HUMAN HEART (QALB) IN ISLAMIC ETHICS: A PERSPECTIVE FROM THE QURAN AND SUNNAH

There is a broad discussion concerning the importance of the self (nafas) in Islamic ethics. This discussion is based upon the primary sources of Islam, the scripture, and Sunnah. However, the idea of the human heart (Qalb) is not so widely discussed, which is considered integral to the self. This idea needs further exploration concerning its relationship to ethics. Ethics is an essential part of the Islamic worldview, and the measure of authentic, ethical behavior is intentionality which is an attribute of the heart. The Islamic sources assert that the ethical agent must possess a ‘sound heart’ that is free of vices and which, by belief, Iman, provides strength and motivation for good actions. Therefore, proper ethical behavior emanates from the heart. The critical point is that intentionality as the property of the heart matters in Islamic ethics because ethical accountability is ultimately before God in Islam. Therefore, a Muslim is responsible for safeguarding his heart from temptations and vices. The hearts can experience sickness and hardness through repeatedly sinning. Therefore, a Muslim should keep his heart clean from vices. In ethical decision-making, the heart’s purity will lead to good actions and better understanding. The heart has intellectual and cognitive powers that can help make ethical decisions.