الأخلاق والاستخلاف في الإسلام: دراسة وجودية معيارية
(Ethics and Stewardship (Istikhlāf) in Islam: An Existential and Normative Study)
Abstract
This study aims to ground the concept of ethics in the Islamic paradigm by linking it to the existential vision, the purpose of creation, and the concept of divine stewardship, addressing the epistemological limitations of contemporary ethical writings that have divorced values from faith. The research problem centers on answering normative and meta-ethical questions regarding the nature of moral judgments and the principles that render an action right or wrong. To achieve its objectives, the study employs a critical and analytical philosophical approach to deconstruct Western existential and social contract theories, highlighting their inability to establish a permanent moral obligation. Concurrently, it utilizes a normative foundational (ontological) approach to anchor human dignity and its universal rights. The research also adopts an integrative interpretive method to analyze textual evidence and Quranic narratives, blending them with Sharia objectives and rational implications. The study is structured into two main sections: the first examines the relationship between ethics and the manifestations of human honor, encompassing purposefulness and moral accountability; the second deconstructs the three levels of stewardship (universal, socio-historical, and political) and their inherent rights tied to the human essence. The study concludes with several key findings, most notably that ethics in Islam are absolute, universal values owed to a human being by virtue of being human, regardless of their religious identity. Furthermore, it demonstrates that revelation serves as the transcendent source of moral obligation, which ensures the stability of the value system and protects it from cultural relativism and narrow, self-serving interests.
Keywords: Islamic Ethics, Stewardship (Istikhlāf), Normative Ethics, Human Dignity, Source of Obligation, Sharia Vision.
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References
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