Islamic Center of Southern California

First: the Code's importance

a) The need to demonstrate the Islamic viewpoint concerning the moral practice of medical service in an attempt to provide guidance to medical conduct at a time when some medical practitioners have drifted away from moral values.

b) The importance of setting up a crystal clear system of values that can be used to evaluate medical conduct and purify it from any disorders.

c) Finding an alternative to the profiteering model that dominates the medical arena.

d) Proposing a mechanism of empowerment that can be resorted to whenever it proves difficult or impossible to access studies relating to incidents and crises in the medical domain.

e) The need for a Muslim doctor to have values that drive him to do his very best in delivering medical service; thus taking his job to higher levels of performance and effectiveness.

f) Pointing up the comprehensive Islamic view of man when dealing with him. This can be done through showing the positive effects this view has in providing medical care.

g) A Code of professional ethics will do away with the negative effects of faulty practices in the medical profession and its relevant activities.

Secondly, the Code's Function:

1 Underscoring full dedication to the human soul, preserving its dignity and abstaining form any offensive action against it for any reason; then showing how all this is related to man's function in life, which is borne out in the following verse where Allah (SWT) says: "Whoso slays a soul not to retaliate for a soul slain, nor for corruption done in the land, shall be as if he had slain mankind all together; and whoso gives life to a soul shall be as if he had given life to mankind all together." (Al Ma'eda [The Table]: 32)

2 A doctor treating patients should make a point of emphasizing that it is Allah who is the Healer; for Allah holds the reins of power over heaven and earth and wills everything in the universe. Allah (SWT) says: "Blessed be He in Whose hand is the Kingdome -He is powerful over everything-Who created death and life, that He might try you which of you is fairest in works; and He is the All- Mighty, the All- Forgiving." (Al Mulk [The Kingdome] : 1& 2)

3 Pointing up the high rank of performance when the practicing doctor keeps in line with the Islamic ways in dealing with his patients.

4 Drawing attention to the fact that practicing medical treatment is only one of man's activities which is bound, like all others, by the meaning of slavery to Allah. This should constitute a guarantee against any wanton or arrogant behaviour by a doctor.

5 Explaining the middle course that Islamic legal judgment strikes between ethics and Jurisprudence. Islamic Jurisprudents and fundamentalists have always endeavored to base jurisprudence on ethics and guide ethics through Jurisprudence.

6 The point should be made clear that, with regard to Jurisprudence, ethics is the law that governs its applications and daily usage. Moral science is not merely an abstract philosophical view of things without a chance of practical use in real situations. It represents the criteria by which human behavior is evaluated and judged.

7 The gaps in the general laws should be filled by combining legal obligation with moral commitment.

8 Putting the noble design of Sharia into effect by replacing the materialistic principles and rules that currently govern our life by Islamic legal laws.

9 Upgrading the Muslim doctor's efficiency by supplying him with an ethical and spiritual set of principles and rules to help him do his utmost in discharging his duties.

The content of the Code pivots on high moral standards that should be elucidated from an Islamic perspective.

The Arabic word for "manners" is akhlaaq, the singular of which is khuluq or khulq. Ibn-Manthour's definition of the word in "Lesan Al-Arab" is "The temper or the natural disposition". It has to do with the inner image of man, i.e. his soul. This is different from khalq (creation) which is a description of the outer image of man for which he is not responsible for he has nothing to do with it.

Ibn-Manthour's definition of the Arabic word for "manners" emphasizes that man is rewarded or punished for his deeds which are determined by his inner will because this will is under the control of his mind with which he is distinguished from all other creatures of God.

"Manners", then, are a description of actually occurring deeds or behaviour. They are principles and rules based by each individual on the faith he embraces or the philosophy he adopts in his life. They thus become the criteria he applies to judge things and deeds issuing from him or from others. The basis of judgment lies in the dichotomy of virtue and vice or good and evil. It may be objected that good and evil are relative in different communities and with different people. This can not be more wrong; for good is the desire to elevate values, whereas evil is the opposite act of lowering and impairing them. In a strict sense, then, moral values are man's ascension to the high ideals to sharpen the soul and help it rise above evil drives. Allah (SWT) says: "Prosperous is He Who purifies it [the soul] and failed has he who seduces it" (Al Shams [The Sun] : 9&10)

The lofty position occupied by morals in Islam and in human communities is best expressed in the Quran when referring to Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) it says: "We have not sent thee save as a mercy unto all beings." (Al Anbia' [The Prophets] : 107)

Look also at how Allah describes and praises His Messenger: "surely thou art upon mighty morality." (Al Qalam [The Pen] : 4)

Lady Aisha also described the manners of the Prophet (PBUH) by saying: "His manners were [a true reflection of] the Quran."

The Prophet himself said about the essence of his message: "I was only sent to bring the moral standards to their completion."

Good manners based on proper criteria represent a decisive factor in the advancement and prosperity of communities and nations, whereas bad manners can lead to deterioration and devastation. Historical evidence shows that morality has always been the main variable in the rise and fall of civilizations. So, moral science has occupied a central position in the history of nations, and a focal point of interest for thinkers and theorists. Each of these has approached the subject in accordance with what he holds to be his true faith. The main task of each of the three major religions is to guide its followers to high moral standards.

At this juncture, we should remember that Islam pays special attention to the individual as he is the nucleus of the family, which in turn is the nucleus of the whole society. This is meant to motivate the individual to do good and to effectively interact with the community in ways that give precedence to altruism over selfishness and collective considerations over narrow individualistic interests. The Quran here says about the true believers: "And preferring others above themselves even though poverty be their portion" (Al Hashr [The Mustering] : 9 )

Allah (SWT) also says: "They [the pious] give food, for the love of him, to the needy, the orphan, the captive: we feed only for the face of God; we desire no recompense from you, no thankfulness" (Al Insan [Man] : 8 & 9)

The prophet (PBUH) says: "Your money can not suffice to make people happy, but your good manners can." He also says: " Nothing weighs more in the balance than noble manners." When a man asked the prophet (PBUH) what good manners really meant, he recited from the Quran: "Opt for the forgiveness, and bid to what is honorable and turn away from the ignorant." (Al A'raaf [The Heights] : 199)

Noble manners, then, mean that you maintain relations with someone even if he severs them, and give to someone even if he deprives you, and forgive whoever wrongs you. When a man asked the prophet (PBUH): "What's religion?" The answer was "noble manners". And when one of the companions asked the prophet (PBUH) for advice, here is what he heard: "Fear Allah wherever you are; do a good deed in the wake of a bad one so it can be erased; and treat people with nobility and good manners."

Once the prophet (PBUH) was told that a certain woman always fasted by day light and prayed all night yet she was ill-tempered and offended her neighbors. His comment was: "She cannot be counted among the good, and she is destined to Hell."

When the prophet (PBUH) was asked which of the believers was considered the best. He said: "The best-mannered," He also said: "The best-mannered among you are my favourites. They will sit closest to me on the day of final judgment.

Anas reported that the prophet (PBUH) said: "A person may reach the highest rank in the Hereafter thanks to his good manners even though he is mediocre in worship."

The prophet (PBUH) is also reported as saying: "Generosity is the essence of good manners"

Ibn Abbas was once asked: "What is noble-mindedness?". He said: "The answer lies in what Allah (SWT) has clarified in the Quran: "To Allah the most noble-minded is he who is most God-fearing"

The query then was: "What is noble descent?" Ibn Abbas replied: "The best-mannered among you are of the noblest descent." He also said: "Every building rises above a solid foundation; and the solid foundation of Islam is a high moral standard."

Islamic Center of Southern California