Islamic Ethics: Fundamental Aspects of Human Conduct

Abdulaziz Sachedina highlights a third tradition of ethics in Islamic legal literature, which he calls juridical ethics. This form of ethics is derived from legal rulings and obligations and is an important, even dominant form of ethics in modern Islam. It has been challenged by modernity, and legal ethical thinkers have reacted in various ways.

Format: Hardback
Length: 232 pages
Publication date: 21 November 2022
Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc

Two primary schools of thought have emerged within the Islamic tradition regarding the study of ethics. The first, philosophical, draws inspiration from the works of Aristotle and other Greek philosophers, and is represented by notable thinkers like Avicenna. The second, theological, is exemplified by figures such as the renowned theologian al-Qadi Abd al-Jabbar. However, it is worth noting that certain scholars in the later stages sought to amalgamate these two traditions. Nevertheless, for the most part, the perspectives of jurists have been overlooked. In his work, Abdulaziz Sachedina draws attention to a third tradition of ethics, which finds its roots in legal literature. The challenge lies in the fact that Islamic jurists did not develop a distinct genre of ethical manuals. Instead, their form of ethics, known as juridical ethics, must be derived or extracted from works that primarily address legal rulings and obligations, as well as scriptural hermeneutics and legal theory.

Sachedina presents an overview of the version of Islamic ethics embedded within the textual legacy of the Islamic legal tradition. He argues that juridical ethics holds significant importance, even dominance, in modern Islam. He notes that this form of ethics has faced challenges from the modern world and explores the diverse responses of legal ethical thinkers to these challenges.

To address the pressing questions of guiding Muslim religious leaders in navigating the demands of modern society as modern citizens of nation-states, as well as to gather moral and spiritual resources to respond to the new issues in sciences, particularly in medicine, and the constantly evolving social relationships, it is essential to transcend the realm of philosophical ethics and recognize the significance of ethics in shaping Muslim interpretive jurisprudence regarding religious and moral decisions.

Weight: 540g
Dimension: 164 x 242 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780197581810