Islamic Legal and Ethical Dimension - Articles Review

Muslims are known to observe a high level of moral conduct. According to the Islamic law, there are clear codes of conduct that guide the believers on almost all aspects of life beginning from marriage, business, family, and politics. The Islamic religion draws its legal and moral reference from the various holy books and the Quran. Children born into this religion begin attending classes to grasp these concepts from a very tender age. The Sharia law is the source of moral authority, and it is responsible for the high degree of morality in the Islamic world, which accounts for the low cases of immoral activities like rape and venereal diseases. The Islamic ethics are the point of reference when solving legal matters in the court. The basic values in this religion are many, and they revolve around the respect for humanity and benevolence. They include recognition of mans capability to explore his full potential, placement of high value in reasoning and intellect, inclusivity in human dealings and tolerance of diverse opinions. Muslims also put emphasis on social justice, truth and honesty, affirmation of moral restraint, meekness and other kinds of humility, and the primacy of justice. Any action is judged as right or wrong depending on its conformance to these principles. Strict observance of Islamic law as cited in Quran is likely to arouse ill feelings among the adherents of sharia and the moral police of the contemporary society. One of the reasons to explain this is due to the texts subjugation of women.

Mashhour, Amira Islamic Law and Gender Equality

This article deconstructs the sharia law and its implications for the modern society. The author strives to depict how the rise of a patriarchal society is facilitated by the teachings of Islam, and how these teachings demean gender equality. The text mainly focuses on family law from the perspective of Islamic religion. Mashhour argues that when the laws set by the society fail to protect both genders and seem to promote the dehumanization of women, there is a need to revise the regulations and come up with a harmonious way of dealing with the problem (6). He uses this argument as the basis for the family and marriage laws reforms in Tunisia and Egypt. This reading is important for this research since it gives deep insights into the Islamic legal and ethical position of human relations.

Youngman Skrelset. Basic Primary Sources in Islamic Religion

This article describes the Islamic texts that are mandatory for any library to stock. These texts are outlined and their purpose explained in detail. The texts, according to the author, are the basic books that give the meaning to the religion. They trace the origin of the religion, its pillars and its revolution over the ages. It begins with the description of Quran and proceeds to speak about other texts are complementary to it (Youngman 50). One of the sections in the article that discusses Islamic jurisprudence is very central to this proposal, since it gives a detailed background of Islamic legal and ethical dimensions.

Azbhar Alwee. Ethical Dimension in Islam

This article principally deals with the ethical principles of Islam. The opening remark of this article recognizes ethics as central to any religion. The author decries the increasingly rampant neglect of the religious teachings in the modern world (1). This text is important for my proposal because it give a detailed account of religious ethos that guides Muslim believers.

Works Cited

Alwee, Azhar Ibrahim. "Ethical Dimension of Islam." Conference Young AMP's Focus Group Discussion Series. No. 1.Mashhour, Amira. "Islamic law and gender equality: Could there be a common ground?: A study of divorce and polygamy in Sharia Law and contemporary legislation in Tunisia and Egypt." Human Rights Quarterly 27.2 (2005): 562-596.

Skreslet, Paula Youngman. "Basic primary sources in Islamic religion." Theological Librarianship: An Online Journal of the American Theological Library Association 1.1 (2008): 49-53.