By Shaykh Abdul Qayum
22 November 2024

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With MPs set to vote next week on the Assisted Dying Bill, I want to share the clear and unambiguous position of Islam on end-of-life issues and human suffering.

Life is a sacred trust from Allah (God), Who tells us clearly in the Qur’an:

Allah is the one who gives life and death

[Surah Ali-‘Imran, 3:156]

This establishes the Islamic principle that humans have no right to determine when life should end.

The proposed bill is being presented as a way to help people who are suffering at the end of their lives. But this goes against what Islam teaches us about the sanctity of life and why we face hardship. The Qur’an teaches us that “every soul will taste death” and that we are tested “with evil and with good as a trial” [Surah Anbiya, 21:35].

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught us that suffering, though difficult, has meaning:

No Muslim is afflicted by hardship, even by the pricking of a thorn or something more painful, but Allah thereby causes his sins to fall away just as a tree sheds its leaves.

[Bukhari]

This shows us that in Islam, suffering can wash away our sins. Another hadith tells us that “the greater the tribulation, the greater is the reward.” (At-Tirmidhi) This doesn’t mean we should seek out suffering or refuse treatment – Islam encourages us to seek cures and relief from pain, but within limits that respect the sanctity of life.

What worries me about the Assisted Dying Bill is how it could change the way society treats vulnerable people and the elderly. Look at what’s happened in Canada and the Netherlands. Their laws for assisted dying were justified on the grounds that they are only for terminally ill patients. Since their adoption, their laws have been expanded and includes people with chronic conditions and even mental health issues.

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught us to pray:

O Allah, I pray to you to make me content after you have decreed something for me.

[Ahmad]

This prayer shows us how to face hardship – asking Allah for help while accepting what He has written for us.

The Qur’an is clear about suicide:

Do not kill yourselves, for Allah is ever Merciful to you.

[Surah An-Nisa, 4:29]

Our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ warned about severe consequences for those who take their own lives. This isn’t to condemn people struggling with such thoughts but to show how serious this is and to encourage people to seek help through their faith and community.

I’m especially worried about how this law could affect the elderly, the disabled, or members of our community who are poor and vulnerable. They may feel pressured to choose assisted dying while mistakenly thinking that they are a burden on their families. This goes against everything Islam teaches about looking after each other and the obligation we have as a community to the poor and elderly and those who are most vulnerable.

We should be focusing on better palliative care, mental health support, and community services instead of legalising assisted dying. Islamic teachings show us how to treat people who are sick and those in their final days with dignity. We do this by comforting them, supporting their families, and ensuring they receive the best possible care while maintaining their dignity until their natural end.

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ would visit sick people and pray for them, saying:

Don’t worry, this suffering will be a purification.

[Bukhari]

This shows us how important it is to support people both practically and spiritually alongside providing for their medical care.

I’m asking everyone to write to their MPs to oppose this bill. While it’s being called a compassionate choice, this law risks changing how we treat members of our community who are suffering and are extremely vulnerable. We need to speak up for better care and for greater support for people while staying true to our beliefs.

You can judge a society by how it treats its weakest members. From an Islamic point of view, allowing assisted dying would be wrong, weakening both our faith and our duty to care for each other. We are not alone in our opposition to assisted dying. Members of the Christian and Jewish communities are also opposed to this bill.

We must remember that both hard times and good times are part of Allah’s plan. The Qur’an reminds us that Allah created death and life “to test which of you is best in conduct.” (Qur’an 67:2) When faced with suffering, our Islamic response must be to show patience, strengthen our faith, and come together as a community to support those in pain – not to seek ways to end life early.

May Allah guide us and our leaders to protect the sanctity of life and give us the strength to care for those who are suffering. May He grant us all patience in times of hardship and keep us firm in our faith.

Ameen.

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