Islamic Bioethics: Codes of Medical Ethics

Abstract

The evolution of Islamic medical ethics codes and treatises began with the akhlāq and adab treatises, followed by the codes developed by the Islamic Organization for Medical Sciences (IOMS). Akhlāq and adab approximate the meaning of ethics. Akhlāq refers to one’s character, while adab literally means civility or etiquette and refers to norms of right conduct, which are often understood as “one’s disposition as formed by habit.” Though an official code of ethics was absent in the early years of Islam, a small group of conscientious physicians, concerned with the quality of medical care and the reputation of their profession, provided guidelines for individual physicians’ professional behavior. These include Adab–al Ţabīb (The Practical Ethics of the Physician), the Akhlāq -al-Ţabīb (Medical Ethics), and al-Qānūn Fi’l-Tibb (Canon of Medicine). Other important ethics codes include the Islamic Code of Medical Ethics, the International Islamic Code for Medical and Health Ethics, and the Islamic Code of Medical and Health Ethics.