2. COURSE OUTLINE
1. INTRODUCTION
a. Definition ethics
i. The differences between ethics and
morality
ii. The branches of ethics
iii. Ethics from Islamic perspective and its
scope
iv. The importance of ethics and its place in
Islam
v. The tasks of Islamic ethics
3. b) Contemporary approaches to Ethics
i. The relationship between ethics and
religion
ii. The relationship between law and ethics
iii. Basic human moral and Islamic moral
2. Islamic Ethical System
a) Unity (al-Tawhid)
b) Equilibrium (al-‘adl)
c) Freewill (al-ikhtiyar)
d) Responsibility (al-amanah)
4. 2.1 Quranic Ethical Concept
• a) ‘adl and raämah
• b) ma´râf and munkār
• c) khayr and sharr
• d) birr and taqwā
5. 3. Individual and Social Obligations
a) Intra-Personal Relationships
(Relationship between man and God)
i. Individual duties –duties to god, duties
to Prophet, duties to angels
b) Inter-Personal Relationships
(Relationship between man and man)
i. Collective duties – duties to parents,
friends, neighbors, leaders,environment,
non-muslim
6. 4. Ethical theories of al Ghazali
a) Theory of human soul
b) Theory of mean
c) The meanings of character - is it natural
- is it possible
to
change
d) Praise worthy characters and
blameworthy characters (vices and
virtues) and their treatments.
7. Virtues & Vices
i) Sincerity/truthfulness versus Lying
ii) Asceticism versus love of the world
iii) Self-examination versus evil of the
tongue
5. Western Ethical Theories:
a) Virtue Ethics of Plato and Aristotle
b) Utilitarian Ethics
c) Kantian Ethics
8. 7. Contemporary Ethical Issues:
a) Sexual issues:
i) Incest
ii) Adultery
iii) homosexuality/softies
b) Biomedical issues:
i) Human cloning
ii) Euthanasia
c) Other issues
i) terrorism/suicide bombing
9. INTRODUCTION
Definition
Ethics
Ethics comes from Latin word - ethicus
which means characteristic spirit of
community, people or system.
From the Greek word – ethos which means
moral principle, character or custom
10. -these terms of ethicus and ethos
were further developed and
eventually today the term ethos is
used to refer to:
-distinctive character,
-spirit,
-attitude of a group of people
11. Other meanings
1-it is A moral principle or set of moral
values hold by an individual or group.
2-it is the philosophical study of the
moral value of human conduct and of
the rules and principles that ought to
govern it.
3-it is a set of moral principles or
science of moral related to human
behavior based on certain ideals and
norms of certain society, races,
community or people.
12. Terms related to ethics
Moral
• -from Latin word of moralis means
customs or manners, but it refers to
the conduct itself ; the realm of
practices.
• While ethics refers to the study of the
moral conduct; the theoretical
examination of morality. Thus, ethics
is known as moral philosophy
13. • -while a moralist will strongly hold to
certain values they consider worthwhile
without asking why
• -an ethicist, will undertake the systematic
questioning and critical examination of the
underlying principle of morality without
blind preconceptions
14. virtues
• -the quality/ practice of moral
excellence or righteousness
• -any of the cardinal virtues like
prudence, justice, fortitude and
temperance.
noble character / nobility
• -the state/ quality of being morally or
spiritually good.
15. Its classifications
1. 1-Descriptive Ethics
• -it reports the actual moral principles
that govern the behavior of
individuals in a certain society ( what
the society considers as good or bad
without making any judgment or
evaluation of those ways of behavior)
• -it is carried out by anthropologist,
sociologist, historian and
psychologist.
16. 2. 2-Normative ethics/Applied ethics
-it is an inquiry into the rational
grounds for justifying a set of moral
norms for all mankind, and the rational
construction of a system of such
norms
-It deals with norms (or standards) and
prescriptions, what we ought to do and
what we ought not to do
17. Example: human being should always act
in the interest of others, human being
should act in their own self interest
Or it encompasses the making of moral
values judgments for example abortion is
immoral.
18. 3. Meta Ethics/Analytic ethics
-it is the study of the origin of
meaning and ethical concepts
-it tries to look for the meaning of
certain characteristic/behavior.
-i.e what is the meaning of the term
good, how can ethical judgment be
established or justified, what is the
nature of moral statements and how
can we distinguish between moral
and immoral
19. -it is also to analyze the meaning of the
terms used in moral discourses
(semantically) and to examine the rules of
reasoning the methods of knowing by
which moral beliefs can be shown true or
false (logical and epistemological)
20. • -i.e
1. -Moral relativism – whether morality
has its foundation in social
conventional alone
2. -Moral relativism vs moral
skepticism – whether we have an
objective knowledge on moral
issues
3. -Good and morality whether it is
instituted by God through natural
law or divine commands
21. 1. -Egoism vs altruism, whether humans
are capable of performing truly
benevolent actions that are not selfishly
motivated
2. -Reason vs emotion , whether moral
judgments and moral behavior are
functions of human reason or human
emotion
22. ISLAMIC ETHICS
Its definition
-ethics is known as akhlāq (plural of
khuluq) which means character,
nature, dispositon.
-al-Ghazali states that man consists of
two forms, khalq and khulq. Khalq
refers to the physical form of mankind,
while khulq (which is the singular form
of akhlaq) refers to the spiritual form of
mankind
23. • Thus, akhlaq from al-Ghazali’s point of
view is rooted in the soul and manifested
through man’s actions. Good soul will
produce right action and vice versa
24. -technically means
-it is a science that studies the state of human
soul. The virtues are good and fair
actions while the vices are the wicked and
ugly actions (al-Farabi (d.950)
-it is a science of virtues and the way to
acquire the wellbeing of the soul, and of
vices and the way to guard the soul
against them ( al-Ghazali (d.1111)
25. -it is a science that seeks to know which
actions should be done and which
should be avoided. It is a practical
science; it seeks knowledge for the
purpose of practicing it (Ibn
Taymiyyah (d. 1263):
26. Inshort, akhlaq
-refers to a stable state of man’s soul from
which actions proceed easily without thought
or deliberation
-consists of two, namely good (husn) and bad
(su’).
--if the state is of the kind which causes good
actions, i.e those praised by `aql and
shari`ah, the state is called good character. If
the state is of the kind which causes evil
actions, is called bad character.
27. -thus akhlaq is formation of 3 elements:
1-it is an innate, inborn trait or
characteristic
2-it can be developed through training
or discipline which finally turned as a
custom or a habit
3-it covers the inner and outer
dimension of man
28. The Scope of I/ Ethics
1. How al-Qur’an and the Prophetic
traditions expounds ethics?
2. What is the best model of values and
norms?
3. What is right and What is wrong?
4. What is rewarded and punishable by
Allah?
5. Is man responsible of his own
action?
6. Is ethics related to faith?
7. What are the issues related to
ethics?
29. Its importance
• -for the scientific studies of ethics deals
only with facts and no value judgment is
involved so Normative ethics is left to
religious preachers, parents, politicians
and public.
• -in other words, it is a counter-part of
other sciences; law, politics, science,
economic for such sciences became
soulless or insignificant if detached from
ethics.
30. Its Tasks
♦ 1-to understand and expound the ethos of
Islam as conceived in the Quran and as
elaborated in the Sunnah of the prophet
♦ 2-to discuss the general terms used in
Islamic morals, such as good, bad , right,
wrong, meritorious, non-meritorious,
responsibility, and obligation
♦ 3-to discuss how Islamic ethics is related to
and influenced by Islamic faith.
♦ 4-to pronounce judgments on problems that
are faced by the Islamic society and to
determine what is right or wrong.
31. Its SOURCES
1-Qur’an and Sunnah (Sciptural morality)
The original core of the Islamic ethical spirit
2-Islamic Theology
-they discussed the source of ethical knowledge,
the basis of moral obligation, the meaning of
ethical terms, the question of human freedom n
responsibility n God’s Justice
32. • the two major propagators are the
Mu’tazilite ( 8th
-10th
centuries) who
formulated the rationalistic Islamic Ethical
system, and the Asharites who did not
reject the discursive methods of the
philosophers but remained committed to
the Quranic concept of an Omnipotent
God
33. • -Mu’tazilah-man has freedom to choose n
act
• -some category of good is known by
revelation others known through reason
• -thing is good in it self, revelation does
only confirm the ethical fact
• -moral obligation is rational
34. • -asharite
• -revelation is the way to know the good
and the right
• -nothing is obligatory unless revelation
commands it
35. 3-Islamic Philosophy
Stemming form the ethical writing of Plato and
Aristotle. Among the propagator were al-Kindi,
(d.866), al-Razi (d. 925), al-Farabi (d.950), Ibn
Sina (d.1037), Ikhwan al-Safa (tenth century),
Abu’ Hassan al-Amiri (d.992), Miskawayh
(d.1030)- Tahdib al-Akhlaq and his successors ;
Nasir al-Din al Tusi(d.1274) and Jalal al-Din al-
Dawwani (d.1501
36. • -they only discuss the issue of good and
leave out the issue of right
• -the comprehensive idea of good such as
knowledge, moral virtue, individual good
• -Greek ethics analyzed moral perfection in
term of virtues of the faculties of the soul :
the rational, the irascive (angry) n the
appetitive (desire)
37. • -religious virtues such faith, worship, love
n trust could not be accommodated
38. 3-Islamic Mysticism
Among its exponents were Hassan al-
Basri (d.728), Al-Ghazali (d.1111), whose
system of ethics is a blend of
philosophical, theological and sufi morality
; Mizan al-Amal, Ihya Ulum al-Din
39. • -the writings of sufist comprises of the
ecstatic experience of union with God, the
realization in knowledge that reality is one
n the ecstatic experience of union with
God is only a stage in the spiritual pursuit
of the mystic
40. • -to realize the goal, sufis prescribe a
disciplin of life, a method of purification of
soul, a way of worship, devotion and
contemplation
42. • -discuss some normative questions and
touched on the knowledge of shariah rules
and the basis of obligation
• -alshatibi raised the question of what is the
end or the object of the shariah
43.
44.
45. Take home test
• How does the chapter explain role of
moral power?
• How do you differentiate between basic
human moral and Islamic moral?
46. • -his answer is it is to produce goods and
remove evils…which promote the
preservation and fulfillment of human life
and the realization of all that human
nature, animal and rational demands, till
one is happy in every aspect.
• -it aims at a balanced well-being of man
47. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ETHICS
AND RELIGION
1. Shades of religious morality
- Polytheistic morality
- Morality of asceticism
1. Morality without religion/secular morality
- The ultimate end of human conduct
- Knowledge of good and evil
- Sanction behind moral law
- Motive of moral conduct
48. SHADES OF RELIGIOUS MORALITY
1-polytheistic morality
-though the doctrine of believe in god
and life after death is appreciated but it is
so narrow, excluded from the individual
social-cultural life
49. • -for Gods only demand their followers to
perform the basic rites, rituals, ceremony
• -god’s forgiveness will forgive any
misbehavior provided man worship him
50. 2- morality of ascetism
-it refers to one who isolate himself to god,
possess very good character but so
engross with ascetic live thus withdrawn
himself from the leadership and guidance
of mankind, leaving the practical life to the
more inferior moral caliber people
• -this is a radical violation of nature and
revolt against the will of god
51. • 1-secular morality
• -it devoid of any conception of god – life
after death either by refusing or reducing
faith to personal/private affairs that religion
has no concern with the collective human
life
• Eg. American Ethical Union in US I 1876
by Dr. Flex Adler and Union of Ethical
Societies of England. In 1928 both merge
and the aim was
52. • “to promote by all lawful means the study
of ethical principles; to advocate a religion
of human fellowship and service, based
upon the principle that the supreme aim of
religion is the love of goodness, and that
moral ideas and the moral life are
independent of beliefs as to the ultimate
nature of things and a life after death; and
by purely human and material means, to
help men to love, know and do the right in
53. • -deprivation of ethics from the idea of god
and of life hereafter, freeing oneself from
every obligation to follow the guidance of
religion in the sphere of morality
54. • 2-secular moral philosophy
1-The ultimate end of human conduct
-what is the supreme good the
attainment of which should be the life-
purpose of man, the goal of his
endeavors,
-the highest good to which human
conduct is to be directed and in the light
of which it may be judged as to what is
good or evil, right or wrong and, virtue
and vice.
55. - -indeed, man not able to find an agreed
ethical standard ; happiness ?
Perfection? Duty for the sake of duty ?
- -for different questions pertain to such
standard giving different answers even
contradictory : no agreed standard of
values.; confusion of moral values and
lack of a universally accepted standard
56. • 2-Knowledge of Good and Evil
- what are the means to distinguish the
good from evil
- What is the correct sources; human
experience (for it consist the laws of life
and condition of existence), reason or
intuition
57. - the above-mentioned sources if
accepted, will become the first principle
of ethics and they likely to generate
relativism for the following reasons
58. - human experience has not yet attained
perfection, inadequate data, knowledge of
experience is imperfect, thus inaccurate to
deduce from the experiences into one
conclusion
59. • -In the case of reason, it is true that it is
capable to distinguish good and evil, also
intuition for human conscience instinctively
feels uneasy in the presence of evil, but
they alone are insufficient as the only
authoritative source of knowledge of the
moral value
60. 3. Sanction Behind Moral Law
- What is the sanction behind the moral
law ?
- For the advocates of the theories of
happiness and perfection; the virtues
leading happiness to perfection are self-
enforcing, while the vices making for
imperfection are repugnant to human
nature.
61. • Hence, ethical law does not need any
external authority
- While some propagate that law of duty is
the self –imposed law of practical reason,
no need of external force
- It may also the political power or the
society as the real sanction behind moral
law
62. - As a result there is confusion, either to
propagate individual or elevated the state
to the status of an absolute divinity and
reduce the individual position
63. • 4-Motive of Moral Conduct
• -what motivate man to observe his moral
conduct even if the moral law is against
his natural inclination or personal interest
• -desire for pleasure n fear of pain? Or
reward n punishment either by the state or
the society/
64. ISLAMIC VIEW: ETHICS AND RELIGION
-the issue of world-view
• -the first grave mistake of secular
philosophers pertains to their question;
what is right and wrong, which is indeed
not the first question
• The first question to be asked is “ what is
the position of man in the universe” will
help to answer the question of right and
wrong
65. • Islam takes up this question, identify the
role of man as ‘abd – servant of god and
khalifat-ul-Allah-the vicegerent of God
• -all thing in the universe belong to God
even man’s own body and his capacities,
those endowed are not his but a trust from
God
66. • -Islam holds that man is given power to
exercise his role on earth, and this is
indeed a test. The final result is to be
declared in the hereafter.
• -man therefore is not the master but an
agent. His power is limited for sovereignty
belong to God. The code of conduct is to
be taken from god, the law giver and man
has to act within that framework
67. • -the mission of man follows form the
principle of human vicegerency and sets
the moral goal for man
• -the purpose of life is to fulfill the will of
God on earth and that the goal of his
moral endeavors should be;
68. • to enforce the divine law in that cross-
section of world affairs the management of
which has been entrusted to him by God;
• to create and maintain conditions in which
peace, justice, and virtue may flourish
• to suppress and eradicate evil and
disorder in all their forms and to foster
those virtues which God desires should
prevail over this world
69. the sources of moral values
• -the real source of man’s knowledge of
good and evil is found in the guidance
furnished by God through His prophets,
other sources of knowledge acts and aids
to it
70. -the sanction and motives
• -it is self-enforcing for its Divine origin
• -it is sanction for it exists in the mind of
believers who find happiness in seeking
God’s Pleasure and is desirous to attaint
the standard of perfection
• -the real sanction for morality lies in the
love for and the fear of God’s punishment
71. Distinctive features of Islamic Ethics
1. It sets up Divine Pleasure as the
objective
- by making divine revelation as the
primary source of knowledge gives
stability to the moral standards
72. - by providing a sanction for morality in the
love and fear of god will impel man to
obey the moral law even without external
pressure
- thus, belief in God and the day of
judgment furnishes a motive force which
enable man to adopt moral conduct with
earnest and sincerity
73. 2.It is universal and comprehensive
- In its application of the moral principles
- Islam takes up all the commonly known
moral virtues with a a sense of balance
- It widens the scope of application to
every aspect of man’s individual and
collective life
74. 3. It stipulates for man a system of live
which is based on good and free from evil
- It invokes people not only to practice virtue
but also to establish virtue and eradicate
vice, bid good and forbid wrong
75. The Role of Moral Power
• -man has two distinct aspect which is
complementary to each other : physical & moral
• -the fundamental cause of man’s rise and
decline is his moral strength
• -man’s capacity to make moral choices and to
shoulder moral responsibility is the
distinguishing feature that makes him
khalifah/vicegerent of God on earth
• -moral laws govern the advance/decline of man
77. • 1. Basic human morals
• -all qualities that form the basis of man’s
existence as a moral being; includes all
the necessary qualities to success
whether man works for good or evil,
whether he believes in god or not,
whether he has good soul and intention
or not
78. • -so, if man is able to be effective, he
should possess the attributes of strength
of will, power of decision, ambition,
determination, patience, perseverance,
courage, preparedness, diligence, love for
his goal, ready to sacrifice.
79. • -these qualities if combine with the
following qualities can create a powerful
self entity; self-control, generosity, mercy,
sympathy, a sense of justice, breadth of
vision, truthfulness, trustworthiness,
integrity, respect for pledges,
commitments, fair mindedness,
moderation, courtesy, purity and discipline
80. • -these attributes when possessed by any
society, will form a human capital from
which a powerful social entity may be
created
• -provided that every individual of the
society share the same objective
81. • -to put its achievement above all other
considerations
• -to have mutual love and sympathy, work
together, subordinate personal interest to
the collective objective
• -to distinguish between good and bad
leaders and choose the suitable one.
82. 2.Islamic morals
• -it is not independent of the basic human
morals but is complementary to them in
many ways due to following arguments.
• 1-orientation of basic morals
- It provides a center for the basic human
moral qualities which enables them to
become good and to be harnessed in the
cause of goodness and truth
83. • In the primary form, basic human moral
qualities can be for both good an evil just
like a sword, either can be an instrument
of oppression of defense
84. • likewise, the moral attributes is not in
itself good but if the ends are good, they
will become strong aids to truth and
goodness. Islam harness the moral
attributes to the service of the right cause
thus giving them the right direction
85. • -Tawhid has necessary implication to the
purpose of human effort; the seeking of
pleasure and fulfilling the will of God
• -the impact of this tawhidic orientation is
such that all the basic human moral
attributes are set on the right path
86. • -the strength which is produced by these
moral qualities is directed towards the
glorification of the God-ordained system.
• -this elevates the basic moral qualities
from an abstract concept to a force for
positive good and makes them a blessing
for the world.
87. 2-widening the scope of basic morals
• Islam strengthen the basic human moral
attributes and give them the widest
possible application
• Eg: sabr/patience, once firmly rooted in
Tawhid which is dedicated not to worldly
pursuits but to God, is far stronger and
enduring`
88. • Islam insists on patience of a high order
throughout man’s entire life not only in the
face of dangers, trials and difficulties but
onslaughts of greed, fear, suspicion and
desire.
89. 3-a higher level of morals
• Islam builds a higher system of morality on
virtue of which mankind can realize its
greatest potential
• Islam purifies the soul from self-seeking,
egoism, tyranny, wantonness and
indiscipline
90. • Islam creates god-fearing man, devoted,
pious, discipline. Induces feelings of
responsibility, self-control, kindness
generosity,mercy, sympathy
• Islam entrusted its followers with the
mission of spreading good and preventing
evil
91. LAW AND ETHICS IN ISLAM
• Is there any relationship, and if there is to
what extend both relate to each other.
• Law in Islam; divine law : totally derived
from god ; divine sanctioned; god
command (amr) and man submit and obey
(din & taah)
• The conduct of man, individually &
collectively in private or in public is under
the divine command 5:44
94. Al Maidah 5: 44, 46, 48
• It was We who revealed The Law (to
Moses); therein was guidance and light.
By its standard have been judged the
Jews by the prophets who bowed (as in
Islam) to Allah’s Will, by the Rabbis and
the doctors of law; for to them was
entrusted the protection of Allah’s Book,
and they were witnesses thereto,
95. • therefore, fear not men, but fear me, and
sell not my signs for a miserable price. If
any do fail to judge by the light of what
Allah hath revealed, they are (no better
than) unbelievers
96. • And in their footsteps we sent Jesus the
son of Mary, confirming the law that had
come before him; we sent him the gospel,
therein was guidance and light, and
confirmation of the law that had come
before him a guidance and an admonition
to those fear Allah
97. • To thee we sent the scripture in truth,
confirming the scripture that came before
it and guarding it in safety, so judge
between them by what Allah hath revealed
and follow not their vain desires, diverging
from the truth that hath come to thee.
98. • Man administered the divine law in the
court of justice. Unfortunately man is
incapable to administer every divine law in
its full sense before the court.
99. • For example, disobedient to parents,
telling lie, backbiting, slandering, fail to
attend Friday prayer, fasting in the month
of Ramadhan, paying zakah…..etc
• In fact, there are cases when Islamic law
can be manipulated eg:
100. • In the case of ‘hiyal’
- It was reported that Abu Yusuf, a student
of Abu Hanifah, evading payment of zakat
by transfering his property to his wife
before it reaches its haul (one year) and in
the next year the wife will do vice versa.
Abu Hanifah allowed this action
101. • In the case of prayer,
- al-Ghazali compare prayer with dancing for
both contains certain movement and
postures. In the case if prayer performed
inappropriately, the prayer will be no better
neither worse than the movement of a
dancer.
102. • In Islam, the paramount valuation of
human conduct was moral not legal, but
the insistence is always on the latter.
103. • If there is specific Quranic commands and
prohibition, it has been taken seriously by
muslim jurist. But when there is Quranic
verse pertaining to ethical issue, jurist fail
to underline the significance of the ethical
dimension of the legal provision in that
particular verse.
104. • For example in the case of permission for
man to practice polygamy. Jurist highlight
the permission but not the justice
• In the case of shura, jurist emphasize the
importance but unable to develop and
institutionalize shura which they believe
can uphold justice and right.
105. • the question here, is the helplessness of
the fuqaha’ to draw a distinction between
fatwa and taqwa, between legal
imperatives and moral obligations.
106. • -whereas, the Quran is nor a book of
abstract ethics neither is the legal
documents. It is a work of moral
admonition –
• -besides specific injunctions of the Quran
contain general principles as well
107. • -the message of Quran must be
understood as a unity and not as isolated
command
• -to bring out the Quranic message as a
unity, one must start with theology and
ethics of the Quran and only then
approach the realm of law
108. • The content of shariah
• 1-pillars of faith
• 2-character building n refinement of soul
• 3-practical aspect of religion
109. • 3 aspects of the dissimilarities
• 1) scope/ subject
• -science of fiqh-outer behavior of man n
ethics deals with inner character of men
which is the intention
• ---indeed, intention is more important than
the action itself
110. • 2)judgment/injunction
• -the fiqh principle of judgment is imposed
on those who are incompliance to the law
• -in ethics-3 types of judgment
• 1-worldly n other worldly reward given by
Allah
112. • 3)Aim/Objectives
• -fiqh- to realize the values of wellbeing of
the society
• -ethics-to motivate/encourage one’s
excellency
• ---that could be reached by having good
deeds consistently n being steadfast in
submission to Allah
113. • In short,
• -ethics n fiqh is complement to one
another
• -the vital of man’s conduct is moral x legal
• --the Quran itself is a book of moral
admonition
• --besides the specific injunctions, the
Quran contains general principle value
115. • Introduction
• -man occupies the central place in the
universe
• -man provides the rationale for all that
exist
116. • -man is a theomorphic being, with sthing
God-like in him
• -man’s duty is to realize his theomorphic
potentialities
• -Islam looks at man as a free agent
• who is fully responsible due his freedom
117. • -the realistic view of man’s nature is
summarized by these 4 ethical principles
118. 1-Unity (al-Tawhid)
• -Islamic ethical system which encompasses
man’s life represented in the concept unity
• -man as a theomorphic being, he also
reflects this God’s quality
• -at the level of The Absolute, it differentiates
the Creator from His creation, requiring
unconditional surrender by all to His Will
• 12:40
119. • -at the level of creation, it provides an
integration principle, for all creation is
united in submission to Him
• 6:163
120. • -it constitutes the vertical dimension, it
integrates all the worldly aspects and
religious aspect of man’s life into the a
homogeneous(of the same kind) whole,
which is consistent from within as well as
integrated with the vast universe without
• -it shows the interrelatedness of all that
exists
121. • -In Islamic view, all creations coalesce to
highlight the theomorphic character of
man
• -man has been united not only in the
knowledge of God but man’s knowledge of
each other
• -al Hujurat 49:13
وانثى ذكر من خلقناكم انا الناس ايها يا
لتعارفوا قبائل و شعوبا وحعلناكم
122. • Its significant
• -it provides mankind with a perspective of
certainty
• -indeed, truth cannot fail to be found if
man is guided by the One Who knows the
entire truth, indeed the Truth Himself
• -al Isra’ 17:97
المهتد فهو يهدال ومن
123. • -it (certainty) strengthen the integrative
force by informing it with a sense of the
mission and with the assurance of its
ultimate fulfilment
124. 2-Equilibrium
• -it constitutes the horizontal dimension of
Islam
• -at the absolute level, it is the supreme
attribute of God-its denial constitutes a
denial of God Himself
• -at the relative level, the quality of
equilibrium must also charaterize all His
creation which must reflect His qualities
125. • -according to this precept, the Islamic
concept of life derives from a Divine
perception of an all-pervading harmony in
the Universe
• -al Mulk 67:3-4.
ا طباقا سموت سبع خلق الذى
تفاوت من الرحمن خلق فى ترى ما
126. • -so various elements in life, must be
equilibrated to produce the best social
order
• -indeed, any rupture of it is the negation of
life itself
• -al-Furqan 25:2
تقديرا فقدره شىء كل خلق و
127. • -the property of equilibrium must be
achieved through conscious purpose of it
• -i.e on the plane of social existence, it
denotes a binding moral commitment
128. • -Islam does not only emphasizes the fact
of equilibrium but also insists on the
quality of it
• -al- Hadid 57:25
• الكتاب معهم انزلنا و بالبينات رسلنا أرسلنا لقد
بالقسط الناس ليقوم والميزان
• -the rise and fall of one civilization is highly
determined by its distance from the
universal Equilibrium
129. 3-Freewill
• -only God is absolutely free, while man is relatively
free
• -in other words, man is not predestined in a literal
sense
• -man have been given the faculty to think and to
choose either to become God-like or to deny God
130. • -man’s freedom was resulted from man’s
acceptance
• -al-Ahzab 33:72
السماوت على المانة عرضنا انا
يحملنها ان فأبين والجبال الرض و
• -man’s acceptance cause man to be
assigned to the most distinguished niche
in the universe
131. • -human freedom applies both to –
• 1-individual man
• 2-collective man
• -Islam does not accord unqualified
sanction to an individual’s right to private
property for it belong to Allah n man is
only His trustee
132. • -if individual acts in accordance with the
ethics, the element of coercion involve in
reconciling private and social interest must
be minimal
• -if there is a conflict between private and
social interests then it must be removed to
satisfy the preconditions of an islamic
society
133. • -the God given freedom of man not only
cannot be taken away from him but must
guarded as well
• -indeed, to deprive man of his natural
freedom is either to degrade him below his
God given stature or to produce
disequilibrium in society
134. 4-Responsibility
• -it sets limits to what man is free to do by
making man responsible for what he does
• -al- Nisa 4:85
منها نصيب له يكن حسنة شفاعة يشفع من
منها كفل له يك شيئة شفاعة يشفع من و
• -in accordance to the universal quality of
justice of God, every individual must be
held responsible for his action.
135. • -man has also been held responsible for
the evil that goes on around him
• --8:25 -the sick, children n women
• --4:97 – if one can’t do athing what goes
wrong, he is commanded to migrate
136. • -the teaching of responsibility constitutes a
dynamic principle in relation to human
behavior for
• -man must evolve to reach perfection
• -no one should be chained to his past –it
invalidates fatalism implied in
predestination
• -there cannot be any contradiction
between individual and collective freedom
• -man is responsible within his ability 2:286
137. • -one is not held responsible for what he is
forced to do, also if he forget, or for a
wrong that he may unintentionally do
• -a tradition of the prophet states the three
defects of free will : pressure,
forgetfulness and unintentional error as
factors that negate the individual
responsibility
• (al-Tibrani, Ibn Hibban, Ibn Majah)
