Fatwa ID: 06739

Answered by: Maulana Ousman Haye

Question:

Someone was in their final stages, the doctors gave the family the option of either putting the patient on the ventilator or giving morphine to reduce the pain.

The family has opted not to put on the ventilator. As for the morphine they said it will not delay/expedite anything, just reduce pain.

In this situation is it ok/advisable to give the morphine? The concern was that the patient may be unconscious in their final moments.

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Answer:

There is nothing wrong with using morphine to relieve the patient’s pain, so long as no other painkiller is available. This is permissible because of necessity.

If no other permissible substance is known that could be used to alleviate the patient’s pain except this, then it is permissible to use it to alleviate pain in the case of necessity.

During the conference “The Eighth Medical Jurisprudence Symposium: An Islamic View on Some Health Problems and Impure and Haram Substances in Nutrition and Medicine”– which was held in Kuwait, 22-24 Dhu’l-Qa‘dah 1415 AH/ 22-24 May 1995 CE, the following was stated:

Intoxicating substances are prohibited and it is not permissible to take them except for the purpose of unavoidable medical treatment, and in the amounts specified by doctors, and they are regarded as pure (tahir).

Only Allah (عز و جل) knows best.

Written by Maulana Ousman Haye

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham

إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَيْتَةَ وَالدَّمَ وَلَحْمَ الْخِنزِيرِ وَمَا أُهِلَّ بِهِ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ فَمَنِ اضْطُرَّ غَيْرَ بَاغٍ وَلا عَادٍ فَلا إِثْمَ عَلَيْهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ
[سورة البقرة:173]

اُخْتُلِفَ فِي التَّدَاوِي بِالْمُحَرَّمِ وَظَاهِرُ الْمَذْهَبِ الْمَنْعُ كَمَا فِي رَضَاعٍ الْبَحْرُ، لَكِنْ نَقَلَ الْمُصَنِّفُ ثَمَّةَ وَهُنَا عَنْ الْحَاوِي: وَقِيلَ
يُرَخَّصُ إذَا عُلِمَ فِيهِ الشِّفَاءُ وَلَمْ يُعْلَمْ دَوَاءٌ آخَرُ كَمَا رُخِّصَ الْخَمْرُ لِلْعَطْشَانِ وَعَلَيْهِ الْفَتْوَى
(رد المختار، ج١، ص٢١٠، دار الفكر)