 GOOD (‫ ) خير‬and BAD (ّ‫)شر‬

 Is there an absolute good or an absolute bad, or is it relative, related to our basic needs,
related to our expediency?

 From where usually we know what is good and what is bad? Is it from the religion or the
works of the human mind?

 Can the human mind know the absolute good and the absolute bad?

 Why do we need to know what is good and what is bad?

 The Western Definition of Good and Bad

 i. Rational Philosophy.

 The Greek Peripatetic Philosophers, such as Plato, Aristotle, Democritus, and the Muslim
peripatetic philosophers, such as Ibn Sina and Ibn Rushd (d. 1198 CE), all of them believed
that the human mind can know the absolute good and the absolute bad.

 This conception of the good and bad is manifested in the work of Ibn Tufayl’s (d.1185) Hayy
ibn Yaqzan (‫)حيّابنّيقظان‬, Life the son of Awake, an imaginary character whom by his reason
alone can know the Truth.

 ii. Critical Philosophy.

 The founder of this philosophy is Immanuel Kant (d. 1809 CE). With the advancement of
science, Kant says philosophy as metaphysics cannot be a science, “because all our
knowledge undoubtedly begins with (human) experience”, and since nothing is given in our
experience as regards the metaphysical objects, speculative knowledge about them is not
possible. Hence, God, freedom and the concept of good and bad are the subjects of
practical philosophy.

 iii. Positivism (19th, 20th & 21st centuries).

 In Positivism all metaphysical problems are considered as pseudo-problems. It is a “pure

empiricism”; truth can only be known by empirical means. And since experimental science
use such empirical methods, only science is truly considered as a true knowledge.

 Hence, without any religious convictions, all values become relative to each individual or to
each group of people.

 Without any religious sanctity, Right and Wrong are inconceivable.

 Religions become personal convictions (e.g., in Christianity, they separate between “that
which is God’s” (ethics and morality) and “that which is Caesar’s” (government, politics,
education, economics, science etc.)).

 The Definition of Good (ّ‫ ) خير‬and Bad (ّ‫ )شر‬in Islam

 All values of either good or bad are absolute, since they are all sanctioned by the Qur’an and
the Sunnah of the Prophet SAW.

 None of the values is against our reason, since reason in itself is insufficient to know what is
good and what is bad.
 A good action is all the actions that Allah SWT has commanded us to do, or any other action
that is being done sincerely for His Cause and the action is not prohibited in Islam and it
brings benefit either to the doer or to other Allah’s creation. A bad action would be
otherwise.

 All actions of the Muslims can be categorized as either good or bad.

 ّ‫صب ِْر‬
َّ ‫ص ْواّ ِبال‬
َ ‫ّوت ََوا‬
َ ‫ق‬ِ ‫ص ْواّ ِب ْال َح‬
َ ‫ِّوت ََوا‬ َّ ‫عمِ لُواّال‬
َ ‫صا ِل َحات‬ َ ُ‫سانَ ّلَفِيّ ُخس ٍْرّ ِإ ََّّلّالَّذِينَ ّآ َمن‬
َ ‫واّو‬ ِ ْ ‫َو ْال َعص ِْرّ ِإ َّن‬
َ ‫ّاْلن‬
 By (the Token of) Time (through the ages), Verily Man is in loss, Except such as have Faith,
and do righteous deeds, and (join together) in the mutual teaching of Truth, and of Patience
and Constancy. (al-Asr:1-3)

 ُّ‫ّو َمنّ َي ْع َملْ ّمِ ْثقَالَّذَ َّرةٍّش ًَّراّ َي َره‬

َ ُ‫فَ َمنّ َي ْع َملْ ّمِ ْثقَالَّذَ َّرةٍّ َخي ًْراّ َي َره‬
 Then shall anyone who has done an atom's weight of good, see it! Then shall anyone who
has done an atom's weight of good, see it! And anyone who has done an atom's weight of
evil, shall see it. (al-Zalzalah:7-8)

 The Concept of Khayr (‫)خير‬, Birr (‫) بر‬, Sharr (ّ‫ )ّشر‬and Ithm (‫) اثم‬.

 Khayr (‫)خير‬:

 Khayr means good, excellent, outstanding, better, best. It comes from the word khara (‫)خار‬
which means to choose or to prefer. Its usage varies in the Qur’an:

 a. As wealth, or worldly goods, as in Surah al-Baqarah, 215.

 َّ‫ّو َماّتَ ْفعَلُواّْمِ ْنّ َخي ٍْرّفَإِ َّنّّللا‬

َ ‫س ِبي ِل‬
َّ ‫ّواب ِْنّال‬
َ ‫ين‬ َ ‫ىّو ْال َم‬
ِ ‫سا ِّك‬ َ ‫ّو ْال َيتَا َم‬ َ ‫مّم ْنّ َخي ٍْرّفَل ِْل َوا ِلدَي ِْن‬
َ َ‫ّواأل َ ْق َر ِبين‬ ِ ُ ‫َي ْسأَلُونَكَ ّ َماذَاّيُن ِفقُونَ ّقُلْ ّ َماّأَنفَ ْقت‬
)ّ 2:215(ّ‫علِي ٌم‬ َ ِّ‫ِبه‬
 They ask thee what they should spend (In charity). Say: Whatever ye spend that is good, is
for parents and kindred and orphans and those in want and for wayfarers. And whatever ye
do that is good, -(Allah) knoweth it well.

 Khayr (‫)خير‬

 b. As wisdom, which is another equivalent term to ilham or inspiration or intuition, as in

Surah al-Baqarah, 269.

 ّ)2:269(ّ ّ‫ب‬ ّ ‫اّو َماّ َيذَّ َّك ُرّإَِّلَّّأ ُ ْولُواّْا‬

ِ ‫أل َ ْل َبا‬ ُ ْ َ‫َاءّو َمنّيُؤْ ت‬
َ ‫ّالحِ ْك َمةَّفَقَدّْأوت‬
ً ‫ِيّ َخي ًْراّ َكث‬
َ ‫ِير‬ ْ ‫يُؤت‬
َ ‫ِيّالحِ ْك َمةَّ َمنّ َيش‬
 “He granteth wisdom to whom He pleaseth; and he to whom wisdom is granted receiveth
indeed a benefit overflowing; but none will grasp the Message but men of understanding,”
(al-Baqarah:269).

 Khayr (‫)خير‬

 c. As pious actions or ‘amal salih, as in Surah al-Anbiya’, 90, referring to Prophet Zachariah AS
and his wife.

 َّ‫ًاّوكَانُواّلَنَاّخَا ِشعِين‬
َ ‫ًاّو َر َهب‬
َ ‫غب‬ َ ‫ِّوَّيدْعُو َنن‬
َ ‫َاّر‬ ْ ‫ارعُونَ ّف‬
َ ‫ِيّال َخي َْرات‬ ِ ‫س‬ ْ َ ‫ىّوأ‬
َ ُ‫صلَحْ نَاّلَهُّزَ ْو َجهُّإِ َّن ُه ْمّكَانُواّي‬ َ ‫ُّو َو َه ْبنَاّلَهُّ َيحْ َي‬
َ ‫فَا ْستَ َج ْبنَاّلَه‬
(21:90)
“So We listened to him: and We granted him Yahya: We cured his wife's (Barrenness) for him.
These (three) were ever quick in emulation in good works; they used to call on Us with love
and reverence, and humble themselves before Us.” (al-Anbiya:90)
 Khayr (‫)خير‬

 d. As rewards in the next life.

 ّ َ‫ٌّمن‬
ِ ‫ّو ِرض َْوان‬ َ ‫اّوأ َ ْز َواجٌّ ُّم‬
َ ٌ ‫ط َّه َرة‬ َ ‫ارّخَا ِلدِينَ ّفِي َه‬ َ ‫ّمنّذَ ِل ُك ْمّ ِللَّذِينَ ّاتَّقَ ْواّعِند‬
ُ ‫َّر ِب ِه ْمّ َجنَّاتٌ ّتَجْ ِريّمِ نّتَحْ ِت َهاّاأل َ ْن َه‬ ِ ‫)ّقُلْ ّأ َ ُؤن َِبئ ُ ُكمّ ِب َخي ٍْر‬
ْ
)ّ 3:15(ِّ‫يرّ ِبال ِع َباد‬ٌ ‫ص‬ ِ ‫ّوّللاُّ َب‬
َ ِ‫ّللا‬
 “Say: Shall I give you glad tidings of things Far better than those? For the righteous are
Gardens in nearness to their Lord, with rivers flowing beneath; therein is their eternal home;
with companions pure (and holy); and the good pleasure of Allah. For in Allah's sight are (all)
His servants,” (al-Imran:15).

 Birr (‫) بر‬

 Birr means righteousness, godliness, kindness. It comes from the verb barra (ّ‫ ) بر‬which
means to be reverent, dutiful, to be kind, to give out charity,to obey God, to treat with
reverence, to honor parents, to be honest, truthful, to keep to one’s promise.

 a. As a duty towards one’s parents, e.g. Prophet Yahya AS is being dutiful towards his parents
as in Surah Maryam (19: 14)

 ‫صيًّا‬
ِ ‫ع‬ ً ‫ِّولَ ْمّ َي ُكنّ َجب‬
َ ّ‫َّارا‬ َ ‫( َو َب ًّراّ ِب َوا ِلدَ ْيه‬19:14)
 And kind to his parents, and he was not overbearing or rebellious (Maryam:14)

 Birr (‫) بر‬

 b. As a generosity in giving alms as in Surah Al-Imran (3: 92):

َ ّ‫ّو َماّتُن ِفقُواّْمِ ن‬

َ ِّ‫ش ْيءٍ ّفَإِ َّنّّللاَّ ِبه‬
 ّ‫علِي ٌم‬ ْ ْ‫( لَنّتَنَالُوا‬3:92)
َ َ‫ّال ِب َّرّ َحتَّىّتُن ِفقُواّْمِ َّماّتُحِ بُّون‬
“By no means shall ye attain righteousness unless ye give (freely) of that which ye love; and
whatever ye give, of a truth Allah knoweth it well.”

 c. As the virtue of God-fearing or taqwa (ّ‫) تقوى‬:

 ّ‫ّوآتَى‬ َ َ‫ّوال َّن ِب ِيين‬

َ ‫ب‬ ِ ‫ِّو ْال ِكتَا‬
َ ‫ّو ْال َمآل ِئ َكة‬
َ ‫ّو ْال َي ّْو ِمّاآلخِ ِر‬ ْ ‫ّولَـك َِّن‬
َ ِ‫ّال ِب َّرّ َم ْنّآ َمنَ ّ ِباّلل‬ َ ‫ب‬ِ ‫ّو ْال َم ْغ ِر‬َ ‫ق‬ ْ ‫ّو ُجو َه ُك ْمّقِ َبل‬
ِ ‫َّال َم ْش ِر‬ ْ ‫ْس‬
ُ ْ‫ّال ِب َّرّأَنّت ُ َولُّوا‬ َ ‫لَّي‬
ْ
ّ َ‫َىّالزكَاة ََّوال ُموفُون‬َّ ‫صالة ََّوآت‬ َّ ‫امّال‬ َ
َ َ‫ّوأق‬ ِ ‫ِيّالرقَا‬
َ ‫ب‬ ِ ‫ّوف‬
َ َ‫لّ َوالسَّآ ِئلِين‬ ِّ ‫س ِبي‬َّ ‫ّوابْنَ ّال‬ َ َ‫ساكِين‬ ْ
َ ‫ىّوال َم‬ ْ ْ
َ ‫علَىّ ُح ِبهِّذَ ِويّالقُ ْر َبىّ َوال َيتَا َم‬ َ َّ‫ْال َمال‬
ْ ‫واّوّأ ُولَـِّئكَ ّهُ ُم‬
َّ‫ّال ُمتَّقُون‬ َ ُ‫صدَق‬ َ ّ َ‫ّال َبأ ْ ِسّأُولَـئِكَ ّالَّذِين‬ ْ َ‫اءّوحِ ين‬َ ‫ساءّوالض ََّّر‬ َ ْ ‫ِيّال َبأ‬
ْ ‫صا ِب ِرينَ ّف‬ َّ ‫ّوال‬ َ ْ‫عا َهدُوا‬
َ ّ‫( ِب َع ْه ِد ِه ْمّ ِإذَا‬2:177)
 “It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces Towards east or West; but it is righteousness-
to believe in Allah and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers; to
spend of your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the
wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer, and
practice regular charity; to fulfill the contracts which ye have made; and to be firm and
patient, in pain (or suffering) and adversity, and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the
people of truth, the Allah-fearing.”(al-Baqarah:177)

 Sharr (ّ‫)ّشر‬

 The opposite of khayr is sharr (ّ‫)ّشر‬, which means evil, calamity, vice, sin, wickedness.

 It comes from the verb sharra (‫) شر‬, which means to be bad, evil, wicked.

 Its usage in the Qur’an as:

 a. Evil deeds, as in Surah al-Zalzalah, 8.

 b. Trial or tribulation, as in Surah Fussilat (41: 49):
ٌّ ‫ُوسّقَنُو‬
 ‫ط‬ َّ ‫سهُّال‬
ٌ ‫ش ُّرّفَ َيؤ‬ َّ ‫ّوإِنّ َّم‬ ْ ‫ع‬
َ ‫اءّال َخي ِْر‬ َ ُ‫سا ُنّمِ نّد‬ ِ ْ ‫( ََّلّ َي ْسأ َ ُم‬41:49)
َ ‫ّاْلن‬
 Man does not weary of asking for good (things), but if ill touches him, he gives up all hope
(and) is lost in despair. (Fussilat:49)

َ ً‫ّو ْال َخي ِْرّفِ ْت َنة‬

 َّ‫ّوإِلَ ْينَاّت ُ ْر َجعُون‬ َّ ‫ِّو َن ْبلُو ُكمّ ِبال‬
َ ‫ش ِر‬ ْ ُ‫( ُكلُّّ َن ْف ٍسّذَا ِئقَة‬21:35)
َ ‫ّال َم ْوت‬
 Every soul shall have a taste of death: and We test you by evil and by good by way of trial. To
Us must ye return. (al-Anbiya:35)

 Ithm (‫) اثم‬

 Ithm (‫ ) اثم‬means sin, offense or crime, and the root verb is athima (ّ‫) اثم‬, to sin, to err, to slip.

 a. As a sin for concealing testimony, in Surah al-Baqarah, 283:

 ّ‫علِي ٌم‬ َ ‫ش َهادَة ََّو َمنّ َي ْكت ُ ْم َهاّفَإِ َّنهُّآ ِث ٌمّقَ ْلبُه‬
َ ّ َ‫ُّوّللاُّ ِب َماّتَ ْع َملُون‬ َّ ‫( َوَّلَّتَ ْكت ُ ُمواّْال‬2:283)
“Conceal not evidence; for whoever conceals it, His heart is tainted with sin. And Allah
Knoweth all that ye do.”

 Ithm (‫) اثم‬

 b. As a sin for associating partners to Allah, Surah al-Nisa’, 48:

َ ّ‫اّللّفَقَدِّا ْفت ََرىّ ِإ ْث ًما‬

 ‫عظِ ي ًما‬ ِ ‫َاءّو َمنّ ُي ْش ِركْ ّ ِب‬ َ ‫َّلّ َي ْغف ُِرّأَنّ ُي ْش َركَ ّ ِبه‬
َ ‫ِّو َي ْغف ُِرّ َماّدُونَ ّذَلِكَ ّ ِل َمنّ َيش‬ َ ّ‫ّّللا‬
َ ‫( ِإ َّن‬4:48)
“Allah forgiveth not that partners should be set up with Him; but He forgiveth anything else,
to whom He pleaseth; to set up partners with Allah is to devise a sin Most heinous indeed.”

 Some Characteristic of Virtues :

 i. Intention of virtues will be rewarded even though the virtue is not act upon.

 Narrated by Abu Hurairah (RA): Allah’s Messenger SAW said, “Allah says, ‘If My slave intends
to do a bad deed then (O angels) do not write it unless he does it; if he does it, then write it
as it is, but if he refrains from doing it for My sake, then write it as a good deed. (On the
other hand) if he intends to do a good deed, but does not do it then write a good deed (in his
account), and if he does it, then write it for him as ten good deeds up to seven-hundred
times.’” (Sahih al-Bukhari)

 ii. Performance of virtues can remove one’s sin, as in Surah al-Ankabut (29:7):

 َّ‫سنَ ّالَّذِيّكَاّنُواّ َي ْع َملُون‬

َ ْ‫ّولَنَجْ ِز َي َّن ُه ْمّأَح‬
َ ‫س ِيئَا ِت ِه ْم‬ َّ ‫عمِ لُواّال‬
َ ّ‫صا ِل َحاتِّلَنُكَف َِر َّن‬
َ ّ‫ع ْن ُه ْم‬ َ ُ‫( َوالَّذِينَ ّآ َمن‬29:7)
َ ‫واّو‬
“Those who believe and work righteous deeds, from them shall We blot out all evil (that may
be) in them, and We shall reward them according to the best of their deeds.”

 iii. Performance of some virtues can be rewarded for the deceased, as the Prophet SAW said,
“Ya Sin is the heart of the Qur’an. No person recites [or reads] it desiring Allah and the
afterlife except he is forgiven. Recite it over your dying/deceased,” (In Musnad (5:26) of
Ahmad Ibn Hanbal).

 Some Characteristic of Sins:

 i. Intention of doing sinful things is not counted as punishable. Only the performance of sins
is counted.
 ii. Performance of sins is like rusts that cover the heart, as the Prophet SAW said, “As soon as
a sin is committed, a black impression falls on the pure soul. If it is not removed, it remains
and thus hundreds of black impressions make the whole region of the heart black. It is the
duty of every man to remove these black impressions by washing them with the water of
tears and repentance.” (Mishkat al-Masabih, 3:760).

 Sources:

 Kant, Immanuel, Critique of Pure Reason, trans. Norman Kemp Smith, New York: St. Martin’s
Press, 1965.

 Tarnas, Richard, The Passion of the Western Mind, New York: Ballantine Books, 1991.

 Izutsu, Toshihiko, Ethico-Religious Concepts in the Qur’an, Montreal: McGill University Press,
1966.

 Haneef, Sayed Sikandar Shah, Ethics and Fiqh for Daily Life: An Islamic Outline, Kuala Lumpur:
IIUM, 2005.