Eugenics refers to the attempt to improve the human population by encouraging reproduction among individuals considered to possess desirable characteristics and discouraging or preventing reproduction among those regarded as having undesirable characteristics. Historically, eugenic movements were associated with practices such as forced sterilization, selective reproduction, discrimination against persons with disabilities, and the classification of human beings according to supposed biological or genetic superiority. From an Islamic perspective, such an approach raises serious ethical concerns because it conflicts with the Islamic conception of the inherent dignity and moral worth of human beings. The Qur’an states, “We have certainly honoured the children of Adam” (Qur’an 17:70), establishing a principle of human dignity that is not dependent upon physical perfection, genetic characteristics, health status, or social position. Similarly, Qur’an 49:13 states that the most honoured person in the sight of Allah is the one who possesses the greatest taqwā (God-consciousness and righteousness), rather than the person possessing supposedly superior biological characteristics. Thus, human worth in Islam cannot legitimately be reduced to genetic fitness.

This ethical position can be further understood through the writings of prominent contemporary Muslim thinkers. Yusuf al-Qaradawi, in his discussion of the Human Genome Project and genetic engineering, warned against excessive manipulation of human genetics and specifically criticized attempts to use genetic science for the supposed “improvement of the human species” or the creation of a “new human being.” His position is particularly relevant to eugenics because he distinguishes legitimate scientific and medical benefit from attempts to redesign humanity according to humanly constructed standards of superiority. For al-Qaradawi, scientific progress should remain subject to ethical and religious limits rather than becoming a means of altering human nature merely in pursuit of an imagined superior form of humanity.
A more contemporary academic contribution comes from Mohammed Ghaly, a prominent scholar of Islamic biomedical ethics and Professor of Islam and Biomedical Ethics at Hamad Bin Khalifa University. Ghaly’s work on Islamic ethics and the genome question demonstrates that contemporary Islamic bioethical reasoning is not simply a matter of issuing isolated religious rulings; rather, it involves dialogue between Islamic scholars, biomedical scientists, and specialists in bioethics. This approach is important for understanding eugenics because questions concerning genetic selection and human enhancement require consideration of both scientific consequences and Islamic ethical principles. Ghaly’s work on disability is also significant because it challenges approaches that reduce human beings to biological characteristics and encourages consideration of dignity, vulnerability, and justice within Islamic moral reasoning. His broader scholarship therefore provides an important framework for distinguishing between the therapeutic use of genetics to prevent or treat disease and the selective or enhancement-oriented use of genetics to produce supposedly superior human beings.
The clearest institutional position can be found in the resolutions of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA). In Resolution No. 203 (2013), the Academy stated that the human genome may be used for beneficial purposes consistent with Shariah, including the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of hereditary diseases. At the same time, it placed restrictions on harmful applications and explicitly prohibited the use of genetic engineering for what it describes as the “enhancement of human progeny.” This distinction is highly significant when examining eugenics. It indicates that Islam does not reject genetic science as such; rather, the ethical acceptability of genetic intervention depends upon its purpose, consequences, safety, and conformity with Islamic principles. Thus, genetic counselling, screening, and therapeutic interventions intended to prevent serious hereditary disease may be ethically distinguishable from interventions designed to select or engineer human beings according to socially preferred characteristics.
The IIFA subsequently reaffirmed this position in Resolution No. 235 concerning the human genome and future bioengineering. The Academy stated that genome-editing technologies such as CRISPR may be used for medical purposes, including the prevention and treatment of genetic diseases, provided that safety and effectiveness are established and appropriate safeguards are in place. However, it explicitly prohibited the use of such technologies for merely aesthetic or ameliorative purposes and emphasized the protection of human dignity and the prevention of abuse. This position provides a useful ethical boundary between therapy and enhancement: treating or preventing disease can serve the Islamic objective of preventing harm (dafʿ al-ḍarar), whereas attempting to create a genetically superior category of human beings risks violating principles of dignity, justice, equality, and the protection of human nature.
Therefore, from an Islamic perspective, the central problem with eugenics is not the scientific study of heredity itself but the value judgment that ranks human beings according to genetic desirability. Islam permits and may even encourage the beneficial use of scientific knowledge for the prevention of disease and the preservation of human well-being, but it does not provide a basis for declaring some human lives inherently more valuable than others because of their genes, physical characteristics, disability, or perceived biological fitness. The views of al-Qaradawi, Mohammed Ghaly, and the International Islamic Fiqh Academy collectively demonstrate an Islamic ethical approach that seeks to balance scientific advancement with human dignity, prevention of harm, justice, and moral responsibility. Consequently, while therapeutic genetic intervention may be acceptable when properly regulated, the coercive selection, exclusion, or genetic enhancement of human beings for the purpose of producing a supposedly superior population is fundamentally at odds with the broader ethical principles of Islam.

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