The Foundations of Ethics in Islamic Thought:

Islamic Principles and Greek Influences

Abstract

   This paper, through its inductive research trajectory, aims to elucidate the role of pioneers of Islamic thought in grounding the ethical issue by selecting one of its scholars, Ibn Miskawayh, as a deeply rooted model in the history of the civilizational record through his book "Tahdhib al-Akhlaq" (Refinement of Morals). This work serves as a unique example of the interplay between Islamic reference and Greek philosophical influences, particularly Platonic and Aristotelian. The research investigates the central problem concerning the authenticity of Ibn Miskawayh's ethical framework: is it derived from Islamic principles and values, or is it founded on incoming Greek pillars? The study demonstrates that Miskawayh was not merely a transmitter of Greek thought; rather, he was a thinker who reinterpreted it within an Islamic rational ethical perspective. He relied on Islamic concepts such as purification (tazkiyah) and moderation (i'tidal), while utilizing Greek rational tools to renew and develop ethics as a practical science that refines and rectifies the soul. This paper emphasizes that Miskawayh's ethical theory reflects a dual-rooted epistemological structure—an "Islamic root" and a "Greek root"—and substantiates the capacity of Islamic thought to absorb the other without losing the essence of its identity and authenticity.