Fatwa ID: 07112
Answered by: Muftiyah Aabedah Khatun
Question:
My Grandma is in intensive care and the doctors have asked about the Resuscitation orders.
If an elderly heart were to stop beating:
- Are chest compressions (pressing down hard on the chest repeatedly) with the risk of breaking the ribs allowed?
- Are electrical shocks to stimulate the heart (sometimes more than once via defibrillator) permitted?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
CPR and Electric shocks are used to save peoples lives, these have their risks such as the ribs breaking, however, specialists have mentioned that they will go through a little pain but it can be fixed and their life will be saved.
Allah has said in the Quran:
مِنْ أَجْلِ ذَلِكَ كَتَبْنَا عَلَى بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ أَنَّهُ مَن قَتَلَ نَفْسًا بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ أَوْ فَسَادٍ فِي الأَرْضِ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَتَلَ النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا وَمَنْ أَحْيَاهَا فَكَأَنَّمَا أَحْيَا النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا وَلَقَدْ جَاء تْهُمْ رُسُلُنَا بِالبَيِّنَاتِ ثُمَّ إِنَّ كَثِيرًا مِّنْهُم بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ فِي الأَرْضِ لَمُسْرِفُونَ
Because of that, We decreed upon the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption in the land – it is as if he had killed mankind entirely. And whoever saves one – it is as if he had saved mankind entirely. And our messengers had certainly come to them with clear proof. Then indeed many of them, after that, throughout the land, were transgressors.
(Surah Maida – verse 32)
These methods would be permissible because it would be saving lives and as Allah has mentioned, saving one life is like saving the whole of mankind.
Only Allah knows best.
Written by Muftiyah Aabedah Khatun
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
