Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Aqidah, Akhlak and Muamalat
Prof. Saiful Azhar Rosly
International Center for Education in Islamic Finance
2nd January 2008
Akhlak
Theory of Ethics
Ethics is the study of moral conducts
Wh
What causes people to do good and to
l d d d
do evil?
Choice and Action based on
Ch i d A ti b d
Knowledge
• Divine
Divine Knowledge
Knowledge
1. Quran
2 H dith
2. Hadiths
• Rational Knowledge
• Empirical Knowledge
Th
There are in general two types of individuals:
i lt t f i di id l
The basic or general man
• This is the individual whom the Quran has described as:
– in loss (khusran) (Al‐‘Asr: 1‐2)
– lowest of the low (asfalasafileen) (Al‐Tin:1‐7)
– he gravitated down to the earth (Al ‘Araf:
he gravitated down to the earth (Al‐ Araf: 175‐176)
175 176)
– man is by nature unstable (Al‐Ma’arij:19‐21)
– Men’s personalities have been permeated with greed or selfishness (Al‐Nisa:
4:128)
– Th did i j i
They did injustice to themselves (zulm al‐nafs) (Al‐“Araf: 160)
h l ( l l f ) (Al “A f 160)
– Impatience is the stuff man is made of (Al‐Anbiya: 37)
– Pettiness (da’f)
– Narrowness of mind (qatr)
(q )
The basic man is mentioned by Elgari exhibits a behaviour based on lower
desires and unrefined self, motivated by lust and greed. This is the basic
nature of man who the Quran intends to reform
nature of man who the Quran intends to reform.
The Islamic man ‐ Khalifa
The Islamic man
• Man as God’s vicegerent (khalifa) has a task of
establishing a moral social order on earth.
bli hi l i l d h
• Man has not been created in sport but has a
serious task (23:15). He is answerable for his
success or failure.
f il
• But Satan will attack man from all sides to drag man
along with him (i.e. Satan) into the hellfire.
• Man is not immune from the devil’s temptations
(22:52).
• But Satan machinations will fail against virtuous
But Satan machinations will fail against virtuous
persons. It is within the reach of true man of faith
to overcome the temptations (15:42; 17:65; 16:99).
The Self in the Quran has been mentioned in
d ff
different level of Man’s inner experience such
l l f ’ h
as:
• Human Spirit(Ruh)
• Soul(Nafs)
• Intellect(‘Aql)
Intellect( Aql)
• Heart(Qalb)
Syed Naquib Al‐Attas provides a coherent exposition on how these different modes
of the self are seen as the unity:
‘ Thus when it (the human soul) is involved in intellection and apprehension it is
( q ); g y ( f );
called “intellect”(‘Aql); when it governs the body it is called “soul”(Nafs); when it is
engaged in receiving intuitive illumination it is called “heart”(Qalb) and when is
reverts to its own world of abstract entities it is called “spirit”(Ruh). Indeed, it is a
reality always engaged in manifesting itself in all these states.’
The Self in the Quran
The Self in the Quran
‘Aql
Aql
Man
Qalb Self
Nafs
Ruh
Al‐Ghazali’s SELF ECONOMIC
(‘AQL, RUH,QALB,NAFS) APPLICATION
Theory of Ethics (Akhlak)
Theory of Ethics (Akhlak)
(MUDRIKA)
(MUHARIKA) MOTOR POWER
MOTOR POWER SENSORY POWER
Outer:Sight,hearing,taste,smell,touch
Ghadab & Shahwa Inner: Comprehension, memory,reflection
(Anger &Appitite)
SATANIC
(ASH-SHAITANIYA)
ARGUEMENT
SENSORY POWER
(Al-Mudrika)
THE SELF
The Self has been endowed with qualities that help fulfill the bodily needs as well as the
need to achieve the ideal ‐ Saada
To help achieve this ideal, the Self fulfills the bodily needs through its motor (muharikka)
and sensory (mudrika) powers.
The motor or muharika is made of two propensities, namely appetite (Shahwa) and
anger (Ghadab) .
The sensory of mudrika consists of the outer senses, namely sight, hearing, taste, smell
and touch and the inner senses such as the commonsense (hiss mushtarik), imagination
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But what sets man different from the
animals?
According to AI‐Ghazali, the Self of man posses two additional qualities which distinguishes him from the animals,
namely 'Aql (intellect) and ‘lrada (will).
In addition, the self is also equip with a power which rebels against the intellect i.e. Satanic (ash‐shaytiniya).
These two contra‐distinguishing power, namely the intellect ('aql) and satanic (ash‐shaytiniya) work through the
Shahwa and Ghadab to produce both constructive and destructive tendencies in man and society.
For example, if the animal forces, instigated by Shaytaniya rebel against the ‘Aql, then the power of appetite and
g p q p p g g g
anger will produce qualities which will impede the progress of the self towards achieving its goal.
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The Concept of Man
The Concept of Man
Motor Power Sensory Power
Muharika Mudrika
Inner
Shahwa
senses
Outer
Ghadab
Senses
`AQL OVERPOWERS THE SATAN
AQL OVERPOWERS THE SATAN
On the contrary, when the `Aql succeeded to overcome the power of the animal forces
and kept them under control, the shahwa
d k t th d t l th h h and d ghadab will turn into a constructive
h d b ill t i t t ti
power.
If the ghadab is controlled, noble qualities such as courage (shaja’a), generiosity
g , q g ( j ), g y
(karam), fortitude (sabr), endurance (ihtimal) etc. will result.
1/2/2009
Shahwa & Ghadad turned to Virtues
((Mahmudah)
h d h)
Aql
Shaytaniya
Sahwa & Ghadab turned into Vices
((Mazmumah)
h)
Shaytaniya
Aql
`AQL DEFEATED BY SATAN
If the animal forces, instigated by Shaytaniya rebel against the ‘Aql,
then the power of appetite and anger will produce qualities which
will impede the progress of the self towards achieving its goal.
Some of these qualities include gluttony (sharah), greed (hirs),
wickedness (khutbth), hypocricy (riya
(khutbth), hypocricy (riya’),
), jealousy (hasad) etc. all of
(hasad) etc. all of
which will generate evil tendency in the self. In the Quran such evil
propensities is known as an‐Nafs‐Ammara.
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