Books of Ethics and Morality in the 4th Century AH: Description, documentation, and methodology (Examples of the most important books of this century)

Abstract

This research examines the most important works on ethics and morality in the 4th AH, highlighting the scientific methodology followed by their authors. It also compares these works to identify the areas of agreement and disagreement between them. These works include: Nawadir al-Usoul fi Ahadith al-Rasul (The Rare Narrations of the Foundations of the Prophet’s Hadith) by Al-Hakim Al-Tirmidhi (died in 320 AH), Rawdat al-‘Uqala (The Garden of Intellectuals) by Ibn Hibban (died in 354 AH), and Tanbih Al-Ghafilin (Warning the Negligent) by Abu al-Layth al-Samarqandi (died in 373 AH). After studying these three works using the inductive and descriptive approaches, along with some analysis, we identified the extent to which the early imams cared about the educational aspect since the first centuries. The three books laid out the fundamental principles of ethics and morals that a Muslim should follow, whether in their relationship with Allah, themselves, or their society. The three books included rich material, including hadiths, reports, stories, poems, and more, which has had a significant impact on their usefulness. However, their hadiths include both authentic and non-authentic narrations, which is typical of most books on ethics and morality.