Islam is opposed to euthanasia and suicide, considering them to be mortal sins that should be punishable by law, and that will be punished by Allah in the afterlife, Imam Mohamed El Sadi told a joint meeting of the Social Affairs, Health, and Family Committees.

Discussing euthanasia, the Imam said this position was the theological notion that the soul did not belong to man, and that its life and death was in Allah’s hands.

On the other hand, most Islamic scholars considered palliative care and the suspension of ineffective treatment to be permissible in certain cases, he szaid. However, Islam encourages patients to bear with their suffering as a means of purification and forgiveness, and forbids even the wish for death.