Subscribe to RSS
![](/products/assets/desktop/img/oa-logo.png)
DOI: 10.4103/2231-0770.112788
Western and Islamic bioethics: How close is the gap?
![](https://www.thieme-connect.de/media/10.1055-s-00051312/201301/lookinside/thumbnails/10_4103_2231-0770_112788_8-1.jpg)
Abstract
The relation between Islam and medicine has been described as intimate. Muslims are expected to be moderate and balanced in all matters, including health. Islamic law is based on a complete system of morality that can provide a moral context in medicine from a legal perspective. Islamic teaching is also very flexible and adaptable to many new and novel situations. Islamic Ethics also upholds "the four principles" of biomedical ethics proposed by Beauchamp and Childress. Several authors claim that the roots of these principles are clearly identifiable in Islamic teachings. However, there are some differences in the applications of these principles. This article shed light on the roots of the four principles in Islamic teachings and elaborates on the differences between Islamic and contemporary western bioethics.
Publication History
Article published online:
09 August 2021
© 2013. Syrian American Medical Society. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Private Ltd.
A-12, Second Floor, Sector -2, NOIDA -201301, India
-
References
- 1 Ebrahimnejad H. What is "Islamic" in Islamic medicine? In: Gunergun F, Raina D, editors. Science Between Europe and Asia. Boston, MA: Springer; 2011. p. 259-70.
- 2 Inhorn MC. Local Babies, Global Science: Gender, Religion, and In Vitro Fertilization in Egypt. New York, NY: Routledge; 2003.
- 3 Clarke M. Islam and New Kinship: Reproductive Technology and the Shariah in Lebanon. New York, NY: Berghahn; 2009.
- 4 Macnair T. Medical ethics. BMJ 1999;319:S2-7214.
- 5 Rispler-Chaim V. Islamic medical ethics in the 20 th century. J Med Ethics 1989;15:203-8.
- 6 Padela AI. Islamic medical ethics: A primer. Bioethics 2007;21:169-78.
- 7 Al Faruqi IR. Tawhid: Its Implications for Thought and Life. Kuala Lumpur: International Institute for Islamic Thought; 1982.
- 8 Daar AS, al Khitamy AB. Bioethics for clinicians: 21. Islamic bioethics. CMAJ 2001;164:60-3.
- 9 Rahman F. Legacy and prospects. In: Islam. 2 nd ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press; 1979. p. 235-54.
- 10 Al-Hilali MT, Khan MM. The Translation of the Meanings of the Noble Quran 41:44. Madina (KSA) King Fahd Complex For Printing The Holy Quran; 2005.
- 11 Kamali MH. Urf (custom). In: Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence. Cambridge: Islamic Texts Society; 1991. p. 283-96.
- 12 Sachedina A. Islam. In: Reich WT, editor. Encyclopedia of Bioethics. Rev ed. New York: Simon and Schuster/Prentice Hall International; 1995. p. 1289-97.
- 13 Shad AR. The Rights of Allah and Human Rights. Lahore: Kazi Publications; 1981.
- 14 Moosa E. Translating neuroethics: Reflections from Muslim ethics: Commentary on "Ethical concepts and future challenges of neuroimaging: An islamic perspective". Sci Eng Ethics 2012;18:519-28.
- 15 Gatrad AR, Sheikh A. Medical ethics and Islam: Principles and practice. Arch Dis Child 2001;84:72-75.
- 16 Beauchamp TL, Childress JF. Principles of Biomedical Ethics. 7 th ed. New York: Oxford University Press; 2013.
- 17 Aksoy S, Tenik A. The ′four principles of bioethics′ as found in 13 th century Muslim scholar Mawlana›s teachings. BMC Med Ethics 2002;3:E4.
- 18 Aksoy S, Elmai A. The core concepts of the ′four principles′ of bioethics as found in Islamic tradition. Med Law 2002;21:211-24.
- 19 Al-Hilali MT, Khan MM. The Translation of the Meanings of the Noble Quran 5:32. Madina (KSA) King Fahd Complex For Printing The Holy Quran; 2005.
- 20 Sunan AlTirmithi, Dar AlFikr. Beirut, Lebanon; 2001. Hadith No: 2038.
- 21 Al-Hilali MT, Khan MM. The Translation of the Meanings of the Noble Quran 2:256. Madina (KSA): King Fahd Complex For Printing The Holy Quran; 2005.
- 22 Al-Hilali MT, Khan MM. The Translation of the Meanings of the Noble Quran 18:29. Madina (KSA): King Fahd Complex For Printing The Holy Quran; 2005.
- 23 Al-Hilali MT, Khan MM. The Translation of the Meanings of the Noble Quran 10:99. Madina (KSA): King Fahd Complex For Printing The Holy Quran; 2005.
- 24 van Bommel A. Medical ethics from the Muslim perspective. Acta Neurochir Suppl 1999;74:17-27.
- 25 Ebrahim A. Islamic ethics. In: Ebrahim A, editor. Biomedical Ethics: Islamic Perspective. Kuala Lumpur: Nordeen; 2003. p. 11-21.
- 26 Serour GI. Islam and the four principles. In: Gillon R, editor. Principles of Healthcare Ethics. Chichester: Wiley; 1994. p. 75-91.
- 27 Al-Hilali MT, Khan MM. The Translation of the Meanings of the Noble Quran 4:29. Madina (KSA): King Fahd Complex For Printing The Holy Quran; 2005.
- 28 Al-Hilali MT, Khan MM. The Translation of the Meanings of the Noble Quran 39:10. Madina (KSA): King Fahd Complex For Printing The Holy Quran; 2005.
- 29 Al-Hilali MT, Khan MM. The Translation of the Meanings of the Noble Quran 99/7, 8. Madina (KSA): King Fahd Complex For Printing The Holy Quran; 2005.
- 30 Sahih Al Jamae. Dar Almaktab Alislami. Damascus, Syria; 2002. Hadith No: 3289.
- 31 Sahih Muslim Bishareh AlNawawi, Dar AlFiker, Beirut, 2004; Hadith No: 2199.
- 32 Al-Haithami. Majmaa Alzawaed. 3/107 Dar Al-kotoub Al-lobnaniya. Beirut: Lebanon; 1991.
- 33 Sahih Muslim Bishareh AlNawawi, Dar AlFiker. Beirut: lebanon; 2004. Hadith No: 1008.
- 34 Al Izz ibn AbdulSalam. Qaweed al Ahkam commented by Nazih Hammad and Othman Dhamariyah. Dar al Qalam Damascus Syria 2000;1:8.
- 35 Al-Hilali MT, Khan MM. The Translation of the Meanings of the Noble Quran 7:157. Madina (KSA): King Fahd Complex For Printing The Holy Quran; 2005.
- 36 Sahih Al Jamae. Dar Almaktab Alislami. Damascus, Syria; 2002; Hadith No: 7517.
- 37 Sahih Al-Boukhari, Dar AlRisalah. Alalamiyah. Beirut, Lebanon; Hadith No: 6016.
- 38 Gillon R. Medical ethics: Four principles plus attention to scope. BMJ 1994;309:184-8.
- 39 Aramesh K. Justice as a principle of Islamic bioethics. Am J Bioeth 2008;8:26-7.
- 40 Al-Hilali MT, Khan MM. The Translation of the Meanings of the Noble Quran 57:25. Madina (KSA): King Fahd Complex For Printing The Holy Quran; 2005.
- 41 Armstrong K. A History of God: From Abraham to the Present: The 4,000-year Quest for God. Ballantine Books. New York 2003.
- 42 Al-Hilali MT, Khan MM. The Translation of the Meanings of the Noble Quran 16:90. Madina (KSA): King Fahd Complex For Printing The Holy Quran; 2005.
- 43 Al-Hilali MT, Khan MM. The Translation of the Meanings of the Noble Quran 5:8. Madina (KSA): King Fahd Complex For Printing The Holy Quran; 2005.
- 44 Kandahlawi MY, Hayat Al Sahaba. BeirutLebanon: Bait Al Afkar; 2004. p. 161.