Principles of Islamic Ethics

Principles of Islamic Ethics

Islam is an all encompassing faith tradition with a theological, practical and spiritual dimension.
The practical dimension of Islam covers comprehensive law, ethics and morality. Traditionally,
Islamic jurisprudence were categorised under four broad fields.

Aqidah creed and beliefs

Ibadah religious worship and practices
Ahlaq morality and ethics
Muamalah human relations1

Human relations in law, ethics and morality define Muslims relationship to first and foremost
our own selves and then to our natural and human environment.
Although the broad field of muamalah, human relations, covers important legal fields such as
family law, commercial law and criminal law, we will only deal with the main principles with
respect to ethical matters.
Role of human being in ethics
According to the Webster dictionary, ethics is a discipline dealing with what is good and bad and
with moral duty and obligation. It is a set of moral principles and a system of moral values.
The most important agent in ethics is the human being and his or her actions within an
individual and social framework. There are important teachings of Islam with respect to human
capacity for goodness. A human being;
1. Has been honoured with goodness2 in that we are created with the innate capability
to recognise goodness and virtue.
2. Is created in the best composition3 in that we have the capacity to excel in our
humanity. The Quran says that only those who believe and do good deeds will realise
this potential.
3. Is created as a caretaker on earth4 charged with the duty of upholding goodness and
righteousness.
4. Has been given the trust5, which is self-awareness and freedom of choice that comes
with it.
5. Has a nafs, the egotistical soul that acts as the interface between the spirit and the
physical body. All human evil is a product of the unpurified nafs.
It is this unique composition of a human being that gives rise to perception of good and evil or
right and wrong.

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Principles of Islamic Ethics

Good and evil
Although we have the ability to recognise goodness and strive to uphold what is right, our
choices are negatively influenced by the emotions, desires and the selfish impulses of the nafs.
Hence, we cannot always be trusted to do the right thing. Some people will not hesitate to lie or
rationalise an action in order to prevent harm or attract a benefit even though that action is
wrong.
Although few in numbers, there are some things which can self-evidently be categorised as
either good or evil. We dont need to prove that integrity, selflessness, charity, saving lives, for
example, are essentially good. Similarly, murder, paedophilia, torture, for example, are clearly
evil. But many things in life fall into the grey area between clear good and clear evil.
Good & Evil

Self-Evidently
Good

Qiyas
Analogical Reasoning

Broad Grey Area

of Good & Evil

The Quran

The Sunnah

Self-Evidently
Evil

Ijma
Consensus

In this broad grey area of human action, human nafs interferes with our common sense and
reason. Therefore, we need independent source to guide us towards goodness. In Islam, the
revealed Word of God, the Quran, and the practical implementation of the Quran, the Sunnah,
are the core legal and ethical sources. There are two other fundamental sources of ethics qiyas
and ijma that helps Muslims deal with new and emerging issues of law and ethics;
1. Word of God (Quran): As the primary source of Gods revelation, the Quran is the
sourcebook of Islamic principles and values. About 600 out of 6,238 verses are related to law
and only about 80 can be considered legal verses in the strictest sense of the word.
2. Practice of the Prophet Muhammad (Sunnah): Quranic principles and values are
complemented by the second source of law and ethics, the Sunnah of the Prophet, which is
the compendium of narratives concerning the words, actions and approvals of Prophet
Muhammad. The Quran states, If you should quarrel over anything refer it to God and the
Messenger6 and In Gods Messenger you have a fine model for anyone whose hope is in
God and the last Day7.
3. Analogical Reasoning (Qiyas): When faced with an ethical and legal problem not specifically
dealt with in the Quran and Sunnah, scholars use their reasoning to search for a parallel in
the Quran and the Sunnah. The key is the discovery of the effective cause or the reason
behind the existing ruling. If a similar cause is identified in the new situation, the ruling is
extended to resolve the matter. For example, based on the prohibition of wine, a broad
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Principles of Islamic Ethics

prohibition for alcohol is deduced. The root cause here is the mind-altering nature of all
alcoholic drinks. Jurists also use their reason based on custom (orf), public interest (maslaha)
and equity (istihsan) to come up with a legal deduction.
4. Consensus of Scholars (ijma): When a certain ruling lasts the test of time, more and more
jurists as well as people accept the ruling, thus forming a consensus. Based on the saying
(hadith) of the Prophet, My community will not agree on an error, consensus of the
scholars is the fourth source of the law. If majority of scholars agree on a solution over the
same issue, then the likelihood of the solution being right greatly increases.
Aims of law and ethics
Revelation and prophetic teachings provide Muslims with an independent source of principles of
law and ethics. The source is vast and the text used for this purpose needs to be understood and
interpreted by the human agent. In order to aid in the ethical and legal analysis, scholars have
agreed on two points;
Firstly, any legal and ethical endeavour must ultimately lead to justice, beauty and mercy.
Secondly, law and ethics must protect the following five basic human rights.
1. Life every person has a right to live in safety and earn his or her livelihood. Human
body and soul are owned by God and entrusted to humans by God for the temporary
earthly life.
2. Property owning and preserving ones personal property is a fundamental right.
3. Human mind no one, including the self, society and state, should coerce or remove
the ability to think freely.
4. Belief & religion there is no compulsion in religion and every person has a right to
keep and pass their religion to future generations.
5. Family and lineage humans have the right to raise a family.
Law, public morality and individual conscience
Since every individual lives as a member of a family and the larger society, human action has
consequences not only for himself but also for other people. Human actions, hence freedoms,
are not absolute and are curtailed by self, public and the law. Islam seeks a balance between
these three concentric circles.
In the largest circle, Islam lays responsibility to the individual whose conscience becomes a
compass for the right and wrong. Islam cultivates the development of a sound heart because
ultimately only he (will prosper) that brings to God a sound heart8. Equipped with a sound
heart, one invariably knows the right thing to do at the moment of choice and action.
Islams emphasis on belief in the All-Knowing God and trial in the afterlife gives a Muslim great
motive to do the right thing as good deeds are directly linked to human salvation. Verily
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human is in loss except those who have faith, and do good deeds, and (join together) in the
mutual teaching of truth, and of patience and constancy9 says the Quran, making the point
that although salvation depends on an individuals faith and good deeds, their salvation is
inherently linked to encouraging others towards what is right.

Individual Conscience
Public Morality

Law

This brings us to ethics in the public sphere. In a very eloquent analogy, the Prophet
Muhammadpbuh has described the necessity of social responsibility for safe society as follows:
Narrated by An-Nu`man bin Bashir: The Prophet said, "The example of the person abiding by
Gods command and prohibitions in comparison to those who violate them is like the example of
those persons who drew lots for their seats in a boat. Some of them got seats in the upper part
(of the boat), and the others in the lower. When the latter needed water, they had to go up to
bring water (and that troubled the others), so they said, 'Let us make a hole in our share of the
ship (and get water) saving those who are above us from troubling them. So, if the people in the
upper part left the others do what they had suggested, all the people of the ship would be
destroyed, but if they prevented them, both parties would be safe."10
Since people live as a community, one cannot assume full independent existence. Just as we all
benefit to make our lives easier by being part of a community, all of our actions or inactions
impact on the community in a positive or a negative manner. Similarly, by the same rationale,
we cannot be totally disinterested about what other people do and how they live in society.
Therefore, Islam expects Muslims to engage in positive social activism to promote the good and
to prevent the harm that may be inflicted on society, And from among you there should be a
party who invite to good and enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong and these are those who
shall be successful.11
Islam seeks the well being of the individual and the community at the same time in a balanced
way. If the individual and community well being is in conflict, then the well being of the
community by virtue of majority is preferred without violating the basic rights of the individual.
If the well being of two individuals is in conflict, then the one who has been inflicted with the
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most harm is preferred.12 For example, one of Prophet Muhammads companions, Sad Ibn Abu
Wakkas, asks the Prophetpbuh how much of his property and assets he can donate in charity
before his death. The Prophetpbuh replies, One third, even that is too much. It is better for you to
leave your inheritors well-off rather than in a condition where they are in need of help from
others.13
Having said that, just as there is individual responsibility for ones actions, there is also collective
responsibility that society has towards the individual. In Islam, the sick have the right to be
visited; the guest have the right to an offering even if it is a simple food; and if a person gives
greetings, one must return the greeting. However, in turn, the whole community is responsible
if the person is poor or in need of a funeral service.
However, in public morality and social activism, there is a risk of restricting the rights of
individuals too much. In this respect, the Prophet Muhammadpbuh again becomes a guiding
example for Muslims. The wife of Prophet Muhammad,pbuh Aisha, reported that whenever the
Prophet was confronted with an issue, he always preferred the option that was easier or better
for people in general.
In another instance, a Bedouin who became Muslim, is seen urinating inside the mosque.
Infuriated by this behaviour, people in the mosque start to push and shove him. The Prophet
emerges from his room to see what the commotion is all about. Upon finding out what has
happened, he scalds the people explaining to them that through his action, this Bedouin man is
showing that he does not know and needs to be educated. Prophet Muhammadpbuh then utters
his timeless remark that underscores the right attitude in social activism:
Facilitate (ease) things to people and do not make it hard for them and give them good tidings
and do not make them run away.14

Endnotes
1

Zuhayli, Wahba, Islamic Fiqh Encyclopedia, Feza Yayincilik, 1990, P20

Quran, 17:70
3
Quran, 95:3-6
4
Quran, 2:31-33
5
Quran, 33:72
6
Quran, 4:59
7
Quran, 33:21
8
Quran, 26:89
9
Quran, 103:2-3. In fact, more than 50 verses in the Quran, direct inference to good deeds are made.
10
Al Jaami` Al Saheeh. Version 1.07 - By Imam Al Bukhari Volume 3
11
Quran, 3:104
12
Ibid, p 23
13
Bukhari, Muslim
14
Bukhari, Ilm, 12; Muslim, Jihad, 6
2

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