Basic human values, morality and ethics strengthen us and reviewing this presentation will evoke a feeling of peace and understanding.

1. Muslim Morals and values
I have put together a slide presentation for Muslims and
non Muslims to appraise the ethical and moral values and
to integrate them as a habit to strengthen the society and
the nations. These are universally well recognized values
leading to peace and harmony among fellow human
beings. There is a controversy about subjectivism vs.
rationalism and it is for individuals to decide

2.  The concept of morality in Islam centers around
certain basic beliefs and principles. Among these are
the following: (1) God is the Creator and Source of all
goodness, truth, and beauty. (2) Man is a responsible,
dignified, and honorable agent of his Creator. (3) God
has put everything in the heavens and the earth in the
service of mankind. (4) By His Mercy and Wisdom,
God does not expect the impossible from man or hold
him accountable for anything beyond his power. Nor
does God forbid man to enjoy the good things of life.
Principles of High Moral ground

3.  (5) Moderation, practicality, and balance are the
guarantees of high integrity and sound morality. (6)
All things are permissible in principle except what is
singled out as obligatory, which must be observed,
and what is singled out as forbidden, which must be
avoided. (7) Man’s ultimate responsibility is to God
and his highest goal is the pleasure of his Creator.
Principles of High Moral ground

4.  “And turn not your face away from people (with pride), nor walk in
insolence through the earth. Verily, God likes not each arrogant
boaster. And be moderate (or show no insolence) in your walking,
and lower your voice. Verily, the harshest of all voices is the voice
(braying) of the ass.” (Quran 31:18-19) Arrogance is one of the
deadful sins in Christianity as well.
 Islam is a comprehensive way of life, and morality is one of the
cornerstones of Islam. The guiding principle for the behavior of a
Muslim is “Virtuous Deeds”. This term covers all deeds, not only
acts of worship. The Guardian and Judge of all deeds is God
Himself.
 The most fundamental characteristics of a Muslim are piety and
humility. A Muslim must be humble with God and with other
people:
Muslim Morals and Ethics

5.  God sums up righteousness in Surat Al Baqarah: (2-177)
 “It is not righteousness that you turn your faces towards East or
West; but it is righteousness (the quality of ) the one who believes
in God and the Last Day and the Angels, and the Book, and the
Messengers; who spends of his wealth, in spite of love for it, to the
kinsfolk, to the orphans, to the needy, to the wayfarer, to those
who ask and for the freeing of slaves; and who is steadfast in
prayers, and gives Zakah (Alms); and those who fulfill their
covenants which they made; and who are patient and perseverant
in poverty and ailment and throughout all periods of
fighting. Such are the people of truth, the pious.”
 Awareness of God is key to virtuous living . “Indeed, the most
honorable among you in the sight of God is the most pious.”
(Quran 49:13)
Awareness of God leads to virtuous
living

6.  “And march forth toward forgiveness from your Lord,
and for Paradise as wide as are the heavens and the earth,
prepared for the pious. Those who spend (in the way of
God) in prosperity and in adversity, who repress anger,
and who pardon people; verily, God loves the doers of the
good deeds.” (Quran 3:133)
 The act of giving , is highly desirable, especially giving
things we love. This, like acts of worship, prayers and
Zakah (mandatory alms), is an integral part of worship.
Charity begins at home

7.  “The Day whereon neither wealth nor sons will avail,
but only he (will prosper) that brings to God a sound
heart.” (Quran: 26:88-89)
 A Muslim should not be vain or attached to the
ephemeral pleasures of this world. While most people
allow the material world to fill their hearts, Muslims
should keep God in their hearts and the material
world in their hand.
Greed is not good

8.  Faith must be firm and should not wane when faced
with adversity. Morality must be strong to vanquish
corruption:
 “And God loves those who are firm and
steadfast.” (Quran verse 1:143)
 Patience is often hardest and most beautiful when it’s
against one’s own desires or anger:
Patience in adversity

9.  “You are the best of the nations raised up for (the benefit of) men; you
enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong and believe in God; and if the
followers of the Book had believed it would have been better for them; of
them (some) are believers and most of them are transgressors.” (Quran:
3:110)
 Morality reigns in selfish desires, vanity and bad habits. Muslims must not
only be virtuous, but they must also enjoin virtue. They must not only
refrain from evil and vice, but they must also forbid them.
 The Prophet (PBH), summarized the conduct of a Muslim:
 “My Sustainer has given me nine commands: to remain conscious of God,
whether in private or in public; to speak justly, whether angry or pleased;
to show moderation both when poor and when rich, to reunite friendship
with those who have broken off with me; to give to him who refuses me;
that my silence should be occupied with thought; that my looking should
be an admonition; and that I should command what is right.”
Encourage goodness and forbid evil

10.  Many Muslim theologians see the Golden Rule implicit in some verses of the
Qur'an and in the Hadith. The Golden Rule was agreed 1993 also by Muslims as a
central unconditional ethical norm in the Declaration Toward a Global Ethic.[4]
 Do not commit adultery: Nor come nigh to adultery: for it is a shameful (deed)
and an evil, opening the road (to other evils). (Quran 17:32)
 Do not kill unjustly: Nor take life – which Allah has made sacred – except for just
cause. And if anyone is slain wrongfully, we have given his heir authority (to
demand qisas or to forgive): but let him not exceed bounds in the matter of
taking life; for he is helped (by the Law). (Quran 17:33)
 Care for orphaned children: Come not nigh to the orphan's property except to
improve it, until he attains the age of full strength...(Quran 17:34)
Golden Rule

11.  Keep one's promises: ...fulfill (every) engagement [i.e.
promise/covenant], for (every) engagement will be
enquired into. (Quran 17:34)
 Be honest and fair in one's interactions: Give full measure
when ye measure, and weigh with a balance that is
straight: that is the most fitting and the most
advantageous in the final determination. (Quran 17:35)
 Do not be arrogant in one's claims or beliefs: And pursue
not that of which thou hast no knowledge; for every act of
hearing, or of seeing or of (feeling in) the heart will be
enquired into.(Quran 17:36)
Golden Rule

12.  Many Muslim theologians see the Golden Rule implicit in some verses of the
Qur'an and in the Hadith. The Golden Rule was agreed 1993 also by Muslims as a
central unconditional ethical norm in the Declaration Toward a Global Ethic.
 Do not commit adultery: Nor come nigh to adultery: for it is a shameful (deed)
and an evil, opening the road (to other evils). (Quran 17:32)
 Do not kill unjustly: Nor take life – which Allah has made sacred – except for just
cause. And if anyone is slain wrongfully, we have given his heir authority (to
demand qisas or to forgive): but let him not exceed bounds in the matter of
taking life; for he is helped (by the Law). (Quran 17:33)
 Care for orphaned children: Come not nigh to the orphan's property except to
improve it, until he attains the age of full strength...(Quran 17:34)
 Keep one's promises: ...fulfill (every) engagement [i.e. promise/covenant], for
(every) engagement will be enquired into (on the Day of Reckoning).
(Quran 17:34)
Golden Rule

13.  Be honest and fair in one's interactions: Give full measure when ye
measure, and weigh with a balance that is straight: that is the most
fitting and the most advantageous in the final determination.
(Quran 17:35)
 Do not be arrogant in one's claims or beliefs: And pursue not that of
which thou hast no knowledge; for every act of hearing, or of seeing or
of (feeling in) the heart will be enquired into (on the Day of Reckoning).
(Quran 17:36)
Golden Rule

14.  In the 17th chapter, "Al-Israa" ("The Night Journey"), verses [Quran 17:22], the Qur'an provides a
set of moral stipulations which are "among the (precepts of) wisdom, which thy Lord has
revealed to thee" that can be reasonably categorised as ten in number. According to S. A.
Nigosian, Professor of religious studies at the University of Toronto, these resemble the Ten
Commandments in the Bible and "represents the fullest statement of the code of behavior
every Muslim must follow".[3] However, these verses are not regarded by Islamic scholars as
set apart from any other moral stipulations in the Qur'an, nor are they regarded as a
substitute, replacement, or abrogation of some other set of commandments as found in the
previous revelations.
 Worship only God: Take not with Allah another object of worship; or thou (O man!) wilt sit in
disgrace and destitution. (Quran 17:22)
 Be kind, honourable and humble to one's parents: Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship
none but Him, and that ye be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in
thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of
honour. (Quran 17:23)
Golden Rule

15.  Be neither miserly nor wasteful in one's expenditure:
And render to the kindred their due rights, as (also) to
those in want, and to the wayfarer: But squander not
(your wealth) in the manner of a spendthrift.
(Quran 17:26)
Do not engage in 'mercy killings' for fear of starvation:
Kill not your children for fear of want: We shall provide
sustenance for them as well as for you. Verily the killing
of them is a great sin. (Quran 17:31)
Golden Rule

16.  According to Amanat , Frank Griffe and George F. Hourani:
 Historically, Islamic jurists and theologians developed two different answers to
the question of why or when a ruling is correct. One position, which is
characterized by rationalistic objectivism and associated with the Mu'tazilite
school of theology, holds that acts are inherently good or bad and that the
human intellect is able to know their value without the aid of revelation. The
goodness or badness of an act is tied primarily to its beneficence or harm, which
the human intellect can assess. A correct legal ruling thus would be one that
permits a beneficial act or prohibits something harmful.
 The other position, characterized by theistic subjectivism, is that of the Ash 'rite
school of theology. Adherents of this position hold that something is good only
because God commands it and bad only because He prohibits it. This school of
thought emphasizes that the human intellect is incapable of arriving at moral
knowledge independent from the divine revelation. The ethical and legal value of
an act is knowable exclusively through an evaluation of God's will as revealed in
scripture. A correct ruling can be derived only from the revealed law.
Values defined

17.  The Contrary Virtues were derived from the Psychomachia ("Battle for the Soul"), an
epic poem written by Prudentius (c. 410). Practicing these virtues is alleged to protect
one against temptation toward the Seven Deadly Sins: humility against pride, kindness
against envy, abstinence against gluttony, chastity against lust, patience against anger,
liberality against greed, and diligence against sloth.
 The Seven Heavenly Virtues: faith, hope, charity, fortitude, justice, temperance,
prudence
 The Heavenly Virtues combine the four Cardinal Virtues: prudence, temperance,
fortitude -- or courage, and justice, with a variation of the theological virtues: faith,
hope, and charity. I'm still researching the origins and popular usage of this
formulation.
 The Seven Corporal Works of Mercy
 Continuing the numerological mysticism of Seven, the Christian Church assembled a
list of seven good works that was included in medieval catechisms. They are: feed the
hungry, give drink to the thirsty, give shelter to strangers, clothe the naked, visit the
sick, minister to prisoners, and bury the dead.
Contrary virtues and values

18.  Contrary, Heavenly, and Cardinal Virtues
 In this world of iniquity, they are a few gleams of hope in the mire of our shameful
indulgences. Various formulations of Virtue have been proposed over the ages.
 The Cardinal Virtues:
 prudence, temperance, courage, justice
 Classical Greek philosophers considered the foremost virtues to be prudence, temperance,
courage, and justice. Early Christian Church theologians adopted these virtues and
considered them to be equally important to all people, whether they were Christian or not.
 The Theological Virtues:
 love, hope, faith
 St. Paul defined the three chief virtues as love, which was the essential nature of God,
hope, and faith. Christian Church authorities called them the three theological virtues.
 The Seven Contrary Virtues: humility, kindness, abstinence, chastity, patience, liberality,
diligence
Contrary virtues and values (con t’)

19.  Led by Catherine Dahlsgaard, we read Aristotle and Plato, Aquinas and
Augustine, the Old Testament and the Talmud, Confucius, Buddha, Lao-Tze,
Bushido (the samurai code), the Koran, Benjamin Franklin, and the Upanishads
– some 200 virtue catalogs in all. To our surprise, almost every single one of
these traditions formed across 3000 years and the entire face of the earth
endorsed six virtues:
 – Wisdom and knowledge
 – Courage
 – Love and humanity
 – Justice
 – Temperance
 – Spirituality and transcendence
Universal best six virtues

20.  Curiosity and Interest in the World
 Love of Learning
 Judgment, critical thinking and open-mindedness
 Ingenuity, originality, practical intelligence, street
smarts
 Social intelligence, personal intelligence, emotional
intelligence
 Perspective
Wisdom and knowledge

21.  Valor and bravery
 Perseverance, industry, diligence
 Integrity, genuineness, honesty
 Kindness and generosity
 Loving and allowing oneself to be loved
 Citizenship, duty, teamwork, Loyalty
 Fairness and Equity
 Leadership
Courage
Love and humanity
Justice

22.  Temperance
 Self-control
 Prudence, discretion, caution
 Humility and modesty
 Transcendence
 Appreciation of beauty and excellence
 Gratitude
 Hope, optimism, future-mindedness
 Sense of purpose
 Forgiveness and mercy
 Playfulness and humor
 Zest, passion, enthusiasm
Temperance
Transcendence

23.  Acceptance, Accountability, Duty, Accuracy Action
Adaptability Aesthetics Ahimsa Appreciation,
Thankfulness Aspiration Assertiveness Awe
 Balance Boldness Bravery, Valor Caring Caution,
Forethought Charity Cheerfulness Citizenship
Cleanliness
Universal List of Virtues

24.  1. Thou Shalt Have No Gods Before Me
 2. Thou Shalt Not Make Graven Images
 3. Thou Shalt Not Take the Lord's Name in Vain
 4. Remember to Keep Holy the Sabbath
 5. Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother
 6. Thou Shalt Not Kill
 7. Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery
 8. Thou Shalt Not Steal
 9. Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness
 10. Thou Shalt Not Covet

Ten Commandments
(Bible)

25.  Mohandas Karamachand Gandhi, one of the most influential
figures in modern social and political activism, considered these
traits to be the most spiritually perilous to humanity.
 Wealth without Work
 Pleasure without Conscience
 Science without Humanity
 Knowledge without Character
 Politics without Principle
 Commerce without Morality
 Worship without Sacrifice
Gandhi's Seven Deadly Sins

26.  Gentleness Grace Gratitude Growth Harmony
Helpfulness Honesty Honor Hope Humanity,
Nurturing Humility Humor Idealism Impartiality
Independence Industry Ingenuity Initiative
Inquisitiveness Insight Integrity Intention Joyfulness
Judgment Justice Kindness Knowledge Leadership
Logic Love Mercy Mindfulness Moderation Moral
Core
Universal List of Virtues

27.  Collaboration Commitment Common Sense Compassion
Competence Confidence Consideration Contemplation,
Awareness Contentment Cooperation Courage Courtesy
Creating Beauty Creativity Curiosity Daring Decisiveness
Dedication Dependability Detachment Determination
Devotion Diligence Discernment Discretion Doubt, Critical
Thinking Dreaming Earnestness, Sincerity Empathy,
Sympathy Endurance Engagement Enthusiasm Equality,
Modesty Ethics Excellence Fairness Faith Faithfulness,
Loyalty, Fidelity Flexibility Focus Forbearance Forgiveness
Freedom Friendliness Generosity
Universal List of Virtues

28. Nobility No harm, Harmlessness Objectivity Openness Optimism
Orderliness Organization Passion, Zest Patience Peacefulness
Peacemaking Perseverance, Steadfastness, Tenacity Persistence
Playfulness Politeness Pragmatism
Precision Prudence Purity Purposefulness Rationality Realism
Reliability Remorse, Contrition, Shame Repentance Resilience
Respect Responsibility Restraint, Self-Control Reverence
Righteousness Sacrifice Self-Discipline Serenity Service Simplicity
Skepticism Skill Stamina Stewardship Strength Tact Teamwork
Temperance Thoroughness Thrift Tolerance Trust
Trustworthiness Truth-seeking Truthfulness, Candor Understanding
Unity Universal Ethics Veracity Virtue Vision Wisdom Wonder
Universal List of Virtues