Theological approach in Islamic Bioethics

Abstract

Many disputes in biomedical ethics in the west stem from disputes about the extent to which normative principles in this domain can be generalized throughout various cultures such that certain actions can be universally acknowledged as required, prohibited or permitted. In Muslim countries, among various articles on the framework of Islamic bioethics, there had been no studies about the nature of moral-theological discourse that informed the development of the Islamic legal-ethical system. In other words, their descriptive rather than analytical approach to the debate about the principles of biomedical rulings in Islam does not deal with Islamic theological-philosophical ethics and the way it has affected medical jurisprudence in the modern times. The ethical questions in contemporary discussions require attention to larger questions about what constitutes ethical conduct in Islam rather than the mere presentation of the legal rulings as regards issues like abortion, organ donation and so on. There is no consensus among Muslim jurists of various schools of Islamic law on any of these issues. In the cross-cultural context of bioethics, the work of Muslim scholars would be significantly enhanced by systematic investigations into the underlying principles and rules of practical ethical guidance in the Islamic tradition which is rooted in Islamic theology.