Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
Death is decreed and written for a person, just as Allah Almighty decrees its cause, time, and place. However, this does not mean abandoning treatment or the available means. A servant is commanded to take the means of well-being, and a person does not know what Allah has decreed for him.
Death is one of the matters that Allah Almighty has written and decreed for His servants. He says:
“He who created death and life to test you as to which of you is best in deed—and He is the Almighty, the Most Forgiving.”
Al-Mulk: 2.
And Allah says:
“Every soul will taste death; then to Us you will be returned.”
Al-‘Ankabut: 57.
And He says:
“No soul can ever die except by Allah’s permission at a time appointed.”
Aal ‘Imran: 145.
It is authentically reported in the hadith of Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet ﷺ mentioned that the angel is commanded to write a person’s provision, lifespan, deeds, and whether he will be wretched or blessed. Narrated by al-Bukhari (3208) and Muslim (2643).
It is also authentically reported from Abdullah ibn Amr, may Allah be pleased with them both, that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Allah wrote the decrees of all created beings fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth.”
Narrated by Muslim (2653).
Yes. Death is decreed, just as Allah Almighty decrees its cause. A person may die because of an illness, killing, an accident, or another cause.
If Allah decrees that a person will die because of a particular illness, then that illness will be the cause of his death according to the divine decree, whether the illness is detected early or late, and whether treatment takes place or not.
However, this does not mean that a person knows his destiny and can therefore abandon treatment.
A person does not know whether Allah has decreed recovery for him or decreed that he will die from that illness. Therefore, he is instructed to take the means of well-being, seek medical treatment, and strive to obtain care.
This is part of combining belief in divine decree with taking the appropriate means.
From the perspective of divine decree: if Allah had decreed that he would die at that time and through that cause, then what Allah decreed could not fail to occur.
However, we cannot assert that the delay in treatment had no medical effect. This is something that cannot be determined with certainty after death, and its full reality is known only to Allah Almighty, while medical specialists can assess the relevant medical causes.
What is required in Islamic law is to take the available means, rather than wait to discover what has been decreed, because the decree is part of the unseen and a person does not know it.
Allah Almighty says:
“And a group of them were concerned only with themselves, thinking wrongly of Allah—the thought of ignorance. They said, ‘Do we have any say in the matter?’ Say, ‘Indeed, the whole matter rests with Allah.’”
Aal ‘Imran: 154.
Yes. The place of death is included in Allah’s decree, although a person does not know where he will die.
Allah says:
“And no soul knows in what land it will die. Indeed, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.”
Luqman: 34.
Allah also mentioned what indicates that the place where death occurs is included in the divine decree. He says:
“Say, ‘Even if you had been in your homes, those destined to be killed would have gone forth to the places where they were destined to lie.’”
Aal ‘Imran: 154.
Thus, if Allah decrees that a person will die in a country far from his homeland, he will reach the place where Allah has decreed that he will die. His journey to that place itself may be among the means through which Allah brings His decree to pass.
A hadith has been narrated from Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-‘As, may Allah be pleased with them both, concerning a man who died in Madinah. The Prophet ﷺ said:
“If only he had died somewhere other than his birthplace.”
They asked him about this, and he said:
“When a man dies somewhere other than his birthplace, the distance from his birthplace to the place where his life ended is measured for him in Paradise.”
Narrated by al-Nasa’i (1832), Ibn Majah (1614), and Ibn Hibban (2934). Al-Albani graded it hasan in Sahih Sunan Ibn Majah.
Accordingly, a person’s death far from his birthplace may be better for him, based on what is reported in this hadith.
According to the question, the father strongly refused to go to the hospital. His family then tried to persuade him and did their best to obtain appropriate medical care for him.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, transmitted that seeking medical treatment is not obligatory according to the majority of scholars, and that only a small group of the followers of al-Shafi‘i and Ahmad considered it obligatory.
Based on this, it does not appear that you bear a sin because of the delay in treatment in this particular situation, especially since the father himself was refusing to enter the hospital, and you subsequently did what you could to provide him with treatment and care.
A person should also not burden himself with excessive blame and regret after someone’s death. The decree has already passed, and what happened has happened. What is required now is to pray that Allah have mercy upon the father and forgive him.
Death is decreed and written, and its cause, time, and place are also included in Allah’s decree. However, this does not mean that a person should abandon treatment or stop taking the available means, because he does not know what Allah has decreed for him.
A person may become ill and recover; he may receive treatment and die; he may have treatment delayed and then recover. All of this is within Allah’s decree.
As for the place of death, a person does not know where he will die. Allah may decree that he die outside his homeland, and the Sunnah contains evidence indicating a virtue in dying far from one’s birthplace.
Based on what was mentioned in the question, it does not appear that the deceased’s family are sinful because of the delay in treatment, particularly given the father’s refusal to enter the hospital and the family’s subsequent efforts to treat and care for him.
We ask Allah Almighty to have mercy upon the father, forgive him, pardon him, and join him with the righteous.
And Allah knows best.