Ontologically and semantically, Muslim ethics has been informed by several nomenclatures where the notions of akhlaq (virtuous conduct) and adab (civility) are very prominent. Our contention is that Muslim ethics—moral practices—as informed by the Qurān, is a discourse in terms of which humans’ moral agency can be enhanced through education. Put differently, and as argued throughout this book, education on the part of human beings can lead to ethical excellence. In turn, ethical excellence potentially contributes to conscientising and provoking Muslims to be more attentive to contemporary ethical dilemmas. The latter includes human-rights violations; gender inequity, as encountered through egregious violations of women’s rights, such as honour killings and education deprivation; malicious acts of violence and terrorism; and the wanton destruction of sacred sites and relics. In turn, these violations are disguised in a rhetoric of jihād (struggle), which, as we shall argue, are profoundly irreconcilable with any notion of ethical conduct as espoused through the Qurān.

The central focus of the introductory theme of this book is an elucidation of the idea of a Muslim as an ethical being. As such, the claim to a Muslim identity or allegiance is not, as we shall argue, one that is located in an inheritance or adoption of external religious rituals, practices or dress codes. Rather, the idea of an ethical being is one of being attentive to oneself, to others, and in relation to how and why one has been created, so that one surrenders that attentiveness and knowledge to a Higher Being. From the outset, therefore, our allusion to Muslim is not restricted by ideas of prescribed and regulated religion. Instead, we attempt to show that being a Muslim (as in surrendering to a Higher Being or Will) means embodying a particular enactment of what it means to be human. For this reason, we commence this theme, and this book, with a conceptual explication of ethics. In its associations with virtues, such as ma‘ruf (approved), khayr (goodness), haqq (truth and right), birr (righteousness), qist (equity), ‘adl (equilibrium, justice) and taqwa (piety), as well as, most commonly, akhlaq (virtuous conduct), we lay bare the inextricable connectedness between being good as an individual and being good in relation to, and for the sake of, all creation, which includes all others and the physical world in which one lives. In this sense, and drawing on Qurānic exegeses, we show, on the one hand, that the idea of ethics in Islam is about being attentive to humankind and its environment. And, on the other hand, that a Muslim is one who internalises this attentiveness and expresses it through his/her relationships with a Higher Being, through her/himself, and with others.

Following on this idea, it becomes important to offer insight into how the Qurān is understood and how it imagines and espouses ethics (Chap. 2). We commence, therefore, by drawing attention to the fact that the Qurān does not, in a strict sense, contain any ethical theories and should not be considered as a compilation of individual injunctions. Rather, it should be approached and understood as an exposition of an ethical doctrine in which every verse or sentence has an intimate bearing on other verses and sentences. It is for this reason—throughout this book—that we adopt a hermeneutical-multidimensional approach—that is, an approach that concerns itself with ethical and critical thinking necessary to examine a specific tradition such as the one being associated with Islam. In looking at what the Qurān is, and how it promotes an ethical doctrine and conduct, we focus our attention on three primary modes of prophetic stories, parables, and eschatological expositions. We argue that what can be drawn and deduced from the aforementioned are enunciations that are invariably connected to the ethical pursuit of something worthwhile, in this instance, knowledge and critical questioning. We extend our critical pursuit of what it means, first, to be Muslim, and second, what is understood by knowledge and education in Chaps. 3 and 4, respectively. In offering a hermeneutical analysis of what and how the Qurān depicts those who believe in its message, we interrogate, etymologically, not only what it means to be Muslim, but perhaps, more importantly, what Islam seeks to achieve through its ethical doctrine and those who abide by it. Countering a confessional stance of Muslim identity and allegiance, we argue that an individual’s identity can become manifest through his or her action. As such, she/he exhibits his/her responsibility in surrendering to God as a trustee or vicegerent, which is the highest responsibility that has been afforded to humankind. Following on this idea, we show that the purpose of a Muslim’s life is to ensure justice in all that she/he does, thereby contributing towards cultivating harmonious and balanced relationships between her/himself and others. To our minds, an idea of ethics that renders ethical experiences of responsibility to God and humankind is far more tenable than the ethical pursuit of paradise merely for the sake of entering paradise. Instead, the pursuit of God’s pleasure and access to his abode should be determined through unrelenting quests and perseverance towards various forms of knowledge that are useful to the experiences of humanity and the protection of the environment and other beings. Thematically, in this regard, a jihād of ethics becomes an intellectual exertion for just action—hence, the ethical pursuit of justice of all kinds becomes the raison d’être of Muslim education.