Knowledge which informs us about the states and actions of the spiritual heart (qalb) and soul (rûh) is called “Knowledge of Ethics.” In order to understand knowledge of ethics it is necessary to learn the defination of the terms used in Ethics. As we know, every knowledge has its own terminology.
Habit (huy) is a faculty (malaka) of the spiritual heart and soul. They, through this faculty, perform actions spontaneously without considering them consciously. Habits formed permanently are called faculties, while, a temporary habit is called state (hâl). For example, laughing or being ashamed are states (hâl). Generosity and bravery are faculties. When we refer to habits, it should be understood that we mean faculties. Doing good deeds occasionally does not constitute a habit, but doing them regularly does. If someone performs charitable deeds frequently, he is considered to be a generous person. However, if a person does good deeds regularly by forcing himself, he is not considered a generous person. If he does good deeds naturally, spontaneously, continually, and lovingly, then he is a generous person.
Habit serves as a means for doing morally good or evil actions. Sometimes it causes actions which are neither good nor evil. In the first case it is called good nature, or virtue (fazîlat). Generosity, bravery and gentleness are good examples of this. In the second case it becomes vice, scandalous behavior, evil nature, or disagreeable habit, such as stinginess and cowardice. In the third, it is neither virtue nor vice; then it is called arts and crafts, such as tailoring and farming.
As we know, the spiritual heart and the soul have two powers:
The first one is the power of comprehension (quwwat al‑’âlima or mudrika). This power has been called as reason and knowledge (’aql, nutq). Qalb and rûh understand things that can be understood by reasoning via this power.
The second is the power that causes things to happen ‑causative power‑ (quwwat al‑’âmila).
Each power has two aspects:
The first aspect of the power of comprehension, which is identified as reason, is called theoretical knowledge (hikmat al‑nazarî), and the second aspect is called practical knowledge (hikmat al-’amalî).
The first aspect of the causative power (quwwat al-’âmila) is appetite (shahwat), a force which desires pleasurable and pleasant things. The second aspect of the causative power is (ghadab), a force which is prone to keep the person away from things it does not like.
These four powers generate various actions and deeds. If the actions and deeds are reasonable, fine, and free from inadequacy and excess, the habit which performs these actions is called virtue (fazîlat). The habit which performs actions that are excessive or inadequate is called vice (razâlat).
If theoretical knowledge is properly developed, that habit is called wisdom (hikmat). If the second power that is the practical knowledge is rightly developed, that habit is called justice (’adl). If the spiritual heart’s and soul’s causative power appetite is properly developed, that habit is called chastity or temperance (iffat). If ghadab is properly developed, that habit is called courage (shajâ’at). These four habits are the essence of all good deeds. Justice cannot be in excess or inadequate, but the other three can be excessive or inadequate. If they are, it is called vice.
If theoretical knowledge is in excess, it is called loquacity (jarbaza). If it is inadequate, it is called stupidity (balâdat). As we have stated earlier, justice cannot be in excessive or deficient proportions; yet it does have an antonym, which is called tyranny (zulm). The chastity which is in excessive proportions is called debauchery (fujûr). If it is inadequate, it is called laziness (humûd). Excessive proportion of courage is called rashness (tahawwur) while deficient proportion is called cowardice (jubn).
These definitions of kinds of habits have been borrowed from the book Ihyâ-ul-’ulûm-ud-dîn, by Hadrat Imâm Ghazâlî. They are also written in the book Hadîqat-un-nadiyya, by Abd-ul-ghanî Nablusî (d. 1143 [1731 A.D.], Damascus). The latter book is in Arabic and was reproduced by offset process by Hakîkat Kitâbevi, Istanbul. According to some scholars, having a right combination of chastity, wisdom, and bravery gives rise to justice.
A person who possesses a habit of loquacity (jarbaza) utilizes his mind, a power of his soul, for trickery, backbiting, and clowning. A person who possesses a habit of stupidity cannot understand reality or differentiate between good and evil. A person who possesses a habit of rashness (tahawwur) puts himself into danger by trying to fight against an enemy too powerful for him. A person who is a coward does not have patience and endurance, and therefore cannot protect his rights. A person who has a habit of debauchery, commits actions that are disliked (makrûh) in religion or forbidden (harâm) actions in eating, drinking and marriage, and derives pleasure from ugly and despicable deeds. A person who has a habit of laziness neglects the permissible pleasures and drives, which results either in his own destruction or extinction of his family tree.
The above mentioned four main habits (virtues) are the essence of all other virtues held by human beings. Everyone boasts having these four main virtues. Even those who boast with their ancestors’ nobility are referring to the fact that their ancestors had these four main virtues.
All the virtues are in average proportions. Every habit which is in excessive or deficient proportion becomes a vice. Perhaps many languages do not possess words to describe all the vices. But, if one contemplates and ponders over them their meaning will become clear.
There are some virtues which are necessary for human beings to possess. People assume that the more abundance of them you have the higher will you be in goodness. That is not the case, though. Every virtue has its limits and beyond those limits virtue turns into a vice. That it is a vice to have less of a virtue than the amount prescribed by Islam requires little thought to realize. Examples of this are shajâ’at (courage) and sahâwat (generosity). Excessive proportions of these two habits are rashness (tahawwur) and spending wastefully (isrâf). Ignorant people and especially people who are unaware of ethics of Islam think that spending extravagantly constitutes generosity and thus praise those who do so. In their view people who are rash and impetuous are brave and courageous. On the other hand, no one considers a pusillanimous person as brave or a stingy one as generous.
There are other habits which a person should possess which people think are better when they are possessed in a proportion below average. When they are in excess, however, their wickedness becomes flagrant. A good example of them is humility, which means not having conceit (kibr). If this exists in a less than necessary amount, it constitutes excessive humility (tazallul). It is difficult to discriminate excessive humility (tazallul) from humility. In fact, many people mix humility of a beggar with that of a scholar (’âlim) because freedom from arrogance is their common behaviour. This similarity deludes people’s optimism concerning the beggar’s humility.
Two meanings can be understood from the medial path. The first meaning is, as everybody understands, the exact center of something, like the center of a circle. The second meaning is the relative center of something. In other words, it is the center of a certain thing. That it is the center of something known, does not mean that it is the center of everything. The middle or center which is used in the science of ethics is the second meaning. Hence, virtues vary, depending on persons, places, and times. Something which is considered as a virtue by one community might not be recognized as such by another. A habit which is recognized as a virtue at one time could be recognized as something else at some later time. Therefore, virtue does not mean being exactly in the middle; it means being on average, and evil means diverging in either direction from this average. The hadîth-i-sherîf which reads, “Temperance in all things is the best of all deeds,” epitomizes what we have been trying to explain.
[1] Ref: These paragraphs are quoted from the book “Ethics of Islam” page 207, which is the translation of the book Berîka written by Abû Sa’îd Muhammad bin MustafâHâdimî ‘rahima hullâhu ta’âlâ’, who passed away in 1176 Hijrî, 1762 A.D. in Konya / Turkey and the book Akhlâq-i-Alâî written in Turkish by Alî bin Amrullah ‘rahimahullâhu ta’âlâ,’ who passed away in 979 Hijrî, 1572 A.D. in Edirne / Turkey. “Ethics of Islam” published by Hakikat Kitabevi, Istanbul. You can find the whole book and the other valuable books in the web site www.hakikatkitabevi.com.tr and download in PDF format for Adobe Acrobat Reader, EPUB format for iPhone-iPad-Mac devices and MOBI format for Amazon Kindle device.
