Whilst the peak of human values are reflected in an individual’s morals and virtues obtained by adhering to sacred and sublime truths, it is the moral values held by a society that can provide equal opportunities and the necessities of life for individuals to move towards their virtues.
By learning from thousands of years of wars, massacres and sufferings carried out by the hands of those claiming of earthly or heavenly virtues, expert ethical thinkers have concluded that the effort for providing a common code for the superior virtues of individuals in a society would be better used when focused on supplying the minimum necessities for coexistence and creating an environment whereby all have the opportunity for choosing the best.
Although the Quran insists on divine values and views the achievement of virtues to be dependent upon faith and monotheistic behavior[1], when dealing with socail ethics, it is from a very earthly point of view. We find that the Quran emphasizes on common human interests and a peaceful life for all beliefs and preferences.
From examining dozens of verses of the Quran that contain social recommendations, we find that none of them are based on anything other than the concept of “instalments and justice”. And all topics pointed to from writing debts[2], and assigning adopted children[3], to attending to orphans[4], forming judgements[5] and even the biggest political issues are all set on this same axis. This is to the extent that the Almighty God, in verse 25 of Surah Al-Hadid, considers the reason for the assignment of the prophets to have been for providing the conditions necessary for individuals to manage society on the means of justice:
لَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا رُسُلَنَا بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ وَأَنزَلْنَا مَعَهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْمِيزَانَ لِيَقُومَ النَّاسُ بِالْقِسْطِ.
Verily, we have sent Our Messengers with clear proofs and sent with them the Scripture and the Balance so that people rise up to justice.
The importance of this point becomes evident to us when we understand that in all instances of the uses of ”instalment and justice” and in the recommendations from the Quran and ’ahadith’, we find that no alternative definition for justice has been presented from its original conventional definition which is based on our human and earthly understanding of good and bad as a measure of moral human behaviour. It is on this basis that the words ”ma’ruf” (knowns/ common understanding) and ”u’rf” (customs) have been mentioned for 40 times in the Quran, insisting on fair social relations. Moreover, ayah 199 in Surah Al-A’raf obliges the Prophet to trust the common human conscience shared in society and to ask the people to live according to the common understanding of good and bad recognised among themselves:
خُذِ الْعَفْوَ وَأْمُرْ بِالْعُرْفِ وَأَعْرِضْ عَنِ الْجَاهِلِينَ.
Choose forgiveness, enjoin customs and keep far from the ignorant.
The secret to this trust in humanity comes from the view that the Quran has on the divine nature of man and believes that the inner call of our conscience is the word and command of God, and that the genuine and truth-seeking religion is nothing but submission to the truth that we find within ourselves. This is is reflected in verse 30 of Surah Al-Rum:
فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفًا فِطْرَتَ اللَّهِ الَّتِي فَطَرَ النَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِخَلْقِ اللَّهِ ذَٰلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ.
So set your face to the religion being truth-seeking, the same nature (frame) of Allah in which He has created mankind. There is no altering of Allah’s creation. That is the enduring religion, but most people do not know.
Without a doubt, this verse does not intend to say that all perceptions are correct nor are all desires innate, since the contradictions between many perceptions and the wickedness of many lustful desires are so apparent that no one could possibly regard them as divine. Yet the fact that we recognise that the the incorrectness of opinions due to their multiplicity and contradictory stances, and just as we can sense the uglyness of some desires and behaviours, this is the best proof for the existence of a reliable basis for distinguishing between right and wrong in the human existence.
Certainly, besides the divine nature and the power to distinguish between good and bad, human beings are encumbered by instincts and lusts that even take the intellect and power of thinking captive and disable our ability to understand and distinguish. Yet from this point we cannot come to the conclusion that what others say is wrong, and only our perception of a sacred text, or a theoretical experience or any other basis that we consider to be correct, should be the criterion of right and wrong. Because, the same factors that caused others to reach incorrect conclusions and defend them decisively, may have left the same effect on our perception and outlook. Excluding ourselves and our school of thought from this general principle has no basis other than self-exaltation and arrogance.
In this situation, the only way to benefit from our divine nature and to stay safe from potential harms, is to leave situations that expose you to the effects of lust and selfishness or in danger of the handiwork of carnal desires. And it is under such conditions that we should identify the untainted message of our divine nature. If we don’t come out of the shackles of assumptions and excessive self-assurance, even if we are in possession of the holiest scriptures and teachings, it is still possible that our understanding will become influenced by our selfishness. However, if we put ourselves in the place of others and listen to someone else’s inner calling, we will appreciate its divinity better and we will oblige ourselves to ”favour for others what we like for ourselves”.
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Islamic Library: Introduction to Islam
[1] . Verse 75 of Surah Taha states on this regard:
«وَمَن يَأْتِهِ مُؤْمِنًا قَدْ عَمِلَ الصَّالِحَاتِ فَأُولَٰئِكَ لَهُمُ الدَّرَجَاتُ الْعُلَىٰ»
And whoever comes to Him a believer (and) he has done righteous deeds, for such are the most sublime degrees
[2]. Verse 282 of Surah Al-Baqarah, includes recommendations on writing a reciept for the amount and timeframe of instalments which emphasizes on ensuring its fairness:
«وَلْيَكْتُب بَّيْنَكُمْ كَاتِبٌ بِالْعَدْلِ»
And let a scribe write it down justly between you.
[3]. At the beginning of verse 5 of Surah Al-Ahzab, the Quran states the reason for the necessity of assigning adopted children to the fathers as the following:
«ادْعُوهُمْ لِآبَائِهِمْ هُوَ أَقْسَطُ عِندَ اللَّهِ»
Call them after their true fathers that is more equitable with Allah.
[4]. And in the third verse of Surah Al-Nisa, the Quran expresses the concern for injustice to be the only barrier for permitting polygamy and considers the observance of justice to be condition for the permission for polygamy:
«وَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَلَّا تُقْسِطُوا فِي الْيَتَامَىٰ فَانكِحُوا مَا طَابَ لَكُم مِّنَ النِّسَاء مَثْنَىٰ وَثُلَاثَ وَرُبَاعَ فَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَلَّا تَعْدِلُوا فَوَاحِدَةً أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُمْ ذَٰلِكَ أَدْنَىٰ أَلَّا تَعُولُوا»
And if you fear that you cannot act equitably towards orphans, then marry those women who seem good to you, two or three, or four; but if you fear that you will not act justly between them then marry only one or someone your right hands have acquired.
[5]. In verse 58 of Surah Al-Nisa we read:
«إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُكُمْ أَن تُؤَدُّوا الْأَمَانَاتِ إِلَىٰ أَهْلِهَا وَإِذَا حَكَمْتُم بَيْنَ النَّاسِ أَن تَحْكُمُوا بِالْعَدْلِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ نِعِمَّا يَعِظُكُم بِهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ سَمِيعًا بَصِيرًا»
Verily Allah commands you that you restore deposits to their owners, and when you judge between people, you judge with justice; verily goof is the admonition Allah gives you; verily Allah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing