The Council's formal guidance for families and medical staff on end-of-life decisions, issued during the Covid-19 pandemic.
During the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Council was asked repeatedly for a Sharīʿah position on the decisions families and medical staff were facing in hospitals and care homes: when treatment may or may not be withdrawn, how the dying are to be cared for, and what is owed to the deceased when the usual rites could not be observed.
In response the Council issued formal written guidance on aspects of end-of-life care. It was prepared for two audiences at once — families making hard decisions under pressure, and the doctors and nurses caring for Muslim patients — so that care at the end of life honours both the sanctity of the person and the rulings of the Sharīʿah.
Fatwā reference: 2030759 · Issued: 20 Shaʿbān 1441 (14 April 2020)
The full written ruling is reproduced below, and may be downloaded for reference.