In the name of God, the Compassionate and the Merciful

 الحمد
لله ربّ العالمين و الحمد لله الذی لا مُضادّ له في مُلكه و لا مُنازِعَ لَهُ في
أمره. الحمدالله الذی لا شريك لَهُ في خلقه ولا شبيه لَهُ في عَظَمَتِه جزء من
دعاء الإفتتاح وصلّی الله علی سيدّنا ونبيّنا محمّد صلّی الله عليه وعلی آله
الطاهرين واصحابه المنتجبين.

عبادالله ! أُوصيكم و نفسي بتقوی الله و
اتّباع

 

One important matter that is emphasized in the discussion of the sharia
is that there is a close relationship between the sharia that means the rules
and the rights of God and ethics and it can even be said that the purpose of
most of the divine rules are moral principles. Moreover, moral attributes such
as modesty, chastity, honesty and so forth have deep effects on using the
rules. 

 

Differences between the sharia and ethics

 

There are differences between the sharia and ethics in some aspects
such as topic, purpose, area, the guarantee of performance and …because ethics discusses
about good and bad attributes named virtues and vices and of course, these
attributes are observed in behaviors and actions. However, jurisprudence and
the sharia discuss about duties and obligations of human beings in devotional,
social, individual, economic, political and law aspects and …

 

Difference
between ethics and the sharia in topic is that in jurisprudence and the sharia,
the actions and behaviors of the obliged are focused on; therefore, they are
ordered to do actions or to avoid doing them. Moreover, if a specific action is
done by an obliged person even once, the sharia checks it and issues the rule
of haram, mubah, wajib or mustahabb and makruh towards it. However, Ethics
focuses on behaviors that are valuable.

 

Difference
between ethics and the sharia in purpose is that the purpose of ethics is to
improve human beings and the society and not to focus on reward and punishment
at all. In contrast, in jurisprudence and the sharia, personal improvement is
focused on in different aspects and organizing the society as well as reward
and punishment are considered. In other words, human beings that fulfill their
obligations and responsibilities appropriately will be rewarded in the doomsday
and human beings that do not their obligations will be punished there.                 

 

Similarities between the sharia and ethics

 

There are a lot of similarities between ethics and jurisprudence
and the sharia. For example, both of them are considered as the area of
practical wisdom and learning both of them is to be acted. Moreover, intention
is a basic matter in ethics and jurisprudence and the sharia. Intention is even
one of the main basics in jurisprudence and is better than acting.                                                                 

 

 

نِيَّةُ الْمُؤْمِنِ‏
خَيْرٌ مِنْ عَمَلِهِ[1]

Each person acts according to his or her intention .

 

كُلٌّ يَعْمَلُ عَلى‏ شاكِلَتِهِ[2]

 

It
has been said in narrations that the word Shakile has been interpreted as
intention.                                                                                                                

 Moreover,
the rules and regulations of ethics and jurisprudence include three features:
a conditions: each obliged person has the conditions of obligations and he or
she should fulfill them; b Attribution: following rules does not include
limitations and conditions; c Generality: the rules of ethics and
jurisprudence are considered as general orders and all people that have the
conditions of obligations and equal situations should act these regulations and
rules.                                                                                                                       

 

Another similarity between them is that both of them have temporary
and permanent rules. The permanent rules are related to permanent needs of
human beings and never change according to the conditions and the changes of
human beings such as prayer and fast in jurisprudence and the sharia and
honesty and fairness in moral matters.         
                                                                                            

 

Temporary rules are rules that can change according to the conditions
and situations of time and place such as the rules of
trades in jurisprudence and the sharia and social manners in moral matters that
follow the same purpose related to improving human beings  and the society and can complement each
other. Hence, the society that follows jurisprudence and ethics can be a safe
and comfortable society in all aspects and everyone does his or her duty in
personal and social matters perfectly and no one violates himself or herself
and others. These are considered as good features of the society based on the sharia
and ethics. In such a society, everyone controls his or her inner without any
outer controls. Of course, outer control is necessary for human beings that
want to corrupt the society and make riot in the society. However, such a
society follows ethics and the sharia and human beings are responsible and
dutiful enough to establish peace and safety in the society. Hence, the areas
of the sharia and ethics complement each other and are not in contrast with
each other.

1.Al-Kafi T-Al-Islamie v 2 p 84

 

2. Al-Asraa, verse 84 [1]

[2]

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