Personal Ethics

[Raxmah]

Personal Ethics varies, what I think is ethical, might not be ethical to someone else. Lets share our personal ethics.

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In the past what was ethical or not was based on my beliefs. None of that had changed so much, but I came to realize that not everyone has my beliefs, especially since coming to America. Developing a personal ethic to live by was difficult, because I was brought up that either something is right or wrong. I’ve learned through experiences not everything is right or wrong – black or white.

 

My personal sense of ethics has been very malleable and for good reason. Throughout the years I have come into contact with people from many diverse backgrounds, many of them having different ideas of what is ethical or unethical behavior. I have realized that in this society, I should not be overly critical of others ideas. How is it my place to tell someone else that I am right in my thinking and they are wrong? I do not see the world becoming one large melting pot in the next few thousand years, so I think it is impossible to expect people to mutually agree of a set of ethics. The best I think people can do is to leave open the possibility of suggestibility; at a later time, they might learn something else or would like to incorporate something else into their mindset. It will be a lot easier for them to do this if they are open to it.

 

I developed rules I live by and has affected the ways I deal with a personal or professional ethical dilemma and for the most part open to suggestions.

 

One I had to become accountable for my action, always considering the consequences of my actions in regard to what I do and who may be affected by it. Second, to live by the golden rule– do unto others as you would have done them unto me. This has been always valued, and was brought up this way. When ever faced with ethical dilemma, I always try to put myself in others shoes, so I don’t make assumptions. Respecting others as I would like to be respected, has given a direction to my life. Finally honesty as being the best policy, I have tried always to live by this moral philosophy. Knowing all and well that being honest might not be favorable to me few times, I had to accept the punishment than to live with the fact that I have lied.

[Baashi]

Eesh calaa caqli. Raxmah or for that matter nomads has anyone of you ever read a book by the name of "How to win friends and influence people" by Dale Carnegie? Well it is one of the classics full of practical wisdom.

 

What ethics is all about as I understand it is doing what is right consistently according not to your whims but to well grounded and sound principles gleaned from higher source mostly religious in nature. Some say virtue, for istance, is inborn and hence is fidhra. Others argue that it is the result of cumulitive knowledge derived from humanity's total sum experiences.

 

However one looks at this one would notice that the underlying factor of ethical conduct is the quest to perfect that which is right and what is good in human interactions.

[Faarax-Brawn]

Raxmah; Nice topic :cool:

 

 

My personal sense of ethics has been very malleable and for good reason. Throughout the years I have come into contact with people from many diverse backgrounds, many of them having different ideas of what is ethical or unethical behavior.

I would like to understand what you mean by this statement. Preciscly(if you dont mind), could you give me an example of what you mean by different ideas of what is ethical/unethical?[or the people you have came in contact with]

 

Also,When you say malleable [For Good reason,if you must],did you not have prior ethical standards? Further, are ethics universal?

 

As a muslim isnt the religion enough[Guidance for ethical issues]? What didnt you learn as a muslim[or somali], that made you malleable?

 

I Would like to see the 'Big Guns' come out in this topic, dont be selective responders people![You know what i mean AirHeads,How yall gonna let a sister hanging?. Must i say this Again?

 

Baashi,Xiin,Seven,Viking,Castro,Stoic,Sheh,Zephy,K'Shafa,Liibanow,Wordette! Soo baxa!.Entertain me folks,am bored@work ,Am def sure many others are as well

[Faarax-Brawn]

Dammnit! You beat me to it!. Were you spying on me? mhmmm! I clicked the respond button and went to lunch thinking i responded!! I come back and baashi is ahead of me! :mad:

 

 

"How to win friends and influence people" by Dale Carnegie

 

I have read it over 10 times!; Very useful book

[J.Lee]

I have but one rule when it comes to dealing with people;Iila dhaqan sida aad rabtid inaa adhi kuula dhaqmo.

 

 

It works well for me for I have no wish to win friends, nor influence people (God forbid).

[STOIC]

Raaxima, Its important we evaluate how people perceive our credibility or trustworthiness.We all convey this characters in our daily lives through writting and speaking.Imagine a life without credibility, how will you trust your Imam or your physician whom you derive solace from his knowledge.We do it because we think as a humanbeing we must be guided by priniciples and ethics.

 

As an individual i look at my actions in a cause and effect way.First, before i do anything, i evaluate the motivation behind my action.Is it motivated by irresponsibility or priniciples?.Secondly, i evaluate my actions effects on others (even animals and the environments).We must evaluate how our values and principles relates to our conducts.

[Shirwac]

Originally posted by Raxmah:

My personal sense of ethics has been very malleable and for good reason. Throughout the years I have come into contact with people from many diverse backgrounds, many of them having different ideas of what is ethical or unethical behavior.

 

Vey nice, good luck with that. Let me know how that is working out for you.

[Raxmah]

^^ Exactly what are you wishing me luck for. If its trying to understand and accept others differences, it's working out great.

 

Baashi-

 

But doesn’t everyone have an idea of what is right and what is good in human interactions. I can almost always see two sides to everything, and I try to understand why a person would think in a way that I am not. What makes one person right and the other one wrong? Take the Terry Shiavo case do you think the feeding tube was necessary?

 

Haven't read the book, sounds interesting.

 

Brown-

 

I did and still do have ethical standards just altered to the person who I’ve become. I’m not the person I was 5 years ago, I’ve had enough experiences to look at what I have been through to know I had to make some changes in how I dealt with others.

 

Islam is and has always been a guidance for me, with that you also got to understand that every one you are dealing with, doesn’t have the Islamic background. I’m in the health field, ethical dilemmas arise all the time, and with out a doubt there are very hard decisions I would have to make. I don’t only deal with Muslims, and I don’t have to compromise my faith to get my job done, but I do however take into consideration with the people I’m working with.

[Alle-ubaahne]

Personal Ethics!

 

The right things are obvious, and the wrong things are obvious, as well. But in between lies issues that resemble each other or with great ambiguities that much of the people can't distinguish what categories they fall in. That was the hadeeth of the prophet, scw, which I paraphrased, but my point to relate this hadeeth is because my sister in the above has said that some of what she used to consider wrong are not wrong because its considered right somewhere else. So, that ufairly raises the question of ethical dillema, as she put it. I don't know if I got it right, but let's say that is the case. If we want to decide what is wrong, where do we go to define first what is wrong and what is right. Societies, we know, manufacture their own ethics by following flexible rules that are twistable and bendable, depending only how and where you want to justify them or manipulate. But as a Muslim society, we have our own ethics for conducting ourselves as individuals and societies of different race, language, and geographical backgrounds. These ethics are the key for measuring right and wrong questions of personal ethics. Though, there are grey lines between the two, yet, we're advised to refrain as much as we can from those issues that appear 'mushtabihaat' or ambiguities, and leave for the people of knowledge to direct us in terms of the safe course of action. In my understanding of the ethics that were primarily derived from cultures, irrespective where the cultures' place of birth is, there is no solid and firm bases those ethics could stand, because cultural ethics that are reflected sometimes from the people's personal ethics are always subject to circumstantial changes that favor for some portions of the society or against another. Therefore, personal ethics must be framed by the supreme who knows for sure what best nurishes the self in living decent standards of life that are acceptable to every naturally sound-minded person,(fitrah-minded), I mean the common natural disposition of the human beings without exposing culture breeded ethics.

[Nazra]

So, Rahamah you finally completed your ethics paper in class :rolleyes: good to see you making the link.

 

NB:

Quran + Hadith + Values, Beliefs and attitudes = Your Ethical decision making

[Alle-ubaahne]

Nazra, interesting!

 

That is a good way students can skillfully initiate a topic and then use for their assignments. Its like a survey that you take with as much participants as you can get, to make sure that you prove a point for your benefits.

 

[Raxmah]

Nazra, what a concern you have there. As I stated in my post ethics is a topic that interest me. I’m still trying to comprehend why others personal ethics would be of a value to a paper I would write….Thanks for the response anyway.

 

 

Thanks all for your response.

[Shirwac]

Good topic, good comments, and good conclusion.

[Mutakalim]

ÙˆÙÙŠ انÙسكم اÙلا تبصرون. ÙˆÙÙŠ السماء رزقكم وما توعدون

 

According to exegesis of the exgetes Jaarulaahi Zamakhsahri, Farkhru Diin Ar-Raazi, and Ad-Dabri, and Ibn Kathir the above verse regarding "ourselves" refers to both the intrinsic and extrinsinc qualities that we posses. Indeed, the starry heavens above and the moral law within are testaments of the first order. I have come across a Masters dissertation( written in arabic) on certain ethical elements of western philosophy. Apparently, the philosopher in question was not terribly unfamiliar with the quranic scripture. You be the jugde.

[Khayr]

Salaamz,

 

When I hear the word 'Ethics' used by people who built a society on

 

LYING, CHEATING, KILLING, INTEREST and SELF-INTEREST,

 

I am amazeddd at the hypocrisy and the self-

inflicted blindness that westernersss have.

 

Why the Nerve, the Gull.... :mad:

 

SubhanAllah

 

and here on SOL I see a sister that over the years

 

has becomed transformed in her thinking and values

 

Developing a personal ethic to live by was difficult, because I was brought up that either something is right or wrong. I’ve learned through experiences not everything is right or wrong – black or white.

Did you forget about the Quran and Sunnah-that is your Minhaj/Standard to live by sister? :confused:

 

Grey Areas? The Islamic Tradition is vast and the Ulama ya ukhti have scrutnized every ayat and hadith and are there to answer masalahs/questions that arise in the daily lives of a muslim.

 

I don't think that you are alone in harboring these ideas and 'personal' feelings because many, many,muslims in the west think alike and are confused about their Islamic Identity.

 

You are a part of the UMMAH, so therefor, no such things as 'PERSONAL ETHICS' exist because as a MEMEBER of the Ummah, you have ADAB/Modalities (Ways to Conduct yourself) that have been transmitted through the ISLAMIC TRADITION

 

i.e. How to eat, sleep, behave in a lab, handle a sick patient etc.

 

As a hadith of the Rasul (salallahu caliyhe wasilm) says it best: My sunnah is like the Arc of Noah, who ever follows it, will be saved from the flood of corruption that will follow.

 

So ya ukhti, show some Pride in your Deen and stop thinking as an 'I' but as a a part of the Ummah of the rasul (salallahu caliyhe wasilm) and

come in to 'NOAH'S ARC' with us and inshallah, there will be less confusion and corruption of the mind and more clearity and consistancy in our lives.

 

Alle ubaahne said it well...

 

Therefore, personal ethics must be framed by the supreme who knows for sure what best nurishes the self in living decent standards of life that are acceptable to every naturally sound-minded person,(fitrah-minded), I mean the common natural disposition of the human beings without exposing culture breeded ethics.

Fi Amanillah