Muslim Ethical Traditions: A Chart

The relation between Islam, as a religion, and ethics can be studied in at

least three ways (excluding for the moment, Islamic philosophy, Islamic
literature and poetry, Quranic exegesis and so on). These three ways map
onto three related but distinct (at least for analytical purposes) domains of
knowledge. These are Islamic law, Islamic theology and Islamic mysticism
(also called Sufism).
Here is a chart with some key terms and key ethical features of each
domain.

Islamic Law (fiqh) Islamic Theology Islamic Mysticism

mostly explained in (kalaam) Mostly (tasavvuf) Mostly
Kevin Reinhart discussed in the discussed in the
Reading but also Stelzer reading William Chittick
briefly in Stelzer reading but also in
Stelzer

Key terms and their Key terms and their Key terms and their
meanings meanings meanings

Ahkaam al khamsa (the Kalaam = words or Zahir

five types of speech or discourse apparent/external (for
obligations/determinati example bodily actions
ons). Mutazilite rationalist and movements)
Hukm (singular of school of Islamic
ahkaam) meaning theology Batin hidden/internal
obligation or (for example intentions
determination. Asharites (based on the and feelings)
ideas of a person
Fiqh = understanding named al-Ashari d. Ibn Arabi (Spanish
936) mystic the greatest
Usul al-fiqh (the roots mystic of the Islamic
of understanding or Maturidi (a smaller tradition)
principles of theological school
jurisprudence). These which tried to find a Wahdat al-wujud Ibn
are four: quran, balance between Arabis doctrine of the
Sunnah, ijma mutazilites and Unity of Being
(consensus of scholars) Asharites)
and qiyas (analogical Abd bondsman of God
reasoning) Shukr = gratitude
Ubudiyya worship of
Wajib or fard Nima = blessing, gift, or service to God
(obligatory) benefaction
Haram (forbidden) Asma al-husna (the

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Mubah (permissible or Munim = benefactor, beautiful names of
neutral) one who spares ones God)
Mandub life
(recommended/encour Adab = good manners
aged)
Makruh Tawhid = the act of
(discouraged/disliked) realizing that no
perfection or good is
Shariah the way or worthy of being
path back to God. Also, considered self-
the system of rules and sufficient and its own
obligations and moral source but belongs the
conduct that allows One who is the Real
one to move towards owner/Lord of those
God. beautiful names and
qualities.
Shar the fact of Gods
intervention into the Insan al-kamil = the
world through perfected human (a
Muhammad (and the title for the prophet
revelation given to him, Muhammad insofar as
the Quran) he is considered the
one who realized
tawhid in all aspects of
his life and is therefore
worthy of being
emulated and followed
in spiritual and
practical matters alike)

Key Ideas Key Ideas Key Ideas

The main concern here The main concern in Human beings are to
is to try to derive theology i a more basic behave ethically in
rulings about one (more basic than relation to God and not
particular actions Islamic legal simply out of a
which of the five concerns): how can a rational sense of
categories does a person know whether obligation towards
particular act fall an action or thing is others. They worry
under. The person who good or bad? about His pleasure and
does this is the faqih fear His displeasure as
(lit. understander or There are two main a matter of recognizing
more technically, ways of attaining moral Him as worthy of being
jurist). knowledge in Islamic valued as such as the
theology: reason and ultimate benefactor.
The person who is revelation.

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asked a question about At the final stage of
the legal status of Mutazila or Mutazilites realizing Gods truth,
particular action first major theological ones self is taken
(already completed or school in Islam. The out of the equation and
planned for the future) argued that reason can one simply witnesses
is the mufti. A Mufti know what is good or God as the agent,
gives a non-binding, bad. (reason is not the thanking Himself. All
legal opinion called a source but God has that is evil is attributed
Fatwa which answers given reason the ability to the selfs failure to
the question about to know good and bad) recognized God as he
what to do (or omit). deserves to be
The questioner is free Asharis or Asharites recognized i.e. as the
to follow or ignore the reasons ideas about only Real. (ibn Arabis
opinions. good and bad are mere Unity of Being). Human
conjecture. Good is being is the veil upon
A Qadi is a judge. He that which God which the Real
offers judgments about commands and manifests His beautiful
particular cases rewards. Bad is that names that are
brought before the which forbids and addressed to the
court. He uses the punishes. Apart from possessor of those
fatwas and the fiqh of Gods decrees, there is names.
others scholars to no such thing as good
reach judgments. and bad. There is no God has the right to be
These are binding morality outside of the only objecet of
judgments. what revelation brings worship since all good
(either explicitly or is from him and he is
Traditionally, Islamic which can be derived the only one who is
law was a set of non- from revelation without self-sufficient and on
binding opinions + the ambiguity) whose names all
processes of the things, including the
derivation of those goodness of human
opinions fiqh it is the Mutazilite rationalist actions, depend. The
approximate human (reason can know good true goal is to claim
understanding of the or bad) and objectivist nothing for oneself,
will of God + the (good and bad are take on the good
decisions of judges objective qualities that names of God and
about particular cases. attach to actions like, surrender them back to
for instance, the color Him.
brown is an objective
quality that attaches
to wood or a wooden
chair)

Ashariate theistic
subjectivism (God
decides what is good

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and bad. Reason
cannot know it. we
need revelation to tell
us). Killing someone is
not objectively bad.
Sometimes killing
someone (e.g. in
defending oneself
against a killer is
acceptable). Lying to
save the prophet from
his enemies good. IF
God had said lying is
good, it would be good.
Lying is not inherently
bad. It is bad only
because revelation
(quran and prophetic
example) tell us it is
bad! Moral knowledge
is NOT natural. It is
given in revelation and
does not exist outside
of it. acts not moralized
by revelation are non-
moral they are
neither good nor bad.
They are not immoral.
They are just non-
moral. Morality does
not apply outside of
knowledge brought by
revelation.
Ghazali (an Asharite):
thanking the
benefactor is not
obligatory by reason
but ONLY because
revelation makes it
praiseworthy.