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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books What Is Islam? Beliefs, Principles and a Way of Life Moral Qualities, Ethics and Ideals 3-ISLAMIC MORAL QUALITIES, ETHICS AND IDEALS Question: What are moral qualities or traits? Answer: They are of two kinds: those relating to the heart; those relating to parts of the body and the limbs. Question: Please provide examples for each kind.

Answer: Moral traits relating to the heart are, for instance, tenderness of heart or, conversely, jealousy, and examples of traits relating to parts of the body are truthfulness or lying. Question: Moral qualities, as a whole, may be divided into how many kinds? Answer: They can be divided, on the whole, into two kinds: Good moral traits, or virtues, whose presence in man is commendable. Bad moral traits, or vices, whose presence in man is found repulsive.

Question: What is man’s responsibility as regards moral principles? Answer: Man is charged with adorning himself with “virtues” and avoiding vices, for virtues are perfection and vices are a deficiency. Man by nature seeks perfection and distances himself from defects. Question: Is it possible for man to adorn himself with virtues and keep away from vices? Answer: Yes, this is possible, for man’s soul is like a white sheet of paper which is receptable to any colour.

The only thing is that it is difficult to be in command of one's soul which needs to be made tractable and, particularly with regard to acquiring virtues, it requires continuous vigilance until the praiseworthy quality becomes inherent in one’s nature. When such a quality becomes fixed within a person’s soul, he or she cannot help but do good and does so without any hardship The soul, when it comes to ethics, is similar to man when he wants to learn or make things.

A man needs to learn and apply continually his knowledge in order to become an artisan who almost automatically and without difficulty can perform his job. In the same way man can acquire virtues. Question: Give an example of this. Answer: If someone wants to be truthful he should tirelessly make an effort to speak nothing but the truth, and should do this time and time again until truthfulness becomes a part of his nature.

The same applies to other qualities especially the most commendable which are more of a trial for the soul of man. Question: How does Islam regard having moral principles? Answer: Islam incessantly orders people to acquire virtues and forbids them from doing base deeds.