The Supreme Leader’s View of Islamic Ethics

The Supreme Leader’s View of Islamic Ethics
20/03/2011

The Supreme Leader’s View of Islamic Ethics

Relationship with God
The basis of Islamic ethics
Islamic immaculate life
Ethics from an Islamic point of view
The effect of daily prayers on one’s ethical values

Ethics and the Islamic Revolution in Iran

What causes revolutions in human communities?
The main goal of the Islamic Revolution
The greatness of Imam Khomeini’s (r.a.) accomplishment

Ethics and the western world

Freedom from ethics
Ethics in western liberalism
European war-mongering

The Supreme Leader’s View of Islamic Ethics

The Supreme Leader’s View of Islamic Ethics

Relationship with God

If a person wants to receive blessings from God, he should observe Islamic ethics and divine teachings. One’s relationship with God depends on adjusting one’s actions, feelings and behavior according to what God wants. This relationship depends on avoiding selfishness, lies, slander, deception and making human passions dominant over one’s life. It depends on remembrance of God, fighting one’s passions and increasing the amount of one’s worship on a daily basis.

The basis of Islamic ethics

By presenting a wise and profound view of man and the world, by presenting a pure form of monotheism and ethical guidelines, by introducing firm and comprehensive political and social regulations, and by formulating religious and individual responsibilities, Islam calls on all human beings to cleanse their inner self of ugliness, weakness and corruption. It calls on all human beings to infuse their soul with the light of faith, purity, salvation, sincerity, love, hope and dynamism. It calls on all human beings to cleanse their world of poverty, ignorance, oppression, discrimination, backwardness, stagnation, bullying, imposition, humiliation and stupidity.

Islamic immaculate life

God and His Messenger have called man to the immaculate life. Immaculate life is not simply eating, enjoying oneself and indulging in carnal desires. There is no need for God and His Messenger to call man to this kind of life because human passions automatically call people to a lower form of life, the life of animals. All animals go after food and try to fulfill their instinctive desires, and they all fight for food and survival. Immaculate life requires that people live for the sake of God and try to achieve lofty goals in life. The goal of human life is not to satisfy one’s hunger at any cost: this is the most basic goal that an animal would pursue. As far as human beings are concerned, lofty goals include achieving justice, getting closer to God and acquiring divine characteristics. Acquiring divine characteristics is not a means to an end – it is the end. Justice is a means to acquiring divine characteristics. Islamic government and the rule of divine prophets are also a means. The Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) says, “I was appointed as Prophet to perfect moral virtues.”

Ethics from an Islamic point of view

Islam is not indifferent to the issue of ethics and morality. From an Islamic point of view part of justice is related to the issue of ethics and beliefs. That is to say, if we fail to prevent somebody from becoming corrupt, we have done him injustice. If we fail to provide ethical guidance and education for a person, we have done him injustice. “For this reason We prescribed to the children of Israel that whoever slays a soul, unless it be for manslaughter or for corruption in the earth, it is as though he slew all men. And whoever saves a person’s life, it is as though he kept alive all men.” [The Holy Quran, 5: 32] Explaining this verse, the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) says that this applies to those who literally save the life of a person. According to another narration, the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) says the best interpretation is that “slay” and “save” have been used figuratively: slay means preparing the ground for somebody’s corruption and saving the life of a person means preparing the ground for his guidance, then “it is as though he kept alive all men”. Guiding a human being is as valuable as guiding the entire humanity. This is because human nature is the same, no matter if it belongs to one single person or the entire humanity. When you help one human soul and guide it onto the right path – ideologically or ethically – you help human nature in general. Therefore, helping one human being is as valuable as helping the entire humanity. This shows that guiding human beings and contributing to their salvation is the duty of everybody who is capable of guiding people. “Then let man look at his food.” [The Holy Quran, 8: 24] According to a narration, this “food” is spiritual food: it is religion and ethics. Pay attention to what you are consuming or what you give to another person to consume: this is what the Quranic verse means. This shows the importance of spiritual food.

The effect of daily prayers on one’s ethical values

Daily prayers are the best means to help all Muslims achieve moral purification and spiritual transcendence. Daily prayers provide the heart and soul of worshippers with the peace and confidence that is necessary for success in all arenas of life. Daily prayers also eliminate weakness and anxiety, which are great obstacles in the way of moral education.

Ethics and the Islamic Revolution in Iran

What causes revolutions in human communities?

When a revolution takes place in a country, the purpose of the revolution is to change the conditions and the social system. The purpose is to transform the government and the existing social and economic relationships. These are the goals of a revolution. But what is the purpose of transforming social conditions? The purpose is to change the behavior of the people. This is because people are educated inappropriately when a corrupt, oppressive and satanic regime is in power. People end up being materialistic. They end up being disloyal and dishonest. They drift away from mercy, equity, friendliness and cooperation. These are the effects of a corrupt and wrong lifestyle. Revolutions take place to change societies, and the purpose of changing societies is to change the behavior of people and to educate them in an appropriate way. Social justice is a basic principle. But social justice can be actualized in a society only when the people of that society are educated to avoid oppressing others and being oppressed.

The main goal of the Islamic Revolution

Purification of the soul is not possible except under an Islamic and righteous government, and Allah the Exalted has not deprived any religion of the right to rule. Purification of the soul has been the essential goal of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. Everything is a means to achieve purification of the human soul. Social justice and establishment of Islamic rule in human communities are great goals, yet they are just a means to bring about transcendence and growth for man – both of which are embodied by purification of the human soul. Prosperity in both material and spiritual life depends on purification of the soul. Prosperity of man – namely, reaching the ultimate destination – depends on purification of the soul.

The greatness of Imam Khomeini’s (r.a.) accomplishment

The greatness of Imam Khomeini’s (r.a.) accomplishment was due to his relationship with God and his efforts to purify his soul. Imam Khomeini (r.a.) had a purified soul. Even his enemies inside and outside the country acknowledged that he had this characteristic. They all admitted that he was a faithful man. The American diplomat who had been held hostage in Iran for 444 days – and understandably he must have blamed the entire hostage situation on the Imam (r.a.) – said in an interview that he was not happy about Imam Khomeini’s demise. He said that the Imam had his own ethical values and that he was unrivalled in this regard.

Ethics and the western world

Freedom from ethics

Women’s freedom is the primary slogan shouted in the west. Freedom has a lot of meanings: freedom from captivity, freedom from ethics – because ethical rules are a kind of restriction – freedom from unequal wages for men and women, freedom from regulations which force women to remain devoted to their husband. Freedom can include all of these meanings.

Ethics in western liberalism

Because the truth and ethical values are relative in western liberalism, freedom is not restricted. Why? Because as a person who believes in a set of ethical values, you do not have the right to criticize somebody who attacks the values you believe in. This is because he may not believe in your set of values. Therefore, there are no limits to freedom – that is to say, there are no spiritual and ethical limits. Logically speaking, freedom is not limited. Why? Because the truth is not fixed and absolute. Because they believe the truth and ethical values are relative.

The materialist western world adopts a certain position on beliefs and ethics. But when it comes to power and wealth – which are examples of tangible material interests – it adopts a different position. Whenever the west feels that there is an opportunity to gain power and wealth or whenever it feels there is a rival, it enters the arena in a violent and prejudiced manner and does not show any kind of tolerance or leniency. But they do not have the same attitude when it comes to ethics and ideology. They are very lenient and tolerant in the case of ethical and ideological matters – at least, this is what they claim. That is to say, they do not care who believes in what. Of course in some cases one can see that they have a very prejudiced attitude to certain cultural matters. That is to say, whenever cultural matters are related to economic and political interests, expansionist policies and domination, you see that they enter the arena of culture in a strict, violent and prejudiced manner. But they are basically indifferent to cultural and ideological matters, and they do not adopt any positions. This is what is known as laicism: being impartial and refusing to adopt any positions on ethical and ideological matters. In the west ethical values do not impose any limits on freedom. For example, the gay movement in America is a widespread movement, and they are proud of this. They stage demonstrations. They publish their photos in magazines. They proudly announce that a certain businessman or political figure is a member of this group. Nobody feels ashamed and denies being gay. More importantly, some people who oppose this movement are severely criticized in certain newspapers. This means that ethical values do not impose any limits on freedom.

European war-mongering

A strange monopolistic attitude dominates the spirits and ethics of Europeans. When you take a look at the past few centuries, you see that Europeans have fought the most violent wars. The worst and the most violent wars have always taken place between European countries – for example, between Germany and France. They have always been at war as long as there was not a non-European enemy. But when faced with a non-European enemy, they have formed a unified front against that enemy. So far Europeans have caused two world wars. National borders have been changed most in Europe, or they have played a key role in changing national borders outside Europe – in the Middle East, in the Balkans, in Africa and in Arab countries. These are degenerate ethical norms.

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