From the Plague to the Coronavirus: Islamic Ethics and Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic

This paper examines some of the important ethical questions that emerged in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic in light of the various Muslim responses to this global emergency. It focuses on the ethical discussions concerning the main measures that have been taken to fight the disease, which can be divided into two main categories: preventive and therapeutic. The paper also addresses measures taken to handle the dead bodies of deceased patients in a proper and dignified manner, according to relevant Islamic norms. The paper traces the background of these discussions in classical normative discourses, with a particular focus on the issue of the plague and also the issue of medical treatment. The paper argues that Islamic responses to the Covid-19 pandemic echo a longstanding two-pronged moral concern in the Islamic normative tradition with regard to pandemic situations; namely, to balance: the religious and metaphysical dimensions of the scriptural sources with the practical implications of real incidents of plagues and pandemics; and the interests of individuals against the collective interests of groups and societies.