Fiqh of Medicine #3

        

Fiqh of Medicine

“The doctor prescribed medicine that contains narcotics; is it permissible for me to take it?”

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Question:

 We know Islam forbids intaking of intoxicating drugs, but what if the doctor prescribes a stimulant such Adderall, which is to treat attention deficit and hyperactivity? The doctor examined me thoroughly and I told him that I did not want to take any medication, but he said that it is better in my case to treat the problem with medication. Is it permissible for me to take this medicine?

Elaboration:

Adderall is the trade name for a stimulant medication that is believed to work by increasing the amount of dopamine produced in the brain. Studies have shown that Adderall works by increasing alertness and focus, which is done by reducing feelings of tiredness in the user. It is also used to treat cases of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Medically, it is not considered to be a narcotic drug but legally, Adderall, like other stimulants such as Ritalin and Concerta is classified under the Controlled Substances Act as a Schedule II drug. This indicates that Adderall does have a high abuse and dependence potential, and thus has some amount of influence on our behavior. Islam clearly prohibits the use of narcotics in our daily lives but what if it is necessary for our health?

Answer:

Praise be to Allah.

With regard to the ruling on using medicines that contain narcotics, the basic principle is that they are not allowed and they are haraam. But if it is used for medical purposes and there are no permissible medications that could be used instead, then in that case it is permissible to use them, subject to certain conditions: 

1.     That the patient’s need for this medication is a case of necessity or urgent need

2.     That a trustworthy Muslim doctor should testify that this narcotic medication is beneficial for the patient

3.     That use of the medication should be limited to that which will meet the need

4.     That this medication should not cause the patient greater harm than or harm equal to the harm because of which he is using it. 

The scholars of the Standing Committee were asked: 

What is the ruling on using pethidine or morphine, which are drugs that have an intoxicating effect, in cases of necessity or need? 

They replied:

“If there is no other permissible substance that can be used to reduce the patient’s pain other than these two substances, then it is permissible to use either of them to reduce pain in the case of necessity. That is on condition that using it should not lead to any greater or equal harm, such as addiction to its use.” 

Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz, Shaykh ‘Abd ar-Razzaaq ‘Afeefi, Shaykh ‘Abdullah ibn Ghadyaan, Shaykh ‘Abdullah ibn Qa‘ood 

End quote from Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah, 25/77, 78 

It is also advisable to consult a trustworthy Muslim doctor; if he tells you that your case requires treatment and that there is no suitable alternative in your case apart from this type of medicine, then there is nothing wrong with you using it, in sha Allah. 

But if there is a permissible alternative, or it is a matter of what is better, as we understand from your question, and it has not reached the level of necessity or urgent need, then you are not allowed to use it. 

And Allah knows best.

 

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Ruling on a doctor who misses the prayer because he is busy with surgery

FIQH OF MEDICINE 

Ruling on a doctor who misses the prayer because he is busy with surgery

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Question:

There are doctors who do emergency surgeries, which sometimes means that he is sometimes too busy to pray until the time of the prayer ends. What should he do?

Elaboration:

Predicting the duration of a surgical case is a bit like predicting the duration of a sports competition. For example, although you might know the average duration of a professional basketball game, it is impossible to know, to the minute, how long the next game will last. And just like a basketball game that is tied after 48 minutes, a surgical case can go into overtime if unexpected findings force a change in the surgical procedure that requires extra time. Moreover it can happen at any time especially in emergency cases. One would find it hard to perform his daily prayers if he is in the middle of a brain surgery.

Answer:

What a Muslim is obliged to do is to offer the prayer on time and not let himself be distracted from it by anything, unless it is something urgent that he cannot do anything about, such as saving a person from drowning or rescuing people from a burning house, or warding off the attack of an enemy that is feared. In such cases there is nothing wrong with delaying the prayer for that reason, even if the time for the prayer ends. But with regard to ordinary matters in which no danger is involved, it is not permissible to delay the prayer because of them.

It is proven that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), when the people of Makkah besieged Madeenah on the day of al-Ahzaab, delayed Zuhr and ‘Asr prayer until after Maghrib. According to another report, he delayed ‘Asr prayer until after Maghrib, because he was preoccupied with fighting. It is also proven that when the Sahaabah besieged Tastar, dawn came when the fighting was still going on and the people were scaling the walls and were at the gates of the city, and they delayed Fajr prayer until conquest was granted to them, then they prayed at the time of duha (forenoon) so that they would not miss out on the opportunity to conquer the city. In such situations it is permissible to delay the prayer. If there is a fire in which Muslim people are trapped, it is permissible to focus on rescuing them, even if that means that you will miss offering a prayer on time, because saving Muslim lives which are protected by sharee’ah is very important, and because it may not be possible to deal with this danger except by delaying the prayer; the prayer is being missed for a valid reason, so it is permissible to delay it.

A person may also delay the prayer and join prayers because of sickness and travelling, so it is permissible to delay prayers until after their time or to delay ‘Asr or Fajr prayers from their times in order to save one who is drowning or burning and so on. End quote.

Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him)

Allah knows best.

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Fiqh of Medicine #1

Fiqh of Medicine

"Is it Permissible to donate bone marrow

Question:

I would like to donate bone marrow to patients who are suffering from leukaemia but I want to make sure that it is halal (permissible in Islam). 

Elaboration:

There are two ways of helping leukaemia patients, either through a surgical bone marrow donation or by donating peripheral blood stem cells through a non-surgical procedure, called PBSC. 
Donating bone marrow is a surgical procedure done under general or regional anesthesia in a hospital. While a donor receives anesthesia, doctors use needles to withdraw liquid marrow from the back of the pelvic bone. 

PBSC donation is a non-surgical procedure done in an outpatient clinic. PBSC donors receive daily injections of a drug called filgrastim for five days, to increase the number of blood-forming cells in the bloodstream. Then, through a process called apheresis, a donor’s blood is removed through a needle in one arm and passed through a machine that separates out the blood-forming cells. The remaining blood is returned to the donor through the other arm. 
Are both procedures “islamically” allowed? Which procedure is preferred?

Answer:

Praise be to Allah. 

One will be rewarded for donating if his intention is sincerely for the sake of Allah and he intends to do good to the person to whom it is donated, whether he is Muslim or non-Muslim, on condition that he is not a harbi (a non-Muslim in a state of war against Islam), because there is nothing wrong with showing kindness to someone who is at peace with the Muslims. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Allah does not forbid you to deal justly and kindly with those who fought not against you on account of religion nor drove you out of your homes. Verily, Allah loves those who deal with equity”

[al-Mumtahanah 60:8]. 

The scholars of the Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas were asked: 

“Is it permissible to transfer blood from one person to another even if they are of different religions?” 

They replied: If a person is sick or is very weak and there is no way to treat him or help him except by transferring blood to him from someone else, and that is a way to save him, and the experts think it most likely that it will benefit him, there is nothing wrong with treating him by transferring blood from someone else to him, even if they are of different religions. So blood may be transferred from a non-Muslim, even if he is a harbi, to a Muslim and from a Muslim to a non-Muslim who is not a harbi. But in the case of a harbi, he is not under the protection of sharee‘ah and it is not permissible to help him. End quote. 

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 25/66 (edited)

With regard to questions about the two methods described of extracting marrow and separating it, it seems that there is nothing wrong with either of them. Determining which of them is better should be left to specialist doctors and the method which is easiest and least risky for the donor should be chosen. 

And Allah knows best.

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