Abstract
This article provides a survey of the development of Islamic ethical literature. It argues
that this literature promotes not only submission to Allah Almighty and the divine law, it
also portrays ethics as a path that offers a peaceful inner life and elicits cooperative
behavior from others. This article surveys the most significant literary forms currently
available in Persian and English from the first six centuries of Islamic civilization
produced in West, South and Central Asia that provide appealing sources of ethics.1
It
demonstrates that the variations in style and format of this literature derives from the
efforts of Muslim poets, viziers, teachers and scholars to overcome the political
difficulties in challenging corruption, tyranny and oppression. It argues that this literature
offers an antidote to antagonistic Western stereotypes of Islam and also provides
inspiration to teachers, parents and active citizens throughout the world. This article is
divided into three sections. The first section summarizes five reasons to study Islamic
ethics, the second section goes on to define the term Islamic ethics and the third section
explains the historical development of both Arabic and Persian as modern languages
which were used to promote ethics. This background allows for the discussion in the
body of the paper extolling the character and benefits of eight forms of literature taken in
the historical sequence of their appearance. It concludes that this literature is of great
value for people around the world; the more the non-Muslims learn of this literature, the
more highly they will appreciate their Muslim neighbors for their ethical ideals and
human values.
Jonathan Zartman. (2018) Using Historical Islamic Sources to Promote Ethical Character, Journal of Islamic Thought and Civilization, Volume VIII, Issue 2.
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