Is it permissible for a Muslim to choose not to be resuscitated by electrical shock and artificial ventilation upon cardiac arrest, or to discontinue artificial ventilation in a hopeless case of recovery when he is unable to make the decision?
Preserving one's life is an obligation, and a Muslim must take all measures that sustain or prolong life. If it is certain that death will occur through one of two possibilities, and one delays death more than the other, then it is obligatory to avoid the cause that hastens death. Therefore, it is not permissible for a Muslim to make a will requesting not to be resuscitated by electric shock or artificial ventilation, even if they reach a state of despair about their life. Rather, it is obligatory to strive in everything that delays their death. If such a will is made, it is not to be implemented because it is a will that enjoins something forbidden.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/64487
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 64487
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy