COVID-19 and Pandemic Ethics in the Islamic Tradition: An Introduction

The rapid escalation of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 into a global pandemic, culminating in the World Health Organization’s declaration on March 11, 2020, marked a historic milestone. The far-reaching impact of the COVID-19 pandemic necessitates an interdisciplinary approach to address its myriad ethical challenges. This article categorizes the key ethical questions explored from an Islamic perspective into two groups: “Historical Issues” and “Modern Issues.” The former revisits questions examined in pre-modern discussions on historical pandemics, while the latter delves into ethical challenges relatively unique to the contemporary context of COVID-19. Each group’s exploration is complemented by a section on “Related Sources,” offering insight into pertinent primary works. The article concludes with reflections on the evolving trajectory of research in this field. Serving its introductory purpose, the article includes two appendices: Appendix 1, “Overview of Key Ethical Issues," provides a condensed summary in table form, while Appendix 2, “An Extended Bibliography on Islam, Pandemics, COVID-19, and Morality,” offers a comprehensive list of primary and secondary sources for researchers interested in further readings.