Imam of the mosque and manager of the Islamic centre of Hamburg Mr. Ayatollah Dr. Ramezani
There are a lot of similarities between ethics and jurisprudence and the sharia. For example, both of them are considered as the area of practical wisdom and learning both of them is to be acted. Moreover, intention is a basic matter in ethics and jurisprudence and the sharia. Intention is even one of the main basics in jurisprudence and is better than acting.
In the name of God, the Compassionate and the Merciful
الحمد لله ربّ العالمين و الحمد لله الذی لا مُضادّ له في مُلكه و لا مُنازِعَ لَهُ في أمره. الحمدالله الذی لا شريك لَهُ في خلقه ولا شبيه لَهُ في عَظَمَتِه (جزء من دعاء الإفتتاح) وصلّی الله علی سيدّنا ونبيّنا محمّد صلّی الله عليه وعلی آله الطاهرين واصحابه المنتجبين.
عبادالله ! أُوصيكم و نفسي بتقوی الله و اتّباع
One important matter that is emphasized in the discussion of the sharia is that there is a close relationship between the sharia (that means the rules and the rights of God) and ethics and it can even be said that the purpose of most of the divine rules are moral principles. Moreover, moral attributes such as modesty, chastity, honesty and so forth have deep effects on using the rules.
Differences between the sharia and ethics
There are differences between the sharia and ethics in some aspects such as topic, purpose, area, the guarantee of performance and …because ethics discusses about good and bad attributes named virtues and vices and of course, these attributes are observed in behaviors and actions. However, jurisprudence and the sharia discuss about duties and obligations of human beings in devotional, social, individual, economic, political and law aspects and …
Difference between ethics and the sharia in topic is that in jurisprudence and the sharia, the actions and behaviors of the obliged are focused on; therefore, they are ordered to do actions or to avoid doing them. Moreover, if a specific action is done by an obliged person even once, the sharia checks it and issues the rule of haram, mubah, wajib or mustahabb and makruh towards it. However, Ethics focuses on behaviors that are valuable.
Difference between ethics and the sharia in purpose is that the purpose of ethics is to improve human beings and the society and not to focus on reward and punishment at all. In contrast, in jurisprudence and the sharia, personal improvement is focused on in different aspects and organizing the society as well as reward and punishment are considered. In other words, human beings that fulfill their obligations and responsibilities appropriately will be rewarded in the doomsday and human beings that do not their obligations will be punished there.
Similarities between the sharia and ethics
There are a lot of similarities between ethics and jurisprudence and the sharia. For example, both of them are considered as the area of practical wisdom and learning both of them is to be acted. Moreover, intention is a basic matter in ethics and jurisprudence and the sharia. Intention is even one of the main basics in jurisprudence and is better than acting.
نِيَّةُ الْمُؤْمِنِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ عَمَلِهِ[1]
” Each person acts according to his or her intention”.
كُلٌّ يَعْمَلُ عَلى شاكِلَتِهِ[2]
It has been said in narrations that the word ” Shakile” has been interpreted as intention.
Moreover, the rules and regulations of ethics and jurisprudence include three features: a) conditions: each obliged person has the conditions of obligations and he or she should fulfill them; b) Attribution: following rules does not include limitations and conditions; c) Generality: the rules of ethics and jurisprudence are considered as general orders and all people that have the conditions of obligations and equal situations should act these regulations and rules.
Another similarity between them is that both of them have temporary and permanent rules. The permanent rules are related to permanent needs of human beings and never change according to the conditions and the changes of human beings such as prayer and fast in jurisprudence and the sharia and honesty and fairness in moral matters.
Temporary rules are rules that can change according to the conditions and situations of time and place such as the rules of trades in jurisprudence and the sharia and social manners in moral matters that follow the same purpose related to improving human beings and the society and can complement each other. Hence, the society that follows jurisprudence and ethics can be a safe and comfortable society in all aspects and everyone does his or her duty in personal and social matters perfectly and no one violates himself or herself and others. These are considered as good features of the society based on the sharia and ethics. In such a society, everyone controls his or her inner without any outer controls. Of course, outer control is necessary for human beings that want to corrupt the society and make riot in the society. However, such a society follows ethics and the sharia and human beings are responsible and dutiful enough to establish peace and safety in the society. Hence, the areas of the sharia and ethics complement each other and are not in contrast with each other.
1.Al-Kafi ( T-Al-Islamie) v 2 p 84
2. Al-Asraa, verse 84
