ABSTRACT
As medical practice developed under the sphere of Islam, legal jurists became more and more interested in analysing the practices of medicine in reference to tradition and revelation. Islamic medicine deals with an area of study often neglected by other medical sciences: spiritual diseases. The entire Islamic legal system can arguably be reduced to two principles: ‘the accruement of benefit’ and ‘the warding off of harm’. In helping to determine the ethicality of any action, Islam provides an elegant legal methodology. To begin with, every action is grouped under one of five legal rulings: obligatory, recommended, permitted, discouraged, and prohibited. Muslims are also to generally avoid using medications that have alcohol bases. An important aspect of medical ethics in Islam is the prudent practice required of a physician or any other healthcare worker. While medical malpractice is a modern concept in the West, Muslim jurists considered the physician obliged to provide indemnity for any harm caused by incautious actions.
