Islamic Ethics and Intrinsic Value of Human Being

One of the most important debates in Islamic ethics is the place of human ethics and its priority or posteriority in relation to the jurisprudence which deals with acts of worship. Given the diverse approaches towards Islam, there are different ideas on this problem. Some Muslims overlook human principles in the name of religion in their approach to Islam. Some others try to interpret Islam in such a way as not to contradict the principles of human ethics. In spite of some Muslim scholars’ view on the priority of jurisprudence over the ethics, this article is a try, by appealing to certain Islamic evidence, at showing the priority of ethics over the jurisprudence and insisting on the importance and even the dominance of human ethics and intrinsic value of human being in Islamic ethics. And it will conclude that according to the Islamic teachings, one can either have human dignity and at the same time not be a Muslim, or be a Muslim and at the same time lack human dignity. So, neither superficial Islam necessarily leads to honor nor does not being a Muslim repudiate honor, and what is emphasized in Islam is that human dignity is included in Islam and a real Muslim tries to earn it.