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51 - Islamic bioethics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 October 2009

By
Abdallah S. Daar ,
Tarif Bakdash  and
Ahmed B. Khitamy
Edited by
Peter A. Singer  and
A. M. Viens
Abdallah S. Daar
Affiliation:
Senior Scientist and Co-director University of Toronto, Canada
Tarif Bakdash
Affiliation:
Pediatric Neurologist; Lecturer Damascus University, Syria
Ahmed B. Khitamy
Affiliation:
Department of Microbiology Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Oman
Peter A. Singer
Affiliation:
University of Toronto
A. M. Viens
Affiliation:
University of Oxford
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Summary

An 18-year-old Muslim man sustains severe head injures in a traffic accident while riding his motorcycle. He is declared brain dead. The transplant coordinator approaches the grieving mother to obtain consent for organ donation. At first, the patient's mother is shocked at this approach. She then politely says that she would like to wait for her family to arrive before making a decision.

A 38-year-old Muslim woman is found to have a rapidly growing carcinoma of the breast. She requires surgery and postoperative chemotherapy. She is five weeks into her first pregnancy and is advised to terminate the pregnancy before the chemotherapy.

What is Islamic bioethics?

In Islam, human beings are the crown of creation and are God's vicegerents on earth. (Qur'an, 2:30) They are endowed with reason, choice, and responsibilities, including stewardship of other creatures, the environment, and their own health. Muslims are expected to be moderate and balanced in all matters (al Khayat, 1995) including health. Illness may be seen as a trial or even as a cleansing ordeal, but it is not viewed as a curse or punishment or an expression of Allah's (God's) wrath. Hence, the patient is obliged to seek treatment and to avoid being fatalistic.

Islamic bioethics is intimately linked to the broad ethical teachings of the Qur'an and the tradition of the Prophet Muhammad, and thus to the interpretation of Islamic law.

Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Textbook of Bioethics , pp. 408 - 415
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2008

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  • Islamic bioethics
    • By Abdallah S. Daar, Senior Scientist and Co-director University of Toronto, Canada, Tarif Bakdash, Pediatric Neurologist; Lecturer Damascus University, Syria, Ahmed B. Khitamy, Department of Microbiology Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Oman
  • Edited by Peter A. Singer, University of Toronto, A. M. Viens, University of Oxford
  • Book: The Cambridge Textbook of Bioethics
  • Online publication: 30 October 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511545566.060
Available formats
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To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

  • Islamic bioethics
    • By Abdallah S. Daar, Senior Scientist and Co-director University of Toronto, Canada, Tarif Bakdash, Pediatric Neurologist; Lecturer Damascus University, Syria, Ahmed B. Khitamy, Department of Microbiology Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Oman
  • Edited by Peter A. Singer, University of Toronto, A. M. Viens, University of Oxford
  • Book: The Cambridge Textbook of Bioethics
  • Online publication: 30 October 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511545566.060
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Islamic bioethics
    • By Abdallah S. Daar, Senior Scientist and Co-director University of Toronto, Canada, Tarif Bakdash, Pediatric Neurologist; Lecturer Damascus University, Syria, Ahmed B. Khitamy, Department of Microbiology Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Oman
  • Edited by Peter A. Singer, University of Toronto, A. M. Viens, University of Oxford
  • Book: The Cambridge Textbook of Bioethics
  • Online publication: 30 October 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511545566.060
Available formats
×