Can we be “good”

without revelation?
LESSON PLAN 1 PRESENTATION
What would
you do, why?
While walking down
the street, you witness a
person dying of thirst. You
happen to have an extra
water bottle.
Unreliable

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 In this scenario,
each of us
naturally sought
to share our
bottle of water.

Re ect
Unreliable
Where do you think this
internal drive to do good
comes from?

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The source of this internal
drive is the fitrah.

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 So [Prophet] as a man of pure faith,

The fitrah
Think-pair-share:
What is this “natural disposition
God instilled in humankind”?
stand rm and true in your devotion to
the religion. This is the natural
disposition God instilled in
humankind–there is no altering
God’s creation – and this is the right
religion, though most people do not
realize it.
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[Surah al-Rum, 30:30]

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 The fitrah driven to seek

De nition:
1 out and worship
a Higher Power
the human being’s default
factory settings driven to be
2 morally upright
or “to be good”

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 Is the fitrah enough?
turn and talk

God endowed each

of us with the capacity
and will to be good.
Re ect. Is the trah
enough to make the
best ethical choices?

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To kill or not to kill
whole-class activity

Stand up.
The following cases are presented to you.
You have the power to determine the fate
of the subject(s) in question. Is it more
ethical to spare their life or end it?
Walk to the far right if you want to spare
their life. Walk to the far left if you want
to end it. With each case, notice the
movement in the room and how your
peers defend their choices. Prepare
for a whole-class discussion at the end.

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 To kill not to kill

Case 1: A swarm of hornets frequently visits your

ower pots by your doorstep. The hornets pollinate
your owers and drink their nectar before ying away.

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To kill not to kill

Case 2: Your kitten, which you purchased with all

your life’s savings from random summer jobs, caught
an incurable disease. She has become vicious and
recently bit your sibling.

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 To kill not to kill

Case 3: There is an overpopulation of bunnies.

They are eating up the neighborhood gardens,
ower beds, and lawn grass, making it impossible
for anyone to use their yard space.

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To kill not to kill

Case 4: Doctors are developing a breakthrough drug

for treating cancer patients. To test the drug’s e cacy,
they would need to infect mice with an incurable form
of cancer.

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To kill not to kill

Case 5: A mass-murderer, sentenced to death,

is hiding in his innocent friend’s house. The house
is barricaded; the only way to stop the murderer
is by destroying the house and everyone in it.

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To kill not to kill

Case 6: You live in a time of scarce resources.

The only way to survive is to kill an entire population
competing with you for food and water.

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 To kill not to kill

1 2
What did you notice
When did it become
about the ethical
choices you and di cult to know the
your peers made as best ethical choice?
you were presented When did you feel
each case? most torn?

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Our day-to-day lives are filled with
difficult ethical decisions–some
as simple as deciding where to
shop, and some as dramatic as
ending a creature’s life. Why is it
so hard to know for certain what
is most ethical?

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 personal biases, emotions,
The trah’s limitations 1 and social upbringing

Abu Huraira narrated that the Prophet ‫ﷺ‬.

said, “Every child is born upon the trah.
However, his parents [may] make him
a Jew, or a Christian, or a Magian. As an
animal delivers a child with limbs intact,
do you detect any aws?” Then, Abu
Huraira recited the verse, “The trah of
Allah which He instilled in humankind”
[Surat ar-Rum, 30:30].
[Sahih Bukhari #4775]

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 choosing between
The trah’s limitations 2 competing ethical virtues

Just be kind! –also be What about

truthful. loyal?

Just be No, seek Forgive and

patient. justice! forget.

Work smart –also be and

and hard. sel ess, sacri ce.

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 choosing between
The trah’s limitations 2 competing ethical virtues

A respectable community member

from your masjid is interested in your
older sister for marriage. He wants to
know more about your sister’s
character at home–her strengths,
weaknesses, and any red ags before
pursuing the marriage.

Your sister is interested in this man,

and you don’t want to jeopardize her
chances. Do you prioritize loyalty and
only share the good about your sister?
Or do you prioritize truthfulness and
share the good, bad, and the ugly?

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 de ning virtues and
The trah’s limitations 3 knowing their boundaries

Loyalty Hard work Justice

What are the boundaries of loyalty, hard work, and justice?

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 de ning virtues and
The trah’s limitations 3 knowing their boundaries

loyalty Hard work Justice

Sati was practiced historically in
India. It is a ritual where a widow
was expected to sacri ce herself
by burning at a pyre after the death
of her husband. Her act was seen
as the pinnacle of loyalty.
Japan has one of the highest
suicide rates among students
(512 deaths in 2022) due to
the stress placed on high
academic achievement and
career success.
Tree-spiking was practiced in the
1980s by environmental activists.
Spikes were inserted into trees, and
when laborers cut them, the chain
broke and could lead to fatal injuries.

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 Exit Ticket
De ne: The trah is
_______________________________
_______________________________.
Explain: In its drive to do and be good,
the trah is limited in three ways
_______________________________
1 Unreliable
_______________________________
2
_______________________________.
3
We need a stronger source of ethical
guidance that is divine in origin:
revelation.

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