- ISSN: 2220-2757
- EISSN:
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oa Beyond ethical theism: Islamic morality as a service to God
- Source: Contemporary Islamic Studies, Volume 2011, Issue 1, May 2011, 1
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- 28 April 2011
- 10 May 2011
- 17 May 2011
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Abstract
That ethics is a derivative of Divine Being itself, there is no doubt among Jews, Christians, or Muslims. But in Islam, morality is the right thing to do because it exists in the nature of God Himself! In the following brief essay, we will examine the origins and perimeters of Islamic ethics as explicated in the thought of Jamal Badawi and Majid Fakery. Though Badawi does not bother to make the distinction between “ethics” and “morals” which I have made here, namely, that “ethics” is a code of behavior and “morals” are the behavior itself. He does point out, however, that “morals can either be classified as secular or religious”. Whereas secular morality tries to establish an ethical system that is independent of both God and faith, religious morality, on the other hand, is fundamentally based on two things. First, it is the belief in God as the Creator of the universe, and second, it is the belief in life after death.
