['Aalim Network QR] Patient in Coma

[Mustafa Rawji <mrawji@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca>]

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|     In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the All-Merciful       |\
|Greeting of Allah be upon Muhammad and the pure members of his House |\
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The response to the following question was kindly provided by Moulana Rizvi.

QUESTION:

If a person is in the state of 'coma' (prolonged loss of 
consciousness) he is like a mayyit, except that he is is alive and 
there is a rare chance he make wake up again... During this period he 
has to be fed artificially in complete unawareness.. He dosn't know 
what is happening around him, he cannot talk, see, hear etc...
If a person falls in to such a state, 

(i) should we let him die, saving him from his sufferings ? There is a chance
that he may wake up again, sometimes as much as after three years.....


ANSWER:

The question is slightly vague: is the person breathing by himself or by the
help of the resporatory machine? If he is breathing by the help of the
machine, then the machine can be disconnected only if the physicians say
that there is nothing more that can be done for this patient.
However, after removing the machine or if the patient had been breathing on
his own, it is necessary to feed him and make him as comfortable as possible
till he dies a natural death.


(ii) And if we let him live and he wakes up about three years later, 
then does he have to repay the salaat (prayes) and saum (fasts) he 
has missed in that period ?

ANSWER:
It is not wajib to repay the salat and the sawm that the patient missed
during the time of coma. (Minhajus Salihiyn, vol. 1, p. 245 and 336)


(iii) Also if he dies in his coma, e.g. after two years then does his 
eldest son have to repay the salaat and saum that was missed ?

ANSWER:
Since prayers and fasting was not wajib on the person in coma in the first
place, it would not be wajib on the eldest son to repay them. (Minhajus
Salihin, vol. 1, p. 245 and 338)

Yours in Islam,

Sayyid M. Rizvi