Muhammad Abdullah Draz (1894-1958) is often referred to as ‘the teacher of the teachers’ and in ‘a league of his own.’ He is one of the most important Islamic and Azhari scholars of the past century and has made significant contributions to contemporary Islamic thought – especially in the fields of Quranic and Maqasid (objectives) studies. The original version of this book formed the doctoral dissertation, La Morale du Coran, which earned Muhammad Abdullah Draz a doctorate degree with the highest level of distinction at the Sorbonne, Paris in 1947. The author’s theory of morality presented in this book has not been matched in its originality, integrity and depth – either past or present. Through a thematic interpretation of the Quran, the author proposes the following five critical elements to morality: obligation, responsibility, sanction, intent and effort. Each element plays an indispensable role in the conscience of a believer. The author postulates that every human, possesses a light that enables them to determine good and evil on a fundamental level propelling them towards duty, kindness and charity. It is then asserted that the believer possesses a double light – a deep knowledge that incorporates divine law into our very essence.

This book analyzes for the first time in English the ethical theory that underpins Quranic legislation by providing a classification of specific verses in which Islam's holy book discusses moral issues. It demonstrates the ways in which the Quran theoretically and practically provides the moral code to which Muslims around the world adhere. The author divides his analysis into a survey of Quranic attitudes towards the basic ethical issues of obligation and responsibility, issues of moral psychology such as motivation and intention, as well as matters of social ethics such as the function of law in society. He then explores the meanings of individual morality, morality within the family and civil society, and the relationship of morality to the idea of the state.

This book discusses the common principles of morality and ethics derived from divinely endowed intuitive reason through the creation of al-fitr' a (nature) and human intellect (al-‘aql). Biomedical topics are presented and ethical issues related to topics such as genetic testing, assisted reproduction and organ transplantation are discussed. Whereas these natural sources are God’s special gifts to human beings, God’s revelation as given to the prophets is the supernatural source of divine guidance through which human communities have been guided at all times through history. The second part of the book concentrates on the objectives of Islamic religious practice – the maqa' sid – which include: Preservation of Faith, Preservation of Life, Preservation of Mind (intellect and reason), Preservation of Progeny (al-nasl) and Preservation of Property. Lastly, the third part of the book discusses selected topical issues, including abortion, assisted reproduction devices, genetics, organ transplantation, brain death and end-of-life aspects. For each topic, the current medical evidence is followed by a detailed discussion of the ethical issues involved.

This concise book is among the finest introductions to Islam for an educated readership. Its content is authentic, reliable, and powerfully presented -- written by an Islamic scholar, Dr. Abdul Wadod Shalabi, who combines traditional religious training from al-Azhar University and Western education from the University of Cambridge, where the author received his doctorate. Also, it has been edited by Abd al-Hakim Murad, himself a scholar.

This book investigates Ibn Taymiyya's approach to some of the core ethical and theological questions of the classical period of Islam and, in doing so, sheds new light on his intellectual identity.