Muslim Ethics: Emerging Vistas

Muslim Ethics
Emerging Vistas


Author: Amyn B. Sajoo

Published by: I. B. Tauris Publisher’s London: New York in association with the Institute of Ismaili Studies

In this book Amyn Sajoo has undertaken a detailed analysis of Muslim Ethics and its impact on society in past and present. The focus of his studies is on practical implementation of ethics which reflects Islam as a way of life. His reasoning on ethics was not based only on good or bad, rather he uses his intellectual energy in exploring the question “Why act ethically?” His study is based on very nature of pluralistic Islamic society which is very different from those portrayed by fundamentalist persuasions or better referred to as political Islamists.
He concentrated his thoughts on practical applications of Islamic ethics, which requires balance between material and spiritual life; and all definitions of good and bad lie on that balance. He very intelligently defined ethics and morals and the fine line between them; an how it defines individual identity and its impact on society.
I quote:
“….In formal disclosure, however, ethical perspectives are about what guides an individual or a community in choices that concern the “good” relating closely to perception of who one is and how best to live in one’s universe. Moral, on the other hand, are more specifically about rules that concern what is right and wrong, whether for individual or society.”

Certainly, ethics and moral overlap each other. As the social fabric of Muslim society is woven by those threads of ethics and morals, Muslims see Islam as a way of life.

Amyn Sajoo sees ethics as a common thread between all the ethics based religions. This thread ties all human beings and connects them to work in unity for the betterment of all mankind. This view was depicted by the illustration on cover page of his book, which is Noah’s Ark painting from Mughal period.

He explains this painting as follows:

“…consider the sheer diversity of life in the vessel where humans are far outnumbered by the birds and animals, and human themselves come from various walks of life. No overt religious symbol appear in their midst, even though the depiction stems from a scriptural narrative: God’s message to the Prophet Nuh (Noah) to salvage life from the flood (detailed in the Quran 11:25-49). Rather, secular and sacred are in easy confluence. The dragon-motif of the vessel itself is a popular borrowing from Chinese tradition, recalling a pluralist impulse that imbues Islamic Art.”

Amyn has divided his book into four chapters:

- Taking Ethics seriously: Adab to Zygotes
- Civility and its Discontents
- A Humanist Ethos: The Dance of Secular and Religious
- Pluralist Governance

I will tackle each chapter separately for easy reading.