Islamic Ethics on Abortion and Euthanasia

The development of the contemporary society and the rapid progress of civilization have compounded to contribute to the crisis of identity and the confusion in regards to the Muslims’ faith’s principles and practices. Related are two controversial topics that lead to the elimination of someone’s life; abortion and euthanasia also known as ‘mercy killing’. The two issues raise controversy across several religions and not only in Muslim. This is because - as Muslims will also attest to – they believe that the supernatural being (either Allah, God or the relevant creator) is the only one bound to take life as He is the only one who gives it. Muslims define their lives as sacred, living according to the teaching of the Quran (their Holy Book as the Bible is to Christians) and Sunnah which refer to the teachings of the prophet Muhammad (Alsolamy, 1995, p.

Beyond this date, the faith prohibits the termination of the pregnancy. In respect to this, the greater burden lies with the medics and service providers in providing early diagnosis of a health problem that could put either the mother or the child at risk. Late detection can be met with an impasse situation for the mother while at the same moment experiencing considerable suffering. It is appropriate to note that time and speed are crucial factors for a Muslim patient. Rape is a form of violence against women where the feminine gender feels undermined by the occurrence of such a circumstance. These individuals put it precisely that not even mental illness can justify the need for abortion. Aforementioned texts define that there are no explicit verses (ahadith) from the Qur’an that provide precise status on the case of abortion.

The interpretations of the scholars become a vital component to the attainment of the right decision. Despite their much-needed participation and contribution to the process, there are a number of Qur’anic verses that recognize the sanctity of human life. One of them for instance states, “You shall not kill your children due to fear of poverty. Euthanasia Euthanasia is the painless process through which a person’s life is terminated due to intense suffering or else an irreversible coma as a way to relieve the pain they are enduring. Euthanasia is a relevant practice since the Nazi war where the practice began as an approach for the suffering soldiers. The practice, however gradually siphoned into the society until it even became a debatable topic that the community had to deal with.

The decision on whether to end someone’s life is also an ‘evil’ plan because it means gambling with someone’s life. Still, the question rises on whether any human being is bound to do so especially with the existence of the religious bounds. (Alsolamy, 1995, p. All these circumstances subscribe to a situation where there is a strong possible case for euthanasia. However, Islamic rules provide strict directions on the cases of terminally ill patients. The Islamic forbids the passive or active act of causing death to the terminally ill patients (Alsolamy, 1995, p. An active form of euthanasia is the administration of a deadly injection. The Fatwas refer to the best Muslim doctrines from the great Muslim scholars concerning such issues that are contentious and do affect their religion.

In the Sunni tradition, they are known as Mofti Al-Aaazam while in the Shiite tradition they are Ayatollah Al-Ozma (Amaresh & Shadi, 2007, p. They compose the uppermost jurisprudential dicta among the majority of the Islamic believers across the globe. The Fatwas consider Euthanasia as un-Islamic. Most of the popular scholars and Sheikhs from different parts of the world have equated euthanasia to murder. Some scholars support it as ‘passive euthanasia’ while others believe that it is a conventional accepted practice which becomes realistic from a medical, spiritual, and economic point of view. Scholars such al-Qaradawi think the suspension of medication because it achieves no progress is permissible and sometimes is recommended for the sake of the family and more so, the patient’s comfort (Ayuba, 2016).