and good manners in Islamic Theology and Philosophy (Falsafah). It is
most commonly translated in English as; islamic behavior, disposition,
good conduct, nature, temper, ethics, morals or character (of a
person).
Akhlaq is the plural for the word Khulq which means
disposition."Disposition" is that faculty (Malakah) of the soul (Nafs)
which is the source of all those activities that man performs
spontaneously without thinking about them. Malakah is a property of
the soul which comes into existence through exercise and repetitive
practice and is not easily destroyed.
A particular disposition (Malakah) may appear in human beings because
ofone of the following reasons:
1.Natural and physical make up (Fitrah): It is observed that some
people are patient while others are touchyand nervous. Some are easily
disturbed and saddened while others show greater resistanceand
resilience.
2.Habit (Ada): It is formedbecause of continual repetition of certain
acts and leads to the emergence of a certain disposition.
3.Practice and conscious effort: Which if continued long enoughwill
eventually lead to the formation of a disposition.
Even though the physical make-up of an individualproduces certain
dispositions in him, it is by no means true that man has no choice in
the matter and is absolutely compelled to abide by the dictates of his
physical make-up. On the contrary, since man has the power to choose,
he can overcome the dictates of his physical nature through practice
and effort, and can acquire the disposition ofhis choice.
Of course, it should be admitted that those dispositions which are
caused by the mental faculties such as intelligence, memory, mental
agility and the like, are not alterable. All other dispositions,
however, may be changed according to man's will. Man can control his
lust, anger and other emotions and desires, and channel them to edify
himself andpropel himself along the path of perfection and wisdom.
When we speak of man's capacity to bring about changes in his
dispositions, we do not mean that man should destroy his instincts of
reproduction or self-preservation. Man could not exist without these
instincts. What we mean is that one should avoid going to either
extremes in regard to them, and maintain a condition of balance and
moderation so that they may perform their functions properly. Just as
the seed of a date grows into a fruitful tree through proper care, or
awild horse is trained to serve his master, so also can man attain
perfection and wisdom through self-discipline and intelligent
perseverance.
Human perfection has many levels. The greater the amount of
self-discipline and effort on the part of the individual, the higher
thelevel of perfection that he would attain. In other words, he stands
between two extreme points, the lowest of which is below the level of
beasts and the highest of which surpasses even the high station of
angels. The human movement between these two extremes is discussed by
ilm al-Akhlaq (Science of Ethics). It is the goal of ethics to raise
and guide man from the lowest animal state to that exalted position
superior to that of the angels.
In a hadith from Imam Ali (as)is related as saying, Allah (SWT)
created Angels with intellect but without anger or desire. And created
animals withanger and desire but without intellect. And created man
with intellect (reason), anger and desire. If man's reason over powers
his anger and desires, he rises to the status of that higher than
angels. But ifhis anger and desires overpower his intellect and reason
he becomes lower in status than that of an animal.
The importance of ethics is thus revealed. And it is because of the
reasons mentioned above that ethics is considered to bethe most
exalted and valuable of sciences; Moreover, we know that man is the
noblest of creatures, the ultimate purpose of whose existence is to
attain perfection; therefore, it follows that ethics is the noblest of
all sciences.
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