CONCEPT OF MORALITY IN ISLAM

19/08/2020 8:06 AM

.) The word “morality” comes

from the Latin word moralitas
meaning “manner, character,
and proper behavior”.

Morality, or the difference

between good and bad, is
ingrained within human nature
and provides guidance for our
conduct towards God and
creation.
.) Morality is a subject that deals
with and determines the veracity
of human conduct, e.g. good or
bad, right or wrong, etc.

The Prophet (PBUH) apparently

said: “The most perfect man in
his faith among the believers is
the one whose behaviour is the
most excellent; and the best of
you are those who are the best
to their wives.”

.) When differing with any

opinion, it is the responsibility of
others to present their case in a
polite and logical manner. Even
when others are rude or
offensive, as the Quraysh were
to the Prophet and his
companions, God has instructed
Muslims to keep silent and walk
away.

.) The teaching of Islam

encompasses the whole life; it
guides us first to fortify our
spiritual bond with Allah.
Similarly, Islam encourages us to
maintain happy relationships with
other fellow beings. It urges
civility, humility, tolerance and
straight dealing with our fellow
beings.
.) Greed for material wealth is
one such impediment that
causes fissures among close
relatives. A greedy person
usurps the other’s property
unjustly; therefore, Islam directs
us: “And eat up not one
another’s property unjustly”
(2:188).

.) SADLY, we are witnessing the

systematic erosion of moral
values in our day-to-day life.
Relations are based on material
considerations. Those who still
hold dear moral values are
ridiculed and branded misfits.

@)ISLAMIC VS WEST
CONCEPT OF MORTALITY.
.) Islamic ethics differ from the
Western concept as these are
derived from God, directly from
the Quran, and from the
practices of the Holy Prophet
(PBUH). It is therefore a set of
beliefs and actions that is divine
and transcends the limitations of
time, place and tradition.

.) Unlike the commonly held

belief that man is evil by nature,
Islam holds that man is born with
a morally good nature that
responds to faith and ethical
values. Over time, it may get
corrupted due to temptations and
man’s inability to exercise control
over his desires. According to
Islam, there is universal equality
among mankind, with the single
exception of moral goodness and
strength of character or taqwa.

For man’s conduct to be ethical

as per Islam, there are two
conditions which must be
fulfilled: his intention must be
good and his action must be
according to what God has
instructed. If either is corrupt, his
behaviour is unlikely to meet
ethical standards. For example, if
a wrong deed was done with
good intentions that ultimately
produced a good outcome, it
cannot be termed ethical. If the
intentions were wrong to begin
with, and the outcome was
accidentally good, there is no
question of ethical behaviour.
Good intentions and good deeds
must go hand in hand.

There are three very important

and interrelated ways in which
ethical principles in Islam differ
from those that are understood
and practised in the West. The
first is the concept of individual
freedom and independence. In
Islam, one’s freedom ends where
another’s physical and moral
space begins. Indeed, alongside
freedom of expression and
liberty for individuals, society
also has moral rights. Thus, how
one individual behaves morally
must be guided by how that
behaviour impinges upon and
influences the behaviour of those
around him.

The Quran is replete with clear

messages about ethics.
Secondly, Islamic teachings
expand outwards with the family
as the unit of society, not the
individual. Islam believes in
collectivism, not individualism.
There is, therefore, no concept of
being responsible for the self
alone.

And thirdly, ethical principles, by

virtue of their divine source, are
not determined by the vote of the
majority. If the majority in a
society votes that speculation on
the stock market is ethical,
Islamic ethics will not accept this
decision.

Corruption and bribery may very

well be the order of the day, and
so could the consumption of
drugs, and they may be declared
legal. But they could never be
morally right in Islam. Obviously,
this also points to the fact that
what may be the law in a country
may not be necessarily ethical.

The Quran is replete with clear

messages pertaining to ethics
(akhlaq), the standards of
behaviour that God expects
mankind to adopt because He
has sent him to this world as His
vicegerent. These cover all
aspects of truthfulness, honesty,
kindness, integrity (that includes
being consistent in word and
deed), meeting commitments
and sincerity. The best example
of ethics is in the life of the
Prophet himself. When Hazrat
Aisha was once asked about the
personality of her husband, she
had replied: “he was a reflection
of the Quran itself”.

Islamic ethics is a code of

conduct that calls for mankind to
undertake a continuous process
of self-purification, in thought,
feelings and emotions (tazkya
nafs); in social interactions
through intentions and deeds
that benefit other human beings
as well as other creations of
God; in using the resources that
God has given him in a wise
manner; and in bringing him
closer to the ideal as described
by the Prophet: “the best
amongst you are those who are
the owners of the best morality.”

Why is the Muslim world, then,

among the most corrupt and
depraved, demonstrating all the
sins that the Quran has warned
against? The answer lies
perhaps in its collective failure to
use intellect and reasoning, learn
from mistakes, ponder over the
message of the Quran and
abstain from living in the
fantasies of past glory.

@) PROPHET AS MODEL OF
MORAL EXCELLENCE.
.) IT can be argued that the
biggest dilemma confronting the
Muslim world currently is a moral
and ethical one. The root cause
of all the major ills that plague
Muslims — ignorance, poverty,
intolerance, etc — is the fact that
many of us have failed to apply
the practical ethics taught by
Islam in our everyday lives.

.) But what is strange is that in a

country like Pakistan, which is so
full of religiosity and claims to be
an ‘Islamic’ society, there is a
huge moral and ethical vacuum

.) Holy Prophet (PBUH) — that

greatest of teachers and
possessor of the most sublime
morals

.) For example English historian

Edward Gibbon says in History
of the Saracen Empire, which he
co-authored: “The greatest
success of Muhammad’s (PBUH)
life was effected by sheer moral
force without the stroke of a
sword.” On the other hand
Mahatma Gandhi is quoted to
have said: “I became more …
convinced that it was not the
sword that won a place for Islam.
… It was the rigid simplicity, the
utter self-effacement of the
Prophet, the scrupulous regard
for his pledges, his intense
devotion to his friends and
followers, his intrepidity, his
fearlessness, his absolute trust
in God and in his own mission.”

.) Traditions which speak of his

magnanimity towards
adversaries, his tenderness
towards the weak, the poor and
the downtrodden of society, his
love of knowledge, his dislike of
arrogance and ostentation, his
simplicity etc. Yet if we study our
own society most of these values
are completely absent, despite
our claims of love for the
Prophet.

.) WORLD history has never

seen a period where a proper
sense of morality prevailed. Only
Islamic history projects a period
of about 13 years where the Holy
Prophet (PBUH) established a
society in Madina which can be
termed as immaculate: free of
evil and exploitation. The
Prophet was a living role model
amongst them; the Quran
describes him as one of exalted
character (68:4).
.) His life is full of such incidents,
where he projects a proper
sense of morality. Even his
staunch enemies confessed that
his ethics were great.

@)MORAL DEGREDATION OF
MUSLIMS.
.) a cursory look at our society
today reveals ethical degradation
at every level. Lack of moral
scruples at committing evil can
be observed in markets, offices,
factories and public places
where people interact in a most
discourteous manner. Most
appear to be individualistic, self-
centred and over-ambitious in
pursuit of wealth, power and
social status.

.) People interact mainly through

word of mouth. Words represent
our inner attitudes; they can
create friendship and animosity
among individuals. It is on the
record that words have been the
cause of many disputes and
wars and also a good cause of
peace and friendship in many
areas of the world throughout
history. Therefore, the Quran
emphasises that believers utter
words that are best and be
cautious.
.) Lack of civility and good
manners in our society is
rampant and this is partly due to
the lack of education and
training, and also to the
examples set by religious
figures, politicians and other
‘celebrities’. When common
people focus their attention on
what religious leaders say and
do, a blind following is the result.
If our role models become those
who preach hatred against
women, minorities and people
with different views and who
incite superficial emotions based
on irrationality, we will become
crude, callous, disrespectful,
intolerant and be left with little
dignity.

@) IMPACT OF DISMORALITY.
.) An additional and serious
disservice by such people is the
fact that they are assumed to
embody Islam and cause people,
including both Muslims and non-
Muslims, to turn away from
Islam. If Muslims who call
themselves scholars exhibit such
lack of ethics and morality, this is
taken to mean that the religion
itself is at fault. This creates
distance from guidance, which
would have otherwise brought
enlightenment and peace to
lives.
.) This is one of the main
reasons why opinions about
Islam have been so distorted and
Muslims targeted for their beliefs
and practices. Most base these
beliefs in distorted speeches,
communicated to them through
misogynist, racist and arrogant
interpretations, and this leads to
stereotyping and prejudice
against Islam.
.) When you live your life
according to moral values that
are based on honesty,
compassion, courage, modesty,
and forgiveness, then you can
also form positive bonds with
other people. Allah says:

‫ِﯿﻢ‬
ٍ ‫َﻈ‬‫ٍ ﻋ‬
‫ﻠﻖ‬ُُ ََ
‫ﻠﻰٰ ﺧ‬ ‫ﻧﻚَ َﻟﻌ‬
‫ِﱠ‬‫َإ‬
‫و‬

“Verily, you are upon great moral

character.” (Surat al-Qalam 68:4)

@)BUSSINES ETHICS IN
ISLAM.
.) THE term 'business ethics'
refers to the behaviour that a
business entity is supposed to
adhere to in its interaction with
society, transactions with
customers and internal affairs.
As Islam has given guiding
principles for all human activities,
it also prescribes and explains
the ethics of business.
.) Similarly, Muslims were not the
first to conceive the idea of
business ethics. Aristotle
explicitly discussed economic
relations, trade and commerce in
his Politics. Many Muslims are
unaware that Aristotle too
condemned usury.
.) These issues were also
analysed by Christian thinkers.
For instance, Thomas Aquinas
discussed business in the
context of justice and honesty,
and condemned usury.
.) If we compare Islamic
business ethics with present-day
western business ethics, we find
numerous similarities between
them. For instance, workplace
harassment, discrimination in
hiring and promotion,
employment benefits, layoffs,
conflicts of interest, quality
control, misuse of business
assets, environmental pollution
etc. are matters on which Islamic
and western approaches are
more or less similar.
.) Islamic and western business
ethics too have certain
differences. The most important
discerning features are their
sources and nature. For
instance, Islam does not allow an
entity to deal in alcohol, drugs,
gambling, gharar, pork,
pornography, prostitution and
riba. While in capitalism the only
motive is the profit.
.) No other ethical system can
match Islam's one. Only Allah,
with His great wisdom, could
have made such a system that
teaches humans how to deal
with every aspect of their lives
@)IN THE LIGHT OF QURAN.
.) The Glorious Qur’an says:

“It is not righteousness that ye

turn your faces Towards east or
West; but it is righteousness- to
believe in Allah and the Last
Day, and the Angels, and the
Book, and the Messengers; to
spend of your substance, out of
love for Him, for your kin, for
orphans, for the needy, for the
wayfarer, for those who ask, and
for the ransom of slaves; to be
steadfast in prayer, and practice
regular charity; to fulfil the
contracts which ye have made;
and to be firm and patient, in
pain (or suffering) and adversity,
and throughout all periods of
panic. Such are the people of
truth, the Allah-fearing.” [Al-
Qur’an 2:177]

َ‫َاﺣِﺶ‬‫َﻮ‬‫ﺑﻲَ اْﻟﻔ‬ ‫َ ر‬
‫َﱢ‬ ‫ﱠم‬‫َﺮ‬‫َﺎ ﺣ‬ ‫ﻧﻤ‬‫ِﱠ‬‫ْ إ‬‫ُﻞ‬‫( ﻗ‬.
‫َﻦ‬
َ ‫ﺑﻄ‬َ ‫ﻣﺎ‬ ‫ﮭﺎ و‬
ََ َْ‫ِﻨ‬
‫َ ﻣ‬ ‫ﮭﺮ‬ ‫ﻣﺎ ﻇ‬
ََ َ
‫َﻖ‬
‫ﱢ‬ ‫ِ اْﻟﺤ‬‫ْﺮ‬ ‫ِﻐ‬
‫َﯿ‬ ‫ْﻲَ ﺑ‬‫َﻐ‬
‫َاْﻟﺒ‬ ‫َ و‬‫ﺛﻢ‬ِْ‫َاْﻹ‬
‫و‬
‫ﻣﺎ َﻟﻢ‬
ْ ‫ِﺎ‬
َ ‫ِﱠﷲ‬ ‫ُﻮا ﺑ‬ ‫ِﻛ‬‫ﺗﺸْﺮ‬ُ ‫َن‬ ‫َأ‬
‫و‬
َ
‫َأن‬‫ﻧﺎ و‬ً‫َﺎ‬ ‫ﻠﻄ‬ُْ‫ِ ﺳ‬‫ِﮫ‬‫ل ﺑ‬ْ‫ﱢ‬‫َﺰ‬‫ﯾﻨ‬
ُ
‫ن‬
َ‫ُﻮ‬‫ﻠﻤ‬َْ
‫ﺗﻌ‬ َ ‫ﻣﺎ َﻻ‬َ ]‫ِﱠ‬ ‫ﻠﻰ‬ ََ
‫ُﻮُﻟﻮا ﻋ‬ ‫ﺗﻘ‬
َ
(Say, "My Lord has only
forbidden immoralities - what is
apparent of them and what is
concealed - and sin, and
oppression without right, and that
you associate with Allah that for
which He has not sent down
authority, and that you say about
Allah that which you do not
know.")
.) And establish prayer. Indeed,
prayer prohibits immorality and
wrongdoing.” (Quran 26:45)
.) And God loves those who are
firm and steadfast.” (Quran
3:146)
.) Allah says:

ِ‫ْﺴَﺎن‬
‫ِﺣ‬‫َاْﻹ‬
‫ِ و‬‫ﺪل‬ ‫ِﺎْﻟﻌ‬
َْ ‫ُ ﺑ‬ ُْ
‫ﻣﺮ‬ ‫ﯾﺄ‬
َ ]‫َﱠ‬ ‫ن‬
‫ِﱠ‬‫إ‬
ٰ‫ﮭﻰ‬
َْ‫ﯾﻨ‬ ‫ﺑﻰٰ و‬
ََ ‫ُﺮ‬
َْ ‫ِي اْﻟﻘ‬‫ء ذ‬ِ‫َﺎ‬‫ِﯾﺘ‬‫َإ‬‫و‬
‫َﺮ‬
ِ ‫ُﻨﻜ‬‫َاْﻟﻤ‬
‫ء و‬ِ‫ْﺸَﺎ‬‫َﺤ‬
‫َﻦِ اْﻟﻔ‬‫ﻋ‬
‫ُﻢ‬
ْ ‫َﱠ‬
‫ﻠﻜ‬ ‫ْ َﻟﻌ‬
‫ُﻢ‬ ‫ِﻈ‬
‫ُﻜ‬ ‫ﯾﻌ‬
َ ِ‫ْﻲ‬‫َﻐ‬
‫َاْﻟﺒ‬‫و‬
‫ن‬
َ‫ُو‬‫ﱠﺮ‬ َ‫ﺗ‬
‫ﺬﻛ‬ َ

“Indeed, Allah commands justice

and the good, and giving (to)
relatives, and forbids [from] the
immorality and the bad and the
oppression. He admonishes you
so that you may take heed.”
(Surah An-Nahl 16:90)
.) If everyone follows morality in
its best form, the world will
become a much better place to
live. They are nothing but names
you have named, you and your
forefathers, for which Allah has
not revealed any authority. They
follow nothing but assumption
and what their souls desire, yet
there has already come to them
guidance from their Lord.” (Surah
Al-Najm 53:23)
.) The Noble Quran goes as far
as to teach us the way that we
should walk. Allah Says (what
means): “And, be moderate in
your walking…” [Quran: 31:19]
Allah also Says (what means):
“And the servants of the Most
Merciful are those who walk
upon the earth in modesty, and
when the ignorant address them
[harshly], they say [words of]
peace.” [Quran, 25:63]
.) The Quran also teaches us the
way we should behave in a
gathering, Allah Says (what
means): “O you who have
believed! When you are told:
'Space yourselves' in
assemblies, then make space;
Allah will make space for you…”
[Quran, 58:11]

@)IN THE LIGHT OF SUNNAH.

.) The Prophet Mohammed
(peace be upon him)
summarized the conduct of a
Muslim when he said: “My
Sustainer has given me nine
commands: to remain conscious
of God, whether in private or in
public; to speak justly, whether
angry or pleased; to show
moderation both when poor and
when rich, to reunite friendship
with those who have broken off
with me; to give to him who
refuses me; that my silence
should be occupied with thought;
that my looking should be an
admonition; and that I should
command what is right.”
.) The
Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa
sallam ( may Allah exalt his
mention ) used to emphasise
how important good manners are
for Muslims. The heaviest thing
to be placed in the balance of a
believing slave on the Day of
Judgement will be good
behaviour. And Allah hates the
one who uses bad language.”
[Al-Bayhaqi]
.) Someone once asked the
Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa
sallam ( may Allah exalt his
mention ) what deed would lead
a man to paradise, and
he sallallaahu `alayhi wa salla
m ( may Allah exalt his
mention ) answered: “Piety and
good conduct.”
.) He even clarified that people
will be on different levels in
Paradise based on their good
manners saying: “The dearest
and nearest among you to me on
the Day of Resurrection will be
the one who is the best in
conduct…” [Ibn An-Najjaar]
.) The Companions once asked
the
Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa
sallam ( may Allah exalt his
mention ) “Do we earn reward if
we treat animals in a good
manner? He answered: “Yes,
surely you earn rewards
whenever you treat any living
being in a good manner.” [Al-
Bukhari and Muslim]
.) The best of men is he who
does good to others."
@)THE FAULT AND ITS
EXPIATION(gift)
.) man has his weaknesses. He
is composed jointly of the
elements of good and evil. By his
innate defects, he gets angry; he
is subject to temptation, and is
driven to do harm to those who
are weaker and have no means
of defending or avenging
themselves. Similarly, his noble
sentiments make him repent
afterwards; and in proportion to
the force of his repentance, he
tries more or less to rectify the
harm he had done. To show
clemency to others and pardon
them is a noble quality and upon
this Islam has often insisted.
.) Verily God pardoneth not that
partners should be ascribed unto
Him, while He pardoneth all else
to whom He will. (4:116)
.) In a saintly saying (hadith
qudsi) the Prophet reports God
as saying: "Whoever tries to
approach Me by a span, I
approach him by a cubit,
whoever comes towards Me
walking, I run to meet him"..( dr
hamid ullah, page 73)
@) THE INJUNCTIONS
( orders).
.) The Qur'an often employs two
characteristic terms to designate
good and evil. Thus it refers to
ma'ruf (the good known to
everybody and recognized as
such), and munkar (the evil
denounced by everybody and
recognized as such).
.) The prohibition of alcoholic
beverages is one of the most
well-known traits of Islam. It was
by gradual steps that the Qur'an
had enforced it: "(4:43): "O ye
who believe! Draw not near unto
service of worship when ye are
drunk, till ye know that which ye
utter . During his life, the Prophet
Muhammad administered forty
stripes to those who violated the
injunction. How much enormous
economic loss would be avoided,
and how many homes would
recover peace, if drink, so
dangerous to health and
morality, were given up!
.) In his anxiety to cleanse
society, and above all public
administration, from corruption,
the Prophet employed the
severest terms of condemnation:
"One who takes as well as one
who offers bribe would both go to
Hell."
.) 254. In order to ameliorate
public morality, the Prophet said
one day: "Don't insult time; it is
God that you insult, because the
succession of nights and days
comes from Him."
.) Some remarks may be made
on social conduct in general.
Regarding the rights of good
neighbourliness, the Prophet
Muhammad declared: "Gabriel
has so often and so greatly
insisted upon the rights of
neighbours, that I feared that he
was going to accord them the
right to heritage even as to the
near relatives of a deceased." I

Further detail; wwe.al aslam.org