ahlak

Ahlak (Arabic: أخلاق; often transliterated as akhlaq or akhlāq) is the Arabic term for morals, character, or ethics in Islamic thought. It refers to the dispositions and practices that guide how a person thinks, feels, and acts toward others. The term is widely used across Muslim-majority languages, including Turkish, Persian, and Indonesian, where it appears as akhlak or akhlaq.

In Islamic tradition, akhlak encompasses virtue and conduct, grounded in divine guidance and human reason. The Qur’an and hadith articulate normative standards for behavior, while later scholars systematized virtues (for example truthfulness, justice, patience, generosity, humility) and vices (such as dishonesty, arrogance, envy, cruelty). In Sufi and ethical philosophy, akhlak is viewed as a practical discipline aimed at refining the soul and aligning conduct with God’s will.

Classical works dedicated to akhlak include Ibn Miskawayh’s Tahdhib al-Akhlaq, a major medieval treatise on moral psychology, and portions of Al-Ghazali’s Ihya Ulum al-Din, which discuss inner virtues and self-purification. Moral education traditionally emphasizes both interior reform and outward righteousness, integrating personal conduct with social responsibility.

In modern discourse, akhlak is taught within Islamic ethics curricula and examined in comparative ethics, moral psychology, and religious education. The term remains a central reference point for discussions of character formation in Islam across Sunni, Shia, and other Muslim communities.