CHARACTER & the doctrine of mean

• -character means an established state of the soul ( hay a rāsikha fi al- nafsi) from which actions proceed easily, without any need for reflection and deliberation.

• -If this state is such that good actions; those which praised by reason and the shariah proceed from it, it is called good character.

• -if the actions which proceed from the state are evil, the state from which they derive, is called bad character.

• In short, the character must fulfill 2 requirements of stability, & easy + spontaneous.

• Good/ bad character, refers to man’s inward form (al-surah al batinah). An outward act cannot be called a virtue or vice. It is either called a virtuous/vicious act.

• -In man’s inward aspect (soul) there are 4 faculties which are

• 1) reason,• 2)anger, • 3)desire, • 4)justice.• -a man is of good character if all these

faculties remain sound, moderate and mutually harmonious

• -alghazali specifies the sound states of the faculties and determines the bounds within which they should remain by introducing his concept of mean

What is the cONCEPT OF MEAN?

• the mean (wast) • -it is a standard, a general principle, which

will be ascertained by reason (aql) and the sharia

• -it is the straight path (al-sirat al mustaqim)• -it is the moderate/middle aspect between

the excess and deficiency

• -the mean is the sound state of faculty which determine the bound within which the state of the faculty should remain

• -for each faculty (except for justice) has two extremes – the excess & the deficiency – the state between the two is the mean (wast)

• -it is the mean state is praiseworthy (virtue-fadila), the two extremes being blameworthy (vices- radhilatan), which generates vices.

• Eg: (*)– If the faculty of knowledge is at the extreme

of excess i.e is used in ‘fulfilling the wrong motives, the vice of wickedness (khubt) is produced in the soul.If it is at the extreme of deficiency, the vice of stupidity (balah) is generated.If it is at mean, wisdom (hikma) is achieved

– If the faculty of anger is at the extreme of excess, the vice of rashness (tahawwur) appears. If it is at the extreme of deficiency, the vice of cowardice (jubn) exists in the soul. If it is at the mean state, there appears courage (shaja a)

– if the faculty of desire is at its excess, it begets the vice of greed (sharah). If it is at the extreme of deficiency, the vice of the annihilation of desire is produced. If it is at the state of the mean, temperance is achieved

– the faculty of justice however has no two extremes, but only an opposite which is injustice (jawr). Should this faculty fail to control the faculties of desire and anger, the vice of injustice exists in the soul. If it works well, the virtue of justice is achieved.

• If the four faculties of the soul are sound, the four virtues of wisdom, courage, temperance and justice exist in the soul.

• If they are at their opposite extremes, seven vices may appear

• Wisdom : is a state of the soul which enables a man to distinguish right from wrong in all voluntary actions

• Courage: is a state of the soul in which the faculty of anger is always obedient to reason

• Temperance: is a state of the soul in which the faculty of desire is disciplined under the commands of reason and the Shari’a

• Justice : is a state of the soul in which anger and desire are controlled under the dictates of reason and the sharia – the state in which reason, desire and anger are kept in their proper place and given their due.

• -it is the state of the mean of these three faculties, but not the mean state of the faculty of justice. Therefore, justice is synonymous with the mean state of the soul.

• -the question is if the mean is the virtue, how to determine the right mean (al-wast al haqiqi) : According to al-Ghazali, the mean is a standard, a general principle, which will be ascertained by reason /intellect faculty (aql) and the sharia

• -In this regard, he differed from Aristotle who appealed to an unaided human reason

• Its significant• -to attain happiness if his soul has the

quality of the angels (free from the worldly attachment so only the soul free from this attachment will be saved (26:89).

• Eg: the miser busies himself with saving wealth, the extravagant spending it

• In both cases, the soul is attached to wealth, a worldly thing

• To freedom from this attachment, man should free his soul from both qualities which impossible

• Thus, he should achieve what is nearest and most similar to it, and this is achieved by preserving the mean in spending

Is it possible to CHANGE CHARACTER?

• -It is possible to change character through effort and appropriate moral training for if not the commandment and admonition, encouragement and threat would be useless.

• -indeed, the main function of religion is to guide man in the refinement of character

• -it does not require the uprooting or complete suppression of man’s natural faculties of desire and anger

• -it only requires controls of the faculties of the soul to the state of moderation

• -however, it is the fact that man differs to one another in term of the speed of changing, al-Ghazali divides man into 4 levels

1. Negligent people (al-insan al-ghufl) • -who are ignorant- (jahil)• -who do not distinguish truth from falsehood or good

from evil• -who are lack of conviction• -whose desire are not strengthened since they have

not indulged in them• -whose character may become good in a short time.2. Those who know well enough the evil but do not

shun it because they find it enjoyable.• -who are ignorant and astray (dall)• -the correction of their disposition is more difficult

but it is possible through strenuous effort

3. Those who believe that their evil dispositions to be right and good and so pursue evil ways wholeheartedly

• -who are ignorant, astray and wicked (fasiq)• -it is almost impossible for them to be cured

of their vices• -there is no hope for their correction except

in rare instances.

4. Those who are in addition to their corrupt beliefs and practices, see excellence in their very excess of evil.

• -who are Ignorant, astray, wicked and vicious (sharir)

• -who think that they gain fame by the amount of evil they accomplish

• -it is the most recalcitrant of the 4 levels and the most difficult to change

methods of change the CHARACTER

3 methods1. By nature - Divine gift : (bi tab wa al fitra)• -was given to man by God at the time of

his birth• -was created in the sense that the

faculties of their souls are in equilibrium, that they are good by nature

• Eg, prophets

2. Mortification (mujahada) and self-training (riyada) and habituation (I’tiyad)

• -it is the act of taking pains to perform those actions which proceed from good character until they become habitual and pleasant.

• Eg, to acquire generosity, a man needs to train himself with this character until it becomes a nature to him

• -the act will be considered to have become his nature and habit if he feels pleasure in performing it (I’tiyad- habituation)

• -this pleasure feeling, is the criterion of the acquisition of a virtue

• -man will only be said to have acquired the trait of generosity if he finds joy in giving away his wealth.

• -so there must be constant perseverance in voluntary acts, otherwise no quality can be produced in the soul

• -the reason for a virtue was difficult and burdensome at first, and become easy after practiced for some times for the circular relationship between soul and body. (refer to soul interaction theory)

3. By association • by observing good people and associating

with them• Man by nature is imitative, so if man

associates with the virtuous for some time, he will unconsciously incorporate in himself something of their goodness and also consciously learn from them

• If association is impossible because of the absence of virtuous men, study of their lives will be sufficient to strengthen the desire for goodness and to facilitate its cultivation

• Therefore al-Ghazali often narrates the stories of those who underwent moral struggle, and recommends the study of Kitab Hilyat al-Awliya which contains details about companions, the followers and those after them.

• This method of learning good traits by observing the good and mixing with them is regarded by al-Ghazali as the basic principle of training children in good character for they are more imitative that n adults.

• The man who achieves good character in all these three ways, possesses the most excellent character.

• One who is deprived of all these, possesses the worst type of character

• Most people lie between these two extremes. The differences in their characters are owing to the differences in the methods they follow

Correcting evil character/Purification of the soul

Awareness of the evil : 4 methods to thatKeep company with a spiritual guide

(shaykh) so that he might closely observe and identify the defect

Ask a truthful, pious, friendGain knowledge of one’s defect from an

enemyMix with people and to ascribe to oneself

the defects one sees in them

Hasten to remove the evil by asking help from a spiritual guide just as he seeks guidance of a medical man in curing bodily disease

• A true guide is Gnostic (arif), intelligent, a seer of the soul’s diseases, kind-hearted, admonishes other in religion, purified his own soul from evil traits, is eager to assist others in their efforts for purification

• Common man do not know the diseases of the soul, their secret causes and the specific ways and subtle techniques for their removal, hence they need guidance

• On finding a true guidance, cling to him as a blind man on the sea-shore clings to his guide

(the principle of opposition) The restoration of the spiritual health; the cutting off the evil substance and removing its causes.

– A vice of the soul can be cured permanently if its substance is destroyed. This can only be accomplished by the removal of the causes of vices.

– Therefore the treatment of the individual vices, makes an exhaustive enquiry into the causes of every vice. (via knowledge)

– The vices can be removed by their opposite ; opposing it causes; which indeed according al-Ghazali the general rule of spiritual treatment.

– To know; is to know the nature of a vice, its causes, its harm in this life or in the next

– Knowledge of harm should be so certain that it becomes deep-seated in the soul, attains the status of strong faith and firm conviction. such knowledge will arouse a strong disgust for the vice.

– Opposing the cause of a vice by knowledge is called by al-Ghazali is cognitive limit (ilaj ilmi)

– The next is the action to get rid of vice; in need of perseverance, needs to be repeated for a long time

– As a result of perseverance in the opposite action, the vice will be effaced from the soul, and its opposite quality; virtue will be established (soul interaction theory of al-Ghazali)

– The removal of vices through action, or practical remedy (ilaj amali)

– Since practical remedy is contrary to one’s desire, it demands a high degree of patience without which no cure is possible..

– In sum, there remedy for an evil trait lies in the combination of three elements; knowledge, action and patience.

• The principle of opposite is mention in the Qur'an 79:40-41

In refining the character by means of the principle of opposite

• Diagnose the diseases and determine its causes, decide upon the form of self training one s will be able to undergo with good intention, according to age, bodily health and temperament

• If an evil trait is so strong, unable to be removed by practicing its opposite, devise a technique by which the disciples habit may be deflected to a less evil trait, only after that to be removed by its opposite. Eg; miserly person, to be ordered to give away his wealth to impress others after some time, miserliness will vanish but the evil trait of love of influence will be powerful, to be removed by its opposite

• Perseverance in opposition must be stopped after the mean has been achieved, for now the soul has regained it health, other wise, another evil trait will take place. Eg. miserliness to be trained to generosity, but if generosity goes beyond the mean state, it leads to prodigality

• Al-Ghazali suggest the way to identify whether the soul has achieve the mean; if an action is easier and more pleasant than its opposite action, it means that the soul is in a state of deviating from the mean eg : if giving money to the undeserving is easier than not giving to them, it is a sign that the soul has crossed the mean to the extreme excess in spending

Asking for divine grace (tawfiq)• There is a need for a different forms of

divine help; divine leading, strengthening and grace

• To preserve the mean also, one need to ask for god’s guidance in ritual prayer

A-GHAZALI AND THE CONCEPT OF HAPPINESS

4 means of happiness ‘goods of the soul Bodily ‘goods’ External goods Goods of divine graceHappiness is reducible to knowledge and actionThe first one is the primary means to happinessHusn al-khuluq is under ‘goods of the soul.

Negative – positive theory of happiness

NEGATIVE THEORY OF HAPPINESSAgainst the idea of worldly pleasure as the

goal of life on two reasons• The pleasure of this world lasts for a

limited period of time; man’s death• Is impure, imperfect and mixed with pain

* Except for the pleasure of knowledge, of conversation with God and intimacy with Him. In fact this is the highest/greatest form of pleasure

Criticize man’s worldly attachment as goal of life;

i. The laymen who work only to earn for a living

ii. The sensualist who regards happiness consist in the gratification of desires for food and sex

iii. Richness and wealth as the aim of lifeiv. Famev. Power, respect and influence

Criticize those abandon the world at all

i. Act of certain devotee who kill themselves in order to escape from the toil of this world

ii. Those who get rid of his human qualities – denying faculty of desire, anger by engaging in vigorous mortification leading to death, insane, illness

Positive happiness Otherworldly happiness – (as saadat al

ukhrawiyya) is obtained if necessary preparation for

it be made in this life, by controlling the human qualities and not by uprooting them

Worldly goods that serve as means to otherworldly happiness are only metaphorically form of happiness

Man’s conduct will be considered good if it is conducive to happiness in the hereafter

Other worldly happiness was the central theme of the teachings of the prophets, known through scriptures, sharia and spiritual insight of the sufis

4 characteristics of otherworldly happinessContinuity without endJoy without sorrowKnowledge without ignoranceSufficiency

The abode of happiness is paradise, misery of hell

Happiness and misery during the resurrection day is both physical and spiritual

Spiritual happiness is superior to physical happiness

Happiness known through reason, sharia and the spiritual insight (mushahada-i-batini) of the sufis

The cause of happiness is not God’s pleasure in the virtuous, nor is misery caused by His anger towards the vicious

Happiness and misery are caused by the conditions of the soul. If unbelief/vicious qualities are in man’s soul at time of death this bring misery. This is the reason for al-Ghazali’s great emphasis upon the soul