Way of The Seekers — Page 17
17 THE A good moral action has been variously defined. Some say good moral actions are the exercise of natural capabilities under the direction of reason and understanding. Others say good moral actions are actions productive of real happiness. Still others think good moral actions are actions which entail self-sacrifice and secure others’ good at the cost of one’s own. Some say good moral actions are actions directed and regulated by reason involving self-sacrifice with a view to serving one's own self-interest. According to Muslim Sufis, good moral actions are actions guided by reason and the laws of Shariah. This, by the way, is Imam Ghazali's definition. But there is room for improvement in this definition. Reason and Shariah are, of course, essential elements in good moral actions. But there are other conditions they must fulfill. They should be chosen and willed by the agent whose action they are supposed to be and be within his capability. If these conditions are not fulfilled, the actions will not be moral in our sense of the term. For instance, if a person, who is half-asleep, gives a coin to another person, but when he awakes, shirks ordinary charitable deeds, his gift of the coin when half-asleep will not count as a moral action. This is because the act of apparent charity, performed in semi-sleep is not a chosen and willed action. Another requirement of a good moral action is that it should be consistent with the attributes of God. Moral action to be 'good' must be free from all defects and this is possible only if the action can be fitted into the divine profile. Nothing that seems error-free or evil-free to us is really so, unless it can be shown to be consistent with divine wisdom and divine character. God is the Ultimate Norm. Only He is Perfect in attributes, free from all defects. I now turn to the important subject of the Origin of Morali- ty. Where do morals spring from? Wherein are they rooted?