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Is it permissible to remove a patient from a ventilator when they are in a coma with a dead brain stem, but their heart is still beating?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

It is Islamically permissible to remove life support from a patient if brainstem death is confirmed, because it leads to brain death, which means the brain has completely ceased to function and is no longer viable. The Islamic Fiqh Academy has approved the removal of life support if all brain functions have permanently ceased, and a committee of specialized doctors has determined that the cessation is irreversible, even if the heart and respiration are mechanically functioning due to the devices.

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

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