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Losing the ethical framework that protects humanity

ByShaykh Haytham Tamim

‫لَقَدۡ مَنَّ ٱللَّهُ عَلَى ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِینَ إِذۡ بَعَثَ

فِیهِمۡ رَسُولاً مِّنۡ أَنفُسِهِمۡ یَتۡلُوا۟ عَلَیۡهِمۡ

ءَایَـٰتِهِۦ وَیُزَكِّیهِمۡ وَیُعَلِّمُهُمُ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبَ

وَٱلۡحِكۡمَةَ وَإِن كَانُوا۟ مِن قَبۡلُ

لَفِی ضَلَـٰلࣲ مُّبِین ٍ

Indeed, Allah has bestowed a great favour upon the believers by sending them a Messenger from among themselves, who recites to them His signs, purifies them, and teaches them the Book and wisdom, though before that they were in manifest error. (Surat Ale Imran, 3:164)

In this verse, Allah highlights three major favours upon the Ummah:

1. He sent the best of His creation—Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)—as a guide and example for humanity. 

2. He sent the final revelation—a perfect message—through him. 

3. He purified the hearts of the sincere believers, cleansing them from shirk (polytheism), immoral traits, and spiritual diseases.

This divine sequence—revelation, purification, then education—is a recurring theme in the Quran. For instance, after building the Ka’bah with his son Ismail (peace be upon him) Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) asked Allah:

‫رَبَّنَا وَٱبۡعَثۡ فِیهِمۡ رَسُولاً مِّنۡهُمۡ یَتۡلُوا۟

عَلَیۡهِمۡ ءَایَـٰتِكَ وَیُعَلِّمُهُمُ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبَ

وَٱلۡحِكۡمَةَ وَیُزَكِّیهِمۡۖ إِنَّكَ

أَنتَ ٱلۡعَزِیزُ ٱلۡحَكِیم ُ

Our Lord, send among them a messenger from themselves who will recite to them Your verses and teach them the Book and wisdom and purify them. Indeed, You are the Exalted in Might, the Wise. (Surat al Baqarah 2:129)

However, when Allah answered this dua in multiple places, He reversed the order: putting purification (tazkiyah) before education. In Surat al Jumu’ah, Allah Almighty says:

هُوَ ٱلَّذِی بَعَثَ فِی ٱلۡأُمِّیِّـۧنَ رَسُولاً

مِّنۡهُمۡ یَتۡلُوا۟ عَلَیۡهِمۡ ءَایَـٰتِهِۦ وَیُزَكِّیهِمۡ

وَیُعَلِّمُهُمُ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبَ وَٱلۡحِكۡمَةَ

وَإِن كَانُوا۟ مِن قَبۡلُ لَفِی ضَلَـٰلࣲ مُّبِینࣲ 

It is He who sent among the unlettered a Messenger from themselves, reciting to them His signs, purifying them, and teaching them the Book and wisdom—although they had previously been in clear misguidance.   (Surat Al-Jumuʿah, 62:2)

In Islam, ethics hold great importance and deserve serious attention. Learning the revelation is essential, but it is through putting it into action that ethics and character truly come into play.

The purpose of revelation: monotheism and moral excellence

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) summarised his mission beautifully, when he said:

قال رسول الله صلى الله وسلم :

” إنما بعثت لأتمم مكارم الأخلاق ” [ رواه أحمد في مسنده ]

I was only sent to perfect noble character. (Musnad Ahmad)

Tazkiyah (purification) in the Quran is not limited to ritual cleanliness like wudu or ghusl. It refers to inward purification—the sincerity of your intentions, the honesty in your dealings, the humility in your speech, and the clarity of your heart.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) was asked: 

ففي الحديث لما سئل الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم :

أي المؤمنين أفضل إيمانا ؟

قال صلى الله عليه وسلم :

“أحسنهم أخلاقا ” [رواه الطبراني في الأوسط ]

“Who among the believers has the most complete faith?” 

And he replied: 

“The one with the best character.”

On another occasion, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

The best among the believers in faith are those with the best character. (Al-Tabarani in Al-Awsat)

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (ﷺ) said:

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم

‏ “‏ أَكْمَلُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِيمَانًا أَحْسَنُهُمْ خُلُقًا ‏”‏ ‏.‏

The most perfect believer in respect of faith is he who is best of them in manners. (Abu Dawood)

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) also narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم

‏ “‏ أَكْمَلُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِيمَانًا أَحْسَنُهُمْ خُلُقًا

وَخِيَارُكُمْ خِيَارُكُمْ لِنِسَائِهِمْ خُلُقًا ‏”‏ ‏

The most complete of the believers in faith, is the one with the best character among them. And the best of you are those who are best to your women. (Tirmidhi)

True imaan (faith) must reflect in your character. Islam is not confined to the mosque, leaving you free to act as you wish with your parents, spouse, children and colleagues. It is governs our actions, words, interactions and transactions. That is why the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

قال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم

” البِرُّ حُسن الخلق ” [ رواه مسلم ]

Righteousness is good character. (Muslim)

He repeatedly emphasised akhlaq (character) in his teachings, because good character is what elevates your status with Allah and among people. What is the value of knowledge without ethics? Or politics without ethics? It becomes a beast. A life without ethics turns into a jungle, where there are no rules, no boundaries, and might makes right.

The dangers of dropping the code of ethics

From Adam to Muhammad (peace be upon them), the core message has been tawheed (monotheism) good conduct and good character. These three are inseparable— character should improve with imaan. Whether it is about how you deal with your parents, spouse, siblings, children, or boss, we have a moral code that governs our actions, our words and transactions etc. This is important to understand. True faith is not complete without ethical behaviour, and righteous deeds are meaningless without sincere belief. When you do things without any ethics you can go beyond the limits Allah has placed. This is where harm kicks in.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) warned us of internal diseases that destroy the soul: 

عن أنس بن مالك رضي الله عنه قال:

قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم:

[ثلاث مهلكات: شح مطاع، وهوى متبع، وإعجاب المرء بنفسه]

(رواه البزار والطبراني بسند حسن)

Three things are destructive: greed that is obeyed, desires that are followed, and a person being impressed with himself. (Al-Bazzar and At-Tabarani)

When self-interest is placed above everything else, it becomes destructive.

When man abandons belief and morality, dumping the code of conduct that we have been given, he thinks he can get away with anything. He thinks he is above the law, answerable to no one.

Allah Almighty said in Surat al Alaq:

كَلَّا إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لَيَطْغَىٰ

No! Indeed, the human being surely exceeds all bounds (i.e., transgresses) (96:6)

This is what we are witnessing today in Gaza. The international community remain silent, bystanders watching the most live-streamed genocide ever to have been recorded. Instead of objecting, the world’s most powerful nation offers support and the silence of world’s leaders makes them complicit.

The tragedy is not just the evil being done, but that good people are afraid to speak out. Many won’t condemn injustice because of fear—fear of being labelled, fear of losing status, fear of being branded anti-Semitic. But when morality is lost, we become beasts, losing our humanity.

Without ethics, there are no clear guidelines for distinguishing right from wrong, leading to behaviours that can harm others, destabilise communities, and erode trust. In politics, the lack of ethics results in corruption, exploitation, and policies that benefit the few at the expense of the many. We see the prioritisation of power or profit over justice, equality, and the well-being of citizens. This leads to oppression, inequality, and unrest.

The need for prophetic guidance

Allah sent messengers, books, and divine laws to teach us how to deal with each other, to guide humanity back to truth, justice, and compassion. When we ignore these divine instructions and act without limits neither human, legal, nor moral—we destroy everything around us.

So, what can we do? A lot. We begin with ourselves. We have to hold firm to our beliefs, our ethics, and our principles. We have to stand for truth and justice, in the best possible manner. 

The truth will prevail but it requires those who are sincere and strong enough to carry it. We do not drop our principles and act like it is business as usual. We must not lose hope; we have to fight corruption and stay on the path that Allah described for us in the Quran:

وَأَنَّ هَٰذَا صِرَٰطِي مُسۡتَقِيمٗا فَٱتَّبِعُوهُۖ 

وَلَا تَتَّبِعُواْ ٱلسُّبُلَ فَتَفَرَّقَ بِكُمۡ عَن 

سَبِيلِهِۦۚ ذَٰلِكُمۡ وَصَّىٰكُم بِهِۦ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَتَّقُونَ

This is My path—straight and upright. So follow it, and do not follow other paths, for they will separate you from His path. This is what He has enjoined upon you, so that you may be God-fearing. (Surat Al-An’am 6:153)

We ask Allah to keep us firm on the path and enable us to apply our principles and not compromise them. Ameen.

Based on the Khutbah of Shaykh Haytham Tamim on 21st March 2025

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