The document provides an introduction to ethics in Islam, discussing key definitions and concepts. It explains that morality is the spirit of Islam and validates one's faith. Good character is an established state from which actions proceed easily without reflection. Developing strong morals has spiritual benefits like gaining the status of a devoted worshipper, and social benefits like establishing a just society. Ethics in Islam is the science of morality that studies people's innate dispositions and seeks to guide conduct according to Islamic principles.

1. ETHICS AND FIQH FOR
EVERYDAY LIFE
(UNGS 2050)
STANDARD CONTENTS
© Department of General Studies, 2008

2. WEEK 1
FOUNDATIONS OF ETHICS IN ISLAM

3. Introduction
 Definition: Literally: Derived from Greek ethos, means
character.
 Technically:
The field of study that has
morality as its subject matter.
(Branch of science)
Ethics
The values or rules of
conduct held by an individual or a
group = morality/ morals
According to Imam al-Ghazali, character is an established state (of
the soul) from which actions proceed easily without any need for
reflection or deliberation.
3

4. Major concerns
 The nature of ultimate values = ethical principles.
 The standards by which human actions can be
judged as “right” or “wrong”, “good” or “bad”.
4

5. The Importance of Ethics in Islam
Morality/ good moral character is:
- The spirit of Islam
- The validation and authentication of Iman
1- Morality as the spirit of Islam
 What is Islam?
Good relationship among human
beings = good morality.
Good relationship with Allah in its
spiritual sense.
5

6.  The main purpose of Islam
“I have been sent (as the Messenger of Allah)
only for the purpose of perfecting good morals”.
(hadith)
 Who is a Muslim?
“A Muslim is the one who avoids harming
Muslims with his tongue and hand” (hadith)
6

7.  Even pure worship (‘ibadat) is for moral purposes
Examples:
Salat: “…And establish regular prayer;
for prayer restrains from indecency and
evil” (29: 45)
 Zakat: “…Take alms of their wealth, so
that it may purify and sanctify them. (9: 103)
 Fasting: “…Fasting was made compulsory for you,
as it was made compulsory for those who
preceded you, so that you may become
righteous.” (2: 183)
7

8. Islam & ethics - continued
“Allah has nothing to do with the fasting of
those who did not avoid perjury, lying and false
accusation and acting upon them.” (hadith)
 Hajj: “…whoever determines the performance of
the pilgrimage therein, there shall be no lewdness
nor abuse nor angry conversation on the
pilgrimage(2: 197).
8

9. Morality as validation of Iman
Definition of Iman:
“Iman has over sixty branches (parts): the highest of
which is the belief that nothing deserves to be
worshipped except Allah and the lowest of which is
the removal from the way of that which might cause
harm to anyone. And modesty (haya’ الحياء ) is a
branch of it.” (hadith)
9

10. Morality as validation of Iman
Conviction Foundation
Profession Declaration
Practice Validation
10

11. Morality as validation of Iman
 “The man who has these three habits is a hypocrite
even if he observes fast, offers prayers, performs
‘umra (pilgrimage), and claims to be a Muslim: when
he talks he speaks untruth, when he makes a
promise he does not keep it, and when he is given
something in trust, he commits dishonesty.” (hadith)
 Lacking in good morals = Lacking in faith (iman)
 “which Muslim has the perfect faith? “He who has the
best moral character.” (hadith)
 The level of faith (iman) is proportional to the level of
morals
11

12. “He who believes in Allah and the Last Day
of Judgment is forbidden to cause any harm
to his neighbour, is to be kind to his guests
– especially the strangers, and is to say the
truth or else abstain.” (hadith)
“None of you will have faith (will be a true believer) till
he wishes for his (Muslim) brother what he likes for
himself.” (hadith)
Good morals are conditions of validity of
Iman
12

13. ) وَالْعَصْرِ ) 1( إِنَّ الإِنسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ ) 2( إِلاَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالَِِاتِ وَتَ وَاصَوْا بِالَِْ وَتَ وَاصَوْا بِالصَّ )ْ 3 
“I swear by the time, Most surely man is in loss, Save
those who believe and do good works, and exhort one
another to truth and exhort one another to endurance.”
(103: 1-3)
) وَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالَِِاتِ أُولَئِكَ أَصْحَابُ الَْْنَّةِ هُمْ فِيهَ ا خَالِ وُُنَ )البقررة: 82 
Those who have Faith and work righteousness. They
are the ones who shall be rewarded with Jannah.
therein they shall have an everlasting life. (2: 82)
13

14. Why we have to be moral people?
Spiritual benefits:
 Good morals = voluntary worship
“A believer by virtue of his good morals may attain
the status of one who fasts (voluntary fast) regularly
and performs prayer at night”. (hadith)
 The dearest one to Allah:
When the Prophet (saw) was asked: Whom Allah
likes most amongst His subjects? He replied: “The
one who possesses superior moral qualities”.
(hadith)
14

15.  Good morals eliminate sins – bad morals spoil
virtues
“Courtesy and good morality melt the sins just like
water melts the ice. And immorality spoils good
deeds as vinegar spoils honey.” (hadith)
“A certain woman is famous for her voluntary
prayers, fasting and charities, but she harms her
neighbours. She is in Hell. Another woman does not
do much by way of voluntary prayers and fasting and
she gives pieces of cheese in charity but she does
not harm her neighbours. She is in the Paradise.”
(hadith)
15

16. Social benefits:
 Stable, secure, and harmonious society
 Directing civilization to a just end (civilization = to do
what can be done. Ethics = what should be done,
what should not be done)
 Strong and peaceful family life
 Good leadership
 Building good reputation
 Wining hearts of people
16

17. Commitment to values
 “Fear Allah wherever and whenever you are (obey
his obligations and avoid his prohibitions) and follow
your sins with virtues so that it will eliminate it, and
treat people with high morals.” (hadith)
 “Do not follow others blindly and say: if people do
good, we do good too, and if they do injustice, we
do too. Rather, make up your minds for yourselves
and if people do something good, do it too, but if
they do something unjust, do not do it yourselves.”
(hadith)
17

18. Fields of ethics
Normative Meta ethics Applied
 Normative ethics:
- Seeks to set norms and standards for conduct
- General theories about what one ought to do.
Metaethics:
Systematically studies the meanings of ethical terms
and of judgments used in normative ethics.
18

19. Fields - continued
Applied ethics:
Application of normative theories to practical moral
issues/ problems.
Examples:
- Obedience to parents
- Right to life
- Justice
- Cooperation
19

20. Ethics / ‘ilm al-Akhlāq/ al-Akhlāq
 Ethics in Arabic is ‘ilm al-Akhlāq (science of
morality), which is the branch of knowledge that
studies akhlaq (morals).
 al-Akhlāq (the plural of khuluq/ خُلُق ) refers to
morality, which means a nature, or an innate
disposition or temperament.
 The proper signification of khuluq is the moral
character; or the fashion of the inner man; his
mind or soul and its peculiar qualities and
attributes.
20

21. WEEK 2
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
ETHICS, FIQH AND LAW

22. Morality/ ethics and law
 Both law and morality are action-guiding.
 Law provides a series of public statements (a
legal code), or system of dos and don’ts – to
guide humans in their behavior and to prevent
them from doing harm to others and violating their
rights.
 Morality provides a similar system though might
not be in written form.
 In addition to that, morality provides reasons
behind any significant laws governing human
beings and their institutions.
22

23.  Morality precedes law, whereas law sanctions
morality; that is, law puts morality into a code or
system that can then be enforced by punishment.
 Scope: In general, the law is taken to be
concerned with acts, rather than attitudes.
The mere fact of having certain intentions is not
really the sort of thing about which you can have
a law.
23

24. In morality, by contrast, bad intentions may
sometimes amount to a moral wrong. On the
other hand, good intentions are in themselves
good values.
 Morality is wider than law. What is moral in not
necessarily enforced through law.
But there are some things which are governed by
law (driving on the left or right side of road) which
are presumably matters of indifference from a
moral point of view.
24

25.  Conformity between morality and law:
= In Islamic law:
- Law should be a reflection of Islamic morals.
- Laws, rules and regulations are not supposed to be
against Islamic moral principles
= In secular law
The relationship between law and morality is not
entirely reciprocal. What is moral is not necessarily
legal and vice versa.
Many practices have been inscribed in the law, that
are clearly immoral (e.g., homosexuality, same sex
marriage, mercy killing, abortion, usury, changing
munkar …).
25

26.  Sanctions: If you break the law, you may be fined or
imprisoned or executed. Various bureaucracies exist
precisely to hand out legal sanctions.
If you do something that is morally wrong (but not
also illegal), however, no similar bureaucracy is going
to come after you.
Instead,
In divine religions you suffer a punishment on the
Day of Judgment.
In non-religious world views you may suffer the sense
of guilt in your own conscience, or your reputation
may suffer, or you may be exposed to the blame of
other people
26

27. Morality and Etiquette
 For the most part, “etiquette” pertains to norms
that are of little ethical significance.
 It concerns form and style rather than the
essence of social existence.
 Etiquette determines what is polite behavior
rather than what is right behavior in a deeper
sense. It represents society’s or religion’s
decision about how we are to dress, greet one
another, eat, celebrate festivals, express gratitude
and appreciation etc.
27

28. INCULCATION OF MORAL VALUES
 Determination
 Motivation
 Training (habituation)
 Environment (peers, friends ..)
28

29.  Determination
- To judge one’s character in light of the Qur’an
- A trait of character may be reinforced as a result of
acting frequently in accordance with it, and
considering it to be fine and satisfactory.
إِ نَّ الْمُؤْمِ نَّ ي رى ذُنُوب هَُّ كأ ن هَُّ ق اعِ دَّ تَْ تَّ جب لَّ ي افَُّ أ نَّْ ي ق عَّ عل يْهَِّ وإِ نَّ الْ فاجِ رَّ ي رى ذُنُوب هَُّ كذُب ا بَّ م رَّ
عل ى أ نْفِهَِّ ف قا لَّ بِهَِّ ه ك ذا
“A believer sees his sins as if he were sitting under a
mountain which, he is afraid, may fall on him; whereas
the wicked person considers his sins as flies passing
over his nose and he just drives them away like this.”
(hadith)
29

30.  Motivation
 To remember rewards & punishments
Models & Ideals
 Reciting the Qur’an
Reading Sirah
Reading the biographies of pious people
30

31.  Training (habituation)
 Morals can be instilled on the principle of habit
formation
Habit: do it without thinking/ hard to stop it
 Start repeat develop it to a habit
31

32. …
 “Adopt truth, for truth leads to righteousness, and
righteousness leads to Jannah. A person speaks
the truth regularly and adopts truthful ways till he
is recorded as a truthful person. And keep away
from falsehood, for falsehood leads to
wickedness, and wickedness leads to the Hell. A
person tells lies regularly and attaches himself to
falsehood till he is recorded as a liar.” (hadith)
32

33. …
 Truth righteousness Jannah
 Tell truth regularly truthful person
 Falsehoodwickedness Jahannam
 Tell lies regularly liar
33

34. …
إِ نَّ ا يُرِيدَُّ ال شيْط انَُّ أ نَّْ يُوقِ عَّ ب يْ ن كُمَُّ الْ ع دا وة والْب غْ ضَّاء فَِّ الْْ مْرَِّ والْ ميْسِرَِّ وي صُ دكُمَّْ عنَّْ ذِكْرَِّ ا للَِّّ وع نَِّ ال ص لَةَِّ ف هلَّْ أ نْ تُمَّْ 
) مُنْت هُو نَّ )المائدة: 91
 Satan's plan is (but) to excite enmity and hatred
between you, with intoxicants and gambling, and
hinder you from the remembrance of Allah, and
from prayer: will ye not then abstain? (5: 91)
34

35. Environment (peers, friends ..)
“The similitude of a good company and that of a
bad company is that of the owner of misk
(perfume) and of the one blowing bellows (iron-smith).
The owner of perfume would either offer
you for free of charge or you would buy it from
him or you would smell its pleasant odour. The
one who blows bellows he would either burn your
clothes or you shall have to smell its bad smell.”
(hadith)
35

36. WEEK 3
CORE MORAL VALUES IN ISLAM

37. THE CONCEPT OF JUSTICE (‘ADL)
To place things in their rightful places
The term “’adl” implies:
Giving people what they deserve,
Impartiality,
Saying the truth,
Avoiding oppressing others,
Avoiding bias and prejudice,
Being balanced in one’s views and
judgements.
37

38. Forms of expression in the Qur’an
- al-‘Adl ( الع لُ ) and its derivatives = 10
(2: 282/ twice), (4: 58), 16: 76, 90), (49:9), (5: 8),
(6:152), (42: 15)
- al-Qist ( القسط ) and its derivatives = 18
(3: 18, 21), (4: 127, 135), (5: 8, 42), (6: 152), (7: 29),
(10: 4, 47, 54), (11:85), (21: 47), (55: 9), (57:25), (5:
42), (49: 9), (60: 8).
الميزان، القسقطاس - (balance)
38

39. Forms of Justice
Justice
Judging between people
Sayings
state of mind/
way of thinking
way of treating
people
39

40. 1. Justice in judging between people/ Judicial
justice
Judges, mediators, arbiters
To be impartial in judging between
people (more in legal ethics)
40

41. }إِنَّ اللَّّ يَأْمُرُكُمْ أَنْ تُ ؤَدُّوا الأَمَانَاتِ إِلَ أَهْلِهَا وَ إِذَا حَكَمْتُمْ بَ يَْ النَّاسِ أَنْ تََْكُمُوا بِالْعَ لُِْ إِنَّ اللَّّ نِعِمَّا
يَعِظُكُمْ بِهِ إِنَّ اللَّّ كَانَ سََِيعًا بَصِيرًا) 58 ({ )سورة النساء(.
“Surely Allah commands you to render back trusts to
their owners and that when you judge between
people you judge with justice; surely Allah
admonishes you with what is excellent; surely Allah
is Seeing, Hearing.” (4: 58)
41

42. }سَََّاعُونَ لِلْكَذِبِ أَكَّالُونَ لِلسُّحْتِ فَإِنْ جَاءُوكَ فَاحْ كُمْ بَ يْ نَ هُمْ أَوْ أَعْرِضْ عَنْ هُمْ وَإِنْ تُ عْرِضْ عَنْ هُمْ
فَ لَنْ يَضُرُّوكَ شَيْئًا وَإِنْ حَكَمْتَ فَاحْكُمْ بَ يْ نَ هُمْ بِالْقِسْطِ إِنَّ اللَّّ يُُِبُّ الْمُقْسِطِيَ ) 42 ({ )سورة
المائ ةُ(.
“Listeners for the sake of falsehood! Greedy for illicit
gain! If then they have recourse unto you
(Muhammad) judge between them or disclaim
jurisdiction. and if you turn aside from them, they shall
not harm you in any way. But if you judge, judge
between them with equity; surely Allah loves those
who judge equitably.” (5: 42)
42

43. 2. Justice in sayings:
To say the truth and bear witness with justice
43

44. - With enemies:
}يَا أَيُّ هَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُونُوا قَ وَّامِيَ لِلَِّّ شُهَ اَُء بِالْقِسْطِ وَلا يََْرِمَنَّكُمْ شَ نَآنُ قَ وْمٍ عَلَى أَلا تَ عْ لُُِوا اعْ لُُِوا هُوَ أَقْ رَبُ لِلتَّ قْوَى وَاتَّ قُوا اللَّّ إِنَّ اللَّّ خَبِير ر بَِِا تَ عْمَ لُونَ ) 8({ )سورة
المائ ةُ(.
“O you who believe! Be upright for Allah, bearers
of witness with justice, and let not hatred of any
people incite you not to act justly; deal justly, that
is nearer to piety, and Observe your duty to Allah;
surely Allah is Aware of what you do.” (5: 8)
44

45. - Against oneself & relatives
}وَإِذَا قُ لْتُمْ فَاعْ لُُِوا وَلَوْ كَانَ ذَا قُ رْبَ …) 152 ({ )سورة الأنعام(.
“And when you speak, then be just though it be against a
relative…” (6: 152)
45

46. يَاأَيُّ هَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُونُوا قَ وَّامِيَ بِالْقِسْطِ شُهَ اء لِلَِّّ وَلَوْ عَلَى أَنفُسِكُمْ أَوْ الْ والِ يَُْنِ وَالْأَقْ رَبِيَ إِنْ
يَكُنْ غَنِيًّا أَوْ فَقِيرًا فَاللَّّ أَوْلَ بِِِمَا فَلَ ت تَّبِعُوا الْْوََى أَنْ تَ عْ لُُِوا ) 135 ( )النساء(
O you who believe! stand out firmly for justice, as
witnesses to Allah, even as against yourselves, or your
parents, or your kin, and whether it be against rich or
poor: for Allah can best protect both. Follow not the
lusts (of your hearts), lest you will be deviated from the
right way… (4: 135)
46

47. 3. Justice in treating people
(a)To avoid oppressing others and abusing their
rights
b) Social and economic justice
- People should be given equal opportunities.
- People must be given the right to private
ownership and freedom of economic pursuit.
- the wealth of the individuals should be fully protected.
- Redistribution of wealth/ Zakat + charity.
47

48. - Social welfare fund:
}مَا أَفَاء اللَّّ عَلَى رَسُولِهِ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْقُرَى فَلِلَّهِ ولِلرَّسُو ل وَلِذِي الْقُرْبَ وَالْيَتَامَى والْمَسَاكِيِ وَابْنِ السَّبِيلِ
كَيْ لا يَكُونَ دُولَة بَ يَْ الأَغْنِيَاءِ مِنْكُمْ وَمَا ءَاتَاكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوه وَمَا نَ هَاكُمْ عَنْه ف انْ تَ هُوا وَاتَّ قُوا
اللَّّ إِنَّ اللَّّ شَ يُِ الْعِقَابِ ) 7({ )الِشر(
That which Allah gives as spoil unto His messenger
from the people of the townships, it is for Allah and
His messenger and for the near of kin and the
orphans and the needy and the wayfarer, so that it
may not become a commodity between the rich
among you. And whatsoever the messenger gives
you, take it. And whatsoever he forbids, abstain
(from it). And keep your duty to Allah. Surely Allah is
stern in reprisal. (59:7)
48

49. c) Political justice:
- Shurah: people have right to decide how to
and who is to manage their affairs.
- Fair representation of different groups.
(d) Justice on the family level
- Justice between children
Nu'man b. Bashir reported: My father donated to me
some of his property. My mother said: I shall not be
pleased with this act until you make Allah's
Messenger (saw) a witness to it.
49

50. My father went to Allah's Messenger (saw) in order
to make him the witness of the donation given to me.
Allah's Messenger (saw) said to him: Have you done
the same with every son of yours? He said: No. The
Prophet (saw) said: Fear Allah! And observe justice
among your children. My father returned and got
back the gift.” (hadith)
50

51. - Justice to wives/ husbands
}وَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَلا تُ قْسِطُوا فِ الْيَتَامَى فَانكِحُوا مَ ا طَابَ لَكُمْ مِنَ الن سَاءِ مَثْ نَ وَثُلثَ وَرُبَاعَ فَإِنْ
خِفْتُمْ أَلا تَ عْ لُُِوا فَ وَاحِ ةًَُ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيَْْانُكُمْ ذَلِكَ أَدْنَ أَلا تَ عُولُوا) 3({ )سورة النساء(.
“And if you fear that you cannot act equitably
towards orphans, then marry such women as seem
good to you, two and three and four; but if you fear
that you will not do justice (between them), then
(marry) only one or what your right hands possess;
this is more proper, Thus it is more likely that you will
not do injustice.” (4: 3)
51

52. وَلَنْ تَسْتَطِيعُوا أَنْ تَ عْ لُُِوا بَ يَْ الن سَاءِ وَلَوْ حَ رصْتُمْ فَلَ تََِيلُوا كُلَّ الْمَيْلِ فَ تَذَ رُوهَا كَالْمُعَلَّقَةِ وَإِنْ
تُصْلِحُوا وَتَ تَّ قُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّّ كَانَ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًا) 129 ( )سورة النساء(
You will not be able to be completely just between
wives, even if it is your ardent desire. But don’t turn
altogether from one, leaving her as in suspense. If
you do good and keep from evil, Allah is ever
forgiving, merciful. 4: 129
52

53. (e) Justice in weighing & measuring
) وَأَوْفُوا الْكَيْلَ إِذَا كِلْتُمْ وَزِنُوا بِالْقِسْطَاسِ الْمُ سْتَقِيمِ ذَلِكَ خَيْ رر وَأَحْسَنُ تَأْ وِيل) 35
)الإسراء(
And give full measure when you measure, and weigh
with a right balance; this is fair and better in the end.
(17: 35)
53

54. 4. Justice as a state of mind/ way of thinking:
To be moderate and balanced in our views,
especially in making judgments on things and
people.
This would be achieved through looking at both
merits and demerits of things and persons,
considering the consequences, weighing between
benefits and harm, understanding the causes and
reasons behind people’s actions, etc.
54

55. Cause of injustice vs. Requirements of justice
1. Cause of injustice:
Hatred enemies + opponents
Love and favour relatives + cronies
Self-interest and greed
Ignorance
Hurry in making decisions
55

56. 2. Requirements of justice
(a) On the individual level:
1.To keep in mind the dire consequences of injustice
56

57. ) }وَلا تََْسَبََّ اللَّّ غَافِل عَمَّا يَ عْمَلُ الظَّالِمُونَ إِنَََّّا ي ؤَُ خرُهُمْ لِيَ وْمٍ تَشْخَصُ فِيهِ الأَبْصَارُ ) 42
مُهْطِعِيَ مُقْنِعِي رُءُوسِهِمْ لا يَ رْتَ إِلَيْهِمْ طَ رفُ هُمْ وَأَفْئِ تَُُ هُمْ هَوَاء ر) 43 ({ )إبراهيم(
And do not think Allah is unaware of what the unjust
do; He only respites them to a day on which the eyes
will stare in terror. As they come hurrying on in fear
their heads upraised, their gaze returning not to
them, and their hearts vacant. (14: 42-43)
57

58. }وَلَمَنِ انْ تَصَرَ بَ عْ ظُلْمِهِ فَأُولَئِكَ مَا عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ سَبِيلٍ ) 41 ( إِنَََّّا السَّبِيلُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ يَظْلِمُونَ
النَّاسَ وَيَ بْ غُونَ فِ الأَرْضِ بِغَيْرِ الَِْ أُولَئِكَ لَْمُْ عَذَا ر ب أَلِي ر م ) 42 ({ )الشورى(
And whoever defends himself after his being
oppressed, there is no way of blame against them.
The blame is only against those who oppress
mankind, and act in defiance of right and justice (and
wrongfully rebel in the earth) these shall have a
painful punishment. (42: 41-42)
58

59. 2- To distance oneself from oppressors
وَلا تَ رْكَنُوا إِلَ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا فَ تَمَسَّكُمُ النَّارُ وَمَا لَكُمْ مِنْ دُونِ اللَِّّ مِنْ أَوْلِيَاء ثُ لا ت نْصَرُونَ
) )هود: 113
And do not incline to those who are unjust, or the Fire
will seize you, and you have no guardians besides
Allah, then you shall not be helped. (11:113)
59

60. 3- To examine whatever we hear before acting against
people on mere suspicion
يَاأَيُّ هَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا إِنْ جَاءكَُمْ فَاسِ ر بِنَبَ أ ف تَبَ يَّ نُوا أَنْ تُصِيبُوا قَ وْمًا بَِِهَا لَةٍ فَ تُصْبِحُوا عَلَى مَا
) فَ عَلْتُمْ نَادِمِيَ . )الِجرات: 6
“O you who believe! If an untrustworthy person comes
to you with any news/ report, look carefully into it, lest
you harm people in ignorance, then be sorry for what
you have done. (49:6)
60

61. ) يَاأَيُّ هَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا اجْتَنِبُواكَثِيرًا مِنَ الظَّ ن إِنَّ بَ عْضَ الظَّ ن إِثْ ر )الِجرات: 12
O you who believe! Avoid most of suspicion, for surely
suspicion in some cases is a sin. (49:12)
61

62. (b) On societal level:
}لَقَ أَرْسَلْنَا رُسُلَنَا بِالْبَ ي نَاتِ وَأَنْ زَلْنَا مَعَهُمْ الْكِتَابَ وَالْمِيزَانَ لِيَ قُومَ النَّاسُ بِالْقِ سْطِ وَأَنْ زَلْنَا الَِْ يُِ فِيهِ
بَأْ ر س شَ يُِر وَمَنَافِعُ لِلنَّاسِ وَلِيَ عْلَمَ اللَّّ مَنْ يَ نصُرُه وَرُسُلَه بِالْغَيْبِ إِنَّ اللَّّ قَ وِ ي عَزِيرز ) 25 ({ )سورة
الِ يُ (ُ.
“We verily sent Our messengers with clear proofs,
and sent down with them the Book and the balance
that men may conduct themselves with equity; and
We have made the iron, wherein is mighty power and
(many) uses for mankind, and that Allah may know
who supports Him and His messengers, though
unseen; surely Allah is Strong, Almighty.” (57: 25)
62

63. 1- The book: that refers to the just and perfect laws.
2- The balance: that refers to the knowledge and
wisdom of the judge by which he can weigh
contradictory pleas and evidences to come out with a
just decision.
3- The iron: that refers to power and authority. Usually
justice cannot be implemented without authority. It
needs to be imposed on wrongdoers and tyrants.
63

64. Injustice/ Tyranny / Zulm
 Placing something not at its proper place
 To go beyond the limit of what is morally or legally
acceptable
 To exceed the limits of our rights/ power/ authority
 To cause harm & injury to others.
64

65. ) ب لَّْ هُ وَّ ء اي ا تَّ ب ي ن ا تَّ فَِّ صُدُورَِّ ال ذِي نَّ أُوتُوا الْعِلَّْ مَّ و ما يَْ حدَُّ بِآي اتِن ا إِ لَّّ الظ الِمُو نَّ )العنكبوت: 49
Nay, here are Signs self-evident in the hearts of
those endowed with knowledge: and none but the
unjust reject Our signs. (29:49)
65

66. Insignificances of zulm
Injustice leads to bankruptcy:
When the Messenger of Allah asked: Who is a
bankrupt. His companions answered that the bankrupt
is one who has no money. He said: “in my Ummah,
the bankrupt is that man who would appear on the day
of judgment before Allah; he had offered prayer; he
had paid Zakat; he had observed fast;
66

67. but he would have abused somebody, he would have
falsely accused some one; he would have unlawfully
taken some one else’s property; he would have
murdered some one; he would have hit some body. All
his virtues would be given to his victims. If his virtues
are finished before his wicked deeds are finished, then
the sins of the victims would be given to him and he
would be thrown into the Hell”. (hadith)
67

68. The Messenger of Allah used to say in any speech he
gives: “The person who does not keep trust has no
Iman (faith) and the person who does not respect his
covenant (and promise) has no religion.” (hadith)
"The signs of a hypocrite are three: … (c) If he is
entrusted, he does honour his trust (he proves to be
dishonest)” (hadith)
68

69. "When would the Hour (Doomsday) take place?" …
"When honesty is lost, then wait for the Hour
(Doomsday)." (hadith)
"How will that be lost?" The Prophet said, "When the
power or authority comes in the hands of unfit
persons, then wait for the Hour (Doomsday.)” (hadith)
- Why the one who can’t be trusted has no iman?
- Why the one who cannot be trusted has no religion?
- Why loss of amanah is related to the Doomsday?
Doomsday = chaos = disorder
69

70. What is Amanah?
Honesty Responsibility
Amanah
Sincerity Trustworthiness
70

71. - To fulfill one’s responsibility towards his Lord as well
as to that of humans.
- To be honest and sincere in doing things.
- To keep deposits properly and use them according to
the terms and conditions of the owner.
- Antonym: Khianah (betrayal)
71

72. Aspects of Amanah
Amanah
Vicegerancy
Family
Deposits
Secrets
Work/ public office
Wealth & abilities
72

73. 1. The amanah of taklif:
– To inhabit this world
– to be vicegerants of Allah
– to fulfill the purpose of our creation
– to implement His laws on this earth
}إِنَّا عَرَضْنَا الأَمَانَة عَلَى السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَالِْْبَالِ فَأَب يَْ أَنْ يَُْمِلْنَ هَا وَأَشْفَقْنَ مِنْ هَا وَحَََل هَا الإِنْسَانُ إِنَّه كَانَ
ظَلُومًا جَهُولا ) 72 ({ )سورة الأحزاب(.
“We offered the trust unto the heavens and the
earth and the hills, but they shrank from bearing it
and were afraid of it. And man assumed it. He was
indeed tyrannous and ignorant.” (33: 72)
73

74. 2. The amanah of family
To fulfill our responsibilities towards our family members
and provide them with guidance and maintenance,
“Every one of you is a guardian and every one will be
asked about his subjects... A man is the guardian of the
persons in his household and he will be answerable
about them. A woman is the guardian of her husband’s
house and she will be asked about her responsibility…”
(hadith)
74

75. 3. To return back deposits to their owners.
}إِنَّ اللََّّ يَأْمُرُكُمْ أَنْ تُ ؤَدُّوا الأَمَانَاتِ إِلَ أَهْلِهَا.. ) 58 ({ )سورة النساء(.
“Surely Allah commands you to render back trusts to
their owners.” (4: 58)
4. Keeping secrets:
maintaining secrecy and confidentiality of what is
required to be confidential is a trust.
“What is said in meetings and meant to be
confidential is a trust” (hadith)
75

76. 5. The amanah of work & public office:
The Prophet (saw) said: “Whomsoever we have
given some post and he has concealed a needle or a
thing smaller than that, then it will be a
misappropriated thing with which he will have to
appear on the Day of Judgment.” (hadith)
“When the administrator is given a job, he should
receive his due and should pay the dues of others,
then he is like a fighter in the cause of Allah till he
returns home.” (hadith)
76

77. 6. The amanah of wealth & abilities:
"لّ ت زُولَُّ ق د ما عبْ دَّ ي وْ مَّ الْقِي ا مةَِّ ح تَّّ يُسْأ لَّ عنَّْ عَُّمُرِهَِّ فِي ما أ فْ ن اهَُّ و عنَّْ عِلْمِهَِّ فِي مَّ ف ع لَّ و عنَّْ مالِهَِّ مِنَّْ أ يْ نَّ
اكْت سب هَُّ وفِي مَّ أ نْ ف قهَُّ و عنَّْ جِسْمِهَِّ فِي مَّ أ بْلَهَُّ ."
“Before the end of the Day of Judgement everyone
will be questioned about the following:
- In what did he spend his life?
- What did he do with his knowledge?
- From where did he get his wealth and on what
did he spend it?
- In what did he use his physical and mental
faculties?” (hadith)
77

78. WEEK 4
The concept of Khayr/Birr
(righteousness) and Ithm/Sharr (vice).

79. The concept of Birr vs. Ithm
al-birr ( البر )= al-khayr ( = (الخير
Virtue, righteousness, goodness, benevolence
Al-’ithm ( الإثم ) = al=Sharr ( =(الشر
vice, evil
79

80. …/… continued
 A virtue, from an Islamic perspective, can be
defined as: a belief, act or saying that is useful
and beneficial to mankind and in compliance with
the divine law.
 Virtues, in Islam, can be classified under the
following categories:
1- Observing the obligations enjoined by Allah (swt)
and those acts recommended by Him to be
performed.
2- Refraining from those acts and sayings that are
prohibited by Allah (swt).
80

81. …/… continued
3- All acts which are helpful and beneficial to
oneself, his family, relatives, human beings and
animals.
Birr towards oneself
Birr towards family and relatives
Birr towards community members and humanity
Birr towards other creatures
Birr towards God the creator of this universe
81

82. …/… continued
A vice (sin) is any belief, act or saying that is
harmful to mankind and against the principles of
divine law. Vices/sins can be classified under the
following categories:
1- Neglect of obligations and duties without legal
justification.
2- Commission of prohibited acts and sayings.
82

83. …/… continued
3- Abusing the rights of others and causing undue
harm (physical or psychological) to them (any
kind of harm which is not in retaliation to another
harm or which is necessary to remove evil,
tyranny or a greater harm).
4- Taking the property of someone without his
consent.
"كل المسلم على المسلم حرام: دمه وماله وعرضه".
“The blood, property and honour of a Muslim must
be sacred (forbidden) to every other Muslim.”
(hadith)
83

84. …/… continued
Ithm (sharr) towards oneself
Ithm (sharr) towards family & relatives
Ithm (sharr) towards community members &
humanity
Ithm (sharr) towards other creatures
Ithm (sharr) towards God the creator of this
universe
84

85. …/… Continued
 Allah's Messenger (saw) said:
“A charity is due on every joint of a person, every
day the sun rises:
 Administering of justice between two men is a
Charity;
 And assisting a man to ride upon his beast
(vehicle);
 Helping him load his luggage upon it;
85

86. …/… Continued
 And a good word is a charity;
 Every step that you take towards Prayer is a
charity;
 Removing of harmful things from the pathway is a
charity.” (hadith)
 Allah's Messenger (saw) said:
“Never does a Muslim plant trees or cultivate land
and birds or a man or a beast eat out of them but
that is a charity on his behalf.” (hadith)
86

87. …/… Continued
روى مسلم عن أبي ذر أن ناسا من أصحاب النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قالوا للنبي
صلى الله عليه وسلم ثم يا رسول الله ذهب أهل الدثور بالأجور يصلون كما نصلي
ويصومون كما نصوم ويتصدقون بفضول أموالهم قال أو ليس قد جعل الله لكم ما
تصدقون! إن بكل تسبيحة صدقة وكل تكبيرة صدقة وكل تَميدة صدقة وكل تهليلة
صدقة وأمر بالمعروف صدقة ونهي عن منكر صدقة وف بضع أحدكم صدقة قالوا يا
رسول الله أيأتي أحدنا شهوته ويكون له فيها أجر قال أرأيتم لو وضعها ف حرام أكان
عليه فيها وزر فكذلك إذا وضعها ف الحلَلكان له أجر "
87

88. …/… continued
عن عب اُلله بن مسعود رضي الله عنه قال كنا مع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ف سفر ومررنا بشجرة فيها
فرخا حَرة فأخذناهما قال فجاءت الِمرة إل رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وهي تصيح فقال النبي صلى
الله عليه وسلم من فجع هذه بفرخيها قال فقلنا نحن قال فردوهما
We were with the Messenger of Allah (peace be
upon him) during a journey. He went to ease
himself. We saw a bird with her two young ones
and we captured her young ones. The bird came
and began to spread its wings. The Apostle of
Allah (peace be upon him) came and said: “Who
grieved this for its young ones? Return its young
ones to it.” (hadith)
88

89. …/… continued
عذبت امرأة ف هرة سجنتها حتى ماتت ف خُلت فيها النار لا هي أطعمتها
وسقتها إذ حبستها ولا هي تركتها تأكل من خشاش الأرض
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him)
said: “A woman was punished because
of a cat. She had neither provided her
with food nor drink, nor set her free so
that she might eat the insects of the
earth, until it died.” (hadith)
89

90. …/… Continued
}لَيْسَ الْ أََّْنْ تُ وَلُّوا وُجُوهَكُمْ قِبَلَ الْمَشْ رِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ وَلَكِنَّ الْ مََّْ نْ آمَنَ بِاللَِّّ وَالْيَ وْمِ
الآخِرِ وَالْمَلئِكَةِ وَالْكِتَابِ وَالنَّبِي يَ وَآ تَى الْمَالَ عَلَى حُب هِ ذَوِي الْقُرْبَ وَالْيَتَامَى
وَالْمَسَاكِيَ وَابْنَ السَّبِيلِ وَالسَّائِلِيَ وَفِ ال رِقَابِ وَأَقَامَ الصَّلةَ وَآتَى الزَّكَ اةَ وَالْمُوفُونَ
بِعَهْ هُِِمْ إِذَا عَاهَ وُُا وَالصَّابِرِينَ فِ الْبَأْسَ اءِ وَالضَّرَّاءِ وَحِيَ الْبَأْسِ أُوْ لَئِكَ الَّذِينَ صَ قَُُوا
وَأُوْلَئِكَ هُمْ الْمُتَّ قُونَ ) 177 ({ )سورة البقرة(.
90

91. …/… Continued
 “It is not righteousness that you turn your faces
(in prayer) towards East or West…” (2:177)
1. Avoid superficial concepts and rituals,
lifeless formalities and non-effective beliefs.
Righteousness is not merely a matter of void
utterances. It must be founded on strong Iman
and constant practice.
91

92. …/… Continued
ي سْأ لُون كَّ عنَِّ الْأ هِل ةَِّ قُلَّْ هِ يَّ م واقِيتَُّ لِلن اسَِّ والحَّْ جَّ ول يْ سَّ الْبِرَّ بِأ نَّْ ت أْتُوا الْبُ يُوَّ تَّ مِنَّْ ظُهُورِ ها ول كِ نَّ الْ بَّ 
) منَِّ ات قى وأْتُوا الْبُ يُو تَّ مِنَّْ أ بْ وابِِ ا وات قُوا ا للَّّ ل عل كُمَّْ تُ فْلِحُو نَّ) 189
 “…It is no virtue if you enter your houses from the
back: it is virtue if you fear Allah. Enter houses
through the proper doors: and fear Allah: that you
may prosper.
 “but it is righteousness to believe in Allah and the
Last Day, and the Angeles and the Book, and the
Messengers …” (2: 177)
2. One’s Iman (faith) should be true and sincere.
92

93. …/… continued
 “… to spend of your wealth – in spite of your love for
it – for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the
wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of
slaves…” (2: 177)
}لَ ن تَنَالُوا ا لبِ ر حَت ى تُ نفِقُوا مِ ما تُحِبُّونَ وَمَا تُ نفِ قُوا مِ ن شَ ي ء فَإِ ن ا للّ بِهِ عَلِي م ) 92 ({ )آل عمران(
3. One must be prepared to show this Iman (faith)
in deeds of charity and kindness to their relatives
and fellow man.
93

94. …/… continued
 “… to be steadfast in prayer and practice regular
charity;”
4. To fulfil religious obligations
 “…to fulfill the contracts which you have made;”
5. Respect other’s rights and honour one’s
words
94

95.  “… and to be firm and patient, in pain and
adversity, and throughout all periods of panic...”
(2: 177)
6. One must be patient and unshakable in all
circumstances.
95

96. Al-‘amru bi al-ma‘ruf & al-nahyu ‘an
al-munkar
(enjoining good and forbidding evil)
}كُنْتُمْ خَيْ رَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْ روفِ وَتَ نْ هَوْنَ عَنْ الْمُنكَرِ وَتُ ؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَِّّ ) 110 ({ )سورة
آل عمران(
“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 Allah.” (3: 110)
96

97. Al-‘amru bil ma‘ruf
Al-‘amr: to invite to, to encourage, to promote,
to spread, to command, to enforce.
Al-ma‘ruf: acceptable
Al-Birr, al-Khayr, virtue, goodness
Al-‘amru bil ma‘ruf
Inviting people to do goodness
Spreading & promoting virtues
Enforcing goodness
Al-‘amru bil ma‘ruf = Da’wah = advice
97

98. al-nahyu ‘an al-munkar
Al-nahy: to discourage, to advise not to do
sth., to prevent, to prohibit
Al-munkar: disagreeable
evil, vice
al-nahyu ‘an al-munkar:
To discourage/ advise not to do
To prevent/ combat Evil/Indecency
98

99. Levels of
Al-‘amru bil ma‘ruf & al-nahyu ‘an al-munkar
Society
Friends &
relatives
Family
99

100. Means & ways of
Al-‘amru bil ma‘ruf & al-nahyu ‘an al-munkar
Model = by being a model of Islamic
morals & values
Verbal = words, advice
Writing = newspaper, magazine, books,
novels, cartoons, etc.
Media = all programmes that promote
virtues and goodness, and combat
evil and indecency.
100

101. Changing Munkar
“He who amongst you sees something abominable
should modify it with the help of his hand; and if he
has not strength enough to do it, then he should do it
with his tongue, and if he has not strength enough to
do it, even then he should abhor it from his heart,
and that is the least of faith.” (hadith)
101

102. Whose duty is?
Communal duty
}وَلْتَكُنْ مِنْكُمْ أُمَّة ر يَ عُُْونَ إِلَ الخَْيْرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَ نْ هَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وأُولَئِكَ هُمُ
الْمُفْلِحُونَ ) 104 ({ )آل عمران(
“And there may spring from you a nation who invite
to goodness, and enjoin right conduct and forbid
indecency. Such are the ones to attain felicity.” (3:
104)
Hisba = a task force for changing munkar,
combating corruption, ensuring justice
102

103. Individual duty
}) }كُنْتُمْ خَيْ رَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْ رُوفِ وَتَ نْ هَوْنَ عَنْ الْمُنكَرِ وَتُ ؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَِّّ ) 110
)سورة آل عمران(
“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 Allah.” (3: 110)
103

104. وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتُ بَ عْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاء بَ عْضٍ يَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَ نْ هَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُ نْكَرِ وَيُقِيمُونَ
( الصَّلَةَ وَيُ ؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ وَيُطِيعُونَ اللَّّ وَرَسُولَه أُولَئِكَ سَيَ رْحََُهُمُ اللَّّ إِنَّ اللَّّ عَ زِيرز حَكِي ر م ) 71
The Believers, men and women, are protectors, one
of another: they enjoin what is just, and forbid what
is evil: they observe regular prayers, practice regular
charity, and obey Allah and His Messenger. On them
will Allah pour His Mercy: for Allah is Exalted in
power, Wise. (9: 71)
104

105. The roles of
Al-‘amru bil ma‘ruf & al-nahyu ‘an al-munkar
1- A constant reminder for Muslims
To help each other to follow the guidance of Allah,
and keep on the right path.
}وَذَ كِرْ فَإِنَّ ال ذِكْرَى تَ نْ فَعُ الْمُؤْمِنِيَ ) 55 ({ )الذاريات(
“And continue to remind, for surely the reminder
benefits the believers.” (51: 55)
}) }وَالْعَصْرِ ) 1( إِنَّ الإِنْسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ ) 2( إِلا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالَِِاتِ وَتَ وَاصَ وْا بِالَِْ وَتَ وَاصَوْا بِالصَّ )ْ 3
“I swear by the time, most surely man is in loss, save
those who believe and do good works, and exhort
one another to truth and exhort one another to
endurance.” (103: 1-3)
105

106. 2- To safeguard the society against
corruption & evil
A way for:
- Social
- Moral change
- Political
106

107. Why should we care about the society?
To protect our selves & families
"The example of the people abiding by Allah's order
and restrictions in comparison to those who violate
them is like the example of those persons who drew
lots for their seats in a boat. Some of them got seats
in the upper part, and the others in the lower. When
the latter needed water, they had to go up to bring
water (and that troubled the others)…
107

108. so they said, 'Let us make a hole in our share of the
ship (and get water) saving those who are above us
from troubling them. So, if the people in the upper
part left the others do what they had suggested, all
the people of the ship would be destroyed, but if they
prevented them, both parties would be safe.“(hadith)
People with good morality
Immoral people
108

109. 3- To avoid Allah’s punishment
}وَاتَّ قُوا فِتْ نَة لا تُصِيبََّ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا مِنْكُمْ خَاصَّة وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّّ شَ يُِ الْعِقَابِ ) 25 ({ )الأنفال(.
And guard yourselves against a punishment which
cannot fall exclusively on those of you who are
wrongdoers, and know that Allah is severe in
punishment. (8: 25)
109

110. "By no means, I swear by Allah, you must enjoin
what is good and prohibit what is evil, prevent the
wrongdoer, bend him into conformity with what is
right, and restrict him to what is right… Or Allah will
mingle your hearts together and curse you as He
cursed them.“(hadith)
110

111. Abu Bakar said:
You people recite this verse "You who believe, care
for yourselves; he who goes astray cannot harm you
when you are rightly-guided," (5: 10) and put it in its
improper place.
I heard the Prophet (saw) saying: When people see
a wrongdoer and do not prevent him, Allah will soon
punish them all.”
111

112. 4- Salvation of mankind
}كُنْتُمْ خَيْ رَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَ نْ هَوْنَ عَنْ الْمُنكَرِ وَتُ ؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَِّّ ) 110 ({ )سورة آل
عمران(
“You are the best of the nations raised up for the
benefit of mankind; you enjoin what is right and
forbid the wrong and believe in Allah.” (3: 110)
112

113. What should we do
if people are not listening?
وَإِذْ قَالَتْ أُمَّةر مِنْ هُمْ لَِِ تَعِظُونَ قَ وْمًا اللَُّّ مُهْلِكُهُمْ أَوْ مُعَ ذِبُ هُمْ عَذَابًا شَ يُِ اًُ قَالُوا مَعْذِ رَةً إِلَ رَب كُمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ
يَ تَّ قُونَ ) 164 ( )الأعراف(
“… a group of them said: Why do you preach to
a people whom Allah will destroy or visit with
a terrible punishment?" The preachers said :
"To discharge our duty to our Lord, and
perchance they may fear Him." (7: 164)
113

114. Is this concept against personal freedom?
Islam does allow interference in personal affairs of
others.
What if “personal affairs” are violating the rights of:
Allah
Society
Individuals?
Personal freedom is always limited
114

115. When you commit munkar alone, without violating
the rights of other your personal affairs
When you violate - No more personal affairs
the rights of others - Injure their feeling
- Challenge their religious
Commit munkar/ & moral responsibility
indecency openly - Encourage people
to do evil
115

116. إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُُِبُّونَ أَنْ تَشِيعَ الْفَاحِشَة فِ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَْمُْ عَذَا ر ب أَلِي ر م فِ ال نُُّْ يَا وَالآخِرَةِ وَاللَّّ يَ عْلَمُ
وَأَنْ تُمْ لا تَ عْلَمُونَ ) 19 ( )النور(
Those who like to see scandals and indecency
broadcast/ spread among the believers, will have a
grievous penalty in this life and in the Hereafter.
Allah knows, and you do not know. (24: 19)
116

117. How it should be practiced?
 In an impressive & convincing manner
 In a wise way, so that it may not:
- Make people feel offended
- Lead to a greater evil
ادْع إِ ل سَبِيلِ رَب كَ بِالِِْكْمَةِ وَالْمَوْعِظَةِ الَِْسَ نَةِ وَجَادِلْْمُْ بِالَّتِ هِيَ أَحْسَنُ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بَِِنْ
ضَلَّ عَنْ سَبِيلِهِ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُهْتَ يُِنَ ) 125 ( )النحل(
Invite to the way of the Lord with wisdom and
beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways
that are best and most gracious; for the Lord knows
best, who have strayed from His path, and who
receive guidance. (16: 125)
117

118.  To avoid words-deeds inconsistency
ي اأ ي ر ها ال ذِي نَّ آ منُوا لِ ت قُولُو نَّ ما لَّّ ت فْ علُو نَّ) 2( كبُ رَّ مقْتًا عِنْ دَّ ا للَِّّ أ نَّْ ت قُولُوا ما لَّّ ت فْ علُو نَّ) 3( )الصف(
O ye who believe! Why say ye that which ye do not?
Grievously odious is it in the sight of Allah that ye
say that which ye do not. (61: 2-3)
118

119. Can one punish the offenders?
 preventing an offence or evil from taking place,
 stopping it,
 and punishing the offender.
119

120. WEEK 5
FAMILY ETHICS
120

121. 121
Meaning of Family Ethics
It means: The relationship between two opposite
genders, masculine and feminine, which is
institutionalized through the legitimate and ethical
contract of marriage.
The family that is established through illegal way,
such as intimate relationship is not recognized by
Shari‘ah (the Islamic Law), and therefore, its
foundation is considered as unethical.
121

122.  Family is the basic unit of society, and therefore, Islam
lays great emphasis on the family system and its
ethical values. The basis of family is marriage through
a legal contract. Islam prescribes rules to regulate
family life so that both the spouses can live in
tranquility, security and love.
 Marriage in Islam has aspects of ‘ibadah (worship) of
Allah (God) in the sense that it is in accordance with
His commandments, where a husband and wife should
love and help each other and rear their children to
become true vicegerents of Allah (God) on earth.
Unlike some other religions that consider celibacy a
great virtue and a means of salvation, Islam considers
marriage to be one of the most virtuous and approved
institutions.
122
122
The Institution of Family in Islam

123. 123
 Family as a Divinely-inspired institution
 Family and marriage relationship permeated with
tranquility, love and mercy and has been
described as signs of God’s power and blessings:
﴿وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ أَنْ خَلَ لَكُم منْ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجاً ل تَسْكُنُوا إِلَيْ هَا وَجَعَلَ بَ يْ نَكُم مَّ وَدَّةً وَرَحََْة إِنَّ فِ
) ذَلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ ل قَوْمٍ يَ تَ فَكَّرُونَ﴾ )الروم: 21
"And among His signs is that He has created for
you spouses from among yourselves so that you
may live in tranquility with them; and He has
created love and mercy between you. Verily, in
that are signs for those who reflect."(30:21)
 Commended as the way of the Prophet “marriage
is part of my Sunnah – whoever runs away from
my path, is not from amongst us.”
123
Family in Islam: Basic Principles

124. Cont….
124
 Faith and family:
 Faith constitutes the bedrock for the
institution of the family… a Muslim is not
permitted to marry a non-Muslim.
 Inheritance is not allowed when both parties
do not share the same faith.
124

125. Cont…
125
 Family institution as ‘a social contract’
(nikāh means ‘aqd – contract,’ and not
‘a divine contract’ …in the Qur`ān
marriage is referred to ‘ ”ميثاقا غليظا
(strong covenant)
 The only legitimate way to establish
family is through a proper marriage.
 Equality of the sexes
125

126. 126
Measures to Avoid Intimate Relationship
1. Prohibition of looking with desire at the
opposite gender.
2. People should be dressed properly.
3. Prohibition of excessive beautification
4. Prohibition of khalwah
5. Prohibition of boyfriends, girlfriends
126
Outside the Bond of Marriage

127. 127
1- Prohibition of looking with desire at the
opposite gender
﴿قُلْ لِلْمُؤْمِنِيَ يَ غُضُّوا مِنْ أَبْصَ ارِهِمْ وَيَُْفَظُوا فُ رُوجَ هُمْ ...* وَقُلْ
لِلْمُؤْمِنَاتِ يَ غْضُضْنَ مِنْ أَبْصَا رِهِنَّ وَيَُْفَظْنَ فُ رُوجَهُ نَّ ...﴾
)31- )النور: 30
“Say to the believing men that they lower their
looks and guard their private parts; …* And say
to the believing women that they lower their looks
and guard their private parts…” (24: 30-31).
127

128. 128
2- People should be dressed properly
What is a proper dress?
a) It must cover the ‘awrah properly. It is
prohibited for a Muslim to expose his / her ‘awrah
to others, as it is prohibited to look at the ‘awrah
of someone.
“A man should not look at the ‘awrah of another
man, nor a woman of a woman, nor should a man
go under one cloth with another man, nor a
woman with another woman.” (Hadith)

129. 129
Cont…
The limits of ‘awrah:
- For a man: from his naval to his knee.
- For a woman:
with respect to a man who is not her
mahram is her entire body except her
face and hands.
with respect to a man who is her
mahram (except the husband) does not
include the following parts: hair, ears,
neck, upper part of the chest, arms and
legs up to knees.

130. 130
Cont…
- Other parts from the knees to the beginning of
the upper part of the chest are ‘awrah and
should not be exposed before anyone, man
or woman except her husband.
- Headscarf must cover the bosom
﴿وَلا يُ بْ يُِنَ زِينَتَ هُنَّ إِلا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْ هَا وَلْيَضْرِبْنَ بُِِمُ رِهِنَّ عَلَى
) جُيُوبِِِنَّ وَلا يُ بْ يُِنَ زِينَتَ هُنَّ ...﴾ )النور: 31
“… and do not display their ornaments except
what appears thereof, and let them wear
their head-coverings over their bosoms,
and not display their ornaments…” (24: 31)

131. 131
b) It must not be transparent, revealing what is
underneath it. In one hadith the Prophet (saw) says:
“Two are the types of the dwellers of Hell whom I did
not see: people having flogs like the tails of the ox
with them and they would be beating people, and the
women who would be dressed but appear to be
naked, who would be inclined (to evil) and make
people incline towards it…
131
Cont…

132. 132
…their hair styled like the humps of camels inclined
to one side. They will not enter Paradise and they
would not smell its odour whereas its odour would
be smelt from such and such distance.” (Hadith)
c) It must be loose and not tight-fitting so as to
define the parts of his / her body.
This type of clothes falls under the previous Hadith
“dressed but yet naked”.
132
Cont…

133. 133
Tight jeans and other types of trousers worn with
sweaters, sweat-shirts or T-shirts are considered
un-Islamic and it is prohibited for a Muslim woman
to wear them outside even during free time.
d) It should not be specifically designed for the
opposite gender.
The Prophet (saw) cursed women who try to
resemble men and men who try to resemble
women, and prohibited women from wearing men’s
clothes and vice versa.
133
Cont…

134. 134
e) It should not be specifically designed for non-
Muslims (as required by their religion, tradition, or
culture). It does not apply to those clothes which
are common among people and don’t carry any
religious or cultural specifications.
The Prophet (saw) said: “Whoever imitates a
people is one of them.” (Hadith)
f) Men should not use gold and pure silk.
134
Cont…

135. 135
Excessive beautification is that which is used to
tease people and excite them – makeup, strong
perfume, and sexy clothes.
135
3- Prohibition of excessive beautification
) ﴿وَلا يَضْرِبْنَ بِأَرْجُلِهِنَّ لِيُ عْلَمَ مَ ا يُُْفِيَ مِنْ زِينَتِهِنَّ﴾ )النور: 31
“…and let them not strike their feet so that
what they hide of their ornaments may be
known …” (24: 31)
“Any woman who puts perfume and passes
by people to smell her odour is sinful (like
one who committed adultery)”. (Hadith)

136. 136
Khalwah means: a man and a woman who are
outside the degree of mahram being alone together
in a place in which there is no fear of intrusion by
anyone else.
The term “mahram” denotes a relationship either by
close blood ties or by marriage of such degree that
marriage is permanently prohibited.
A mahram is: husband, any male relative with whom
marriage is permanently prohibited (father, father
in-law, grandfather, son, brother, uncle or nephew).
136
4- Prohibition of Khalwah

137. 137
“Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day must
never be in privacy with a woman without there
being a mahram (of hers) with her, for otherwise
Satan will be the third person with them” (Hadith)
“Beware of entering where women are”. A man from
the Ansar asked: “O Messenger of Allah, what
about the in-law?” He replied: “The in-law is
death.” (Hadith)
137
Cont…

138. 138
- It is against the prohibition of looking with desire at
the opposite sex
- It entails privacy (khalwah)
- This practice is automatically accompanied by
having romance or even sex.
The alternative for boy / girl-friend
- Khitbah (promise/ informal engagement)
- Marriage contract (formal engagement)
- Consummation of marriage (wedding ceremony)
138
5- Prohibition of boyfriends, girlfriends

139. 139
1- Religion and good character:
“One may choose a woman as a wife for the
following reasons or for some of them: her wealth,
her family status, her beauty, and her religion. So
you should marry the religious woman otherwise
you will be a loser.” (Hadith)
“When someone with whose religion and character
you are satisfied asks for your daughter in
marriage, accede to his request. If you do not do
so there will be corruption and great evil on the
earth.” (Hadith)
139
Marriage
 Criteria of selecting spouses

140. 140
2- Compatibility:
compatibility in respect of age, lifestyle, character,
way of thinking, social and economic status, and
education should be the second criterion for
selecting a spouse.
3- Realism and moderation in expectations
Both spouses do not have to expect from one
another what they are not able to do. Rather, they
have to be realistic and moderate towards each
other.
140
Cont…

141. 141
Foundations of marriage contract
1- It must be permanent as humanly as
possible:
“Do not divorce women only for genuine
reasons, for Allah does not like those who are
‘tasters’ who enjoy one partner for a while
then shift to another, and so on.” (Hadith)
141

142. 142
2- Mutual consent: any decision of marriage
should be based on mutual consent of both
sides, husband and wife.
“A woman who has been previously married (a
divorced woman) has more rights concerning
her person than her guardian, and a virgin
woman must be consulted about herself, her
consent being her silence.” (Hadith)
142
Cont…

143. 143
“A man during the lifetime of the Prophet (saw)
married his daughter, without her consent, to his
nephew only for the sake of improving his social
status. When she complained to the Prophet (saw)
about that, the Prophet (saw) gave her the choice
between endorsing and rejecting her father’s
decision. Then she said: ‘I endorse what my father
had done, but I want women to know that fathers
have no right to force their daughters to marry
without their consent’.” (Hadith)
143
Cont…

144. 144
3- Reasonable dowry:
“The most blessed wives are those whose dowry is
affordable.” (Hadith)
4- Equal rights and obligations
﴿وَلَْنَُّ مِثْلُ الَّذِي عَلَيْهِنَّ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَلِل رِجَالِ عَلَيْهِنَّ دَرَجَة ر وَاللَّّ عَزِيرز حَكِي ر م﴾
) )البقرة: 228
“They have rights similar to those against them
(rights of husband) in a just manner, and the men
are a degree above them (external authority in the
household), and Allah is Mighty, Wise.” (2: 228)
144
Cont…

145. 145
 Mutual rights and obligations
1. To help each other to follow the right
way and practice Islam and safeguard
him / her against evil and sins.
﴿يَا أَيُّ هَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قُوا أَنفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِيكُمْ نَارًا وَقُودُهَا النَّاسُ وَالِِْجَارَة عَ لَيْ هَا مَلئِكَة ر
) غِل ر ظ شِ اَُرد لا يَ عْصُونَ اللَّّ مَا أَمَرَهُمْ وَيَ فْعَ لُونَ مَا ي ؤُْمَرُونَ﴾ )التحريم: 6
“O you who believe! save yourselves and
your families from a fire whose fuel is
people and stones, over which are set
angels strong, severe, who do not disobey
the commands they receive from Allah, but
do what they are commanded.” (66: 6)
145

146. 146
2. To be kind, understanding, forgiving, and
treat the other side in a tender and loving
manner.
عَنْ عَائِشَة قَالَتْ : قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَِّّ صَلَّى ا للّ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : :خَيْ رُكُ مْ خَيْ رُكُمْ لأَهْلِهِ
وَأَنَا خَيْ رُكُمْ لأَهْلِي" )سنن الترمذي:كتاب النكاح(.
“The best of you are those who are the best
to their families, and I am the best to my
family.” (Hadith)
3. To meet the psychological and physical
needs of the other side.
146
Cont…

147. 4. Focus on positive aspects and appreciate
them. Avoid focusing on negative ones and
try to tolerate them.
“A believer should not hate his wife merely because
she has some negative points. If he finds some
disagreeable things in her character, he will appreciate
a lot of her good morals.” (Hadith)
5. Every side has to avoid any extramarital
intimate relationship, or such relations that may
cast suspicion on his/her behaviour.
147
147
Cont…

148. 148
Duties towards children
1- Selection of good parents
2- Right to legitimacy: legitimate father and mother,
prohibition of legal adoption: the right of the child to
retain his original family’s name and to know his real
parents.
3- Right to life (prohibition of infanticide, abortion)
4- Right to equal life chances (no discrimination
between male and female)
5- Right to general care: material, spiritual, and
educational / intellectual.
148

149. WEEK 6
ISLAMIC VALUES RELATED
TO
DIFFERENT PROFESSIONS
149

150. 150
Legal ethics are the principles of conduct that
members of the profession are expected to observe
in the practice of law. Legal ethics is reflected in the
following professions:
- Judges
- Public prosecutors
- Lawyers
150
LEGAL ETHICS

151. 151
Who is the judge?
A Judge is a public officer chosen or elected to
preside over (governe or control) and to administer
the law in a court of justice; one who controls the
proceedings in a courtroom and decides questions of
law or discretion. One who makes a decision or
reaches a conclusion after examining all the factual
evidence presented, or one who forms an opinion
after evaluating the facts and applying the law.
151
JUDGES

152. Who can be qualified as a judge?
- A judge must be a conscientious person who
is self-determined to serve justice and protect
the rights of people.
- A knowledgeable person who has acquired
all the requisites of being a judge.
152
152
Cont…

153. 153
الْقُضَاة ثَلثَة ر: قَاضِيَانِ ف النَّارِ وَقَاضٍ فِ ا لَْنَّةِ . رَجُ ر ل قَضَى بِغَيْرِ الَِْ ف عَلِمَ ذَاكَ فَذَاكَ فِ
النَّارِ، وَقَاضٍ لا يَ عْلَمُ فَأَهْلَكَ حُقُوقَ النَّاسِ فَ هُ وَ فِ النَّارِ، وَقَاضٍ قَضَى بِالِْ فَذَلِكَ فِ
الَْْنَّةِ ". )الترمذي:كتاب الأحكام(.
“Judges are of three categories: two of them in
the Hell and one in Paradise. The first is one who,
knowingly, judges with injustice, that is in the Hell
Fire. The second is one who is ignorant and
judges among people without knowledge, thus he
violates their rights. He is also in the Hell fire. The
third is one who judges with justice. He will be in
Paradise.” (Hadith)
153
Cont…

154. 154
1- To judge with justice
What is a just decision?
a- To do one’s best to reach a just decision
“When a judge gives a decision, having tried his best
to decide correctly and is right, there are two
rewards for him; and if he gave a judgment after
having tried his best (to arrive at a correct decision)
but erred, there is one reward for him.”
154
Ethics and Values of a Judge

155. 155
b- To base the decision on the evidence available
“You bring to me, for judgment, your disputes and
some of you may be more eloquent in their plea
than others, so I give judgment on their behalf
according to what I hear from them. Bear in mind
that if I slice off anything for him (in my judgment)
from the right of his brother, he should not accept
that, for I sliced off for him a portion from the Hell.”
c- Self satisfaction that this is the right decision
155
Cont…

156. a) Without fear:
156
-To be a person of principles
- To be independent to avoid all types of
pressure
- To be ready to reverse his wrong decisions
b) Without favour:
- Should not sit in a case in which:
- he has personal interest
- close relatives involved
- Neutral = not influenced by personal enmity
156
2- To administer justice without fear or favour

157. 157
- Fair & equal hearing
“When you sit to judge between two litigants, don’t
make a decision only after an equal hearing from
both sides.”
- Avoid accepting gifts / bribes
“Allah cursed the briber and the bribed in making
judgments.”
- Should not make a decision when his mind is
confused with anything that may prevent him from
sound thinking.
- Patience; not to misuse his power against litigants or
lawyers.
- To try to get the parties to reconcile whenever there
is a chance for that.
157
Cont…

158. 158
Who is a public prosecutor?
A Public Prosecutor is a government official
who conducts criminal prosecutions on behalf of the
state. A prosecutor takes charge of the investigation once
a crime has been committed, presents evidence at a
hearing before a grand jury, and questions witnesses
during the trial.
A public prosecutor has:
- To balance between protecting the rights of the
society & the rights of the accused.
158
PUBLIC PROSECUTOR

159. - To punish people according to the offence committed.
- To avoid selective prosecution motivated by personal /
political affairs
- To avoid fabricating evidence or accusations
- To avoid suppressing pieces of material evidence
- Not to prosecute in cases where they have personal
affairs, or close relatives involved.
- To avoid bribes
159
159
Cont…

160. 160
Who is a lawyer?
A Lawyer is one whose profession is to give legal
advice and assistance to clients and represent them
in court or in other legal matters. Hence, he is a
person, who through a regular program of study, is
learned in legal matters and has been licensed to
practice his or her profession. Any qualified person
who prosecutes or defends causes in courts of
record or other judicial tribunals of the state (s), or
who renders legal advice or assistance in relation to
any cause or matter.
160
LAWYERS

161. 161
a- The idea of advocacy
- Lack of legal skills to defend their rights
- Complicated laws and procedures
b- Advocacy aims at:
- Helping people to get/ defend their rights
- Helping the accused to get a fair trial
- Helping judges to examine cases and reach
just decisions
c- Duties of lawyers:
1- Toward justice & society
2- Towards clients
161
Cont…

162. 162
1- Lawyer’s duty toward justice & society:
To secure justice between people:
i. Not to engage himself in tactics that may
defeat the fair administration of justice
ii. Not to hide the truth
iii. Not to fabricate evidence
iv. Not to cross-examine an adverse witness in
such a way to undermine or destroy his true
testimony
v. Not to invoke the rules of evidence to
exclude points that would weigh against his
case which he knows they are true
162
Cont…

163. 163
2- Duties toward clients:
- To fulfil contracts & promises
- To be honest & sincere in defending them
- To be honest in advising them
- To defend them to the best of his abilities
- No right to drop/ waive any right of his client
without permission
- No admission of guilt on behalf of his client
without authorization
- No disclosure of confidential communications
- To be lenient and helpful towards poor clients
163
Cont…

164. 164
﴿إِنَّا أَنْ زَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ بِالَِْ لِ تَحْكُمَ بَ ي النَّاسِ بَِِا أَرَاكَ اللَّّ وَلا تَكُنْ
لِلْخَائِنِيَ خَصِيمًا * وَاسْتَ غْفِرِ اللَّّ إِنَّ اللَّّ كَانَ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًا * وَلا تُ ادِلْ عَنِ
الَّذِينَ يَُْتَانُونَ أَنْ فُسَهُمْ إِنَّ اللَّّ لا يُبُّ مَنْ كَانَ خَوَّانًا أَثِيمًا * يَسْتَخْفُونَ مِنَ
النَّا س وَلا يَسْتَخْفُونَ مِنَ اللَِّّ وَهُوَ مَعَهُ مْ إِذْ يُ بَ ي تُونَ مَا لا يَ رْضَى مِ نَ الْقَوْلِ وَكَانَ
اللَّّ بَِِا يَ عْمَلُونَ مُُِيطًا * هَا أَنْ تُمْ هَؤُلاءِ جَادَلْتُمْ عَنْ هُمْ فِ الَِْيَاةِ ال نُُّْ يَا فَمَنْ
- يََُادِلُ ا للَّ عَنْ هُمْ يَ وْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَمْ مَنْ يَكُونُ عَلَيْهِمْ وَكِيلً﴾ )النساء: 105
)109
164
The Policy of a Muslim Lawyer in
Taking Cases of Court

165. 165
“We have revealed the Book to you with the
truth that you may judge between people by
means of that which Allah has taught you; and
be not an advocate on behalf of those who
betray their trust (treacherous). And seek
forgiveness of Allah. Surely, Allah is ever
Forgiving, Merciful. And do not plead on behalf
of those who deceive themselves; surely Allah
does not love him who is treacherous, sinful.
They seek to hide their crimes from men but
they cannot hide them from Allah. He is with
them when by night they hold discourse
displeasing to Him.
165
Cont…

166. 166
Allah ever surrounds what they do. These are the
sort of men on whose behalf you may contend in this
world; but who will contend with Allah on their behalf
on the Day of Judgment, or who will then be their
defender?” (4: 105-109).
- Unlawful to attempt to conceal the truth
- Unlawful to argue for the innocence of someone who
is clearly guilty
166
Cont…

167. WEEK 7
BUSINESS ETHICS
167

168. 168
- Who is better: a rich Muslim or a poor Muslim?
- What are the limits of using wealth in Islam?
- What about Zuhd and Qana‘a (austerity and
contentment)?
168
Business Ethics

169. 169
- Islam encourages people to acquire wealth and live a
prosperous life
﴿يَا أَيُّ هَا النَّاسُ كُلُوا مَِِّا فِ الأَرْضِ حَللا طَي بًا ولا تَ تَّبِعُوا خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ إِنَّه لَكُمْ عَ و
) مُبِ ر ي﴾ )البقرة: 168
“O you people: eat of what is on the earth, lawful and
good, and do not follow the footsteps of the evil one.”
(2: 168)
169
Wealth in Islam

170. 170
- All things created by Allah are for the us to enjoy
them but in a reasonable way
.) ﴿كُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا مِنْ رِزْقِ اللَِّّ وَلا تَ عْثَ وْا فِ الأَرْضِ مُفْسِ يُِنَ﴾ )البقرة: 60
“Eat and drink of the sustenance provided by Allah,
and do no evil nor mischief on the earth.” (2: 60)
170
Cont…

171. The way of enjoying wealth:
﴿يَا بَنِ آدَمَ خُذُوا زِينَتَكُمْ عِنْ كُ ل مَسْجِ وَكُلُ وا وَاشْرَبُوا وَلا تُسْرِفُوا إِنَّه لا يُُِبُّ الْمُسْرِفِيَ﴾
171
) )الأعراف: 31
“O children of Adam! Look to your adornment at every
place of worship, and eat and drink and be not
extravagant; surely He does not love the extravagant.”
(7: 31)
171
Cont…

172. ﴿وَابْ تَغِ فِيمَا آتَاكَ اللَّّ ال اَُّرَ الآخِرَةَ وَلا تَنسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنْ ال نُُّْ يَا وَأَحْسِنْ كَمَا أَحْسَنَ اللَّّ إِلَيْكَ وَلا
172
.) تَ بْغِ الْفَسَادَ فِ الأَرْضِ إِنَّ اللَّّ لا يُُِبُّ الْمُفْسِ يُِنَ﴾ )القصص: 77
“But seek, with the (wealth) which Allah has bestowed on
thee, the Home of the Hereafter, nor forget thy portion in
this world: but do thou good, as Allah has been good to
thee, and seek not (occasions for) mischief in the land:
for Allah loves not those who do mischief.” (27: 77)
- Don’t be extravagant
- Use it to support noble principles & actions/ to secure a
good position on the Day of Judgment
- Do good to others as Allah has done good to you
- Don’t use it to create mischief on the earth
172
Cont…

173. 173
- Zuhd is an Islamic value
- Zuhd  poverty
- A rich person may be a zahid, while a poor person
may not be zahid
A Zahid is one who puts his wealth in
his hand as a means to achieve
ideals, ultimate goals, and supportive
principles in this world as well as to
prepare himself for the Hereafter.
173
Zuhd (austerity/ asceticism)

174. 174
- Begging in Islam is prohibited
“The upper hand is better than the lower one”
Qana’a (contentment) is another basic
Islamic value, which means to be happy and satisfied
with what you have after doing your best to get the
best result. Not to look at things which are not yours.
174
Cont…

175. Basic facts:
- People will not be questioned on the Day of
Judgment on the amount of wealth they
accumulated. Rather, they will be questioned how
they got it and how they used it.
- Although provision (rizk) is granted by Allah to people
based on their work, it is not an automatic result of
men’s work. It is given by the will of Allah and every
one has a limit.
175
175
The Principle of Halal vs. Haram Ways
of Earning and Spending

176. ﴿مَنْ كَانَ يُرِي الْعَاجِلَة عَجَّلْنَا لَه فِيهَا مَا نَشَ اء لِمَنْ نُرِي ثُ جَعَلْنَا لَه جَ هَنَّمَ يَصْلَهَا
مَذْمُومًا مَ حُُْورًا * وَمَنْ أَرَادَ الْآخِرَةَ وَسَعَى لَْاَ سَعْ يَ هَا وَهُوَ مُؤْمِ ر ن فَأُوْلَئِكَ كَانَ سَعْيُ هُمْ
176
)19- مَشْكُورًا﴾ )الإسراء: 18
Whoever desires this life, We readily grant them such
things as We will, to such person as We will. And
afterward We provided Hell for them; they will burn
therein, disgraced and rejected. * And whoever
desires the hereafter and he strives for it all due
striving, being a believer, they are the ones whose
striving is acceptable to Allah. (Al-Isra’: 18-19)
176
Cont…

177. 177
Points to ponder!
Following haram way will never give you, as some
people may think, an additional portion of wealth.
And following halal way will not cause you any loss
of your portion of rizk.
- The principle of halal and haram applies as much to
the spending of wealth as it does to its acquisition.
177
Cont…

178. 178
Why some things are haram?
﴿يَأْمُرُهُمْ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَ نْ هَاهُمْ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ ويُُِلُّ لَْمُُ الطَّي بَاتِ وَيَُُ رِمُ عَ لَيْهِمُ الخَْبَائِثَ ويَضَعُ
) عَنْ هُمْ إِصْرَهُمْ وَالْأَغْلَلَ الَّتِ كَانَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ ﴾ )الأعراف: 157
“…He commands them what is good and forbids them
what is evil; he allows them as lawful what is good
and prohibits them from what is bad; he releases
them from their heavy burdens…” (7: 157)
178
Cont…

179. 179
- Bad
Individual harm physical
- Harmful
Social harm spiritual
definitively
- Conducive to harm
most likely
179
Cont…

180. 180
 Halal work and the
earnings emanated there-from
are a kind of ‘ibadah for
which a Muslim will be
rewarded on the Day of
Judgment.
 Haram earnings and
spending will
rewarded with a
Punishment on the
Day of Judgement
180
Benefits of Halal vs. Evils of Haram

181. 181
 Whatever is spent out of
halal earnings is
considered as sadaqah
(charity) even what is
spent on one’s family
 Sadaqah will not be
accepted by Allah
181
Cont…
“If anyone earns wealth through haram means
and then gives charity from it, there is no
regard for him and the burden of sin remains”

182. 182
“If a person earns property through haram means
and then gives charity, it will not be accepted (by
Allah); if he spends it, there will be no blessing on it;
and if he leaves it behind (at his death), it will be his
provision in the Fire. Indeed, Allah (s.w.t.) does not
eliminate one bad deed by another bad deed, but
He cancels out a bad deed by a good deed. An
unclean thing does not wipe away another unclean
thing.”
182
Cont…

183. 183
 Halal earnings will be
blessed by Allah (swt)
 Blessing will be lifted
from it
 Rejection of du’a دعاء
183
Cont…
Allah's Messenger (saw) said: “0 people, Allah is
Good and He, therefore, accepts only that which
is good. And Allah commanded the believers as
He commanded the Messengers by saying: ‘O
Messengers, eat of the good things, and do
good deeds; verily I am aware of what you do’
(23:51). And He said: ‘0 those who believe, eat
of the good things that We gave you’ (2:172)’…=

184. 184
= He then mentioned a person who travels widely,
his hair dishevelled and covered with dust. He lifts
his hands towards the sky and, thus, makes the
du‘a : ‘O Lord, 0 Lord,’ whereas his food is
unlawful, his drink is unlawful, and his clothes are
unlawful and his nourishment is unlawful. How
can then his du‘a be accepted?” (Hadith)
184
Cont…
 Halal earnings will bring
to its possessor peace
of mind and help him to
have a clear conscience
 Its possessor will
have always a guilty
conscience

185. 185
1- Protecting the rights of the parties
involved in the contract
2- Protecting consumer rights
3- Creating fair competition
4- Protecting the rights of workers
5- Protecting public interest/ funds
6- Leniency/ helping others
185
Aims of Business Ethics in Islam

186. 186
a) Mutual consent / agreement
b) To fulfill terms and conditions
) ﴿يَا أَيُّ هَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ أَوْفُواْ بِالْعُقُودِ ...﴾ )المائدة: 1
“O you who believe! Fulfil your contracts and
obligations” (5: 1)
“Muslims are bound by all the conditions they
have agreed upon, unless a contract or
conditions is against the principles of Islam in the
way of making something haram as halal or vice
versa.”
186
1- Protecting the rights of parties
involved in the contract

187. 187
a) To avoid deception & fraud
“The Messenger of Allah (saw) once passed by
a stock of grain. He touched it and felt moisture
inside the stock. He asked the seller what it was.
The merchant said: ‘O Prophet of Allah it was
affected by rain.’ The Prophet (saw) said: ‘Then
why you did not place the wet wheat over the
rest of the stock, so people could see it for
themselves. Any one practicing deception
has no relationship with me’.” (Hadith)
187
2- Protecting Consumer Rights

188. 188
- To avoid selling defective commodities without
informing the buyer about defects contained in
it.
“A Muslim is a brother of his fellow Muslim. It is
not lawful for a Muslim to sell such a
commodity that has a defect, except that the
defect is shown to the buyer.”
- To avoid false and misleading advertisement
188
Cont…

189. 189
- To give accurate weight and measurement
The description of the weigh or measurement
should match the reality
﴿أَوْفُوا الْكَيْلَ وَلا تَكُونُوا مِنَ الْمُخْسِرِينَ * وزِنُوا بِالْقِسْطَاسِ الْمُسْتَقِيمِ ﴾ )الشعراء:
)182-181
“Give full measure, and be not of those who give
less than the due. And weigh with the true
balance”. (26: 181-182)
189
Cont…

190. 190
b) To avoid hoarding essential commodities
(ihtikar)
Hoarding means to collect and keep large amounts
of food without offering it in the market in order to
create artificial scarcity to increase the price
dramatically.
This is usually practised in the periods of crises.
Hoarding is a kind of business exploitation of
consumers. Thus, it is strictly prohibited by Islam.
The Prophet (saw) said: “One who hoards things for
increasing their prices for Muslims is a wrong
doer.” (Hadith)
190
Cont…

191. 191
c) Prohibition of outbidding
To offer more money than somebody else in
order to unreasonably increase the price without
being a potential buyer
d) The practice of “middleman” may be prevented to
protect the rights of consumers
- Dwellers of towns may be prevented from
selling the merchandises of farmers/ villagers
- Farmers may be allowed to sell there goods
directly if it is necessary
The Messenger of Allah forbade the selling of
things by a town dweller on behalf of a
countryside dweller (farmer); and similarly
Najash was forbidden.
191
Cont…

192. 192
a) To avoid misleading advertisement
b) Avoid giving bribes
عَنْ أَبِ هُرَيْ رَةَ قَالَ لَعَنَ رَسُولُ اللَِّّ صَلَّى اللَّهم عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الرَّاشِيَ والْمُرْتَشِيَ فِ
الُِْكْمِ )الترمذي:كتاب الأحكام(.
“Allah cursed the briber and the bribed in making
judgments.”
﴿وَلا تَأْكُلُوا أَمْوَالَكُمْ بَ يْ نَكُمْ بِالْبَاطِلِ وَ تُ لُُْوا بَِِا إِلَ الُِْكَّامِ لِتَأْكُل وا فَرِيقًا مِنْ أَمْوَالِ
.) النَّاسِ بِالإِثِْ وَأَنْ تُمْ تَ عْلَمُونَ﴾ )البقرة: 188
And do not eat up your property among yourselves
by false means, neither seek to gain access thereby
to the judges, so that you may eat up a part of the
property of others wrongfully. (2: 188)
192
3- Fair Competition

193. 193
- To get advantage / Privilege
- Escape due punishment
- Take the rights of others
c) To balance between competitiveness and co-operation
d) To avoid entering in a transaction another person
has already entered into
Ibn Umar reported Allah's Messenger (saws) as
having said: A person should not enter..=
193
Cont…

194. 194
= into a transaction when his brother had already
entered into but not finalized, and he should not
make proposal of marriage upon the proposal
already made by his brother, until he permits it.
(Muslim)
“… and a woman should not ask the divorce of
her sister in order to deprive her of what
belongs to her.” (Muslim)
194
Cont…

195. 195
- Wages and the specification of the work must
be clarified and agreed upon before starting
the work.
- Wages are to be determined by mutual
consent.
- A worker is entitled to a fair and just wage for
his work.
- The employee must perform his duties
efficiently and honestly and the employer must
pay him his full wages.
- Wages should be paid without any delay
"أَعْطُوا الأَجِيرَ أَجْرَه قَ بْلَ أَنْ يََِفَّ عَرَقُه " )ابن ماجة:كتاب الأحكام(.
“Give the laborer his wage before his
perspiration be dry.” (Ibn Majah)
195
4- Protecting the Rights of Workers

196. 196
a) Fair recruitment practices
To avoid discrimination, nepotism, and cronyism
An office or a post is a divine trust and,
therefore, it should be offered only to the
deserving persons. Responsibility should be
given only to the person who is able to shoulder
it and who has the capability to do justice to the
trust placed in him.
196
5- Protecting Public Interest / Funds

197. 197
The Prophet (saw) said: “whoever has appointed
an administrator through nepotism while there
was one who was more suitable to this position
than that person, then he has committed
misappropriation against Allah and His
Messenger and all the Muslims.” (Hadith)
b) To avoid misappropriation of public funds
The Prophet (saw) said: “Whomsoever we have
given some post and he has concealed a needle
or a thing smaller than that, then it will be a
misappropriated thing with which he will have to
appear on the Day of Judgment.” (Hadith -
Muslim)
197
Cont…

198. 198
C- To avoid haram transactions
i. Riba
﴿يَا أَيُّ هَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا اتَّ قُوا اللَّّ وَذَرُوا مَا بَقِيَ مِنَ ال رِبَا إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِ نِيَ * فَإِنْ لَِ تَ فْعَلُوا فَأْذَنُوا بَِِرْبٍ مِنَ اللَِّّ وَرَسُولِهِ وَإِنْ تُ بْتُمْ فَ لَكُمْ رُءُوسُ أَمْوَا لِكُمْ لَا تَظْلِمُونَ وَ لا
.)279- تُظْلَمُونَ﴾ )البقرة: 278
“O you who believe! Fear Allah, and give up what
remains of your demand for riba (usury), if you are
indeed believers. And if you do not, then be warned of
war against you from Allah and His messenger. And if
you repent, then you shall have your capital; neither shall
you make the debtor suffer loss, nor shall you be made to
suffer loss.” (2: 278-279)
ii. Dealing in haram commodities
198
Cont…

199. 199
عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْ اللَِّّ رَضِي ا للّ عَنْهمَا أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَِّّ صَلَّى ا للّ عَلَ يْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ :
"رَحِمَ اللَّّ رَجُل سََْحًا إِذَا بَاعَ وَإِذَا اشْتَ رَى وإِذَا اقْ تَضَى" )البخاري:كتاب البيوع(.
“May Allah bless the person who behaves leniently
while buying, while selling, and while collecting his
dues.”
﴿وَإِنْ كَانَ ذُو عُسْرَةٍ فَ نَظِرَة ر إِلَ مَيْسَرَةٍ وَ أَنْ تَصَ قَُُّوا خَيْ رر لَكُمْ إِنْ كُنْ تُمْ تَ عْلَمُونَ﴾
.) )البقرة: 280
“If the debtor is in a difficulty, grant him time till it is
easy for him to repay. And if you remit it by way of
charity, that is best for you if you only knew (the
generous reward for this).” (2: 280)
199
6- Lenency

200. WEEK 8
INTER-PERSONAL
RELATIONS
200

201. 201
“Six are the rights of a Muslim over another Muslim:
1. When you meet him, offer him salam;
2. When he invites you to a feast accept it.
3. When he seeks your counsel give him;
4. When he sneezes and says: ‘alhamdulillah,’ you
say Yarhamuka Allah (may Allah show mercy to
you);
5. When he falls ill visit him; and
6. When he dies follow his funeral.”
201
General rights of a Muslim over his
fellow Muslims

202. 202
1- Cooperation:
they have to work in collaboration with each
other in good faith for the best interests of their
institution and the community as a whole.
) ﴿وَتَ عَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْ وَْالتَّ قْوَى وَلا تَ عَاوَنُوا عَ لَى الإِثِْ وَالْعُ وَُْانِ﴾ )المائ ةُ: 2
And help one another in goodness and piety,
and do not help one another in sin and
aggression. (5: 2)
202
Behavior Towards Co-Workers

203. 203
2- Mutual respect and avoiding interference in
other’s personal affairs / respect their right to
privacy.
“It is a sign of sincere faith to avoid interfering in
what does not concern you”
3- To share knowledge and experience with others.
- It is the duty of a senior worker to pass his
knowledge and experience to his juniors.
203
Cont…

204. 204
- The motto of encouraging people to share
knowledge and experience, is made by Islam as
a continuous charity.
“When a person dies he is completely cut off
except from three things: (1) A running charity; (2)
Knowledge that he had taught and remains put to
good use; and (3) Virtuous progeny praying Allah
for him.”
- It is also the duty of the new inexperienced workers
to learn for their seniors.
) ﴿فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ ال ذِكْرِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ لا تَ عْلَمُونَ﴾ )النحل: 43
“Ask those who are knowledgeable if you don’t
know” (16: 43)
204
Cont…

205. 205
1 - To obey them and observe the rule of law
) ﴿يَا أَيُّ هَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّّ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُوْلِ الأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ﴾ )النساء: 59
“O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the
Messenger and those in authority from among
you.” (4: 59)
There is no submission in matters involving
God's disobedience or displeasure. Submission
is obligatory only in what is good (and
reasonable).
205
Behaviour Toward the Superiors

206. 206
2 - To give them advice
روى مسلم عَنْ تََِيمٍ ال اَُّرِ ي أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَل ى ا للّ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ : "ال ينُ
النَّصِيحَة قُ لْنَا لِمَنْ قَالَ لِلَِّّ وَلِكِتَا بِهِ وَلِرَسُولِهِ وَلأَئِمَّةِ الْمُسْلِمِ يَ وَعَامَّتِهِمْ " )كتاب
الإيْان(.
“Religion is to give honest advice for Allah, His
Book, and His Prophet and to Muslim leaders
and public.”
206
Cont…

207. 207
1-Consultation (shura) and getting feedback:
) ﴿فَاعْفُ عَنْ هُمْ وَاسْتَ غْفِرْ لَْمُْ وَشَاوِرْهُمْ فِ الأَمْرِ﴾ )آل عمران: 159
“…So pardon them and ask forgiveness for them
and consult with them upon the conduct of
affairs...” (3: 159)
﴿وَالَّذِينَ اسْتَجَابُوا لِرَ بِِمْ وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلةَ وأَمْرُهُمْ شُورَى بَ يْ نَ هُمْ وَمَِِّا رَزَقْ نَاهُمْ ي نُْفِقُونَ﴾
) )الشورى: 38
“And those who answer the call of their Lord and
establish worship, and whose affairs are a matter
of counsel, and who spend of what We have
bestowed on them.” (42: 38)
207
Behaviour Towards Subordinates

208. 208
2- To be kind and lenient with them
روى مسلم عن عَائِشَة أن رَسُول اللَِّّ صَلَّى ا للّ عَل يْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قال: "اللَّهُمَّ مَنْ وَ ل
مِنْ أَمْرِ أُمَّتِ شَيْئًا فَشَ عَلَيْهِمْ فَاشْقُ عَلَيْهِ وَمَنْ وَلَِ مِنْ أَمْرِ أُمَّ تِ شَيْئًا فَ رَفَ بِِِمْ
فَارْفُ بِهِ " )كتاب الإمارة(.
“O Allah, who (happens to) acquire some kind of
control over the affairs of my people and is hard
upon them-be hard upon him, and who
(happens to) acquire some kind of control over
the affairs of my people and is kind to them-be
kind to him.”
208
Cont…

209. 209
3- To serve them honestly and sincerely
روى مسلم عن مَعْقِلِ بْنِ يَسَارٍ أن رَسُولَ اللَِّّ صَلَّى ا للّ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قال: "مَا مِنْ أَمِيرٍ يَلِي
أَمْرَ الْمُسْلِمِيَ ثُ لا يََْهَ لَْمُْ وَيَ نْصَحُ إِلا لَِ يَ خُُْلْ مَعَهُمُ الَْْنَّة "
“A ruler who, having obtained control over the
affairs of the Muslims, does not strive for their
betterment and does not serve them sincerely
shall not enter Paradise with them.”
4- Respect for their opinions and beliefs
209
Cont…