FIMA Year Book 2009 - Federation of Islamic Medical Associations

The Conceptand valuable wealth of biomedicaljurisprudence that we have acquiredfrom our predecessors, which wecontinue to build upon.Islamic Bioethics cannot be divorcedfrom morality, and can not be separatedfrom Shari’ah (The Islamic Law). (8)What we call “Islamic Medical Ethics” isthe same general ethical standards, usingmedical terminology and with medicalapplications.The basic moral and legal codes arederived from the Islamic Law (Shari’ah).The detailed applications, however,require further intellectual effort:“Ijtihad”.The principles of justice, autonomy,beneficence and non-maleficence arederived from the broad principles ofShari’ahIslamic bioethics is based on the supremeguidance of Allah (SWT), and is faithcentric.The spirit of Islam is translated intothe practice of medicine and researchthrough the codification of divinerevelations into regulations referred toas the Shari’ah or Islamic Law. Shari’ahis the epitome of the Islamic spirit, amanifestation of the Islamic way of life.The late professor Ismail al-Faruqi wasquoted as saying:In Islam, ethics is inseparable fromreligion and is built entirely on it. TheIslamic mind knows no pair of contrariessuch as “religious-secular”.The universe, according to Islam, isteleological in the sense that it is basedon the belief that the world was createdfor a divine purpose. Hence, “Nature isequally a realm of ends where everythingfulfills a purpose and thereby contributesto the prosperity and balance of all”. (26)Conclusions:The Curricula for medical education,research, tarbiyah and bioethics shouldproceed concurrently, hand in hand,beginning from the early stages ofall teaching and training programs inIslamic medical institutions.The vision of medical educationand Tarbiyah is to mould medicalpractitioners and researchers withbalanced, dynamic and wholesomepersonalities, owing total allegianceto Allah (SWT), and imbuing inthemselves the sense of responsibilityand accountability.FIMA YearBook 200980