Question:
I have a sister with me since last year March who is battling with cancer and although Alhamdulillahi Rabbil Aalameen - Allah SWT Has made it possible for her treatment she was not able to recover from the first round of attempts of chemotherapy & radiation!
Anytime a cancer patient needs to go through a second round of chemotherapy & radiation it is well known by the doctors that it’s just a stalling attempt. The second attempt around is no longer a cure but an attempt to control for as LONG AS THE PATIENT CAN TOLOERATE ! SubhanAllah! That is their cut off !
She is becoming incredibly weak and the pain is unbearable with each added chemotherapy and radiation therapy !
Sometimes I wonder if it is even right to be subjecting her body and soul through so much pain ??? I am now seeing this as literal torture . And I am saying this because we have so many people in our community going through this horrific treatment and I strongly feel we need to be able to draw a line , at least for our scholars of Islam and physicians - Please suggest for those of us of less knowledge -how far to go with this. Are we crossing the Permissible line by subjecting the human body ??
Answer:
May Allah Ta'aala make it easy for your sister and grant her complete cure from her illnesses and may the Almighty Allah protect us all. Ameen!
It is not obligatory upon any individual to take treatment for his/her illness as taking treatment is a Sunnah. If any person that refuses treatment happens to pass away then he/she will not be held accountable in the court of Almighty Allah. Based on this, if an individual feels that the pain and difficulty attached to chemotherapy and radiation is unbearable then one is entitled to refrain from taking treatment. In conclusion, it is up to the individual to decide.
Secondly, chemotherapy is administered to kill the cancer cells within the human body. If Allah Ta'aala wills and puts the required effect, then it could possibly serve as a cure, or serve as a stalling attempt; or if Allah Ta'aala wills, it would have no effect whatsoever. This simply means that the therapy being administered by the physician is totally dependent on the will and decision of Almighty Allah . We therefore cannot say with certainty that it is a stalling attempt as this is totally in the knowledge of Allah Ta'aala. If you’ll are convinced that it is, refrain from it.
And Allah Ta'aala knows best!
ANSWERED BY: Mufti Mohammed Desai
CHECKED AND APPROVED BY: Mufti Muhammed Saeed Motara Saheb D.B
Date: 22 Jumadal Ula 1441
English Date: 18 January 2020
