Ethics In Islam Haryana, India, Dhu Al Hijjah 15-16, 1409/ July 30-31, 1988

Abstract

The seminar on "Ethics in Islam" was held in Faridabad, Haryana, on
July 30-31 1988, sponsored by the Institute of Objective Studies, New Delhi
and the Department of Philosophy at Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh,
India. Mr. Muqimuddin, the seminar organizer, opened the proceedings by
remarking at the outset that the seminar's theme was of prime importance
in the context of the present world. Justifying any aspect of Islamic Ethics
is both tricky and difficult. According to him, ethics has developed in the
West in the form of philosophical theories but classical philosophers did not
give much attention to the theoretical aspects of Islamic Ethics and virtually
no effort has been made toward the documentation of ethics in Islam.
The keynote address, delivered by Dr. Mohammed Abdul Haq Ansari
entitled "Islamic Ethics: Concept and Prospect," (presently a professor at
Imam Muhammad Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia), reviewed
different streams of writing in the spheres of Islamic philosophy, Sufism,
theology, jurisprudence, politics, and economy, and highlighted the contribution
each has made to the subject. He asserted that in view of the material available
in these writings, Islamic scholars of our time can develop a veritable chronicle
of Islamic Ethics in a period shorter than the Islamic econoll}ists have taken
to develop Islamic Economics. According to Prof. Ansari, there is a wellformulated
system of morality in the Qur'an, but there is no such theorization
in the field of ethics. He pointed out that there are several ethical problems
which need our attention while proceeding towards theorization of Islamic
Ethics, e.g., determinism, freedom of will, distinction between good and
evil, etc.
The keynote address was followed by a lively discussion. Prof. Fazlur
Rahman Ginnori was of the opinion that Islam has provided a complete code
of morality obliviating the need for theorizing about Islamic Ethics. Other
participants were of the opinion that in order to convince the world of the
feasibility of Islamic Ethics, especially because of its identification with most
aspects of science, there is a need for an ethical theory of Islam.
Dr. Sanaullah Mir of Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India, read
a paper on "Philosophical Justification of the Islamic Ethical Standard: the
Ontological and Deontological Standards." While discussing the nature of ...