Perfection in the Traditional Islamic Ethics

Abstract

Islam is defined as submission to the will of God. The believer should demonstrate his obedience by worshiping the One God and accomplishing His commands, following the right path, revealed to him through the Messenger Muhammad. This path is expressed in the five pillars of Islam: profession of faith in One God, prayer, alms, fasting and pilgrimage. It is the first step (islam) in religion, based on the principle of doing good and avoiding evil. The next step is the faith (iman) in the revealed articles of belief and culminates in a complete trust in God. In the third stage (ihsan) the believer stays in adoration before God and in His presence. He has also the awareness that his inability to see God does not mean that God does not see him. It is perfection, expressed in worship and charity and linking the internal and external dimension of religion in action and doing good. A perfect life on earth and good deeds of man are the way that leads, through the mercy of God, to the contemplation of His face.