Does the failure to take an infant to a doctor or hospital after circumcision, with his continuous crying and the appearance of red spots on his organ, followed by his death, constitute neglect that warrants something?
Determining the cause of death is a matter for doctors. If the parents were negligent in taking the child to the hospital, believing the pain was ordinary, then there is no sin or liability upon them, unless neglect is certain or highly probable. This is because the default assumption is the parents' innocence and their love for their children's well-being. Ibn Hazm says: "If the mother is suspected of causing the child's death, whether by her action or otherwise, there is no blood money (diyah) or expiation (kaffarah); because we are certain of her innocence from his blood, and wealth is forbidden except by certainty, and religious obligations are not imposed except by a text." However, if neglect in treatment is proven to have led to death, then there is a fear of sin; because medicine whose benefit is highly probable and whose omission certainly leads to harm is religiously obligatory, as mentioned by Ibn Uthaymeen.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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