Is It Permissible to Sign a DNR Order, Withhold Food, or Refrain from Life-Saving Measures in Islam?

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

Is it permissible to sign a DNR order at a patient’s or family’s request? Can a patient be kept without food if they refuse or cannot eat without a tube? Would withholding CPR and life-saving measures be haram?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

It is permissible to sign a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order at a patient’s or their family’s request. However, it is unacceptable to withhold food from a patient who refuses it; one should attempt to provide nourishment through alternative means, such as a feeding tube. If there is no DNR order in place, all life-saving measures should be given without hesitation.

[Ibn ’Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar, Ahmad al-Hanafi, Minhat al-Suluk Fi Sharh Tuhfat al-Muluk, Zayla’i, Tabyin al-Haqaiq Sharh Kanz al Daqaiq]

I would like you to go through the valuable answers and links below. In sha Allah, you will receive guidance and direction.

Extending Life Support When There is No Recovery is Expected
Supplying Medication Containing Unlawful Ingredients 
Is it Permissible to Use Medicine with Haram Ingredients

I pray this helps answer your question.

[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Mawlana Ilyas Patel has received traditional education in various countries. He started his schooling in the UK and completed his hifz of the Quran in India. After that, he joined an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied secular and Aalimiyya sciences. Later, he traveled to Karachi, Pakistan, and other Middle Eastern countries to further his education. Mawlana has served as an Imam in the Republic of Ireland for several years and taught the Quran and other Islamic sciences to both children and adults. He also worked as a teacher and librarian at a local Islamic seminary in the UK for 12 years. Presently, he lives in the UK with his wife and is interested in books and gardening.