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Is it permissible to approve a law that allows a patient to choose not to be resuscitated, and what are the consequences of that in terms of not providing medical aid? And does a nurse who participates in that bear sin or require expiation?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

If it is highly probable that the patient will perish if medicine is withheld, then he must be compelled to take it.

As for the ruling on one who grants permission for his killing: 1. Shafi'is and Hanbalis: There is no qisas (retribution) or diyah (blood money), but kaffarah (expiation) is due as a right of Allah. 2. Hanafis: Only diyah is due. 3. Malikis and some Hanbalis: Qisas is due upon him.

The preponderant view is that qisas is obligatory, because a person does not own his life, and his permission for killing is not legally valid. In the event that hudud (punishments) are not imposed, diyah is due from the doctor and nurse if they were the cause of death. Kaffarah is due for killing a non-Muslim, according to the majority of jurists.

It is not permissible to agree to work under such a law, and one must abandon this work.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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