People often speak about rapid technological progress, especially in artificial intelligence. Yet, biomedical technology is advancing just as quickly. In 1978, the world debated the ethics of conceiving babies outside the human body, known as in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), a breakthrough that transformed fertility treatment. Today, discussions have moved further toward producing sperm and egg cells from ordinary tissue through in-vitro gametogenesis (IVG). Unpredictable advancements like this call for a dynamic and diverse Islamic bioethics discussion that can keep pace with technological progress.
A key difference between Islamic ethics and Western or secular ethics lies in the foundations of moral reasoning. Islamic ethics considers the aspect of the Higher Authority (Allah SWT) and a sense of accountability (the Hereafter). Secular ethics, lacking these two anchors, creates a void, allowing anyone to define what is “ethical” without consistent reference. What is deemed ethical today may be rejected tomorrow, and vice versa.
A clear example can be seen in Western societies. A century ago, homosexuality was widely prohibited and punished, yet today, questioning its acceptance is often labelled as hateful or bigoted. This shows how societies can swing like a pendulum from one extreme to another, with moral norms constantly redefined.
For this reason, Islamic ethical perspectives are vital to ensure society remains anchored in a stable, divinely guided path rather than shifting cultural moods. Islamic ethics literature therefore, holds an important place within academic research. At the Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (Institut Kefahaman Islam Malaysia, IKIM), through the Koleksi Etika Islam (Islamic Ethics Collection), Perpustakaan Tun Ahmad Sarji (PTAS) enables researchers and students to access these important resources.
In the Muslim world, contemporary Islamic bioethics plays a dual role: it explains Islamic perspectives on biomedical issues and bridges the gap between classical Islamic jurisprudence and modern biotechnological developments. Although Islamic legal rulings are rooted in the Qur’an, Sunnah and classical scholarship, those texts naturally reflect the circumstances and technologies of their time. Islamic ethics therefore, becomes the bridge that links classical principles with present-day realities.
The Koleksi Etika Islam includes great works such as Islamic Bioethics: Current Issues and Challenges published by World Scientific, a compilation addressing modern biomedical questions. One chapter discusses brain death, written by Abul Fadl Mohsin Ebrahim. He links this contemporary issue to a classical Shafi‘i jurisprudential discussion involving two attackers in a murder case. In that scenario, if the first attack leaves the victim in a state of “unstable life” before the second attacker delivers the final blow, only the first attacker is liable for murder. The second is charged only with violating the sanctity of the dead. The author equates “unstable life” with death, and from this perspective, argues that euthanasia for brain-dead patients is permissible.
Bioethical discussions cover a wide range of biomedical technologies, generally grouped into four major areas.
First, reproductive treatment and control, including fertility treatment, surrogacy, contraception and sterilisation.
Second, the termination of life, such as abortion and euthanasia, both closely tied to the discussion of rūḥ (soul).
Third, the prolongation of life, including organ transplantation and cardiac devices.
Fourth, the improvement of QoL (quality of life), covering genetic engineering, artificial wombs and social egg freezing.
Many of these issues are controversial, especially when discussed outside religious frameworks, and may conflict with Islamic legal rulings.
The Islamic bioethics approach presented in the PTAS’s Koleksi Etika Islam integrates fiqh, spirituality and expert medical insights. This holistic method ensures that rulings are grounded in accurate scientific understanding and guided by key Islamic values and Maqāṣid al-Sharī‘ah (Higher Objectives of Islamic Law). This is essential for researchers in Islamic studies, who must first understand any subject thoroughly before deriving a legal ruling, conforming the uṣūlī principle: “Ruling on an issue is a subset of the overall understanding of the issue at hand.”
Islamic civilidsation is founded upon the unity of knowledge, rejecting any separation between divine revelation and science, an integrated approach that is now crucial to ensure scientific progress aligns with ethical values. The Maqāṣid al-Sharī‘ah serves as the ethical framework for this alignment, safeguarding the five core human necessities such as Religion, Life, Intellect, Progeny, and Wealth. This framework guides the rigorous evaluation of contemporary bioethical issues for instance, the objective of preserving life (ḥifẓ al-nafs) supports practices like organ transplantation, while preserving progeny (ḥifẓ al-nasl) governs rulings on IVF, ensuring innovations like genetic engineering comply with Islamic principles.
The relationship between the Qur’an and science encourages the observation of nature as an act of worship. However, a deeper scholarly approach is necessary. As noted in one of the Koleksi Etika Islam, Islamic Ethics Reference Islamic Bioethics: Problems and Perspectives by Dariusch Atighetchi, true integration requires more than mere parallels: the Qur’an’s insights should be actively used to generate new scientific hypotheses that can be empirically tested. By combining the ethical guidance of Maqāṣid al-Sharī‘ah with scientific methodology, the Muslim community ensures that advancement serves human values, strengthens faith, and establishes a unified path forward.
Amid the fast pace of unpredictable biomedical progress, Islamic bioethics requires a strong multidisciplinary foundation. Integrating knowledge from fiqh scholars, medical experts and ethicists ensures that decisions are both accurate and firmly aligned with classical jurisprudence while remaining relevant today.
Written by,
Nur Muhammad Azim bin Norazizi
Research Officer,
Centre for Science and Environment Studies (KIAS),
Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (IKIM).
&
Sulaiman Fitri bin Ramli
Administrative Officer,
Research Management Unit (RMU),
Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (IKIM).
