—namely, the heart, the circulatory system, and respiration—even if their cessation comes only after a while.

Accordingly, the Committee of the Islamic Fiqh Academy in Jeddah, made up of its legal scholars and physicians, namely:
1 – Shaykh Mukhtār al-Salāmī, Mufti of Tunisia;
2 – Shaykh Muṣṭafā al-Zarqā, one of the foremost jurists of Aleppo;
3 – Dr. Ashraf al-Kurdī, consultant neurologist;
4 – Dr. Muḥammad ʿAlī al-Bār, consultant internist,

resolved on 11 Ṣafar 1407 AH, decision no. 17, as follows:

From both the legal and medical perspectives, a person is deemed dead once one of the following two signs is established:

First: the complete cessation of the heart and of breathing, with the physicians ruling that this stoppage is irreversible.

Second: the total and irreversible cessation of all brain functions, as confirmed by a panel of expert specialist physicians, and the onset of cerebral disintegration. In such a case it is permissible to withdraw the life-support equipment attached to the dying patient, even if some organs—such as the heart—continue to work mechanically because of those devices.

As for the Council of the Islamic Fiqh Academy, at its tenth session convened in Mecca from Saturday 24/2/1408 AH to Wednesday 28/2/1408 AH, its resolution stated:

After deliberating on the matter, the Council reached the following decision: A patient on whom life-support equipment has been installed may have that equipment removed if all brain functions have ceased irreversibly and a committee of three expert specialist physicians determines that the damage is permanent, even though the heart and breathing are still