Predicate of Moral Judgment

 

Quranic Foundations And Structure Of Muslim Society

3. Predicate of Moral Judgment :

In respect of the predicate of moral judgment, which is constituted of the terms of moral approval and disapproval, it is necessary to have in view the nature of the Qur’anic value-system wherein morality does not stand in isolation from the other values, especially the spiritual.^[1] Consequently, the Holy Qur’an has not employed just one set of terms, like ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ and ‘good’ and ‘bad’, to denote the moral virtues and vices. Rather it has used different sets, and even single words, in different contexts, with the basic notions of moral goodness and evil running through them. Thus we find the following sets of opposites:

1. sālihāt and sayyi’āt:	(45:20);
2. khayr and sharr:	(99:7-8; etc.);
3. birr and ithm:	(5:3);
4. hasanah and sayyi’ah:	(27:91-92);
5. ma‘rūf and munkar:	(3:106; etc.);
6. halāl and harām:	(10:59; etc.);
7. taiyyib and khabīth:	(2:267; etc.).

 

As for single words, they, along with their connotations (all relating to evil in different gradations and categories), are:

1.      fasād (2:205; etc.): corruption—a word capable of denoting all types of evil action.

2.      ‘udwān (2:85; etc.): disobedience.

3.      junāh, (2:158; etc.): sin.

4.      fāhishah (3:125; etc.): anything abominable beyond measure.

5.   khafi’ah (4:112; etc.): mistake, fault in small or large measure, and intentional or unintentional.

6.      rijs (5:90; etc.): something intensely filthy and unclean.

7.      najas (9:28): something that is unclean according to Reason or Law.

8.      jurm (11:35; etc.): sin—the Qur’anic use almost invariably with reference to kufr.

9.      lamam (52:32): slight and unwilled deviation from virtue— possibly in thought alone.

10.   ma‘hiyah (58:8-9): disobedience.

11.   dhanb (60:3; etc.): slip, lapse; trespassing correct boundaries of action intentionally or un-intentionally (Mark that dhanb is related to dhanab which means tail).

We are, however, really concerned with the seven sets of opposites that we have mentioned.

 

In that connection, the first fact to be noted is that the terms used in these sets fall into three categories, namely: evaluative, classificatory and descriptive; and among these categories it is only the first that is of value to us in the present discussion. This becomes clear when we examine the semantic structure of each term and fix up its connotation. For this purpose we will take up here the positive terms contained in the sets. 

 

       sālihāt: Good deeds. The word sālih means sound, good, righteous, and its semantic constitution contains emphatic reference to belief in God, prayer, and goodwill and love for humanity. However, the practice of sālihāt is repeatedly joined to Faith. Thus this term connotes ‘faith expressed in outward conduct’.

It may also be noted that this term has not been used in the Qur’an in its singular form, sālihāh, which seems to be one of the necessary conditions for choosing a term for our purpose. 

 

2.       khayr: Good. It has been used in the Qur’an as a comprehensive term for ‘good’, covering religious belief, worldly happiness and good in general. 

 

3.       birr: Godliness, righteousness, probity, kindness, charitable gift. The semantic constitution of this term seems to be similar to that of sālih. 

 

4.       hasanah: Good deed, benefaction, charity. Its masculine form, hasan, means: beautiful, nice, good, agreeable, exquisite; while the word husn means: beauty, excellence, perfection. In its semantic constitution, it covers not only the ‘good’ in respect of both the worldly and the religious spheres of life, as we find in the case of khayr, but also a powerful emphasis on moral goodness and on beauty, or, grace in conduct. 

 

5.       ma‘rūf: It seems to express a very general and comprehensive idea of religious goodness in the sense of compliance with the Divine Law. Literally, it means ‘known’, ‘familiar’, and hence ‘approved’. Thus in the Qur’anic usage, al-ma‘rūf should be taken to mean: ‘that which is known to ideal human nature’ and hence familiar to and in harmony with it, whereby any act which is ma‘rūf is a good act in the light of what the Qur’an teaches as to the goodness of all that is in conformity with ideal human nature (30:30). However, it should be noted that the application of this term in the Qur’an bears reference more vitally to the legal aspect of human relations than to morality. 

 

6.       halāl: Lawful. It is a legal term. So too is harām, its opposite.

 

7.       tayyib: Good, pleasant, agreeable, delicious. The Qur’an has employed it to denote religious goodness as well as goodness pertaining to worldly things. 

 

Among these seven terms, the first four are evaluative; the next two classificatory; and the last is descriptive. Again, among the evaluative terms, hasanah emerges as the term related to the Qur’anic predicate of moral judgment, which may be defined as ‘moral Good ^[2] joined to spiritual purity and aesthetic grace’. This selection is confirmed by the Divine Command:

“Verily Allah commands (observance of absolute) Justice and adherence to the hasanah …” (16:90).

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[1] Cf. Rashdall: “If, finally, we ask what is the relation of the idea of value to the idea of ‘moral’ value, I should answer that all that has value has moral value, in the sense that it must be moral, in due proportion to the amount of that value, to promote it; but by moral value we generally mean the particular kind of value which we assign to a good character.” (Theory of Good and Evil, vol. 1, p. 138).

[2] In respect of the predicate of moral judgment Kant has adopted the term ‘right’ in keeping with his ethical system; while others have chosen the term ‘good’ whereby moral judgments can be reasonably considered as judgments of value containing at the same time the idea of ‘ought’ or obligation. Now, it is evident that the term ‘good’ is more appropriate—more correct—than the term ‘right’. In respect of ‘good’, again, the concept of ‘good’ is bound to vary in different ethical systems in accordance with the nature or scope of the ‘good’ conceived. In this respect, the Qur’ānic concept of the predicate is most perfect.

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to be continued . . . . . 

Quranic Foundation & Structure Of Muslim Society In The End Times