Issues In End-Of-Life Care From The Islamic Perspective: Some Guidance For Malaysian Doctors

The decision-making process at the end of life, more often than not, takes place in a highly charged atmosphere as it deals with the delicate issue of death and the dying process. Doctors are confronted with difficult decisions whether to continue, withhold or withdraw medical interventions from terminally ill patients, which involve an array of ethical dilemmas. This includes situations when there exist conflicts between the religious and cultural values of the patient and routine medical practice, or when the wishes of the patient’s family members are opposed to what the doctor feels would be in the best interests of the patient. At the moment, Malaysia does not have comprehensive guidelines that incorporate the religious perspectives of end-of-life care to help guide doctors to understand the Islamic standpoint on such issues. This paper seeks to highlight the discussion and rulings on end-of-life decisions from the Islamic context with the hope of increasing the understanding of such issues among Malaysian medical practitioners and guide them in the decision-making process. To such end, this study employs the qualitative method of doctrinal analysis by referring to both primary and secondary sources relating to medical treatment and issues at the end of life. Findings of this research demonstrate that Islam provides a holistic approach to the subject matter, which will assist doctors to address the prevalent issues in end-of-life care and provide assurance to Muslim doctors, in particular, of the ethicality of their actions.