Professional Ethics and the Education
of Engineers at the International

Islamic University Malaysia
Ibrahim M. Zein

Abstact

This article focuses on professional ethics for engineers and engi-
neering students at the International Islamic University Malaysia
(IIUM). Due to the phenomenological interest in the theory of value
and its realization within the framework of the professional ethics
of engineers in a particular educational institution, this research ap-
plies a methodic strategy to address two levels of discourse equally.
Thus, the theoretical aspect utilizes the tools of textual strategies
and content analysis, whereas the specific case of the IIUM’s engi-
neering faculty serves as a source of my phenomenological reflec-
tions on professional ethics for engineers. 

Despite being based on a limited source of data, some of the phe-
nomenological remarks might be useful for other institutions of
higher learning, for the stand on the theory of value used here is for
both the values’ universality and relationality to human beings or,
more directly, both the universality and rationality of an ethical dis-
course. Although largely an Islamic interpretation, this article’s main
contributions are how to overcome this predicament in ethical sen-
sibility, ward off dismissive gestures, and distinguish between val-
ues and their realization in the everyday world. By this process, the
human agent discovers, rather than makes, values and comes to un-
derstand that ethical sensibility is not about truth and falsehood, but
about the person’s degree of realization. 

Ibrahim M. Zein is a professor in the Department  of Usual al-Din and Comparative Religion,
Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Science, International Islamic Uni-
versity Malaysia. His research interests are in professional ethics and the history of religions.



Introduction
The starting point in any ethical discourse on professional ethics is the human
being and his/her relationship to the realm of values. When values are per-
ceived as relative to the human being, then the door is wide open for all types
of relativism in ethics. The Islamic stand on ethics, which emphasizes that
values are relational to the human being, allows us to discover, rather than
make, values. In this regard, Islamic humanism will be the ethical choice to
substitute secular humanism. While the former emphasizes universalism, the
latter is associated with particularism. This makes Islamic humanism perhaps
the only viable voice for the universality of ethics.1

This paper argues that the foundation for a sound professional ethics must
be based on universal values. As a form of applied ethics, it must be connected
to a system of metaphysics other than itself because the nature of a metaphys-
ical system is to serve as an external system of meaning. In light of this, the
Islamic metaphysical system provides two sets of valuational hierarchies: (1)
on that is completely connected to the belief system and worldview and (2)
one that is directly connected to particular ethics. Although they are interre-
lated and may be seen in one hierarchical system, the distinction between them
is functional rather than a matter of principle. 

As professional ethics mainly focuses on practical values, one can suggest
the following values that determine the nexus of values between sociopolitical
or socio-cultural groups. These values, which were given to Muslims in Q.
4:58-59 at a decisive moment in the young community’s history (i.e., Makkah’s
liberation) can govern a valuational exchange regarding the discussion of pro-
fessional ethics.2 They are trust, justice, obedience, and the ethics of disagree-
ment, the main practical values to be realized by this submission. These should
be regarded as the main values in any discourse on the ethics of action and
intent guided by a highly sophisticated ethics of ummatism in a comprehensive
value system.3

One might be curious to know the difference between ethics in general
and professional ethics in particular. Are they connected with each other in
such a way that one could say that ethics, as a branch of philosophy, is con-
nected to axiological issues and other theoretical matters, whereas professional
ethics, as a branch of sociology, rather focuses on a practical set of values and
their realization within a specific social domain? If so, this distinction assures
us that ethicists at the philosophical level deal with ethical issues at the level
of such, whereas ethicists at the sociological level deal with the same issues
at the level of this. Due to this distinction, the social is connected with the em-

78 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 33:4



pirical code of behavior and hence the relative aspect of values. This will leave
the philosophizing activities (e.g., the theory of values and others) to those
ethicists who are not interested in professional ethics and are more interested
in the universal dimension of axiology. 

Perhaps some may suggest that the difference is not between “this” and
“such” levels, but that it is between those who have concluded that ethics must
be tackled from an interdisciplinary approach and those who still believe that
prior to any ethical discourse we must be clear about the debate’s theoretical
foundation. This means, among other things, that both of them must be a part
of any learned discussion about ethics. Thus, professional ethics as an inter-
disciplinary project should not do away with the theoretical issues regarding
axiology. From this perspective, at least, one has to identify right at the be-
ginning of any discussion on ethical issues the theoretical ethical framework
within which he/she operates to inform readers of his/her basic axiological
assumptions and ethical sensibility.4 That might be a basic requirement in
some cases, since the interdisciplinary approach leads to a development of a
set of synthetic propositions. 

Business ethics has assumed a considerable importance in the discussion
of professional ethics5 because it encompasses the ethical courses of a number
of professions. Moreover, its related issues are of primary concern to man-
agers, engineers, bankers, and others. More to the point, business ethics is es-
sentially interdisciplinary in nature and thus has developed rapidly and
includes the ethical sensibilities of nearly all professions. Perhaps only the
medical and legal professions have managed to maintain a certain distance
and develop independently.6

However, there is a considerable overlap between medical and legal ethics
on the one hand and business ethics on the other. This might lead some to be-
lieve that, although the latter is relatively new and has developed a quite sig-
nificant amount of literature, might soon make the latter sub-categories within
its own general umbrella. This line of development of professional ethics
under the ever growing interdisciplinary area of business ethics might finally
recast or change the orientation of other professional ethics in order to suit the
general parameters of business ethics. This might be the case regarding the
main issues of professional ethics, but then again minor issues may still com-
pletely retain the uniqueness of both medical and legal ethics. 

It seems that engineering professional ethics will be subsumed within
business ethics, for designing and building machines, vehicles, roads, bridges,
and so on is always part of a major business activity. Due to this the very iden-
tity, engineering is largely part of something other than itself. Having said

Zein: Professional Ethics and the Education of Engineers 79



that, this does not mean that the engineers’ transforming of scientific knowl-
edge into designing or building specific things is not a well defined activity
that deserves to maintain the status of a separate and distinct profession.7 On
the contrary, it is a recognized professional body. But when dealing with pro-
fessional ethics as an area study, one finds it more convenient to subsume is-
sues arising from such activities into business ethics. In addition, it equally
important to state that those ethical issues of concern to engineers are the same
as others when the focus is on moral education, work ethics, and other relevant
ethical issues governing the industry. Thus, it is neither desirable nor realistic
to separate engineering’s ethical issues from the broader interdisciplinary ap-
proach of business ethics. 

Our prime objective in this paper is to comment mainly on how to develop
a set of ethical values that will help academics train engineers who both are
willing to realize and discover values in their professional activities. This may
require an impartial analysis of the university’s required courses, which are
meant to provide students with an Islamic worldview and relevant reading
materials regarding Islam’s basic teachings.8 In addition, a course on profes-
sional ethics has been developed for engineering students. Although the target
group for these required courses is Muslim students, the course on professional
ethics is designed for both Muslims and non-Muslims.9 When looking into
these courses, we need to understand the relevancy of Islam to the engineering
sciences. Most importantly, we need to develop a system of professional ethics
that is in line with both the Islamic worldview and universal rationalism, one
that is based on a position that differentiates between values and their realiza-
tion in this world.

Professional Ethics and the Realm of Values
Since the main focus of professional ethics is values, one needs to understand
the latter’s place in professional codes of ethics, their relationship to humans,
and how they have been articulated in terms of their essence and realization.
To begin with, the previous comment on professional ethics shows that this
type of ethical domain is a specialized discourse on practical ethics.10 This
makes it a little bit innocent as regards the complexities of philosophical dis-
cussions on axiology, the theory of value, and the logical status of moral state-
ments. In short, professional ethics is more interested in the meaning of a
moral choice and how this leads to a realization of value, and, moreover, how
the moral value that has been realized in a specific human action relates to a
set of values guided by a metaphysical vision. 

80 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 33:4



This worldview or metaphysical vision defines who we are and gives
meaning to our life. Thus, any definition that explains who we are in terms of
our material needs and completely ignores the spiritual dimension of the
human being is a materialistic worldview that obviously governs both the eth-
ical sensibility and realization of values in our life. Remember that these values
are the human values that can be realized within this materialistic worldview.
Thus they cannot be classified as false values or disvalues. All that can be said
about them in negative terms is that they are the realization of the most rudi-
mentary aspects of values. 

Moreover, in a learned ethical discourse the concern is not so much about
negativity, but with how to realize more values in a given human act. This
focus leads to the attitude that those who see more values in a concrete set of
ethical acts are obliged to enlighten others. By doing so, those who adhere to
the materialistic worldview will compare their position to that of another eth-
ical sensibility that discovers more values in a specific human act. Although
this comparison will not be done automatically, the very definition of who we
are will be the bone of contention in rival worldviews. In this regard, the more
the worldview can realize more values in our action, the more people from
other worldviews will be attracted to it. Once again, the most fundamental
issue is the fact that worldviews have the power to direct and guide the human
being, and yet the person’s natural disposition has an inner light that can assess
a moral discovery during the process of realizing more values in specific
human act.

One may ask about the relationship between worldview and the very def-
inition of the human being.11 The answer can perhaps be given when the def-
inition of who we are can be seen as the most fundamental question, for given
its central position, mistakes that occur within its answer – the basic one being
how we articulate our worldview – are always open to correction. When the
worldview defines and explains less and less of who we are, a reality that
takes us some time to realize, it is in open conflict with our natural disposition.
But the more others who adhere to a different worldview start to discover and
realize more values in a specific human act, the higher will become the
chances for us to question the validity of our own worldview. 

Although there is very little likelihood of this happening overnight, the
process of discovering and then realizing more values in a specific human act
is both educational and can create an irreversible positive change in the person,
one that will certainly cause him/her to abandon a worldview that cannot see
and realize more values in a specific human act. Given that this relationship
between worldview and our human identity prioritizes who we are, one can

Zein: Professional Ethics and the Education of Engineers 81



say that the choice to adhere to a specific worldview can be rectified or in-
formed by the ethical discoveries made by other human beings. In other words,
we have the capacity to recognize the realization of more values in the acts of
other humans. 

We may not be able to realize more values in a specific moral choice, but
we will be ethically moved by the moral choices of others that result in the
discovery of more values in that specific act. The accumulation of more real-
ized values by others who adhere to a different worldview may not automat-
ically make us to abandon our worldview; however, it will quickly alert us to
the shortcomings of our worldview because the realization of values has a
great influence upon us as humans. Any worldview that does not go hand in
hand with this basic tenet of who we are will gradually be sidelined, if not
completely abandoned. 

If the previous analysis of the relationship between our human identity
and the worldview to which we adhere as a fundamental moral choice is plau-
sible, then the realm of values is not relative to us. We have the capacity to
realize moral values by our acts. Values, in this regard, are relational to our
acts. In themselves they belong to the axiological or ideal level. However,
their realization is subject to our moral choices in this world. This distinction
between values and their realization is of an utmost importance, which means
that the axiological discourse is almost invariably marked by the realization
of more or less values rather than a discussion of truth and falsehood. Since
values are relational to humans, we can only realize in our moral actions
more or less values in a specific act. As such, the discovery of more values
while realizing a specific value in a human act is both the act of the human
agent and the observation of other humans of that act of realization. This act
of realization, at some point, redefines who we are to ourselves and to those
who observe us. 

Professional ethics has two dimensions,12 one of which is general in
nature and the other, which is specific and connected to a practical code of
ethics. Although the former is more inclusive and a direct result of the
process of general education and socialization, the specific set of a profes-
sional code of ethics is based upon a conscious articulation of those prac-
tical values that govern the exchange of valuational activities in a certain
profession. Due to this deliberate act of articulation of thoughts and feelings
regarding a specific profession, the code of ethics reflects the accumulated
and shared experience of those who have the moral capacity to discover
the essential norms of their profession. We must not think of this as existing
in isolation from the general dimension, for a code of professional ethics

82 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 33:4



can only be meaningful if it is in harmony with the general ethical frame-
work. In fact, professional values are meant to be a more focused valua-
tional discovery. 

In this regard, a code of ethics for a specific profession is, generally speak-
ing, a good approximation of the degree to which it has realized that set of
values relevant to itself and will certainly enrich our understanding of these
values. More to the point, we, as moral agents, will be able to see a higher de-
gree of realization of these values and refocus the whole edifice of values re-
lated to our profession. In short, one can expect that such a realization within
the framework of a specific profession will both enlighten us about these val-
ues and entice others to follow suit. 

This process of value discovery and moral education is rather complex,
for it evidently reflects the interaction between the general dimensions of
professional ethics and the specific code of ethics in that profession.13 In this
respect, engineers know that being wasteful is a disvalue. Due to their ca-
pacity to produce more serious waste (e.g., nuclear waste) than others, their
decision to not commit this degree of appalling disvalue must be highly re-
garded. Armed with this knowledge, engineers must be more careful and sen-
sitive than others.14 Therefore, there is a sense of proportionality between the
realization of values and the capacity of human beings to act. As a result,
professional ethics is, among other things, about that sense of proportionality
and accountability. This is equally true whether an action realizes a disvalue
or a value. 

A would-be engineer is, essentially, a moral agent who pursues his/her
education with that capacity.15 The moral discovery that can be achieved
through a certain level of education in terms of professional ethics will en-
hance the this person’s moral sensibility of that set of ethical values that are,
by now, invariable. The only difference is the degree of their realization. By
going through a code of professional ethics, all engineering students will be
expected to realize these values more than others. However, a moral agent
always has the freedom of choice either to commit oneself to realize more
values or not. Even worse, they can choose to disturb the hierarchy of values
and create a great deal of trouble in the vistas of values. Therefore, ethical
education for engineers is largely meant to refocus their moral campus and
help them make a meaningful moral choice.16 Most important of all, they
must discover the humanness in themselves at all times. This certainly in-
cludes the negative moment of disturbing the vistas of morality. After all, no
human being has ever been free of mistakes or failed to realize more values
in his/her acts.17

Zein: Professional Ethics and the Education of Engineers 83



The Hierarchy of Values and the Metaphysical System
Since this discussion on professional ethics is largely about developing an Is-
lamic perspective to discover universal values, the basic definition of who we
are is a proper starting point. Obviously, the correct place to start is the
Qur’anic account of creation, which was given as both a commentary and an
interpretation of the Biblical account. In view of this important connection,
the Judeo-Christian tradition will be engaged in this discussion.18 Some may
view this as a digression from the subject of professional ethics;  however,
one can reply that the particular religious or metaphysical imagination to
which we subscribe makes us who we are and how we understand the funda-
mental questions. 

A look at the basic terms present in the Qur’anic account enables us to
see their relevancy to our understanding of the valuational discourse on pro-
fessional ethics. The most visible term is khalīfah (vicegerency),19 a status that
God bestowed upon this new creature before its creation. According to the
Qur’an, God designated this specific title for this creature as its ultimate be-
coming. Although this gender-less creature is supposed to dwell on Earth in
order to fulfill its particular status, it was granted a transitional period, perhaps
for training, during which they came to know who is their archetypal enemy,
where to seek guidance, the meaning of moral responsibility, and, above all,
who their Creator is and what are their duties toward Him. 

Having established these basic issues that render a meaningful and con-
sistent ethical position on who we are, the Qur’anic account then develops a
moral vision that constitutes the base of its view of professional ethics. This
means that for a sensible valuational discourse, we need to possess a set of
suppositional answers for the fundamental questions about who we are and
the meaning of life. Without such answers, there is a very large possibility
right at the beginning of the discussion that we will encounter a circular argu-
ment, a deliberate moral relativism, or a cynical view of morality. To avoid
such unpleasant and perhaps unacceptable situations, one needs to be con-
structive by openly declares his/her position on these questions and hence de-
velop a consistent moral stance in accordance with these answers. 

By doing so, the valuational discourse can be considered a constructive
discussion that leads to a set of universal values. Obviously, there will be a
way to detect mistakes within the system due to internal inconsistencies and
to differentiate between these types of errors and the absurdity that has been
created by both flawed arguments and erroneous assumptions about who we
are. Having such a position will allow us to accelerate both the process of dis-

84 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 33:4



covering and realizing values in a human act. Remember that the religious or
metaphysical imagination to which we adhere is invariably a rich source for
discovering who we are and, consequently, the set of hierarchical values that
we should follow while realizing our moral mission.

In this regard, the Qur’anic story of creation given in Sūrat al-Baqarah
and Sūrat al-A‘rāf 20 declares a set of principles concerning our being as unique
creatures that possess both the cognitive and moral capacities necessary for as-
suming the role of khilāfah on Earth. The major difference between our arche-
typal enemy Satan and us is that he did not obey God’s command and, even
worse, challenged the very act of commandment. Moreover, he sank to the
depths of despair and blamed humanity for his moral failure. But Adam and
Eve, when they failed to obey God, took full responsibility for their act and
beseeched God to forgive them.21 As a result, they were considered ready for
their moral mission. In the Qur’anic narrative, they are reminded time and again
of their enemy as well as of their cognitive and moral capacities.22

Humanity, both male (Adam) and female (Eve), agreed to be endowed
with this particular quality of moral valuation and accept the subsequent moral
responsibility that marked the essence of their definition. By accepting this
amānah (trust), they assumed the status of being the only bridge between the
realm of values and the concrete world.23 Thus, values can be actualized only
by the actions of human beings, for only their moral choices can bring them
to realization in this world. This unique position also entails each person’s
moral acts being governed by intentionality. Whatever has been done within
the ethics of intent’s framework will pave a way for a value to be realized in
this world. Likewise, any act based upon utility or consequence will never be
part of the process of realizing values. In other words, not all human acts are
the concern of morality. In fact, only those acts governed by intentionality as
a moral choice can be classified as part of the moral domain, for only those
acts activate humanity’s role as a bridge between the metaphysical realm of
axiology and the empirical world.

It should be remembered that humanity’s moral vocation is an existential
duty, for being human means that one is responsible for carrying out the duties
of a trustee for he/she is essentially a moral agent who is able to engage in
moral reasoning. One can say that an essential part of being human is the pos-
session of this strong sense of moral vocation, for values can neither enter the
physical world through non-humans and be realized in their acts. It is equally
true that the same human being can allow a disvalue to disturb the whole vista
of morality. Given these facts, the human being is the vantage point of both
value and disvalue. 

Zein: Professional Ethics and the Education of Engineers 85



In the Qur’anic account of creation, it seems the khalīfah has a cosmic
value.24 Adam, the historic male creature and equally his female counterpart
Eve, are supposed to realize that cosmic value while dwelling upon Earth. Al-
though they were given a training period and a direct audience with God, un-
like their descendants, they were the first to realize their cosmic value on Earth.
At that time it was nearly impossible to distinguish between the historical and
the cosmic realization of the khalīfah. They were the historical khalīfah, and
yet it was known that the ability to realize the cosmic value of this status is an
open-ended one. The most significant difference between any human being
at any point of time and them is that the former is capable of reliving the his-
tory of the cosmic value with all of its positive and negative realizations. The
human drama since the time of Adam and Eve is nothing but the khalīfah’s
continuous accumulation of both values and disvalues. Thus humanity
watched its own story unfold before its very eyes. This human ability to be
both an active participant in the realization of the cosmic status of khalīfah
and observing the realization of its values and disvalues is the hallmark of
who we are. 

When God informed the angels of His plan to create a khalīfah on Earth,
their first comment was that humanity would shed blood and fill Earth with
trouble and corruption. And yet, in God’s wisdom that cosmic status had a
cosmic value that transcended such things,25 for its realization will enable val-
ues to enter this world via humanity, the sole bridge between the realm of ax-
iology and the empirical world. Although after humanity’s beginning God
becomes the ultimate ghayb (the unseen world), His attributes are the values
that ought to be realized on Earth. As such, our cognitive capacity will allow
us to acquire the knowledge of who we are, of the external world, and of God’s
attributes. In addition to this knowledge-based ability, we are endowed with
a valuational capacity. 

This conception of who we are, as presented in the account of creation,
has a direct implication for our understanding of professional ethics. Let’s
start the discussion with the valuational datum that values are refreshingly
energizing and both known to us, and that they seek to be realized in human
acts. According to the Qur’an, our creation tells us that love for the Creator
translates into a sense of obedience that results in a sincere willingness to
submit our will to His. In all sincerity, all people attempt to identify them-
selves with the Creator’s attributes; when they fail in this attempt, they seek
forgiveness and genuinely learn from their mistakes. Given these realities, it
seems that teaching values is possible and that they resonate with human
emotions and sensibilities. This allows us to train the human sense of value

86 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 33:4



in such a way that people become able to discover values and to know their
valuational structure. 

By such moral training, human agents will be able to discern a number of
different dimensions of valuational education. First, they will no longer have
to depend solely upon their moral intuition in matters concerning valuational
structure and discovering the place of specific values in a valuational hierarchy.
Second, they will be able to develop moral insights in the systematization of
values regarding their specific profession within the general moral sensibility.
Third, provided that this has been done systematically, they will gradually come
to possess a rational and objective way of speaking about values. More to the
point, we can comfortably afford to speak about universal values within this
community of learners who show great discernment in their moral reasoning. 

Once again, the importance of the creation story lies in its ability to provide
us with an authoritative answer for the basic question of who we are. In addition
to that, the general narrative has alluded to the cosmic value of khalīfah and
the historical realization of the main values. Although this was done in a highly
complex set of narratives, the main characteristics of a valuational structure
can easily be outlined for a proposed professional ethics for engineers. Obvi-
ously, the creation story and its moral structure is an important aspect of hu-
manity’s accumulated wisdom for those who do not believe in its divine origin.
In this regard, its moral reasoning should be the focus of analysis, and the real
test of its meaningfulness will certainly reside in the fact whether it resonates
with the human disposition or not. It is true that this account is a shared legacy
of human wisdom, despite its different forms of narrations in various religious
traditions.26 In addition, the ethicist is obliged to fathom the depths of this in-
fluential account in the history of humanity. And given that it provides Muslims
with revelational data that need to be understood, it is equally true that for non-
Muslims it is part of the human wisdom that needs to be included if we are to
formulate a meaningful account of who we are. 

With this strategy of intellectual engagement based on the story of cre-
ation, the biographies of prophets, sages, and influential human beings will
constitute the basic requirement for the comprehensive data needed to discover
the professional ethics for a specific profession. Since our prime concern in
this regard is engineers, the historical narrative requires an understanding of
the biographies of those who are relevant to the profession throughout its de-
velopment within the grand context of human history. This might seem to be
a daunting task, but this is an important step in our attempt to refocus the ex-
isting projects of professional ethics to acquire a monumental and systematic
understanding of professional ethics. 

Zein: Professional Ethics and the Education of Engineers 87



88 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 33:4

This shows, equally, that what currently exists is no more than the accu-
mulation of an historical development of the realization of values through
these people’s acts. Now it is the time to make sense of this human achieve-
ment in professional ethics by understanding the process of realizing these
values within a professional community. One’s understanding of the valua-
tional structure of these biographies or revelational data will not be drastically
affected by one religious affiliation. Certainly, a phenomenological approach
is the most appropriate method for both understanding the historical records
and the interpretative valuational strategies necessary for making a grand
narrative. 

The education of Muslim engineers requires a thorough analysis of both
the revelational data and historical records of biographies of the above-
mentioned people; however, more is needed to develop a hierarchical set of
professional values. Obviously, Muslims have abundant historical materials.
However, the essential endeavor is to systematize this material in a grand uni-
versal narrative by consciously applying the phenomenological method, which
will engender great achievements regarding both the grand narrative and the
hierarchical set of professional values. Historically, Muslim civilization was
marked by its ability to appropriate earlier civilizations’ advancements in sci-
ence and technology as well as its ethical zeal to recognize valuational struc-
tures in accordance with its axiological principles.27

In this regard, a detailed investigation into the biographies of Muslim en-
gineers such as al-Biruni and others will lead to a wealth of information
concerning professional ethics in its historical formation.28 Naturally, these
biographies are connected with that of the Prophet, just as the latter’s bi-
ography is closely connected with the biographical data of the messengers
sent by God before him. This is a recurrent theme in the biographical dic-
tionaries written by Muslims. More to the point, these sources also include
non-Muslims. Due to this inclusive aspect of Islamic civilization, one would
be rather safe in saying that its universalism is a true representation of a
humanistic valuational structure. Mindful of this legacy, the professional
values resulting from this investigation will be both rational and universal
in nature. Therefore, applying the phenomenological method will definitely
render an accurate understanding of the life-values contained within this
material. 

Indeed, the thoroughness of the inquiry is the only guarantee that the gen-
uine hierarchical values representing the humanistic valuational structure of
Islamic civilization will be discovered. Of course the issue of this material’s
authenticity must be taken into account. But it should be noted that this ma-



terial at least reflects the mindset of the era in which it was produced. The
awareness of these shortcomings is important, as it enables us to avoid making
any sweeping generalizations or going beyond the available evidence. 

To sum up, there are two main necessary postulates: One concerns the
metaphysical system or the religious imagination, and the other is the histor-
ical record of realizing the values that emanate from the metaphysical system.
Both of these are essential to systematizing a set of principles to regulate a
hierarchy of professional ethics, as well as in terms of the steps taken to rec-
tify any erroneous systematization of values. In this regard, the grand narra-
tive of value realization either from the Qur’anic data about the creation story
and the biographies of the prophets, or their historical realization in the bi-
ographies of leading engineers in Islamic civilization, will constitute the re-
source material for both a code of ethics for engineers and a guiding manual
for professional ethics for engineers. The final outcome of this phenomeno-
logical approach will be a universal and rational valuational structure that,
although based on Islamic sources, it is equally humanistic in nature. There-
fore, it will be relevant to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Muslims will be
able to acknowledge the spiritual dimension of this valuational exercise,
whereas non-Muslims will certainly feel committed to realizing its human-
istic and rational aspects. 

The Hierarchy of Values in Applied Ethics
In recent years, the discourse on engineering’s applied ethics has been domi-
nated by issues regarding safety, risk, and professional responsibility29; tech-
nical issues like who should teach engineering professional ethics; and
whether it is advisable to have separate courses on professional ethics or not.30
Other questions have been whether ethical values should be integrated into
the engineering curriculum and whether the role model for professional ethics
should be taken from people other than engineers.31 Although these concerns
are important, one has to keep in mind that before any of these questions are
settled, there must be a set of core of values that governs the valuational dis-
cussion, a set that represents the main life-values that direct the general moral
vision of both the individual and the professional community. Although the
former is the most essential part of this valuational structure due to his/her
freedom of choice, that individual has to be seen as part of a professional com-
munity that is connected to a society that is part of humanity at large. This in-
terconnectedness needs to be emphasized so that we can acquire a better
understanding of who we are and the systematization of values. 

Zein: Professional Ethics and the Education of Engineers 89



In this regard, the hierarchy of values will cut across the levels of the in-
dividual, the professional community, society, and humanity at large. This
means that the systematization of core values is, in fact, the systematization
of life-values. Their representation on each level is a matter of the degree to
which these values have been realized within specific contexts, which indi-
cates that these same core values will be those that guide the moral vision at
each level. More to the point, their systematization will equally be the same
because the only substantial difference will be the degree of their realization
within the moral dynamics of the specific context. 

Remember that each level has its own specific moral dynamics and thus
the power to affect the degree of realization of values, but not the hierarchy
of those values. This implies that the human agent can discover more values
within that specific context, provided that he/she is morally sensible and pro-
fessionally competent. Obviously, moral sensibility can be taught and profes-
sionalism can be acquired through systematic training. Therefore, the
university-level curriculum designed to educate engineers must focus on these
two interrelated areas so that the would-be engineers can discover and realize
more values in their daily activities as professionals.32

One important fact about the values given in Sūrat al-Nisā’ is that this
was the first and perhaps the last time that the Qur’an directly commanded
Muslims to realize these values in a specific order. Most important of all, the
Qur’an places these values in different settings and yet here it connected them
with each other in a whole set governing the community’s sociopolitical rela-
tionship at a time when the Muslims achieved their decisive victory: the lib-
eration of Makkah from the polytheists. Obviously, this showed the people
that the adherents of Islam’s message was ready to lead humanity according
to the divine plan.33 Given this reality, a final set of core values that should
govern humanity’s sociopolitical affairs was revealed so that its members
could fulfill their divine mission. 

Evidently trust, justice, obedience, and the ethics of disagreement are
well-known values. What is new in this regard, and certainly can be considered
as a great moral discovery, is that they are now a complete set of values that
is capable of creating new moral vistas. Some might call this a set of core val-
ues. No doubt this is a set of essential values that can govern and regulate the
valuational discussion. Again, we must realize the importance of the ethical
procedures in the ethics of disagreement. This means that although these four
values are considered to constitute the valuational structure, the ethics of dis-
agreement remains the source that binds the other three values in a hierarchical
valuational structure. 

90 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 33:4



In this regard, trust will pave the way for a genuine realization of justice,
which is the foundation of obedience. Within this moral vista, disagreement
must be governed by a set of ethical procedures deeply embedded in the over-
all valuational structure outlined above. The hierarchical structure is the most
important principle for a meaningful realization of these values; however, the
regulatory principle governing any disagreements is both constitutive and
more fundamental. Therefore, educating would-be engineers will focus on
two main objectives: (1) systematizing these values within the given valua-
tional structure (i.e., the existing code of engineering professional ethics must
be cast in the mold of the valuational structure of trust, justice, obedience, and
the ethics of disagreement) and (2) the university’s required courses (i.e., “Is-
lamic Worldview,” “Ethics and Fiqh for Everyday Life,” and “Islamic Science
and Civilization”) must reflect this new understanding of values. 

In sum, the existing Professional Engineering Code of Ethics will have
to be reformed and the three required courses reviewed.34 Although reforming
this particular code is beyond IIUM’s jurisdiction, these new moral vistas
should be considered when trying to achieve a better systematization of values.
Evidently, reviewing these three courses along with this new valuational struc-
ture is a necessary step toward designing a meaningful and systematic valua-
tional education as well as for formulating well-defined parameters for
educating morally sensible and professionally qualified engineers. 

Conclusion
Perhaps the most important conclusion to be drawn from this study is that Is-
lamic humanism must be located at the core of any genuine program to Is-
lamize knowledge because developing a moral valuational structure that is
meaningful only for Muslims will alienate non-Muslims. More to the point,
moral relativism will appear all over the discussion and dominate the moral
scene, both of which will negatively impact human interconnectedness. Thus,
Islamic humanism should be based upon the universality of ethics and a crit-
ical set of rational principles35 so that this intellectual project will be both ra-
tional and universal. This is the most essential position for any ethicist who
cares about other human beings to adopt. 

In addition to this general epistemological stand of Islamic humanism, one
can formulate a specific logical conclusion regarding the reform of Engineering
Professional Code of Ethics and the extensive revision of the three required
university courses. Although such a reform is beyond IIUM’s jurisdiction, the
university’s general code of ethics can be refocused in order to develop a new

Zein: Professional Ethics and the Education of Engineers 91



Engineering Professional Code of Ethics. Undoubtedly, revising the three
courses is meant to connect the ethical sensibility of the Islamic worldview and
its manifestations in fiqh, science, and civilization with the specific valuational
structure of a course on professional ethics for engineers. Finally, the answer
to the fundamental question of who we are; the exposition of the meaning of
khalīfah as a cosmic value; and the valuational structure of trust, justice, obe-
dience, and the ethics of disagreement must all be governed by Islamic human-
ism. Perhaps this is the only way to ward off relativism in ethics and to pave
the way for the universality of ethics and human interconnectedness. 

Endnotes

1. Isma‘il Ragi Abul-Huda el-Faruqi, “On Justifying The Good,” (doctoral thesis,
Indiana University, 1952), 287-97. 

2. Ibn Taymiyyah, Al-Siyāsah al-Shar‘īyah (Beirut, Dal al-Jiya: 1988), 3-5. 
3. Isma‘il Raji al-Faruqi, Al-Tawḥīd: Its Implications for Thought and Life (Hern-

don, VA: IIIT, 1986), 61-84.
4. Isma‘il Raji al-Faruqi, Christian Ethics (Montreal: McGill University Press,

1967), 1-8.
5. See John Mahoney, “Christian Perspective On Business Ethics,” in Studies in

Christian Ethics, Professional Ethics 2, no.1, ed. Revd Richard Franklin, T&T
Clark Edinburgh: 1989, 20-40. Henry B. Clark’s response to this chapter was
contained in the same book, as was Frank McHugh’s comprehensive bibliogra-
phy on business ethics (pp. 82-98).

6. Donald Nicolson and Julian Webb, Professional Legal Ethics (Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 1999); Alfred Heijder and Herman Van Gewns, Professional
Codes of Ethics (London: An Amnesty International Publication, 1976). 

7. See Robert H. Haynes “Ecce ecopoiesis: Playing God on Mars,” in Moral Ex-
pertise Studies in Practical and Professional Ethics, ed. Don Macniven (London
and New York: Routledge, 1990), 161-83; Christopher P. McKay “Does Mars
Have Rights? An Approach to Environmental Ethics of Planetary Engineering,”
ibid., 184-97; Abdi Omar Shuriye, Ahmad Faris Ismail, and Azweeda Dahlan,
eds., Ethics of Engineering Education (Kuala Lumpur: IIUM Press, 2009). 

8. Perhaps the Department of General Studies, now that it has been renamed, is
the most active department in terms of writing textbooks – it produced more
than six of them for the three main university-required courses.

9. It should be noted that the Kulliyyah of Engineering held several workshops
and two international seminars on the ethics of engineering education. See
Shuriye, Ismail, and Dahlan, eds., Ethics of Engineering Education.

10. Emile Durkheim’s Professional Ethics and Civic Morals, trans. Cornelia Brook-
field (London: Routledge, 1957), opened up new vistas of theorization in prac-
tical ethics.

92 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 33:4



11. See al-Faruqi, Al-Tawḥīd, 1-16. 
12. With the help of the former IIUM rector M. K. Hassan, during the rectorship of

Syed Arabi Idid the IIUM developed and published an official document, the
“IIUM Code of Ethics.” Its values and ethical sensibility has been incorporated
into the staff’s contracts.

13. The IIUM has also developed and published a policy paper on Islamization and
the integration of knowledge.

14. A leading professor of engineering in the Kulliyyah of Engineering made this
observation when I presented professional ethics in a forum there during 2012.

15. See Shuriye, Ismail, and Dahlan, eds., Ethics of Engineering Education, esp.
chapters 3, 6, and 8.

16. See Abdul Raufu Ambali, “Factors Influencing Perception and Practice of Pro-
fessional Engineers” in ibid., 24-25.

17. The model of Prophet Muhammad as depicted in the Qur’an and Sunnah will
testify to this. Although his moral achievement has no parallel in human history,
the Qur’an and all Muslims see him as a human being. See el-Faruqi, On Justi-
fying the Good, 290. In the footnote, he made an interesting remark concerning
the three final values in the hierarchical structure of values: “History knows of
only one man who combined all three in a more or less superlative degree…”

18. The Qur’an mentions the story of creation in different places. Q. 7: 10-25 and
Q. 2:30-38 both give a more detailed narration of humanity’s creation. 

19. Muhammad Asad provides a good translation of the concept of khalīfah in his
Message of the Qur’an (Kuala Lumpur: Islamic Book Trust, 2011), 10. 

20. Although Q. 7 is a Makkan sūrah and Q. 2 is a Madinan sūrah, they are com-
plementary in terms of providing the basic principles that govern who we are.

21. This is the most significant difference between the Qur’anic and the Biblical ac-
count of creation.

22. Muhammad Fu’ad Abdul Baqi, Al-Mu‘jam al-Mufahras li Alfāẓ al-Qur’ān
(Cairo: Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyyah, 1364 AH). For entries like amna and other
words with the same root, see pp. 81-93; for al-insān, see p. 94; for al-Shayṭān
and other words with the same root, see pp. 382-83; for kafara and other words
with the same root, see pp. 605-13; for al-nās, see pp. 726-29; and for huda and
other words with the same root, see pp. 732-36. All of these entries reflect that
meaning.

23. In this verse, amānah expresses the most fundamental and unconditional value
that makes the whole valuational process a meaningful discourse. 

24. See Abdulaziz Sachedina “Human Vicegerency: A Blessing or a Curse? The
Challenge to Be God’s Caliph in the Qur’an,” in Humanity before God, ed.
William Schweiker, Michael A. Johnson, and Kevin Jung (Minneapolis: Fortress
Press, 2006), 31-54.

25. See Asad, Message of the Qur’an, 10.
26. Humanity before God is devoted to the story of creation and the place of hu-

manity in the three Abrahamic traditions. For an Islamic perspective with a com-

Zein: Professional Ethics and the Education of Engineers 93



parativist bent, see Seyyed Hossein Nasr, “Standing before God: Human Re-
sponsibilities and Human Rights,” 299-320.

27. See this important biographical dictionary, which includes both Muslims and
non-Muslims who contributed to science, philosophy, and technology in Islamic
civilization. Zahir al-Din al-Bayhaqi, Tārīkh Ḥukamā’ al-Islām (Damascus:
Matbu‘at al-Majma‘ al-‘Ilm al-‘Arabi bi Dimashq, 1946). 

28. Ibid. See the biographies of al-Badi‘ al-Istralabī (376-80) and al-Biruni (459).
In addition, see the biographical dictionary by Ibn Abi Usybiah, ‘Uyūn al-Anbā’
fī Ṭabaqāt al-Aṭibā’ (Beirut: Manshurat Dar Maktabat al-Hayat, n.d.) for the bi-
ographies of al-Karmani (484-85), Ibn al-Haytham (550-60), and Abu al-Fadl
ibn Abdul Karim al-Muhandis (669-71).

29. See Rosli Asmawi, “Engineers’ Responsibility: Safety, Risk, Liability and Neg-
ligence for Design,” in Ethics of Engineering Education, ed. Shuriye, Ismail,
and Dahlan, 7-13. 

30. See Meftah Hrairi and Othman Khalifa, “An Integration Approach of Ethics and
Professional Issues into Engineering Curriculum,” in ibid., 275-81.

31. See Himawan Tri Bayu, “Teaching Engineering Ethics Using A Process Model;
Leonardo da Vinci’s Life Qualities and Works,” in ibid., 221-30.

32. The other three UNGS courses taught at IIUM must reflect the same set of values
in terms of the “Islamic Worldview,” “Ethics and Fiqh for Every Day Life,” and
“Islam, Science, and Civilization,” because these required courses are meant to
provide students with the core values of the university’s vision. 

33. Ibn Taymiyyah, in his Al-Siyāsah al-Shar‘īyah fī Iṣlāḥ al-Rā‘ī wa al-Ra‘īyah
(Beirut: Dar al-Afaq al-Jadidah, 1988), noted the importance of Sūrat al-Nisā’
and thus based his book on an ethical exegetical analysis of these two Qur’anic
verses. 

34. During the academic year 2014-15, the Department of General Studies under-
took a Key Result Area Project to revise the university’s required courses. This
was done to conceptualize, systematize, and evaluate these courses in accordance
with the university’s vision and the experience gained while teaching these
courses for the last fifteen years.

35. Ibrahim Mohamed Zein “Al-Faruqi’s Theory of Value: A Plea for Islamic Hu-
manism,” in Islam and Knowledge: The Concept of Religion in Islamic Thought,
ed. Imtiyaz Yusuf (London: I.B. Tauris, 2012).

94 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 33:4