Article Summary: Islamic Ethic
In general, this article touches briefly on certain elements of Islamic ethics due to
of the linkage between Islamic ethics and law . Historically, Muslims derive and learn
their Islamic ethics from the Quran and the Hadith. Qur’an is a revealation that contains
several commands that the Muslim must obey. The Hadith presents Muhammad as the
exemplary human whom Muslims must follow because he is the only human being that
had been taught by Allah.
Ram Swarup explains the actions and judgment of Muhammad that Prophet is
caught as it were in the ordinary acts of his life like sleeping, eating, mating, praying,
hating, dispensing justice, planning expeditions and revenge against his enemies. The
picture that emerges is hardly flattering, and one is left wondering why in the first
instance it was reported at all and whether it was done by admirers or enemies. One is
also left to wonder how the believers, generation after generation, could have found this
story so inspiring.The answer is that the believers are conditioned to look at the whole
thing through the eyes of faith. To them morality derives from the Prophet’s actions
which is the moral is whatever he did. Morality does not determine the Prophet’s
actions, but his actions determine and define morality. Muhammad’s acts were not
ordinary acts but they were Allah’s own acts.
The Qur’an teaches that God cannot ultimately be known. Certain actions are
good not because they derive from God’s character, but because God chooses to call
them good. God could have decreed a different set of moral principles. Hammudah
Abdalati summarizes Islamic morality as the concept of morality in Islam centers
around certain basic beliefs and principles. Among these are the following like God is
the Creator and Source of all goodness, truth, and beauty. Man is a responsible,
dignified, and honorable agent of God has put everything in the heavens and the earth in
the service of mankind. When viewing Islamic ethics, Muslims see Muhammad as the
absolute human being, the one all people should seek as an example.
Article Summary: Why Islamic Ethics?
The author in this article has attempted to answer the querstions of those who do
not respect the idea of studying a course on Islamic ethics in an academic programme
and they think we need just focusing on business or business-related studies. It is
being reproduced in this journal since it deals with many important issues. The
message of Islam requires the believers to behave ethically in all areas of human
activity. In fact, for a Muslim, the study of Islamic ethics should be a welcome
opportunity to know
what his faith means.
The reason why Islamic ethics has a clear edge over other forms of studying
ethics is its strength of stability. It enables people feel confident about what is
desirable and what is not. Secular methodology, on the contrary, is always changing
not just in details of behavioural pattern but in the principles behind that behaviour as
well. What was totally unacceptable yesterday, may turn out to be thoroughly
acceptable today.Such shifting attitudes do not inspire the confidence of those who
would like to carry out their activities free from doubts. The concern that Islamic
ethics will be irrelevant for the non-Muslims is more legitimate. However, those who
live as a part of a religious minority always find themselves mentally prepared to
know the majority view. No collectivity can afford to allow some of its members to
follow one course of action in collective affairs and others some other.
All citizens are therefore required to follow the law of the land no matter
whether they agree with it or not. Moreover, minorities are not being proposed to be
forced the Islamic ethics course 'down their throats'. It is only going to help them in
understanding the Islamic way of looking at the problems of the world. There are
those who show their lack of interest in Islamic ethics because they believe it is going
to be another course of Islamic Studies.However, these comments do not deserve
much attention for they are made in disregard to the understanding of both Islam and
ethics. Like any other discipline, Islamic ethics calls for a certain minimum degree of
interest of participants for the course to be useful for them. If the first reason is
missing, the second one could be attempted to create interest .