Appendix 2: An Introduction to Akhlaq (2)

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Scope

Charting Character

Akhlaq is a vast subject, but other realms of religious knowledge extend far beyond it. For more clarity — but without any claim to accuracy, for no precision is possible except with GOD — allow me to share this diagram with you.

As you can see, I have placed akhlaq above and mainly outside shari’ah, or Islamic law. Both, in turn, are bounded by not only tariqah but also the greater realities, in ascending order, of ma’rifah and haqiqah. Tariqah is only an alternate term for the siratil-mustaqim, or straight way, and generally signifies the spiritual path of those who seek AL-LAH the Great and Glorious. Ma’rifah, or gnosis, is not so much the outcome of tariqah as a state of ‘being already there’. It was waiting for us, and yet with us from the start, like a mountain on which we climb to reach its peak. With haqiqah, finally, words are no longer possible. Akhlaq stops well short of ma’rifah. Nothing more need be said of haqiqah except that it is utterly beyond the scope of this appendix.

Character and Law

Shari’ah is a system of rules, and obedience to them is clearly assessable by others. Ethics, on the other hand, is governed by principles. Evaluating a person’s compliance with rules is relatively simple and straightforward; I can tell whether your worship, your marriage, or your occupation is valid by watching what you do or asking you a few easy questions. But measuring your moral conduct depends more on cumulative observation and recognition of patterns than on immediate judgement. Determining legality is a science, but judging character is an art.

The Qur’an and hadith literature are full of moral judgements. One of their main purposes is to make us, the readers, connoisseurs in the fine art of evaluating character. Muslims who fail to set moral standards for themselves and apply them fairly and intelligently to others are likely to judge people by the default yardsticks of society at large. These criteria are almost always wealth, fame, and status. Diplomas, certificates, prestige, and prominence are poor substitutes for the moral qualities Muslims should be demanding from their leaders, such as honesty, compassion, humility, and patience.

One sign of Muslims’ having lost this ability is our resort to legalisms rather than moral judgements when confronted with issues of right and wrong. A discussion of whether one should work in a bank or not, for example, degenerates into whether one can say it is haram or not, and where one should ‘draw the line’. But such matters need not be decided by scholastic quibbles and piles of textbooks.

Following the letter of the law does not in itself produce good character. You do not use a toothpick to dig for gold, and you cannot use fiqh alone to lift your heart to GOD. What the shari’ah provides is a structure for akhlaq or tariqah, just as tariqah offers a framework for ma’rifah, and so on. The lower level, in each case, acts as the body or form for the higher level. But the heart or contents of each comes from above. Thus our motivation to learn good character stems from an aspect of ma’rifah, and good character, in turn, is the soul of the shari’ah.

Character and Gnosis

The difference between morals and ma’rifah is that the former is interpersonal, or other-oriented, while the latter is GOD-oriented. Character is visible, in one form or another, but enlightenment cannot be seen by the outward eye. To achieve ma’rifah, one must submerge one’s will in GOD’s Will, whereas focusing on character tends to reveal the individual’s will more plainly. The contrast between ma’rifah and tariqah (which includes akhlaq) is like that between believing and doing — notice how in the Qur’an faith is almost always mentioned first, before good deeds — or between impression and expression.

Character and Spiritual Training

Akhlaq and tariqah are not the same. Character involves everyone, good or bad, willing or unwilling, while the spiritual path is what a few choose to do, namely purposeful concentration on those practices and principles that not only improve character but also lead one to gnosis. Tariqah, nonetheless, is shown as more comprehensive because it addresses much more than interpersonal ethics or character. Its reach is wider, deeper, and higher. We pray to GOD that after visiting the islands of akhlaq we will be inspired to embark upon the ocean that is tariqah.

Character and Manners

There is one more distinction to be made, the most difficult of all — between akhlaq and adab. If akhlaq is to be considered roughly equivalent to ethics, then adab might be translated as etiquette. My dictionary mentions etiquette, propriety, decorum, and protocol as synonyms, and says, “These nouns refer to codes governing correct behaviour. Etiquette consists of the prescribed forms of conduct in polite society . . .” One might even say that adab is the fine print of akhlaq. We generally read the fine print only after the main text, and only if our eyesight and interest are keen enough.

Adab is the refinement or polishing of akhlaq. It is, no doubt, a higher or more specialized form of ethics, but is often pursued even before the basics and essentials of akhlaq have been mastered. As a code or protocol, it can degenerate, if one is not careful, into mannerisms and ostentation. And because it is specialized, it has its times and places, whereas akhlaq is required of us at all times and in all places. From Rabia Harris’s English abridgement of Ar-Risala al-Qushayriya (Chicago: ABC Group International, 1997), on page 289, we read:

One day while he was with his companions Ibn ‘Ata stretched out his feet. “Not putting emphasis upon one’s refined behaviour is itself considered refined behaviour among the people who have attained refinement,” said he. A hadith has been related that testifies to this story. The Prophet had Abu Bakr and Umar with him. Then Uthman entered, and he covered up his leg, saying, ‘Shall I not be ashamed before a man in front of whom the angels are ashamed?’ He was pointing out that even though he held the modesty of ‘Uthman in great esteem, the affection that existed between himself, Abu Bakr, and ‘Umar had been more pure.

Finally, it is good character to excuse ethical lapses in others. Should we not be even more lenient in matters of etiquette, and seek to understand a person’s character before we judge his outward manners? The author of this work seeks your forgiveness, and GOD’s, for any deficiencies of adab and akhlaq found here.

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