Traditional Muslim ethics as a driving cause for the development of societies in the 21century

Abstract

This article presents an attempt to interpret the conceptual basics of traditional Muslim ethics and its significance for the development of humanity in the 21century. The basic proposition of the article is the statement that future ethics should be guided by those fundamental anthropological ideas that are presented in Revelation, i.e. in the Qur’an and other religious scripts. The essence of the Qur’anic teaching about man is formulated as the concept of ‘Qur’anic humanism’, which, being considered from the positions of ethics, intends the pursuit of creativity of self, the pursuit of knowledge, the pursuit of spiritual light and the orientation to traditional values in every sphere of life. Besides, Qur’anic humanism affords grounds for a broad interreligious dialogue, which is reflected in the concept of transcendent divine mercy. It is demonstrated in the article that the 21century defies the people of faith, its challenges cannot be resolved within the settings of isolationism and exclusionism. That is why the consolidation of the representatives of the main religious traditions is required, as well as a consolidated philosophic reflection on the existing problems, including those in the sphere of ethics.