ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVES
Topics Outline Moral Theories Akhla khlaq q Theor heorie ies s Islamic Theories
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Topics Outline Moral Theories Akhla khlaq q Theor heorie ies s Islamic Theories
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Moral Theories
Morals What
is moral?
set
of beliefs and practices about how to lead a good life (“making choices with reasons”)
The
word ‘moral’ is from Greek Mores
defined
as the way of life that has become a norm A common practice acceptable by that community
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Moral – Islamic perspectives From
an Islamic perspectives, moral represents a set
of beliefs and practices about how to lead a good life making choices with reasons values attributed to a system of beliefs (typically a religious system, but it could be a political system or some other set of beliefs) these values get their authority from something outside the individual- a higher being or higher authority (e.g. family, society)
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Moral judgment Asking
yourself:
What
is good? What is right? What is ought to be done?
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Moral values from Islamic perspectives Humans
generally do not have a common consensus on ‘good’, ’right’ and ‘ought’ But
there is some general understanding…
The
disagreement stems from what would be the outcome of ‘good’, ’right’ and ‘ought’ Does
it bring happiness? (a hedonist view) Does it bring perfection? (a positivist view) Does it fulfil a certain role/task/responsibilities? (a pragmatist or functionalist view)
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Moral values from Islamic perspectives Still,
the criteria for happiness, perfection and roles
also differ among humans Religion
background Cultures and norms The present belief system may be different from the past (what is ‘good’, ’right’ and ‘ought’ then may not be the case now) Hence,
some group perceive ‘good’, ’right’ and ‘ought’ as something that is relative (changeable)
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Moral values from Islamic perspectives In
Islam, the questions of ‘good’, ’right’ and ‘ought’ comes later.
Instead,
Muslims should be asking, first and foremost, the following: What is our role in this world? What is our relationship with this world and
other beings here?
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Moral values from Islamic perspectives As
Muslims, we believe that we have been created for two main reasons: As Abdullah;
the servant of God of which we must abide to all rules set by Allah As Khalifatullah; the messenger of God where we execute the rules set by Allah for the common good (ourselves, society in general, living things, mother nature) In
Islam, the ability to fulfill those roles would imply that we are an individual with moral and ethical values ITS610
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Akhlaq Theories
Akhlaq The
term ‘akhlaq’ originated from Arabic ‘alakhlak’ which is compiled from ‘al-khuluq’
It
concerns with our character, habits and
discretion ‘Akhlaq’
encompasses the underlying meaning of moral and ethics Emulates
‘good’, ’right’ and ‘ought’ behavior with
oneself and everyone ITS610
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Akhlaq However,
a person’s ‘akhlaq’ becomes far superior when the above behavior is done for Allah’s pleasure alone Not Not
Both
to get credit to be praised
values for moral and akhlaq refers to our
fundamental beliefs the
principles used to define which is right or good provide guidance to determine the right versus the wrong, the good versus the bad - our standards ITS610
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Moral and Akhlaq values Our
values shape our attitudes and determines our behavior in certain situations. Honesty – test results calculated as higher than real value Fairness – the treatment towards your family and strangers asking for help Integrity – reporting a misdeed when the guilty party is a family member, friend Compassion – the readiness to help an asnaf and war refugee Courage – the ability to tell the truth even though you will be reprimanded Responsibility – doing your part for your family vs the ummah Patriotism – serving the country when in need or when it is convenient? Respect – respecting the elderlies even when they are poorer or less educated than you Very personal because they are learned and internalized through many different influences family, social status, peer groups ITS610
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Ethics The study of morality
(“HOW the choices are made”) Concerns
with our actions and decisions
When
one acts in ways which are consistent with our beliefs, we characterize that as acting ethically and vice versa.
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Ethical values vs non-ethical values Ethical Values relate
to our beliefs concerning our moral duty as opposed to what is correct, effective, or desirable. values that drive our principles. Non-Ethical Values concerned
with things that we like or find personally satisfying and/or important, with no regard to the moral content.
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Values, Ethics and Ethical Behaviour Value systems systems
of beliefs that affect what the individual defines as right, good, and fair
Ethics reflects
the way values are acted out
Ethical behavior acting
in ways consistent with one’s personal values and the commonly held values of the organization and society. Influenced by person, organization and environment ITS610
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Sources of ethical beliefs Basic human values
Altruism
When a person acts in another’s benefit, as a cost to him / herself Feelings and behaviour that show a desire to help each others and a lack of selfishness
Attitude
a strong belief or feeling toward people, things, and situations They are not quick judgments we change easily but we can change our attitudes People interpret our attitudes by our behavior Attitudes are primarily developed through experiences Example: Employers place great emphasis on attitude Employee attitudes affect customer attitudes ITS610
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Sources of ethical beliefs
Institutional sources
Philosophy
Ethics as human nature
“goodness” as something ‘natural’ to humans. Doing good is what we naturally do if we are brought up properly by our parents (many interpretation of “properly”) Socrates, posited that people will naturally do what is good, if they know what is right. Evil or bad actions, are the result of ignorance. Correlated knowledge with virtue which equals to happiness
Ethics as living good
ethical virtues (justice, courage, temperance and so on) is a complex rational, emotional and social skills. to live well we need proper appreciation of the way in which such goods as friendship, pleasure, virtue, honor and wealth fit together as a whole. we must acquire, through proper upbringing and habits, the ability to see, on each occasion, which course of action is best supported by reasons – it is not just about applying general rules
Religion The environment
Historical setting ITS610
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The Golden Rule Every religion emphasizes human improvement, love, respect for others, sharing other people's suffering. On these lines every religion had more or less the same viewpoint and the same goal .
“
”
-- The Dalai Lama
we are to treat other people as we would wish to be treated ourselves”
“
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Subjective Relative
- Different people have different values - There is no way to argue or reason about the evaluative assumptions that lie behind different ethical judgments or choices.
- Different people make different judgments - Judgments made are wholly relative to the values that they hold.
Are Ethical Judgments Relative, Subjective, and Incomparable? BUT
Incomparable
If these were the case, then talking about ethics would be useless.
- There is no way to compare the judgments of different people - No one's evaluative judgments are any better than the evaluative judgments of anyone else
BUT
Because we have many values in common, discussions in ethics often involve appeals to commonly shared values.
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Islamic Theories
Is the Golden Rule Enough? It
doesn’t tell us what is right and wrong, just that our actions toward others be what we would want ourselves
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Islamic Ethics Muslims
derive their Islamic ethics from
Qur’an
and Hadith Qur’an:
contains several commands Muhammad’s follower must obey Hadith: presents Muhammad as the exemplary human Muslims must imitate in all aspects On the day of judgment, the honest Muslim merchant will stand side by side with the martyrs - The Prophet Mohammed ITS610
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The 5 pillars of Islam
SHAHADAH (The Creed)
SALAT (Prayer)
SAWM (Fasting)
HAJJ (Pilgrimage)
ZAKAT (Almsgiving)
The Pillars of Islam & Moral Conduct Shahadah Salaat Zakaat Sawm Hajj
•
•
•
•
•
Good moral conduct is the outcome Forbids lewdness & bad conducts Teaches compassion and sympathy Drives towards Taqwa Guides us towards moral upbringing ITS610
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The Cause and Remedy of Bad Conduct Deceit • •
• • • •
Backbiting Breaking promise Skepticism Tattling Duplicity False oath
Love of Wealth • • • • • •
Greed Stealing Usurping Cheating Embezzlement Overstatement
Self-Conciet • • • • • • •
Jealousy Pride Vanity Boastfulness Rashness Oppression Maliciousness
REMEDY:
REMEDY:
REMEDY:
SAWM
ZAKAAT
SALAAT
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Ethics in Islam Islam
places the highest emphasis on ethical values in all aspects of human life. Islam emphasizes on all aspects of ethics e.g. ethics in society, ethics in trading, banking, etc. Moral principles and codes of ethics are repeatedly stressed throughout the Holy Qur’an and Al-Hadith.
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Discussion and decision making in Islam In
our discussions and debates we must follow all of the Islamic Adab or etiquettes laid down in the Qur'an and the Sunnah. must listen respectfully, attentively, patiently, and sincerely to the views of each other. respond gently and politely, even to those who oppose us. Islam provides a comprehensive system of life lays down certain basic principles to guide us in all of our activities Shura (consultation)- must take place in all situations in our homes and all other areas of our society its deficiency has led to multiple problems in our society ITS610
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The
holy Qur'an tells us:
"Invite all to the way of your Lord with wisdom and goodly advice. And argue with them in a most becoming manner. Verily your Lord knows best who has strayed from His path and who receive guidance" (Al Nahl, 16:125). ITS610
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Should
restore Shura in all of our collective affairs in the society for the welfare and improvement. It is clearly laid down in the blessed Qur'an:
"Their affairs are decided by consultation between them" (Al Shura, 42:38). ITS610
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Even
the Prophet Muhammad , who was the recipient of direct guidance from Allah , was commanded:
"Consult them in affairs (of moment)" (Al Imran, 3:159). ITS610
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Conclusion Islam
places the highest emphasis on ethical values in all aspects of human life. Islamic teaching strongly stress the observance of ethical and moral code in human behavior. Moral principle and codes of ethics are repeatedly stressed throughout the Holy Qur’an. The ethical standards published for computing field also coincide with Islamic ethics. ITS610
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Conclusion
“You are the best nation that has been raised up for
mankind; You enjoin right conduct, forbid evil and believe in Allah” (Qur’an, 3:110) The Prophet Nabi Muhammad s.a.w also says: “I have been sent to perfect noble character.” It
is clear that one of the reasons behind the Prophet’s Mission was to elevate and perfect the moral character of the individual and society at larger. ITS610
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Lecture Ends
Class Activity 2 - a Divide
the class into 6 groups Identify 2 relevant Quranic verses and 2 relevant Hadiths (with tafsir in English) that emphasize on social, ethical or professional issues and explain how it can be applied in our daily lives from the view point of individual and society.
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Class Activity 2 - b Divide
the class into 6 groups Identify ethical issues regarding one of the following context and discuss in the light of Islamic principles and/or conventional ethics. Use
of time honesty and integrity Privacy Security Intellectual property right Computer Crime, privacy, security, intellectual property right, and etc.
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