The Role of Ethics in Explanation and Implementation of the Rules of Humanitarian Law with Emphasis on Islamic Doctrines

Study of Islamic doctrines depicts the effective role of ethics in foundation of legal rules in the first step and their implementation in the second. This role is especially outstanding about the legal rules that have been devised for the two parties involved in armed conflicts. Undoubtedly, there are certain rules in humanitarian law that are not justifiable except through ethical principles underlying them. Thus, studying the role of these ethical principles seems essential in explanation and implementation of the rules of humanitarian law. Upon examining the relation between ethics and law in general, this paper is intended to study the relation of some of the ethical doctrines of Islam to the rules of humanitarian law and their role in implementation of the above-mentioned rules.