CHAPTER 4 AKHLAQ
General MEANING
AKHLAQ
DIFFERENCE IN ADAB & AKHLAQ
GENERAL
EXPLAINED BY THE PROPHET (S.A.W) THROUGH ACTION AND WORDS.
ARABIC
AKHLAQ (SINGULAR, KHULUQ) LITERALLY MEANS “ETHICS OR MORALITY”.
ISLAMIC BEHAVIOR, DISPOSITION, GOOD CONDUCT, NATURE, TEMPER, ETHICS, MORALS OR CHARACTER (OF A PERSON).
ETHICAL SYSTEM FORMED BY THE TEACHINGS OF THE QUR’AN
ADAB
MANNER, ATTITUDE, BEHAVIOUR AND THE ETIQUETTE OF PUTTING THINGS IN THEIR PROPER PLACE.
IT ENCOMPASSES ALL THE GOOD THINGS A MUSLIM MUST DO.
AKHLAQ (ETHICS) - THE “MORAL PHILOSOPHY”
ADAB (MANNER) - THE ACTUAL PRACTICES OF MORAL PHILOSOPHY.
CONCEPTUAL MEANING OF AKHLAK
AKHLAK MEANS THE SCIENCE THAT DEALS WITH THE STANDARDS OF RIGHT AND WRONG OF HUMAN CONDUCTS
AKHLAK MEANS 'GOOD CHARACTER' OR GOOD HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LAW AND ETHICS
WESTERN PERSPECTIVE
ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE
LAW IS A SYSTEM OF RULES ENFORCED-BY A SET OF INSTITUTIONS FOR CIVIL, POLITICAL, OBEDIENCE, ECONOMIC OBEDIENCE IN A SOCIETY
ETHICS REFER TO A CODE OF CONDUCT IN MATTERS OF RIGHT AND WRONG
LAW (SHARI’AH) IS DIVINE AND REFERS TO ISLAMIC LAW. THE SHARI’AH COMES FROM THE QUR’AN, WHICH MUSLIMS CONSIDER THE ACTUAL WORD OF GOD.
ETHICS (AKHLAQ) ARE THOSE UNIVERSAL STANDARDS OF RIGHT AND WRONG THAT PRESCRIBE WHAT HUMANS OUGHT TO DO AS TAUGHT BY THE QUR’AN, AND DEMONSTRATED IN THE LIFE OF THE PROPHET
AKHLAK(ETHICS) & FITRAH (NATURE)
ISLAM HOLDS THE BELIEF THAT HUMAN BEINGS ARE BORN WITH GOOD CHARACTER (FITRAH) THUS GOOD MORALS ARE EQUIVALENT TO HUMAN NATURE
UPON BIRTH, MAN IS INNOCENT AND HIS NATURE IS NOT UNGRACIOUS
SOURCE AND ORIGIN OF ISLAMIC ETHICS
QURAN
SUNNAH
FOUNDATION OF ETHICAL CONCEPTS AND STANDARDS
CONTAINS THE ACTUAL PRACTICES OF SUCH CONCEPTS.
FOUNDATION OF AKHLAQ
AKHLAK TOWARDS ALLAH
AKHLAK TOWARDS OTHERS
ACCORDING TO THE QUR’AN, BELIEF IN ALLAH HUMILITY, BETTER COMMUNICATIONS AND CONTINUATION OF GOOD DEEDS ARE THE FOUNDATIONS OF GOOD MORALS.
COMPASSIONATE BEHAVIOUR TOWARDS PARENTS, KINSFOLK, ORPHANS, THOSE IN NEED, NEIGHBOURS, WHILE ARROGANCE AND HATRED HAVE NO PLACE IN THE ISLAMIC MORALITY.
TWO DIMENSION OF HUMAN CHARACTER
POSITIVE ATTRIBUTES OF MAN
NEGATIVE BEHAVIOURS
ETHICS IN PROPHETIC TRADITION
THAT THE AIM OF HIS MISSION (PROPHETHOOD) IS TO COMPLETE THE GOOD MORALS.
ISLAMIC ETHICS: SCOPE AND PRINCIPLES
TA‘MIR MEANS CONSTANT IMPROVEMENT OF LIFE.
KHALIF SIGNIFIES COMMISSIONED FOR A DUTY AND RESPONSIBILITY
FEATURES OF ISLAMIC ETHICS
ISLAM OFFERS “AN OPEN SYSTEM APPROACH TO ETHICS, NOT A SELF-ORIENTED SYSTEM”.
DECISIONS THAT BENEFIT THE MAJORITY OR MINORITY ARE NOT NECESSARILY ETHICAL IN THEMSELVES.
ISLAM GRANTS TO ALL, THE RIGHT OF ENJOYING THEIR NATURAL RIGHTS SUCH AS FREEDOM AND LIBERTY
ETHICAL VALUES AIM TO BRING HUMAN INTEREST (JALB AL-MASLAHAH) AND TO PREVENT HARDSHIP (DAR‘ AL-MAFSADAH); HOWEVER, THIS CANNOT BE EQUATED WITH ETHICAL UTILITARIANISM.
HUMAN CONDUCTS ARE JUDGED TO BE ETHICAL
ISLAMIC MORAL STANDARDS TEACH UNIVERSAL JUSTICE AND HUMAN EQUALITY.
MAN’S NATURE IS NOT EVIL NOR GRACELESS, BUT GOOD (FITRAH)
THE DETERMINATION OF WHAT IS ETHICAL AND WHAT IS NOT OR WHAT IS PROPER AND WHAT IS IMPROPER, ALL COMES FROM ALLAH
IN ORDER THE ACTION TO BE ETHICAL
HUMAN CONDUCTS HAVE TO BE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SHARI‘AH RULES
THE HUMAN CONDUCTS WHICH ARE SET TO ACHIEVE (OR MAXIMIZE) THE ACCREDITED AND UNRESTRICTED INTERESTS ARE MORAL.