The paper
concludes that Muslim character should develop along with Islamic ethics and
its application into daily affairs of Muslims’ lives should be given its due
attention. Index Terms—Ethics and morality, Islamic ethics, character building
I. INTRODUCTION: DEFINITIONS AND SOURCES OF ISLAMIC ETHICS Islamic ethics is
being defined as akhlaq (plural of khuluq) which means character, nature, and
disposition. The word akhlaq has a very close relationship with the word khaliq
(the Creator) and makhluq (the creature). Therefore, akhlaq assumes a good
relationship between khaliq(the Creator) and makhluq (the creature), and
between makhluq (the creature) and makhluq (the creature) themselves. The term
khuluq appears in the Qur’anic verse “And You (Muhammad) are on an exalted
standard of character” 1 . Khuluq (akhlaq) or character has been referred as
the state of the soul that determines human actions. It is neither the soul nor
the action. Such character could be acquired through training and practice [1].
In addition, to differentiate between the words character and action, character
is the internal and hidden state of the soul, while action is its outward
manifestation. Character or akhlaq is the inward cause while action is its
outward consequences. A good character hence begets good action whereas a bad
character yields bad actions2 . Al-Farabi (d. 950) was to be known as the
earliest great Muslim philosopher who acknowledged the interrelation of akhlaq
or the state of the soul with human action3 . Indeed, he defined Manuscript
received June 1, 2013; revised August 10, 2013. Adibah Binti Abdul Rahim is
with the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Malaysia (e-mail:
adibahar@iium.edu.my). 1 Qur’an: 68: 4. See also Qur’an 26: 137. 2 Mohd Nasir
Omar, Christian and Muslim Ethics, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka,
2003, pp. 4. 3 In his work Fusul, al-Farabi emphasized that ‘the states of soul
by which a man does deeds and fair actions are virtues, and those by which he
does wicked deeds and ugly actions, are the vices’. Refer to Mohd Nasir Omar,
Christian and Muslim Ethics, pp. 4. Islamic ethics or akhlaq as ‘a science that
studies the state of human soul’. Besides al-Farabi, Ibn Miskawayh (d. 1030) in
his work Tahzib al-Akhlaq defined akhlaq as ‘a state of the soul which causes
it to perform its actions without thought or deliberation’. The definition of
akhlaq as the science of the human soul was further elaborated by successive
writers and philosophers on Islamic ethics, such as, al-Ghazali (d.1111),
Fakhruddin al-Razi (d. 1209), al-Tusi (d. 1274), al-Dawani (d. 1502), and
others 4 . Overall, they defined ethics or ilm al-akhlaq as the science of the
human soul which defines the characteristics and qualities of the soul as well
as the methods of how to control and moderate them5 . Al-Ghazali stated that
man consists of two forms, khalq and khuluq or akhlaq. Khalq refers to the
physical form of mankind while khuluq or akhlaq refers to the spiritual form of
mankind. Thus, akhlaq from al-Ghazali’s point of view is rooted in the soul and
manifested through man’s actions. Good soul will produce right action and vice versa.
Al-Ghazali defined Islamic ethics or ilm al-akhlaq as the way to acquire the
well being of the soul and to guard it against the vices. It is also a study of
certain religious beliefs and of rightness or wrongness of actions for the
purpose of practice, and not for the sake of mere knowledge. For him, the study
of akhlaq includes the study of right actions towards God, family members, and
society.....
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