Islam teaches that religion is based on two principles: spirituality and morality. Both of them are equally important and necessary for religious life. Every Muslim must be committed to ethical behavior in public and in private life ...
وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلى خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ
"Indeed you stand on an exalted standard of character." (Al-Qalam 68:4)
Ethical and moral behavior are integrated in Islamic religious system. Islam teaches that religion is based on two principles: spirituality and morality. Both of them are equally important and necessary for religious life. Every Muslim must be committed to ethical behavior in public and in private life. Ethics must be practiced at every level in society: at home, at mosque, in business, in government, in sports, in entertainment. Muslims as individuals and as community must remember their ethical code of conduct as much as they remember their daily prayers, fasting in Ramadan, eating Halal food. 'Ibadah (worship) Shari'ah (law) and Akhlaq (ethics) are all intertwined and interconnected in Islam.
Ethics in Islam are called Akhlaq which is the plural of Khuluq. There are two aspects of human life: one is "khalq" that is the physical aspect and the appearance. The other is "khuluq" and that is character, behavior and inner dispositions. As we take care of our physical appearance by keeping it clean, healthy and nourished, in a similar way, or rather more, we should take care of our character and behavior by keeping it sincere, honest and truthful.
The Prophet was sent by Allah to teach the humanity the noblest ethical conduct (
makarim al-akhlaq). He is reported to have said,
بُعِثْت لِأُتَمِّمَ مَكَارِمَ الْأَخْلَاقِ
I am sent to complete the noble characters.
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَكْمَلُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِيمَانًا أَحْسَنُهُمْ خُلُقًا
"The believer most complete in faith is the one who is best in moral character."
(Al-Tirmidhi 1082)
عَنْ عَائِشَةَ قَالَتْ سَمِعْتُ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ إِنَّ الْمُؤْمِنَ يُدْرِكُ بِحُسْنِ خُلُقِهِ دَرَجَاتِ قَائِمِ اللَّيْلِ صَائِمِ النَّهَارِ
'Aishah -may Allah be pleased with her- said, "I heard the Prophet -peace be upon him- say, 'Indeed the believer by his good moral conduct reaches the ranks of those who spend the whole night in prayer and whole day in fasting. ( Musnad Ahmad, 23219)
The ayah of the Qur'an that is called "the most comprehensive" or the one that summarizes all the Islamic principles and values is the following:
( إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَى وَيَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنْكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ
Surely Allah enjoins justice, kindness and doing of good, to kith and kin, and forbids all that is shameful, evil and oppressive. He exhorts you so that you may be mindful.
(Al-Nahl 16:90)
Here we have six important ethical principles, three positive that must be done and three negative that must be avoided. Justice, kindness and taking care of the kith and kin on the one hand and avoiding shameful, evil and aggressive behavior on the other are the basic values of Islam. These are the normative principles. We must live by them every day.
1. Al-'Adl : It means justice, equity and balance. This is to recognize the rights of others. Every person should be given his/her rights without any distinction of race, color, gender, creed or social status. Justice must be observed in words, deeds and in all relations. 'Adl is also to keep balance and equity. This means that there must be right balance and proportion in everything that one does. Going to extremes in beliefs as well as actions is wrong. One must not exaggerate, in praise or in criticism. One should be honest, truthful and fair to all people under all circumstances.
2. Al-Ihsan : It means benevolence, generosity, excellence. It also means goodness, kindness, mercy, compassion and love. Ihsan is a step above justice. It means doing not only the required and obligatory, but going an extra mile to please someone, to make relations better and to achieve excellence. The Prophet peace be upon him- said, "Allah has prescribed Ihsan in every thing." Ihsan in worship means to pray in such as way as if one is seeing Allah. Ihsan to parents by obeying them, serving them and treating them with honor and respect; Ihsan to neighbors is by caring for them; Ihsan to co-workers, Ihsan to animals, Ihsan to everything that we use.
3. Ita' dhi al-qurba: It means 'giving to the kith and kin.' It means keeping the family ties very strong. It is to look after one's own relatives and being generous to them. First take care of those who are near you, then help others. Dhul Qurba are not only relatives, but also the neighbors and co-workers. They should be treated with respect, helped and supported in their needs.
Then there are three things that must be avoided. These are the main prohibitions:
1.Al-Fahsha': These are not only bad deeds but they are also shameful deeds. People feel shy to do them in front of other people. People do not want to be known among their friends and peers that they do such things. These are things such as steeling, cheating, lying, committing adultery, fornication etc. Al-Fahsha' is everything that violates the etiquettes of Haya' (modesty and moderation).
2.Al-Munkar: It means an act or behavior that is bad, strange and unacceptable. A Munkar could be something Haram or something evil and bad. It is something harmful to individual and society. It is going against the law of God and against the ethical and moral norms of humanity.
3.Al-:Baghy: It means rebellion, aggression, and oppression. It is exceeding one's proper limits and usurping the rights of others. It is doing wrong to others and mistreating them. It is making corruption in the land, rebelling against the authorities, disturbing the peace. It is violence, war and terrorism.
These are the basic principles of Islam and they are developed in Islam as its ethical code. If these principles are followed with faith and sincerity, then they are capable of making a noble individual and noble society. These are also the principles for peace and happiness in this world, and success and salvation in the Hereafter.
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