Rebooting Muslim Bioethics: A Call for Thoughtful Debate

Islamic bioethics is a new field that still has many gaps. Most scholars rely on strict legal rules, but they rarely ask deeper moral questions or consider social realities. This approach leaves the discipline without strong ethical principles and makes its conclusions weak. The paper urges a return to philosophical thinking that has been part of Muslim history for centuries. Medieval thinkers like Ibn Sina and Ibn Rushd showed that philosophy can coexist with faith. The author argues that the perceived clash between religion and reason is a myth.

Three fresh objectives are set for Islamic bioethics. First, scholars should keep testing ideas about who we are, what dignity means, when treatment is useless, how people can act independently, and how justice should work. Second, the focus must shift from fixed interpretations of sacred texts to flexible readings that fit today’s context. Third, experts from different fields should work together to decide what is ethically right in medical situations. Only when these goals are pursued can Muslim doctors and patients rely on a bioethics that truly serves them.

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