Volume : 1 | Issue : 1
Letter to the Editor
Palliative care from the perspective of Shiite Muslims
Pouya Farokhnezhad Afshar
Tehran Psychiatric Institute, School of Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Received: May 01, 2018 | Published:May 07, 2018
The concept of life for human beings is related to several factors, such as the country of birth, family and the community. So the beliefs and attitudes of the society determines the value of life. The value of life is sometimes in conflict with the demands and desires of humans; this happens when the person's desire to end life is more than its value. The tendency to die is sometimes related to mental illness, living conditions and physical distress. ‘To be, or not to be: that is the question’. Is it possible for a person to decide for his death?
If this question is discussed from an individual's view and absolute authority, then yes, but from a social view, it depends on beliefs and values. Some religions are linked with the dominant culture of society in some countries, therefore, society's views on issues such as death are influenced by religious beliefs.
Islam is the second religion with the most followers,1 and one of its important branches is Shi'a. The author knows more about this religious branch, for this, he has reviewed it. The two common Muslim beliefs are the monotheism and the resurrection.2 The issue of death from the point of view of Muslims is the transfer of this life to another's life (resurrection) and God give life and he could take it back. Therefore, man is not allowed to take someone's life. On the other hand, people’s lives do not belong to themselves.
In Islamic countries, medical approaches must be in accordance with religious beliefs. Therefore, euthanasia (active or passive) is not accepted.3 Euthanasia is one of the moral and religious challenges, because the person's request and right is against the laws of God. For spiritual people this is a big challenge. So far, the religious issues of brain death and transplantation have been resolved. The jurisprudent is a person who is able to deduce the religious law from sources of Islamic jurisprudence (e.g. the Holy Quran and tradition). According to the condition and needs of the community, new rules may be extracted from resources. The euthanasia issue is a new case and needs to be reviewed.