Fiṭrah in Islam and Ren Xing in confucianism: its relation to Islamic and confucian ethics

This paper discusses the concept of human nature in Islam and in Confucianism. The researcher makes a comparison between the concept of fiṭrah in Islam and its relation to Islamic Ethics or ―good character‖, and the concept of ren xing or ―inherently good‖ of Confucianism. In order to explore both c...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Mohd Nor, Nur Suriya
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IIUM Press, International Islamic University Malaysia 2018
Subjects:
Online Access:http://irep.iium.edu.my/71041/
http://irep.iium.edu.my/71041/
http://irep.iium.edu.my/71041/1/al-itqan%20special%20issue.pdf
Description
Summary:This paper discusses the concept of human nature in Islam and in Confucianism. The researcher makes a comparison between the concept of fiṭrah in Islam and its relation to Islamic Ethics or ―good character‖, and the concept of ren xing or ―inherently good‖ of Confucianism. In order to explore both concepts vis-à-vis the human nature, the researcher employs textual analysis and comparative methodology on written materials related to the topic. The findings reveal several similarities between the two concepts – fiṭrah and ren xing – as both deal with human nature, which includes human characters and behaviours, the merits of good and the vile of evil, and the idea of mind and soul, among others.