Khalid, kerala

RESEARCH AND ETHICS : ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE

Dr. KHALID UL REHMAN HAKEEMUniversiti Putra Malaysia

Islam (Arabic root "Salema") means Peace, submission, obedience, and surrender to God (Allah).

It is both a religion and a comprehensive way of life that

concerns all behaviors and character traits in all aspects of

human existence.

Morality concerns:

1) What behavior we ought to do.2) What kind of persons we ought to

be.

Ethics is the disciplined study of morality.

Research can be defined as the search for

knowledge, or as any systematic investigation,

with an open mind, to establish novel facts,

usually using a scientific method.

It is worthwhile to emphasize the importance laid by Islam on the pursuit of learning

Recite in the name of your Lord, Who created. He created man from a leech-like structure. Recite, and your Lord is Most Generous, Who has taught by the pen. He taught Man that what he knew not. (96: 1-5.)

•Allah also says , addressing the Prophet, وسلم عليه الله ”.Say, “My Lord, increase my knowledge صلى(20:114)

Allah asks us to look inside ourselves and at the universe to discover God’s laws. Let man consider from what he is created.(86:5)

And in another verse:Will they not reflect on camels, how they are created; the sky, how it is raised; the mountains, how they are erected; and the earth, how it is leveled.(88: 17-20)

KNOWLEDGE AND RESEARCH IN ISLAM

•The Prophet Muhammad وسلم عليه الله isصلىreportedto have said: Allah created disease and its cure except senility (death). Sons of Adam seek the cure but not use ḥarām (forbidden) things. (Sunan

Abī Dāwūd,3874)

•I was sent to complete the epitomes of Ethics. (Husn El Kholok, Hadith 8; 1951. p. 564.)

Based on the above, scientific research is considered by some scholars as farḍ kifāya (collective religious duty).

Islam puts emphasis on seeking knowledge (doing research) and benefits from it. There is no consideration for knowledge that provides no utility. Islam encourages precision in conducting research, which should add value. In addition, Islam forces dissemination of knowledge and prohibits hiding it.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever withholds knowledge arrives

in the judgment day leashed with a leash from fire”.

(Ahkam Al-Quran, Gassas AA)

Source & Characteristics of Islamic Ethics/Morality

General Aims & Guiding principles of Islamic Ethics

Are Moral and Ethical Systems Required?

In order to organize life and

build up a healthy and

harmonious society, Islam

has legislated a universal

moral law.


“Allâh wishes to make clear (what is lawful and what is unlawful) to you, and to show you the ways of those before you, and accept your repentance,

and Allâh is All Knower, All Wise. ” (An-Nisaa 4, 26)

“And We have not sent down the Book (the Qur'an) to you (O Muhammad SAW), except that you may explain clearly unto them those things in which they differ, and (as) a guidance and a

mercy for a folk who believe. .”(An-Nahl 16, 64)


Source of Ethics/Morality in the West

-the law-individual, family, and group’s experiences-religious beliefs-traditions -professional education, training, and consensus -authorities and experts’ opinions -institutional policies and practices

Source of Ethics/Morality in Islam

The Divine Islamic Moral Law

or The Shari’ah

Al-Nas- Al-Qur’an (the direct words of Allah) - As-Sunna (prophet Muhammad’s words and acts - the indirect words of Allah)

Ijtihad - consensus of independent Islamic scholars - opinion of individual Islamic scholar

The Shari’ah

“O ye who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and those charged with authority among you. If ye differ in anything among yourselves, refer to Allah and His Messenger, if you believe in Allah and the last day: that is best, and most suitable for final determination”(An-Nissa 4,59)

Source of Ethics/Morality in Islam

Secularization, Islam, and ethics•Secularization means humans ruling their lives, with no regard or consideration to a higher spiritual authority.

•This may be the basis as to why some societies have separated the church from every day life and replaced God’s rules with man made laws and guidelines.

•The secular reasoning evolved when societies were faced with ethical and practical dilemmas.

•These secular guidelines, for example, deal paradoxically with some situations, e.g. a man who marries two wives should be punished severely for the crime of bigamy, as the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1878. Plurality of wives (polygamy), as originally permitted by the Mormon religion, violated criminal law and was not defensible as an exercise of religious liberty. if on the other hand he co-habits with several women as girlfriends and has children with them, he will not be penalized so long he is paying child support. (Evan Bailyn. Bigamy and Polygamy,2005)

Islam is not only a religion; it is a way of life. As mentioned earlier, the Shari’a controls every day activities of Muslims. Once an individual joins Islam, he is bound by Islamic rules and hence he is obliged to follow instructions and rules in the Quran

And so judge (you O Muhammad SAW) between them by what Allâh has revealed and follow not their vain desires, but beware of them lest they turn you (O Muhammad SAW) far away from some of that which Allâh has sent down to you. And if they turn away, then know that Allâh's Will is to punish them for some sins of theirs. And truly, most of men are Fâsiqûn (rebellious and disobedient to Allâh). (5:49)

- Combines “who is to say what is right or wrong” with “what is to say an action is right or wrong”.

- Provides one source for Law and morals.

Divine Command

Conscience

Duty and Virtue

Common Good, Justice, Rights/Respects and Utilitarianism

Characteristics of Islamic Ethics/Morality

Ethical/Moral Classification of Behaviors and Character Traits in Islam

Forbidden

Discouraged

Neutral (permitted)

Recommended (desirable)

Obligatory (required)

Desi

rab

ilit

y 0

F

O

R

D

Neutral

+

-

Ethical/Moral Classification of Behaviors and Character Traits in Islam


The purpose of the Shari’ah is to promote and protect the interests of people by bringing benefits and preventing harms in relation to their necessities, needs, and wants

Necessities take precedence over needs, and needs take precedence over wants

It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces towards East or West; but it is righteousness- to believe in God and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers; to spend of your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer, and practice regular charity; to fulfill the contracts which ye have made; and to be firm and patient, in pain (or suffering) and adversity, and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of truth, the God-fearing (Al Baqarah (2): 177).

Islamic ethical guidelines of research are derived from the purposes and principles of the Islamic law (Shari’a).

Medical research in an Islamic community should be conducted for one of five reasons, which are known as Maqasid Al- Shari’a. (Kasule OH. Medical ethics from Maqasid Al-Shariat)

These reasons or goals for conducting medical research are:

1)preservation of religion and morality; 2)preservation of life and health;3) preservation of progeny (curing infertility); 4) preservation of intellect; and 5) preservation of wealth.

If any of the five purposes is at risk, permission is then considered granted to undertake human experiments that would be otherwise morally according to Islam prohibited.

The Shari’ah (culture and group survival)

Individual life

Sound mind

Integrity/Dignity

Property

THE FIVE NECESSITIES


Harm should be removed

Harm should not be removed by harm

Individual harm is tolerated in order to prevent public harm

A smaller harm is tolerated in order to prevent a bigger harm

Preventing harm takes precedence over bringing benefit

Necessities render that what is forbidden allowable

Necessities should be carefully

assessed


Difficulty brings ease (Such as the difficulties arising from travel, illness, being

forced, forgetness, unawareness, impracticality, and legal incompetence)

Needs are considered necessities in regard to rendering what is forbidden

allowable


Difficulty should be removed

“But if one is forced by necessity, without willful disobedience, nor transgressing due limits, then

he is guiltless. For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

(Al-Baqara 2,173) “and (Allah) has imposed no difficulties on you in religion.”

(Al-Hajj 22,78)

“Allah intends every facility for you; He does not want to put you to difficulties.”

(Al-Baqara 2,185)

“ Allah doth wish to lighten your (difficulties): for man was created weak (in flesh).”

(An-Nisaa 4,28)


All things are permitted until proven otherwise

People are innocent until proven otherwise

Tradition (orf) is taken into account unless it contradicts

Shari’ah

Obligations and engagements should be fulfilled


“ O ye who believe! Fulfill (all) obligations.”(Al-Maidah 5,1)

“and fulfill (every) engagement, for every engagement, will be enquired into (on the

day of Reckoning).”(Al-Israa 17,34)


Islam promotes seeking Knowledge and performing research .

Islamic law is based on a complete system of morality that can provide a moral context in Research fields from a legal perspective.

Muslim teaching is also very flexible and adaptable to many new and novel situations.

Morality and ethics in Islam are absolute and are of divine origin.

Islamic law automatically bans all immoral actions as ‘‘Haram’’ and automatically permits all what is moral as Mubaah.

Ethical guidelines are both fixed and variable. The fixed moral and legal principles are broad enough to encompass the needs of all times and places.

Islam rejects secularization.

Accordingly, in a Muslim community a researcher should observe that research andthe procedures followed are within the context of Shari’a.

Conclusion

References

FURTHER READING:

مصادر التشريع األسال مي فيماالنص فيه علم أصول عبد الوهاب خالف دار القلم

دستور األخالق في القرآن محمد عبد اللة دراز مؤسسة الرسالة

علم أصول الفقة عبد الوهاب خالف دار القلم

A primer on bioethics. L B McCullough, PhD, Baylor College of Medicine

The evolution of ethics www.evolutionaryethics.com

Markkula center for applied ethics, Santa Clara University www.scu.edu/SCU/Centers/Ethics/

THANK YOU

Spiritual

Khalid, kerala