Living and Dying Well as a Muslim

Living with Purpose, Dying with Faith.

Our program promotes culturally and religiously competent end-of-life care rooted in Islamic values, addressing the spiritual needs of Muslims facing death and their caregivers, to ensure dignified, faith-based support.

In a survey of over 1,500 next-of-kin of deceased patients at a large Canadian tertiary hospital, satisfaction with end-of-life care was lower for Muslim patients vs. other religious affiliations.

(Nayfeh, Yarnell, Dale et.al., 2021)

Photo: @rafieeartist

About the Program

This pilot project is dedicated to supporting the end-of-life journey within Muslim communities in Canada. We start our work by conducting Participatory Action Research because we believe the communities most affected by the issues are the ones best able to craft desired solutions. Conventional research often extracts information from a community; our approach works with them to build capacity and voice.

Our engagement process involves:

Centering Diverse Lived Experiences | We understand there is immense cultural and denominational diversity within the Canadian Muslim experience. Our research approach allows us to work simultaneously on the 'big picture' values that Muslims share while crafting strategic solutions for specific intersectional identities and needs.
Iterative Development | We use a cycle of planning, acting, observing, and reflecting. This allows us to adapt our resources in real-time based on community input.
Culturally Safe Solutions | By involving the different stakeholders in the same dialogue, we bridge the gap between clinical protocols and spiritual needs.

Our resources and training are specifically designed for:

Muslims facing death

Muslim families and other informal caregivers (friends, neighbours, volunteers)

Community leaders, Imams, and mosque volunteers

Healthcare professionals seeking cultural competency in Islamic end-of-life practices.

How the Program Helps – Five Key Components

1 | Rooting Care in Islamic Values

The program ensures that end-of-life care is not only dignified but specifically adheres to the guidance of traditional Islamic principles and practices. By focusing on cultural and religious competence, it addresses the deep spiritual needs of patients and families facing death, ensuring their faith practices are respected and integrated into their care plan.

Photo: @annija-u

2 | Empowering the Community through Research

Unlike traditional research that simply extracts information, this project uses Participatory Action Research to build capacity and voice within the community. It operates on the belief that those most affected by the issues are best equipped to craft solutions, ensuring that the community actively drives the development of care resources.

Photo: @matheusferrero

3 | Centering Diverse Lived Experiences

Photo: Aqshal Faiq

4 | Adapting Resources in Real-Time

Through an iterative development cycle of planning, acting, observing, and reflecting, the program remains responsive. This allows for the adjustment of resources and tools in real-time based on direct community input, ensuring the support provided remains relevant and effective.

Photo: @jack-sparrow

5 | Bridging the Clinical-Spiritual Gap

The program fosters dialogue between different stakeholders to create culturally safe solutions. It bridges the divide between standard clinical protocols and spiritual needs, providing targeted support for a wide network that includes patients, families, religious leaders, and healthcare professionals seeking cultural competency.

Photo: Christian Harb

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- Citation

Photo: @thirdman

Work With Us in Co-Creating Care

Because we believe that the most effective solutions are built by the hands of those who need them most, we invite you to become a partner in crafting care. We are looking for collaborators who are ready to engage in meaningful dialogue to bridge the gap between clinical protocols and the spiritual realities of death and dying.

We are seeking to collaborate with:

Community Members: Individuals and families willing to share their lived experiences to help us understand the diverse needs of the Muslim community.
Spiritual Leaders: Imams, chaplains, and mosque volunteers who can help guide the theological framework of our resources to ensure they align with sound Islamic scholarship.
Healthcare Professionals: Clinicians and caregivers interested in developing and testing culturally safe protocols that respect the Islamic faith.

Join us in building capacity and amplifying the voices of Canadian Muslims in the healthcare space.

Your generosity in time and effort is the heartbeat of this project. Financial contributions are also vital to keep us moving forward. Every dollar goes toward funding the research, writing, and distribution of resources for the Muslim PAR Pilot Project. Thank you for supporting community-based research.

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Partner With Us: Building Capacity Together

We invite institutional partners - religious, social welfare, and healthcare agencies, organizations, and community associations - to join us in redefining end-of-life care for Muslims in Canada. Our program is not just about research. It is about building a sustainable network of support that bridges the gap between clinical settings and spiritual obligations.

Why Partner With Us?

Cultural Safety: We can help healthcare institutions navigate the nuances of Islamic end-of-life practices to better serve their patients.
Community Empowerment: We can work with mosques and community centers to equip leaders and volunteers with the tools they need to support families in crisis.
Action-Oriented Research: As a partner, you will not just observe. You will actively contribute to the cycle of planning and reflection to create resources that are immediately useful to your community.

Let us work together to ensure that Muslims are supported by their teachings and traditions as they near the end of life.