CONSTRUCTING THE MUSLIM SCHOLAR'S ETHOS: A FRAMEWORK OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY BASED ON THE ISLAMIC INTELLECTUAL TRADITION

Abstract

Academic integrity constitutes a foundational pillar in the advancement of knowledge and the moral sustainability of civilisation. Within the Muslim intellectual tradition, ethical scholarship has historically been understood not merely as procedural compliance but as the cultivation of a scholarly ethos grounded in moral and spiritual responsibility. This article seeks to formulate a conceptual model of academic integrity rooted in the Islamic intellectual tradition by articulating the ethical foundations of the Muslim scholar’s ethos. Employing qualitative content analysis, the study examines primary sources—the Qurʾān and Sunnah—alongside selected works of classical and contemporary Muslim scholars. The analysis identifies key ethical dispositions central to scholarly integrity, including ikhlāṣ (sincere intention), amānah (trustworthiness and responsibility), ṣidq (truthfulness), ʿadl (justice), ijtihād (intellectual diligence), tawāḍuʿ (humility), taʿẓīm al-ʿilm (reverence for knowledge), and taqwā (God-consciousness). These virtues are shown to remain critically relevant in addressing contemporary challenges to academic integrity, including authorship misconduct, instrumentalisation of knowledge, and ethical erosion in research cultures. On this basis, the article proposes a conceptual model that integrates Islamic ethical values into scholarly practices of research, writing, and knowledge dissemination. It argues that the pursuit of knowledge in Islam is fundamentally an act of ʿibādah, requiring moral excellence alongside intellectual rigour. The study concludes that revitalising the Muslim scholar’s ethos through the Islamic intellectual tradition offers a constructive civilisational framework for strengthening academic integrity and nurturing an ethically grounded knowledge-based society.