Share Akhlaq is an Arabic term referring to the practice of virtue, morality 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 of one of the following reasons:
1.Natural and physical make up (Fitrah): It is observed that some people are patient while others are touchy and nervous. Some are easily disturbed and saddened while others show greater resistance and resilience.
2.Habit (Ada): It is formed because of continual repetition of certain acts and leads to the emergence of a certain disposition.
3.Practice and conscious effort: Which if continued long enough will eventually lead to the formation of a disposition.
Even though the physical make-up of an individual produces 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 of his 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 and propel 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 a wild 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 the level 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 with anger 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 if his 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 be the 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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