Mawsuat al-Akhlaq - al-Kharraz
- Author died
- -
- Editions
- Maktabat Ahl al-Athar lil-Nashr wa-al-Tawzīʻ
Mawsuat al-Akhlaq (The Encyclopedia of Ethics) is a contemporary treatise on Islamic moral conduct and etiquette authored by the Kuwaiti scholar Khalid al-Kharraz (Khalid ibn Juma ibn Uthman al-Kharraz), gathering commendable traits alongside blameworthy characteristics to be avoided .
Origin and Composition
The book originated from a series of weekly lectures that the author delivered to female university students from the College of Sharia and other faculties on Wednesday afternoons in 1425 AH . These lectures were subsequently broadcast in episodes on the Holy Quran Radio in Kuwait during the month of Ramadan of the same year . In 1428 AH / 2007 CE, al-Kharraz delivered them again as Sunday lessons at the Abd al-Jalil Mosque in the al-Fayha district as part of a cultural program organized by the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, before revising and supplementing the material with further additions for written publication .
Contents and Methodology
The work is structured into four main parts (abwab) . The first part covers fundamental introductory principles of Islamic ethics, including:
- Definitions and Scope: Examining the linguistic and technical definitions of character (khuluq) and the science of ethics (ilm al-akhlaq), citing classical authorities such as al-Jurjani and Ibn Manzur . The scope spans a Muslim's duties toward God, oneself, other human beings, and surrounding creations .
- Distinctions in Human Behavior: Distinguishing moral character from non-moral voluntary actions, such as instinctual impulses, social etiquette (like dining hygiene and grooming), and conventional societal traditions .
- Foundational Pillars of Virtues and Vices: Drawing upon the formulation of Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, the work establishes that commendable character rests upon four pillars—patience, chastity, courage, and justice—whereas blameworthy character stems from ignorance, injustice, base desire, and anger .
- Sources of Ethics: Grounding moral rulings in the Quran, the authentic Sunnah, and the reports and conduct of the Companions and Successors, in contrast to secular and modern philosophical systems .
Publication
The work was completed in al-Fayha, Kuwait, in 1428 AH / 2007 CE and published in its first edition in 1430 AH / 2009 CE by Maktabat Ahl al-Athar in Hawalli, Kuwait .
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