologies, genetics, euthanasia, treatment decisions and the ethics of epidemics.
How are contemporary fiqh problems resolved?
By applying the concepts of usul al-fiqh (ijtihad, analogy, maṣlaḥa, custom, maqāṣid) to new issues — first describing the issue accurately, then assessing it in light of the textual sources.
How is artificial intelligence treated in Islamic law?
AI's participation in medical decision-making raises new questions for the doctrine of liability (ḍamān); this is discussed in the essay "Artificial Intelligence and Liability in Islamic Law".