Islamic ethics () is the "philosophical reflection upon moral conduct" with a view to defining "good character" and attaining the "pleasure of God" (raza-e Ilahi). It is distinguished from "Islamic morality", which pertains to "specific norms or codes of behavior".
It took shape as a field of study or an "Islamic science" (ʿIlm al-Akhlaq), gradually from the 7th century and was finally established by the 11th century. Although it was considered less important than sharia and fiqh "in the eyes of the ulama" (Islamic scholars) "moral philosophy" was an important subject for Muslim intellectuals.Campo, Encyclopedia of Islam, "Ethics and morality" 2009: p. 217 Many scholars consider it shaped as a successful amalgamation of the Quranic teachings, the teachings of Muhammad, the precedents of Islamic jurists (see sharia and fiqh), the pre-Islamic Arabian tradition, and non-Arabic elements—including Persian and Greek ideas—embedded in or integrated with a generally Islamic structure. Although Muhammad's preaching produced a: "radical change in moral values based on the sanctions of the new religion [...] and fear of God and of the Last Judgment"; the tribal practice of Arabs did not completely die out. Later Muslim scholars expanded the religious ethic of the Quran and Hadith in immense detail. Terminology A number of related terms refer to the right way to behave in Islam: Akhlaq, Adab, Ihsan.
Akhlaq Akhlaq (, , plural of ( khulq which means disposition), is the practice of virtue, morality, and manners in Islamic theology and falsafah (philosophy). Akhlaq is the most commonly used Islamic term for morality.Campo, Encyclopedia of Islam, "Ethics and morality" 2009: p. 216
The science of ethics (`Ilm al-Akhlaq) teaches that through practice and conscious effort man can surpass their natural dispositions and natural uncorrupted state (Fitrah) to become more ethical and well mannered. Akhlaq is a kind of normative ethical system known as "virtue ethics", which is based on "virtues, or moral character", rather than: "conceptions of the right (as in Kantian ethics) or the good (as in utilitarianism)".
Akhlaq is not found in the Quran, but its root – kh-l-q – is shared by khaliq (Creator) and makhluq (creature), which are found throughout the Quran. It is most commonly translated in English-Arabic dictionaries as: disposition, nature, temper, ethics, morals or manners or in general a person who has good manners, and behaves well.J. Cowan p. 299
Adab
Adab () in the context of behavior, refers to prescribed Islamic etiquette: "refinement, good manners, morals, decorum, decency, humaneness" (according to the book Religion and Law).Firmage, Edwin Brown and Weiss, Bernard G. and Welch, John W. Religion and Law. 1990, pp. 202–03 While interpretation of the scope and particulars of Adab may vary among different cultures, common among these interpretations is regard for personal standing through the observation of certain codes of behavior.Ensel, Remco. Saints and Servants in Southern Morocco. 1999, p. 180 To exhibit Adab would be to show "proper discrimination of correct order, behavior, and taste."
A description of the difference between Akhlaq and Adab is: Aklaq is ethics, the "moral philosophy"; Ethics/morality. Islamic behaviour, disposition, good conduct, nature, temper, ethics, morals or character of a person. Adab is "the actual practices of moral philosophy"; Manner, attitude, behaviour and the etiquette of putting things in their proper place "a culture of refined behavior [that] shaped the ethical outlook of urban Muslims" There were writings setting forth "the virtues for different classes and groups to honor, including the ulama, rulers, bureaucrats, merchants and craftsmen".
Furthermore, according to one source (Abdulmajeed Hassan Bello), sharia is not just concerned with concerned:" [...] with legal rules and regulations indicating what man is entitled or bound to do, [...] but also what he ought, in conscience, to do or refrain from doing. Thus, shari'ah [...] embraces both private and public activities."
Ihsān Iḥsān (also Ihsaan, ), is an Arabic term meaning "beautification", "perfection" or "excellence", but is also defined in Islam (by Malcolm Clark) as ethics/morality "literally virtue, including right living", and (according to Ruqaiyyah Waris Maqsood) is a matter of taking one's inner faith and showing it in both deed and action.
Other terms Other terms found in the Quran that "denote the concept of moral or religious goodness"Fakhry, Ethical Theories in Islam, 1994: p. 12 are: al-khayr ("goodness"), al-birr ("righteousness"), al-qisr, al-iqsat ("equity"), al-adl ("justice"), al-haqq ("truth and right"), al-ma'ruf ("known and approved"), and al-taqwa ("piety"). "Pious actions" are "normally referred to" as salihat; "impious or sinful actions" as sayyi'at.Fakhry, Ethical Theories in Islam, 1994: p. 11 Amanah, trustworthiness
Ethics v. morality
Juan E. Campo describes the difference between Akhlaq/ethics and morality in Islam as : "Ethics means philosophical reflection upon moral conduct, while morality pertains to specific norms or codes of behavior. Questions of ethics, therefore, involve such subjects as human nature and the capacity to do good, the nature of good and evil, motivations for moral action, the underlying principles governing moral and immoral acts, deciding who is obliged to adhere to the moral code and who is exempted from it, and the implications of either adhering to the moral code or violating it. Morality encompasses the values and rules that govern human conduct [...] "
Scriptural sources
Quran The Quran—which Muslims believe to be the verbatim word of God—serves as the primary source of moral teachings in Islam.Clark (2011), p. 283 Verse declares:"Righteousness is not in turning your faces towards the east or the west. Rather, the righteous are those who believe in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the Books, and the prophets; who give charity out of their cherished wealth to relatives, orphans, the poor, ˹needy˺ travellers, beggars, and for freeing captives; who establish prayer, pay alms-tax, and keep the pledges they make; and who are patient in times of suffering, adversity, and in ˹the heat of˺ battle. It is they who are true ˹in faith˺, and it is they who are mindful ˹of Allah˺."Another verse states:"Believers are those […] who avoid vain talk; who are active in deeds of charity; who abstain from sex except with their wives, or whom their right hands possess. Thus they're free from blame, but those whose desires exceed those limits are transgressors. Believers faithfully observe their trusts and covenants and keep their prayers. They will be the heirs, who will inherit Paradise, where they will dwell."
—(Q.)Clark, Islam For Dummies, 2011: p. 248However, the Quran offers "more in the way of general principles"—justice, goodness, kindness, forgiveness, honesty, and piety – "than specific rules".
The Ten Commandments In Quran
The Quran provides the Ten Commandments which is believed to be as originally revealed to Moses:Tafsir ibn Kathir , see Chapter heading for the Commentary of Verse 6:151"In the Quran, the Ten Commandments are discussed in Surah Al-An'am, 6:151–53": The numbering of the verses is given in bold while the numbering of the Commandments is in superscript.
Evidence for these verses having some relation to Moses and the Ten Commandments is from the verse which immediately follows them:
According to a narration in al-Mustadrak 'ala al-Sahihayn, Ibn Abbas, a prominent narrator of Isra'iliyyat traditions said: "In Surah Al-An'am, there are clear Ayat, and they are the Mother of the Book (the Quran)." He then recited the above verses.Tafsir ibn Kathir , Commentary of verse 6:151. Al-Hakim said, "Its chain is Sahih, and they (Sihah Sitta) did not record it."
Also in al-Mustadrak 'ala al-Sahihayn is the narration of Ubada ibn as-Samit:
Ibn Kathir mentions a narration of Abd Abdullah ibn Mas'ud in his Tafsir:
OrderCommandment in the QuranSurat Al-An'amSurat Al-IsraCorresponding in the BibleFirst CommandmentDo not associate others with God(151)(22)Do not put other gods before meSecond CommandmentHonour your parents(23–24)Honour thy father and thy motherThird CommandmentDo not kill your children for fear of poverty(26–31)Do not murderFourth CommandmentDo not come near indecencies, openly or secretly.(32)Do not covet thy neighbour's wife, Do not commit adulteryFifth CommandmentDo not take a life except justly(33)Do not murderSixth CommandmentDo not come near the property of the orphan except to enhance it(152)(34)Do not covet his slaves, or his animals, or anything of thy neighbourSeventh CommandmentGive full measure and weigh with justice(35)Does not exist, instead there is Remember the sabbath dayEighth CommandmentWhenever you testify, maintain justice even regarding a close relative(36)Do not bear false witness against thy neighbourNinth CommandmentFulfil your covenant with God(34)Do not take the name of the Lord thy God in vainTenth CommandmentFollow God's path and not any other(153)(37–39)Do not make unto thee any graven image or idols neither kneel before them nor worship them
Hadith Hadith, which are based on reports of the teachings, deeds and sayings, silent permissions (or disapprovals) of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, as well as various reports about Muhammad's companions, also serves as an important source for Islamic moral teachings. Some hadith cited expressing good conduct, deeds, morals in Islam, and the importance of these include: In a narration by Aisha, the Messenger of Allah said: "Indeed among the believers with the most complete faith is the one who is the best in conduct, and the most kind to his family." () In a naration in al-Muwatta, "Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that the Messenger of Allah: " [...] I was sent to perfect the ethical conduct."
The Hadith of GabrielCampo, Encyclopedia of Islam, "Ethics and morality" 2009: p.215 describes the angel Jibril (Gabriel) questioning Muhammad about: "what is faith?" "what is Islam?" and "What is Ihsan (perfection or virtue)?", where in reply Muhammad lists the "Five Pillars of Islam", the "Six Articles of Faith", and describes Ihsan (which Clark defines as ethics, or "virtue and including right living") thusly: "To worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you cannot achieve this state of devotion then you must consider that He is looking at you."
Other sources Besides the Quran and Hadith, there are a number of other sources, (not all universally followed in Islam): the works of Islamic scholars and philosophers; Arabic virtues that predate Islam, (such as "honor, courage, loyalty, hospitality, self-control", etc.; the moral examples set by important Islamic personalities (such as the four rightly guided caliphs for Sunni Muslims); works on Adab (i.e. etiquette, manners); "philosophical reflection" by the school of Islam known as the Mu'tazilites and others; "works of Greek ethicists", (which were translated into Arabic); the 99 names of God, which among other qualities/attributes include names based on virtues—"the gentle, the grateful, the just, the giver, the equitable, the loving", etc.; Ethical values from Sufism "including humility and poverty".
Contrast with other faith-based systems