Imam Al-Ghazali’s Scholastic Ethics and Its Signivicance to Solving the Contemporary Un-Ethical Dealings

Abstract

Islam contains a general code of conduct without any disagreement. Islam, as both a religion and way of life, also encompasses all religious issues and affairs affecting human’s life is also a fact unchallenged by those of consummate minds. One important aspect of all facets of Islamic discussions, that upon which all arguments sprout and agreements are either diverged and/or reached, that which for its effectiveness also relies on intellectual foundation, is al-Akhlaq (the Ethics). Ethic cum conduct is pertinent in Islamic Shari'ah, Law, regulations, and legislation. Scholastic ethics is the bone of relationship between tutors and tutees, and more pertinent is maintaining the quality for onward inculcation into the societal fabrics as it is the major foundation for having a sustainable society. This paper focuses mainly on al-Ghazali’s interpretation of scholastic ethics in his magnum-opus Ihya’ ‘ulum al-Din. It is the aim of the paper to expatiate the roles scholastic ethics play in maintaining a contemporary and sustainable society. The study theoretically employs qualitative methods, central to library approach, in collecting data for the study, and an analytical style in analyzing the collected data. The study concludes and maintains that scholastic ethics is one of the cornerstones for a sustainable society and it must be maintained as such.