Genetic Engineering has particularly attracted lengthy discussions amongst

Islamic scholars because of a phrase in the Quran about "changing God's

creation." According to the Quran, after Satan tempted Adam and Eve to sin by
eating from the forbidden tree, he was dismayed to see them repenting and being
forgiven and honored by their mission to planet Earth as God's vicegerent.

Satan asked the Lord to grant him another chance to prove that humans are not
that trustworthy after all. If allowed to test them on earth, Satan disclosed some of
his plots to confound them saying:

"Verily of Thy servants I shall most certainly take my due share, and shall lead
them astray and fill them with vain desires. And I shall command them so that
they cut off the ears of cattle (in idolatrous sacrifice), and I shall command them
and they will CHANGE GOD's CREATION." (Qur'an 4:119)

The regard for this verse among Islamic scholars and medical practitioners also
affects their decisions on such issues as sexual conversion operations.

Fortunately, however, the consensus is that this Qur’an verse cannot be invoked
as a total and radical ban on genetic engineering. If carried too far it would
conflict with many forms of curative surgery that also entails some change in
God's creation. Many ethical issues are raised by scientific development of genetic
engineering. The creation of new virulent bacteria for use in biological warfare
was a serious concern of the early seventies when the technology of recombinant
DNA was first described. Such an application is clearly wrong. Applications such
as the diagnosis, amelioration, cure or prevention of genetic disease are
acceptable and even commendable. Gene replacement is essentially
transplantation surgery albeit at the molecular level. The pharmaceutical
possibilities of genetic engineering will open tremendous vistas in treatment of
many illnesses and the possibilities in agriculture and animal husbandry might be
the clue to solving the problem of famine the world over.
The main concerns about genetic engineering lie in the area of the unknown and
unsuspected future. The possibility of grafting new genes not only in somatic cells
but also into germ cells thus affecting coming generations could later be
associated with tragic self-perpetuating mutations. The hazards of atomic
radiation were not apparent for some time, nor could the damage be repaired,
and the stakes with genetic engineering are far more serious. The introduction of
genetic material from one species into another practically means the creation of a
new species with mixed features.

If pursued with man's inclination for seeking the unknown until it is known and
the unachievable until it becomes achievable then mankind may be confronted by
patterns of life yet to appear on the biological stage. Science might think that
everything is under control while the case is not really so. Further, manipulating
the human progeny might be extended beyond combating disease to the
cultivation of certain physical characteristics considered desirable leading to
elitism and discrimination against (normal) individuals who lack those
characteristics. Worse still is the manipulation of behavior if genes determining
behavior are isolated.

The principle of tampering with the human personality and its capacity for
individual responsibility and accountability would certainly be condemned by
Islam. The technology itself attracts large capital for investment, and its investors
will inevitably seek maximal financial return. Many scientists have already
exchanged their ivory towers for golden ones and the spirit of open and altruistic
cooperation for trade-secrecy and patenting forms of life.

Moral concerns have been voiced that bear on equity, justice and the common
good. Perhaps it is time for a comprehensive public debate and the prospective
formulation of an ethical code for genetic engineering. A long story is in the
waiting, and it is just beginning to unfold!
IN THE FIELD OF GENETIC ENGINEERING, it has today become possible to change certain features of life.
But in the age when the following verse was revealed, no one could imagine such a thing in his
wildest fancy. Below is the relevant verse (translation):

... And he (Satan) said, 'I will assuredly take a fixed portion from Thy servants;

'And assuredly I will lead them astray and assuredly I will excite in them vain desires,
and assuredly I will incite them and they will cut the ears of cattle...' 
1

The idea of mutilation of animals by chopping off their tails or slitting their ears is not what is meant
here by the Quran. It simply refers to the common practice among the Arabs in pre-Islamic times to
make incisions in the ears of animals marked for sacrifice to various gods. However, what follows in
the same verse is of a far more dramatic and revolutionary nature. The verse ends by attributing to
Satan another malevolent intention, to incite mankind to bring about changes in the pattern of God's
creation. The verse continues:

... 'And assuredly I will incite them and they will effect a change in the creation of
Allah.' And he who takes Satan as a friend besides Allah has certainly suffered a
manifest loss.  2

The possibility of changing the nature of God's creation was not an idea that people of earlier times
could have entertained. Clearly the verse is speaking of possibilities that had not yet dawned on the
horizon of earlier eras. To inflict superficial injuries or to make small changes, through incisions for
example, is quite a simple process and lies within the reach of man of all ages. However, the
possibility of man bringing about substantial changes in God's creation has always been beyond the
reach of human imagination, prior to the most recent times. The addition of genetic engineering as a
new branch of scientific study is only a decade or two old. Yet this branch of science is moving
rapidly to the stage against which a clear warning had been delivered by the Quran fourteen hundred
years ago. Man has already started interfering with the plan of creation and to some measure has
succeeded in altering the forms of life at the level of bacteria, insects etc. A few steps further and it
may spell disaster. Some scientists have already started sounding the alarm. But unfortunately, to
reverse the wheel of experimentation in this field already seems to be beyond their power.

Scholars are divided in two camps regarding the very ethics of genetic engineering. Some are
throwing up their hands in alarm, whilst others argue that we should develop this field to its fullest
extent so that we may discover the secrets of creation. They believe that technological developments
in this field will brighten the future of man.
In America the debates are ferociously raging between the two camps which approve or disapprove
of genetic engineering. Some legal suits and litigations against the unrestricted experiments of
genetic engineering are pending in the courts of the United States. It is argued that already the
experiments have defied the scientific expectations of what should have resulted from the transfer of
genes from one species to another. In some cases the deviation from the expected course is
surprisingly greater than even the skeptics could suspect. Until now, however, things have not gone
completely out of hand. The experiments carried out on certain strains of bacteria and crops are
proving beneficial for enhancing agricultural produce and protecting it from certain diseases. But it
is far too early indeed to exult in these small transient gains.

What ultimate effects the new synthetic strains or altered species will have on the ecology in the
future, cannot be assessed until the behavior of the altered strains is closely and minutely monitored
for a few successive generations. The danger of the disaster which they may spell is, however, real
and substantial. If not strictly monitored, injudicious experimentation with genetic engineering
could let loose some unpredictable form of life which may defy human control. The certainty with
which the Quran has warned against the punishment of meddling with the creation of God bodes ill
for the future of life on earth. Allah knows best if man will ever cease to play God. Can any measure,
short of extinction, teach him the lesson in humility?

T IS WRONG however to infer that this verse condemns all possible usage of genetic engineering.
Any branch of science which is pressed into the service of His creation and employed to protect,
rather than change it, is certainly not discouraged. If for instance genetic engineering is employed
to correct faults in genetic codes caused by accidents, this can in no way be dubbed as interference
with the Divine scheme of things. Again, if damage to genetic codes by disease or imprudent
medication is attempted to be corrected through genetic engineering, this is certainly not what is
condemned in the above verse.

All said and done, it cannot be overemphasized that scientists should not be given a free hand to
trifle with the grand scheme of Divine Creation. They must thank their lucky stars if grave accidents
have not already happened. They will have none to thank but themselves if they do. We do hope that
the world governments will keep a strict watch over the trends and scope of experimentation in the
field of genetic engineering. What hangs in the balance is the honor and dignity of the human species
within the animal kingdom. We do hope and pray that mankind will be spared the torment of
haplessly watching the day when it will be mastered by the synthetic slaves of its own creation.