Can Muslims Refuse Medical Care?

Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat 

Question

If someone gets into an accident and the only way how to survive is with very advanced medical care (multiple organ support etc.) and the expected outcome is severe disability with a very low quality of life, is it permissible to refuse the medical care and just die naturally?

Answer

I pray you are well and that Allah gives us and our loved one ‘afiya.

Yes, it is permissible to refuse medical care if one so wishes.

The general ruling is that medical intervention is a means, and therefore, encouraged by the Sunna. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “…Seek medical treatment O servants of Allah, because Allah hasn’t manifested any illness except that He has manifested for it a cure.” [Tirmidhi]

Medical treatment is a means, and it is not a guarantee that one will be cured in every situation, so scholars have said it is permissible to forego medical treatment if one wishes. [Ibn ‘Allan, Dalil al-Falihin] In the scenario above the same would apply, and Allah knows best.

[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began studying Arabic Grammar and Morphology whilst studying for a degree in English and History. After graduating, He traveled to Damascus and studied Arabic, Hanafi Fiqh, Usul al-Fiqh, Theology, and Logic with Shaykh Adnan Darwish, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahman Arjan al-Binsawi, Shaykh Husayn Darwish, Shaykh Muhammad Darwish, the late Shaykh Rashad Shams, and others. He then moved to Amman to continue his studies in those fields, as well as in Tafsir, Quranic Sciences, Hadith Methodology and Commentary, Prophetic Biography, Prophetic Perfections and Traits, Rhetoric, Arabic Literature, and Tajwid. His teachers include Shaykh Ali Hani, Dr. Hamza al-Bakri, Dr Salah Abu al-Hajj, Dr Mansur Abu Zina, Shaykh Ahmad Hasanat, Shaykh Ahmad Jammal, and others.