A Re-Examination of Human Cloning through Islamic Ethical Lens

Abstract

Human cloning is one of the controversial topics in the present generation. Accommodating natural development, social changes and needs, Islam has left no aspect of human endeavours unregulated, including human cloning. However, emerging issues about human cloning signal little or no proper understanding of the concept by the Muslims leading to flagrant Islamic disavowal; hence, the need to re-examine the concept from Muslim’s perspectives. Drawing from Maqāṣid Sharīʿah principles, including the rule of necessity for self-preservation and respect for human beings, this paper seeks to assess permissibility or otherwise of human cloning through the ethical lens of Islamic jurists. The paper argues that if human cloning could not be prohibited as such, it could still be opposed because it engenders various harmful consequences, which include family disorder, chaos in the clone's family relationships, physical and mental diseases for clones and suffering of egg donors and surrogate mothers. However, human cloning for biomedical research and exploitation of stem cells from cloned embryos at the blastocyst stage for therapeutic purposes would be acceptable. The paper concludes that there is no ethical impediment to taking adventure in human cloning, whose probable benefit outweighs possible harm.