Is it permissible to remove a child from intensive care—which may lead to their death—for their comfort and to spare them suffering and medical equipment? And what is the legal ruling on that?

There is no difference between a child and an adult concerning the ruling on removing life support machines, as the determining factor is the medical condition. Contemporary scholars have differed on the permissibility of removing life support machines from a patient whose brain functions have permanently ceased, as determined by a committee of three expert doctors, even if the heart and breathing are mechanically functioning. However, the Islamic Fiqh Council and the Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Fatwa (definition) have permitted the removal of life support machines in this situation, provided that a suitable period of time is waited after removal to confirm death. Therefore, it is permissible to remove life support machines from a child if doctors determine that their condition matches these cases.