Individual Ethics

From Hz.Adam to Hz. All the prophets, until the Hz.Prophet Muhammad, believed that people's prosperity, perfection and maturity in the world; They explained the general principles they needed to achieve success in the Hereafter. They showed by experience how to transfer the theoretical (creed/faith) principles to the right practice (amel-i salih). They became an example of calling to the way of Allah with wisdom and good advice (16/125). Being an exemplary human being brought up the moral provisions, which is the third dimension of the theological and practical judgments conveyed by the Prophets.

Before examining the place and importance of moral judgments in individual and social relations, it is necessary to dwell on the subject of "Moral Philosophy" in general terms; because this branch of philosophy is concerned with what people do and behave.

Philosophically, "What can we know" and epistemology; Theology/theology or philosophy of religion with “What can we hope for?”; "What can we do?" deals with moral philosophy. If attention is paid, there is an intertwined relationship between Religion, which aims to achieve happiness in the world and the hereafter, and philosophy, which provides the knowledge of achieving happiness in this world (tahsilu's-saade).

Moral philosophy, "What do 'Good' and 'Bad', 'Wrong' and 'Right', 'Virtue and vice' mean in our behavior?" Analyzes questions such as It does this by evaluating human behavior. Evaluation means examining human actions and moral attitudes, and the judgments that lie behind them. In short, Moral Philosophy is thinking about moral concepts such as "good, bad, right" and making a general research. In other words, it is trying to realize the philosophy of "morality".

Each person has a unique understanding of morality, which is influenced by the cultural background of his environment (family, society), the religion he believes in, and the world view he adopts. If we want to acquire a correct and consistent attitude and stance on moral issues, we need to reflect on how people make choices according to their own standards and lead their lives by discovering certain necessary values. In this sense, particular; that is, we can talk about a morality (ethics) specific to a particular situation; therefore, a principle related to the value determined by man's choice is also a moral principle. In this context, thinking about moral philosophy (ethics) shows that philosophy, which is defined as "being on the path" in the sense of "seeking a wise course of action", is a tool for realizing a "good way of being" by removing it from being an abstract field of interest.

We are faced with new moral problems (or at least classical moral problems in a new guise) that have become widespread as a result of the information age and globalization. Especially in today's world where technology, business world and media are trying to direct and shape the whole society with the decisions they take by encompassing our whole lives, if we still aim to provide a permanent and just social order, we need to agree on social values ​​or the common principles of taking action.

In order to achieve this reconciliation, it is necessary to take an individual and singular moral stance, which will produce answers to new moral problems such as prostitution, pornography, violence, abortion, maternity for hire and in vitro fertilization, as well as copying (cloning) living things and euthanasia in the context of sexuality and morality. . Because, with the modern philosophy centered on the "Subject", it has gained importance how the individual action and the (representable) intentions of the person are in contact with a "Universal Law". This is natural; for morality/ethics, whether individual or collective, first appears as the principle that judges the action of a "Subject". Doing this is based on a principle that determines how we relate to "what is happening", with historical situations (human rights ethics), technical-scientific situations (medical ethics, bio-ethics), social situations (coexistence ethics), media situations (communication ethics). ) to edit our relevant comments; that is, it corresponds to moral philosophy.

If a universal law is established and made a permanent principle in the face of singular events, these singular cases can multiply and become socialized. When it comes to the possibility of reading the "universal law" in this determination as divine/religious orders; In fact, although the current problems seem to be technical and scientific, in practice, the moral dimension of these problems is dominant; Therefore, it should be emphasized that purely scientific solutions cannot be produced. If we say this with Begovic's determination, "No matter how great and conspicuous the progress of science is, morality and religion cannot make it superfluous and unnecessary. Because science does not teach people how they should live and does not show any measure of value. Without religion, these values, which elevate biological life to the level of human life, would remain obscure and incomprehensible. Because religion is “knowledge” about the nature of another, higher realm, and morality is “knowledge” about its meaning.”(Begovic; 1993:151) and prioritizing the individual is not just about fundamental questions of research on religion, but rather a broader set of theoretical and practical problems. At this point, it is necessary to see in outline what is meant by religious individuality and morality.

The Concepts of “Individuality” and “Moralism”

As a "thinking" and "acting" being, human is an entity that affects his physical and social environment and establishes mutual relations with each other. To exist, in this sense, is a family; To be an element of a neighborhood, a nation, a state. In this respect, he cannot do his behavior in society according to his will. Since people live in communities, they need to think about the values ​​and behavior styles that will best ensure social harmony and cooperation. Therefore, it is natural that there are principles of action or determined basic concepts, namely universal moral principles, that can be advised to all people on earth.

In this sense, while a person lives in this world as a creature, he lives in the metaphysical world as a value. For this reason, the characteristic of “value” is that it exists both in relation to human beings; as well as the fact that it has different properties from the knowledge of physical objects built on our sense organs. An example of this is the rational justification of values ​​and moral judgments that do not change according to individuals or societies, that is, valid for everyone, since the first periods of the history of thought (Socrates). Every thinking individual believes that his decision as good-bad, right-wrong does not appear to him alone; may be conscious of the fact that it is valid for every rational being.

Individual morality, that is, virtue, comes from knowledge. A virtuous person is a knowledgeable person. The content of this information is “good”. All virtues are based directly on wisdom or knowledge. The wise man does not deliberately do evil; because he distinguishes what has responsibility from those who do not, limits his will to his own responsibilities; so he endures the rest as unaffected as possible. Ignorance and ignorance are the source of all unhappiness and suffering. In short, virtue is knowledge.

Attention should be paid to logical (mental) consistency in obtaining information. Theoretical and mental knowledge is basic knowledge. Acting in accordance with this basic knowledge is “good”; Not acting properly is “bad”. As can be seen, the idea that there are various virtues is only an appearance; In fact, there is only one virtue. It is to have the knowledge of the "good". Moreover, it is not enough to have it, it is necessary to bring knowledge into virtue and experience; that is, it should be aimed to transform it into a living, concrete form. In this sense, moral/ethics is a part of philosophy, since practical existence is organized around the conception of the "Good".

In terms of Islam, this point is succinctly stated in the Kaside-i Burde: "I take refuge in Allah from words without deeds" and "I ordered you goodness, but I did not do what I ordered and I did not act honestly. So what's the use of me telling you to "be true"?" (Busiri;2004:42-43) As it can be seen, the harmony of theory and practice is essential for our religion; It is not enough for the individual to cooperate on goodness and piety, to live a righteous and happy life and to avoid evil; In addition, solidarity among believers is necessary for goodness to become social. After stating this point in the Qur'an, a request is made to confirm that "not to cooperate in sinning and being hostile" (5/2). If this happens; The conditions for humanity to lead a righteous and happy life begin to emerge.

The realization of this idea, which we can call social morality, is possible with the state. Because it is not enough for people who are at peace with themselves to come together and establish a family, the regular division of labor and partnership/comradeship determined in individual and household management should continue in the same way in the society. It reveals the diversity of needs and abilities, mutual aid and solidarity. Thanks to the division of labor required for this, a civilized life becomes possible. In order to maintain a civilized life, the greed for power and lust that reveals the bad aspects of people can only be controlled by a civil authority or administration (politics/measures). In this sense, politics refers to a mechanism that people determine by their own will in order to maintain a civilized life; that is, as human beings, we are somewhat functional both as legislators and as subjects. However, the question is, in the final analysis, individually, "What is the source of the knowledge of the "good" in which everything is measured according to itself? knotted in the question.

In answering this question, both individuals; There is also a divine dimension. Namely; According to Islamic thought, it is important from an individual point of view to seek the answer to this question for a virtuous life by avoiding excess and understatement. The first stage of our social life, under the names of home, neighborhood, city, nation, begins with knowing what "good" is, by avoiding excess and understatement, which is the essence of individual virtue. The divine dimension of this problem is that everything is measured but its own cannot be measured.

It should be evaluated in terms of being the most, absolute and principled God. The important thing is to realize that "He" is the active cause of everything; is to live in accordance with his knowledge. This point is that morality and religion are not the same thing; but in principle it shows that morality cannot exist without religion. From an individual point of view, morality is more than directly related to religiosity; It speaks of another and higher world.

What is the source of the knowledge of the "good" in which everything is measured according to itself? In answering the question, the first dimension is human; the second corresponds to divine will; Asceticism and piety emerge with the harmony of these two. Realizing this is only possible with science education. The stage of ilme'l-yakin mentioned in the Qur'an indicates this. (102/16) The stage of obtaining and comprehending theoretical knowledge, testing it with observation and experiment, and judging them with other historical knowledge points to ayne'l-yakin. to take good care of oneself in terms of material and morality as an individual, to protect one's dignity; Then it is to try to improve and correct the morals of others (household and citizens). This is what is meant by the principle of morality lying on the basis of the triangle of individual, society and state. This stage is called hakka'l-yakin.(96/51)

The person who completes these three stages, that is, the believer who acts according to what he knows, is both a scholar; and gains the title of arif. As a requirement of the harmony of theory and practice, here is the confession, acknowledgment and transformation of what is right into action. There is no longer any use of knowledge in a way that leads to abuse and evil. Having a thinking, rational heart (22/46), the scientist keeps his modesty (12/76), constantly aware that he knows more than himself. He constantly questions his soul and tries to make his choice from "Good", is not satisfied with the results he finds in his researches, always in pursuit of new researches and inventions. A person who has this kind of scientific consciousness is called a wise man. What is meant by this is to make the evaluation and understanding of information science and technology by considering the values ​​of my Muslim society, together with all moral effects. Prioritizing doing what is good and good, respect for individual, family and social law are mandatory conditions for a democratic and open society.

As a requirement of his effort to be a perfect and dominant human being, he is both good; and tries to be constantly vigilant against the things that lead to moral corruption by constantly controlling his bad moral qualities. What is meant by "being awake" is to constantly question the self in the face of showing the deadly delicacies beautiful to the person. Thus, the person tries to turn his soul away from his vulgar desires. It prioritizes avoiding self-direction; because the lusts of the flesh destroy the one he dominates; or disgrace. It is necessary to abandon such desires, which entail the radical rejection of a particular idea of ​​​​good. In terms of the possibility of this being realized, it is necessary to examine briefly the relationship between religious individualism and philosophical individualism.

Difference Between “Philosophical Selfishness” and “Religious Individualism”

From a philosophical point of view, selfishness emphasizes that there is no universal moral law, that one must constantly prioritize one's own interests. (egoism) It is clear that this kind of moral selfishness, which says that the only moral object of an individual's actions is his own benefit, has no religious significance. What we want to emphasize is the difference between individualism in the sense of "Individualism" and personalityism, also called "Personalism". In order to determine this, first of all, individualism, which is the doctrine of individual rights that can be handled and explained in terms of religious, political, economic or legal, and "signs, numbers, signs and codes" that define and distinguish only "individuals as different beings" are examined. It is necessary to see the difference between individuation. Because the concepts of rights and responsibilities lie on the basis of this distinction.

The concepts of individualism and individuation not only contributed to the individualization of religious people, but also contributed to the determination of rights and responsibilities among themselves. An individual who is aware of his rights has the freedom to choose and assumes the moral responsibility of his actions. The point that separates personalism from selfishness in the sense of “Egoism” crystallizes here; because an individual with a consciousness of rights and responsibilities does not pursue simple selfishness and self-interest. Because autonomy and freedom, which are the requirements of individualization, mean being independent and being held responsible for one's actions, and it does not bring about being exempt from universal moral rules and divine orders and prohibitions.

Notice that the term for individualism here is personalism rather than individualism. In this conceptualization, which we can translate into Turkish as "personalism", the deadlocks of materialism, which neglects the spiritual aspect of life, and spiritualism, which forgets its material aspect, are not encountered, and life is accepted as a whole. This teaching has nothing to do with selfishness; because in this understanding, there is a tendency to establish relationships with others, to share life, to unite and integrate with other people.

Intellectual personalism is like a spectrum that starts from the individual and expands towards the family and society. The person, as well as his personality; It does not neglect the social aspect. The spiritual/religious values ​​that are embodied in the person are thus transferred between individuals. The provision of material and spiritual salvation is ensured by this kind of cooperation of individuality and sociality. Prioritizing personalism, seeing the individual as an indivisible whole being self-sufficient, prevents him from falling into a kind of egoism, becoming rude or melting away in the society. In the words of Nurettin Topçu, “Islam did not see the individual as an ordinary whole, but removed it from being the element that formed the herd, and made it a “person” with its beliefs and the moral identity it adopted and the system of values ​​that its will was attached to.

As an Example of a Religious Individual, Hz. Mohammed

As can be understood from the expressions above, "personalism" is identified with "religious individualism". In this sense, faithful and personal individualism is the right and responsibility of contacting its Creator without the need for any intermediary. In other words, a person who cares about religious values ​​is a real, concrete, historically and socially located person.

Hz. Taking Muhammad as an example should be considered in this context. It is very important for believers that he has realized the harmony of theory and practice as an exemplary personality in determining their rights and responsibilities. Yes, He lived 14 centuries ago; historically “looks small from afar; but it is like the sun that dazzles when you look closely and directly.” Because he is the last prophet, Hz. Muhammad's "matter and meaning have come to full perfection, then Allah, who created man, chose him as his beloved." He is also a human; but since he is the best of all creatures created by Allah, he is an example for us in every way. The creation of our Prophet, who was adorned with good morals, is the greatest gift of Allah. Beauty has covered him and the beautiful face has been aimed at him. A flower of moral gentleness; It is like the full moon in honor, the sea in generosity, and endless time in respect. (Busiri; 2004:65-67,70-71)

Understanding of "Religious Ethics"

There is a dual relationship between man's moral experience and his belief in the existence of God. Moral or moral theology; Accessing moral experiences from the existence of God is called religious morality (theological or moral ethics). This point, in the words of M. Abid Cabiri, is Greek-European; going from knowledge to morality; Going from ethics to knowledge is very important in terms of determining the basic feature of Islamic thought.

With the determination of Macit Fahri, despite the difficulty of talking about the existence of a sharp dividing line between theological and religious morality, such a distinction should be made; Because, religious morality includes the types of morality that are defined as "nassi" or "theological", depending on the degree to which the text's outward appearance is accepted or interpreted harshly, taking its basis from the Qur'an and Sunnah. In addition, "religious ethics" includes philosophical moral theories that reflect the influence of different Greek philosophical currents. For this reason, we prefer to use the term "religious morality".

In the understanding of "theological and philosophical ethics", there is an approach that is related to moral issues; Methodologically dealing with certain rationalist theses, such as the nature and foundations of right and wrong, or religious proposition, in connection with Greek philosophy is a priority. Therefore, theologians and philosophers could not develop a permanent moral theory from discussing the logical positions of moral propositions. However, religious morality, which is more firmly grounded in the Qur'an and Sunnah, tends to move away from scientific or methodological refinements and directly reveal the moral spirit of Islam. For these reasons, we prefer to call this point of view, which centers religious data in our moral judgments, religious morality.

The Informational Basis of Religious Ethics

In the understanding of religious ethics, the data of the divine address are taken into consideration as well as the mind and senses as the sources of information. The difference between a moral judgment (good-bad) and religious judgments (good-sin) is in terms of source. In other words, "good and bad" are interpreted by centered on Allah's orders. But that doesn't mean it's okay to define good and bad. One of the classical problems that has been discussed since the earliest periods of the history of thought is, “Is something good because God wills it; Or is something considered good by God because it is good in itself? shaped around the question.

The answer to this question is important; because having moral principles is different; It is different to see the relationship between these principles and concrete events. Also, centering the revelation does not mean ignoring other information and historical sources. At this point, it should be remembered that in classical Islamic sources, knowledge, senses and mutawatir, which are sources of information, are counted. Because it turns out that there are more ancient sources of information than the data of the Mohammedan shari'ah, which is associated with going from morality to knowledge. Because “Haberi-mutawatir” is reliable and accurate information.

It means two types:

One is the accumulation of humanity in the past, revealed by archaeological excavations and historical texts; the second is revelation, which is valid for divine and book religions; He was sent to mature man, to glorify him, to direct him to a higher purpose. For this purpose, with the revelations sent through the prophets, first theoretical principles are given to man, and then his mind is trained by acting accordingly. Hz. From Adam to Hz. The theoretical/theoretical principles that were basically given until Muhammad are the same; Therefore, the common name of all religions/laws sent between these two prophets is Islam. All divine messages are about how moral behavior will be.

Individualism in Terms of Religious Ethics

'Religious Ethics' is the study of how moral behavior prioritized by all revelations will be, what is meant by its determination; It is an insistence on making it willful and deliberate while determining the morality of one's behavior. The basic question in moral philosophy, which can also be defined as the teaching of making the right choice and making the right decision, is "What should I choose?" This question is, “What is the highest good, which way of life should I choose, what kind of person should I be, what should I want, what should I do, and what is the importance of acting in accordance with God's will in this?” raises questions.

This is why it is important to prioritize the individual in morality. It is not enough for a person to know good and bad, it is not enough for him to do what is good and avoid what is bad in this world; He must also be aware that he will be instrumental in gaining happiness in the hereafter. This is only possible with religious data. This is not to say that a person who does not prioritize religious values ​​will not act morally; because this is a determination about the basis of evil and avoidance of evil.

For example, both moral; but a person who does not care about religious values; and a religious person knows that stealing, prostitution, cheating in shopping are bad things and characterizes this as immoral; refrain from doing them. He is not content with avoiding, when he sees an evil and immorality, he does his best to prevent it from spreading. It does not comment on these; it constantly brings the good to the fore and tries to spread it. Thus, it allows the evildoer to question the soul and repent; because there is no unforgivable sin except "shirk". Therefore, it is necessary to prioritize seeing the goodness and goodness of individuals, not their sins; Because our Prophet said, "Seek refuge in Allah from the evil of your neighbor who hides the good when he sees it and spreads the bad when he sees it". In that case, it is necessary to avoid suspicion, intrigue (unfounded curiosity and research) and backbiting that will alienate people from each other, break ties between them, and increase enmity and envy. (49/12) Our Prophet, who said, "If a believer covers the faults of one of his brothers, Allah will cover his faults in this world and in the hereafter", dwells on this issue so much that such people are rewarded as if he had resurrected a girl who was buried alive during the period of ignorance. indicates that he will win.

As it can be understood from this and similar verses and hadiths, an action is definitely bad; that is, the religious person who knows that they are forbidden by God cannot do these actions; Moreover, he cannot repay evil with evil. In fact, thinking that responding to evil with evil will increase enmity, it is requested to fight with goodness and to be rewarded in a good way in accordance with the principle of "The quality of being a believer is to be noble". In this context, the benevolence and goodness of Hz. Abu Bakr's His attitude in the case of slander (ifk) against Aisha can be an example for us. Hz. Seeing that the person whom the Prophet helped constantly slandered his wife, who was the epitome of chastity, Hz. Abu Bakr swears that he will only cut off his aid to this person. Thereupon, the verse sent by Allah is as follows: Let them not take an oath not to give to those who emigrated in the way of Allah, let them forgive their faults and ignore them. Don't you want Allah to forgive you? Allah is Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (24/22)

As it is understood from this event and verse, even abandoning the good that has been done is not tolerated, let alone responding to evil with evil. The point to be noted at this point is: first of all, one should try to prevent what is bad with his hand and tongue. If he can, he should repay evil with good. Despite this, if the addressee is still doing the bad thing, it is necessary to stay away from that "bad" thing. In fact, this is the stage of resentment from the heart, which is directed towards evil rather than evil, if this happens, the one who does evil will face a social sanction; To get rid of it, he will try to stay away from evil. You must do this; because there is no moral principle without sanction. The sanction here is the conscience of the people. Adopt a moral principle that is not sanctified enough to activate the public's conscience as much as you want, it has no value or importance.

As it is, there is always action and contemplation of the source of divine command. If the religious person somehow commits the act that is considered bad, since individual dissolution will lead to social disintegration, the personal measure of not doing the bad act is provided by repentance. If, despite all this, he does not repent and continues to do wrong, it should be remembered that religion is knowledge and approval, and morality is acting in harmony with this knowledge. At this point, there is a separation and inconsistency between knowledge and practice and action. Ensuring good actions to ensure individual and social peace and avoiding bad actions brings a constant questioning of personality and identity. In other words, a person who has the ability to do good and evil in his personality prefers goodness. He keeps his soul clean and avoids sins, because this is the necessity of knowing that whoever does good deeds will be saved, and whoever defiles him will be disappointed (91/8-18). In addition, prioritizing goodness is the natural result of being conscious and responsible for Allah's creation of man in the most beautiful form (95/4) and blowing into him from his own spirit (15/29).

Identification of Religion and Ethics: Islam

By asking for some worship to be done, divine religions aim to avoid what is bad and to question the nafs by directing human morality and behavior towards what is good. Doing what is religiously good is rewarding; Doing bad things is considered a sin. There are divine laws expressing the prohibition of confiscating the rights, property of others, the property of the society and the state, in universal religions that recommend the spread of good and the prevention of evil. The individual who obeys the divine laws has no relation with the legal laws aimed at preventing evil, because he sees staying away from evil as a requirement of religion. For this reason, religion and morality are inseparable.

If we speak for Islam, Religion is identical with morality as it states the duties of man towards himself, others, living things and God. It may be for this reason, Muhammad (saas) “Religion is good morals.” and “I have been commissioned to complete good morals.” he said. We should try to do what is “good” by taking our Prophet as an example; but this is not enough. In addition to doing good, helping others to do good and to avoid evil is also a requirement of religion. This issue is clearly explained in the Qur'an as follows: The verse "Whoever does a good deed will be given to the one who does better than him" expresses this. (27/ 89)

The command to do good should become a philosophy of action, of living, of behavior after a while. A religious and moral life lived by taking into account religious data makes a person wise. If we use Sufi terminology, we will arrive at the "truth", that is, the inner and true meaning of religion, from the basic/external principles of the religion of Islam. In our history, we have many heartfelt thinkers (such as Mevlana, Yunus Emre and Hacı Bektaş Veli) who try to do all their individual behaviors within the framework of the principle of "being with God (God) in public".

Yunus Emre, a great poet, thinker and moralist who lived in the second half of the 13th century and the beginning of the 14th century; He determined the universal principles of human upbringing and morality as an individual as follows: Not to criticize anyone, to stay away from matters that are not rational and develop the sense of self, not to be deceived by the world, to be humble, to love God, to know the value of ingenuity, to work for the truth, not be heartbroken. The existence of God cannot be doubted in Yunus Emre, who has a Qur'an-centered philosophy. According to him, the real being is God. True and certain knowledge (truth) is knowing God. The supreme value, the good, is to turn to God (Truth and Truth). Man can only know himself by knowing the Truth. Knowledge, in this sense, is self-knowledge.

In order to know the values ​​that make a human human, besides the "eye of the head", the "eye of the heart" is necessary. The "other me" who has this heart's eye does not try to get past, he is humble. There is no need for quarrels and strife. People came into this world to love God by loving one another.

As a result, individual responsibility and morality in terms of religion is the realization that all believers are equal and superiority is only in taqwa. Taqwa, on the other hand, is the process of perfecting himself (insan-i kamil) and this constantly brings self-criticism and questioning. The individual's attainment of this state removes his connection with his Creator from the master-slave relationship and transforms it into a friend (guardian) and companionship.

The happiness of man in this world and in the hereafter is possible only with this kind of contact; no other person or institution can(a) be responsible for it. External and collective intermediaries to achieve salvation are not accepted; For the person there is only what they do. The moral attitude that is constructed with such individuality will naturally be reflected in social relations, and it will be possible to live in a just and moral society.

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