What is the ruling regarding a doctor who knows of his inability to diagnose or his commitment to treatment within the limits of his capabilities, if he was unable to diagnose a patient's condition in an emergency, and prescribed a treatment that did not benefit him, and the patient died due to the illness?
Giving medicine to a patient without diagnosis is considered deception, and the one who does so incurs sin, for the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Whoever deceives is not of me." The duty of a doctor who is unable to diagnose is to refer the patient to other doctors. The doctor erred by not referring the patient, and the majority of scholars do not obligate him to guarantee what happened to the patient if the medicine had no effect on his death, but they do deem him sinful. However, the Malikis guaranteed it, considering the omission to be an act in their view.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/105271