Suicide, euthanasia and istishhad in Islamic law

This paper will review how the basic principles of Islamic law regarding human life have been made and developed based on three fundamental concepts, namely suicide, euthanasia, and istishhad. These three notions have given a broad field of discussion in historical processes and in the modern world as well, and have raised some serious questions from the point of view of religion, law, and ethics. It is within this framework that the present research attempted to provide a close examination of the attitude of Islamic law to the mentioned issues based on the main sources, represented by the Quran and Sunnah, together with the doctrines of classical fiqh and contemporary understanding. In Islam, suicide has the meaning of a crime against social order, apart from the personal decision of a human to end his or her life within the circle of collective responsibility. The approach in the study portrays Islam as an acceptance of life as sacred and every soul belonging to Allah. However, euthanasia remains a highly discussed issue with respect to medical ethics, legal responsibilities, and human rights. In this context, the paper examines the place of euthanasia in Islamic law and its overlap with the principle of inviolability of life. In this direction, modern medical practices about the discussions of euthanasia have been commented in terms of its compatibility/incompatibility with the perspective of Islamic law. "Istishhad itself has been closely associated with war, resistance and religiously-motivated acts, especially within the modern period. The approach that Islamic law makes to this concept has not only determined the law of war limit, but reflects the fundamental teaching of Islam relative to peace and violence. A limitation to be considered legitimate with istishhad is in cases of defensive war and resistance to oppression. Besides all these, this research has discussed the main principles, rules, and interpretations that Islamic law envisioned about these issues and came up with some suggestions on how these issues could be treated in a healthier way in today's world. Keywords: Islam, Law, Suicide, Euthanasia, Istishhad