Of Muftis and Metaphysics: Reviving Islamic Philosophical Discourse in Islamic Bioethics
Ruaim Muaygil, MD, MBE, PhD, Assistant Professor of Health Care Ethics. College of Medicine, King Saud University Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
In recent decades, interest in the development of an Islamic bioethics has grown steadily. Despite commendable contributions however, the discipline remains limited in some critical ways. Most notably, its central methodology of strict application of Islamic texts and resources to ethical analyses and recommendations, often lacks sufficient moral analysis, intellectual engagement, or social context. Indeed, the practice’s emphasis on the legal rather than the ethical, and its clear preference for religious rulings- without an investigation of their underpinning moral values- has resulted in an Islamic bioethics devoid of robust normative moral foundations and dependent upon ineffective and unsubstantiated claims.
Absent attention to the normative sources of Islamic morality, Islamic bioethics becomes Islamic jurisprudence, and while determining the legal standing of an action is important, it is insufficient as an ethical, moral framework for it does not tell us whether or not an action is morally permissible. In its current limited form, Islamic bioethics does not ultimately achieve what it sets out to do: i.e. it does not sufficiently address moral dilemmas faced by Muslim patients, clinicians, and researchers. What is needed, rather, is a practice that is vibrant, contemplative, and informed.
This paper calls for a revival of Islamic philosophical discourse in an effort to enrich Islamic bioethical practice. Although once popularized by Medieval Muslim philosophers like Ibn Sina (Avicenna) and Ibn Rushd (Averroes), philosophical discourse has fallen out of favor in the Muslim world, largely due to a perceived tension with religion. Building on the insights of these early Muslim scholars, this work proves that there is no inherent conflict between moral philosophy and Islam, and asserts that the Quran is not a mere legal guide, but rather an all- encompassing theological, ethical, and philosophical resource. Certainly, there is an unexplored and unexplicated richness in Islamic tradition that must be examined--thoroughly and with attention to situational knowledge--before ethical analyses and recommendations can be made.
Utilizing an Islamic philosophical framework of moral inquiry, this paper establishes three goals for Islamic bioethics. First, a shift from essentialist understandings of the Quran to more contextual examinations in the formulation of ethical opinions. Second, an active and collaborative engagement with religious scholars in the determination of Islamic rulings on medical matters. Third, a robust dialogue aimed at continually re-assessing and re-understanding metaphysical concepts integral to the practice of bioethics such as personhood, dignity, futility, autonomy, and justice. Only when these goals are met is the practice of Islamic bioethics capable of meeting the needs of Muslim patients and clinicians.
Absent attention to the normative sources of Islamic morality, Islamic bioethics becomes Islamic jurisprudence, and while determining the legal standing of an action is important, it is insufficient as an ethical, moral framework for it does not tell us whether or not an action is morally permissible. In its current limited form, Islamic bioethics does not ultimately achieve what it sets out to do: i.e. it does not sufficiently address moral dilemmas faced by Muslim patients, clinicians, and researchers. What is needed, rather, is a practice that is vibrant, contemplative, and informed.
This paper calls for a revival of Islamic philosophical discourse in an effort to enrich Islamic bioethical practice. Although once popularized by Medieval Muslim philosophers like Ibn Sina (Avicenna) and Ibn Rushd (Averroes), philosophical discourse has fallen out of favor in the Muslim world, largely due to a perceived tension with religion. Building on the insights of these early Muslim scholars, this work proves that there is no inherent conflict between moral philosophy and Islam, and asserts that the Quran is not a mere legal guide, but rather an all- encompassing theological, ethical, and philosophical resource. Certainly, there is an unexplored and unexplicated richness in Islamic tradition that must be examined--thoroughly and with attention to situational knowledge--before ethical analyses and recommendations can be made.
Utilizing an Islamic philosophical framework of moral inquiry, this paper establishes three goals for Islamic bioethics. First, a shift from essentialist understandings of the Quran to more contextual examinations in the formulation of ethical opinions. Second, an active and collaborative engagement with religious scholars in the determination of Islamic rulings on medical matters. Third, a robust dialogue aimed at continually re-assessing and re-understanding metaphysical concepts integral to the practice of bioethics such as personhood, dignity, futility, autonomy, and justice. Only when these goals are met is the practice of Islamic bioethics capable of meeting the needs of Muslim patients and clinicians.