HUMAN ENHANCEMENT OR HEALING? ETHICAL BOUNDARIES OF CRISPR-CAS9 THROUGH THE LENS OF AMĀNAH

Abstract

From a laboratory gene-editing tool to a clinically useful platform for treating inherited and acquired diseases, CRISPR-Cas9 technology has developed quickly. CRISPR applications raise serious ethical concerns, especially with regard to off-target effects, germline transmission, informed consent, and intergenerational risk, despite promising therapeutic outcomes in conditions like sickle cell disease, β-thalassemia, and cancer immunotherapy. With an emphasis on safety, efficacy, and ethical risk profiles, this systematic review summarizes clinical and preclinical data on CRISPR-based treatments that were published between 2015 and 2025. Simultaneously, it presents the Qur'anic notion of Amānah (trust), which is expressed in Surah al-Ahzāb (33:72), as a normative ethical framework for genomic stewardship. This framework is presented as a supplementary moral philosophy that is consistent with the well-established bioethical principles of responsibility, non-maleficence, and justice rather than advocating religious authority over science. The review concludes that while germline editing is still unethical under both biomedical and Qur'anic ethical paradigms, therapeutic, somatic CRISPR applications may beethically justified when controlled by caution, transparency, and societal accountability.