The role of Islamic Ruqyah at end-of-life: An opportunity to provide metaphysical relief.

Abstract

Objective: Practitioners in the West care for patients from diverse backgrounds. For Muslim patients who experience end-of-life in a foreign society, it is especially prudent to provide access to cultural and religiously appropriate practices. The Quran, the Islamic Holy book, is a key central aspect in the life of a Muslim. Ruqyah, that is - recitation of the Quran, is an often unrealized and misunderstood facet to a peaceful end-of-life for Muslim patients receiving palliative care. Ruqyah may offer comfort and be a source of relief for some Muslims but may be misunderstood as a lack of acceptance of impending death.

Methods: This case report and single patient chart review describes the use of Ruqyah at the end-of-life and the role of Western practitioners as it relates to this practice. A critical analysis was undertaken to address the themes of hope, spirituality, and autonomy at end-of-life followed by a literature review.

Results: Maintaining a sense of hope is a religious duty albeit one in which the outcome is not within the believer's hands. For Muslims, to hope is to believe - which is to accept death when it arrives. In a varied world with rich cultures, it is fundamental for end-of-life providers to incorporate cultural or religious rituals into their working knowledge of the dying process.

Significance of results: This case demonstrates the importance of the basic understanding of Islamic end-of-life practices in conjunction with Muslim spiritual and chaplaincy resources.