Tawḥīd as a Fundamental Element of the Islamic Worldview and Its Implications for Moral Thoughts and Values

Authors

  • Akeem Olayinka Kazeem International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization, IIUM

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31436/ijrcs.v5i2.248

Keywords:

Tawḥīdī worldview, Tawḥīd al-Asma wa al-Sifat, Moral Values, Moral Consciousness, Moral Reasoning, Character Reformation

Abstract

This is an analysis of the Tawḥīdī worldview from the standpoints of moral epistemology and moral psychology. The aim is to explore some of the implications that the names and attributes of Allah could have on the Muslims’ moral thoughts and behaviours. In recent times, the names and attributes of Allah have attracted little academic focus, despite their potential to be employed as frameworks to discuss and address many issues. This paper, therefore, seeks to demonstrate that the names and attributes of Allah are veritable reservoirs that could be explored for moral knowledge and paradigms. It indicates how they could serve as guides to moral reasoning, bases for moral consciousness and also sources of moral motivation. This is attempted through a qualitative method of an inductive approach, and it entails a conceptual analysis of selected names and attributes of Allah based on the Quranic contextual usage. The paper, therefore, holds the view that each of the names or attributes of Allah has moral-related concepts that could inform Muslims’ moral thoughts and values, and they could also serve as bases for moral conduct and character (re)formation.

References

AbuSulayman, A. (Ed.). (1989). Islamization of knowledge: General principles and workplan. International Institute of Islamic Thought.

Bakar, O. (2019). Classification of knowledge in Islam: A study in Islamic schools of epistemology. Islamic Book Trust.

Berghout, A. (2010). Introduction to the Islamic worldview (Study of selected essentials). IIUM Press.

Al-Bukhari. (n.d.). Sahih al-Bukhari. https://sunnah.com/bukhari

Casewit, Y. (2020). Al-Ghazālī’s virtue ethical theory of the Divine Names: The theological underpinnings of the doctrine of takhalluq in al-maqṣad al-asnā. Journal of Islamic Ethics, 4(1-2), 155-200. https://doi.org/10.1163/24685542-12340042

Choudhury, M. A. (2019). Islamic world view. Routledge.

Dastagir, G. & Ramzy, I. (2018). Tawḥīd. In Z. R. Kassam, Y. K. Greenberg, J. Bagli (Eds.). Islam, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1267-3_2015

Davies, D. J (2022) Worldview religious studies. Routledge.

Draz, M. A. (2008). The moral world of the Quran (D. Robinson & R. Masterton, Trans.). I.B. Tauris.

Al-Faruqi, I. (1982). Tawḥīd: Its implications for thought and life. IIIT.

Al-Faruqi, I. (2012) Islam: Religion, practice, culture & world order. [(posthumous work, Imtiyaz Yusuf (ed.). London: IIIT.

Al-Ghazali. (1993). Ihya ulum id din (The revival of Islamic sciences). Daarul Isaat.

Al-Ghazālī, A. (1995). The ninety-nine Beautiful Names of God: Al-maqṣad al-asnā fī sharḥ Asmāʾ Allāh al-Ḥusnā. (D. Burrell & N. Daher, Trans.). Islamic Texts Society.

Ibn Qayyim. (2020). Madariji al-salikin (Ranks of the divine seekers). (O. Anjum, Trans). Brill.

Ibn Taymiyyah. (2009). Kitab al-iman (Book of faith). (S. Hasan al-Ani & S. Ahmad, Trans). Islamic Book Trust.

Ibn Taymiyyah, A. (n.d.). Majmū‘ al-fatāwā Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyya. Matabi' al-Riyad.

Malkawi, F. H. (2014). Epistemological integration: The essentials of an Islamic methodology (N. Roberts, Trans.). International Institute of Islamic Thought.

Al-Nawawi, Y. S. (n.d.). Riyadhu salihin (English trans.). https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin

Philips, B. (2005). The fundamentals of tawḥīd. International Islamic Public House.

Tiberius, V. (2014). Moral psychology: A contemporary introduction. Routledge.

Vasalou, S. (2016). Ibn Taymiyya's theological ethics. Oxford University Press.

Yusuf, I. (2012). Islam and knowledge: Al-Faruqi's concept of religion in Islamic thought. I. B. Tauris.

Zein, M. (2014). Axiology on the Integration of Knowledge, Islam and Science. Al-Ta’lim Journal, 21(2), 154-160. DOI: 10.15548/jt.v21i2.93

IIUM Policies and guidelines on Islamisation, 2013.

Downloads

Published

2022-12-30

How to Cite

Kazeem, . A. O. (2022). Tawḥīd as a Fundamental Element of the Islamic Worldview and Its Implications for Moral Thoughts and Values. IIUM Journal of Religion and Civilisational Studies, 5(2), 158–176. https://doi.org/10.31436/ijrcs.v5i2.248