Muslim viewpoints on

Professionalism
GEN 4100 - Unit 2

Units

Topics

Science & Ethics in Islam

History of Ethical Studies and Human actions

Muslim viewpoints on Professionalism

Muslim Position on Environmental Protection

Unethical issues in Engineering Practices

Health Protection from an Islamic Perspective

Islamic View on natural Disasters and Harmful Hazards

Whistle-blowing and Engineering Preventive ethics

Social & Global Responsibilities of Muslim Engineers

Engineers Workplace Environment

10

Islamizing Codes of Engineering Ethics & Societies

Profession: Definition
When a person is asked about his or her
profession: It means ones occupation /
job.
It is also used in sports to differentiate
between amateurs and professionals to
mean that the activity engaged in is
ones principal career from where he
earns his income and livelihood.
It denotes the meaning of work done
skillfully.

Cont
Originally it is derived from the Latin term
professionem or profiteri which has the
meaning of making a public declaration. It
was used in the middle ages to refer to a
person taking religious vows to join a
clergy.
It was used with that specific
the 16th century.

meaning until

By seventeenth century change of meaning

had occurred, from this century onwards the
term refers to qualified individuals.
It came to mean an occupation in which
learnt knowledge is applied to the affairs
of others such as: medicine, law, divinity..

CHARACTERISTIC OF A PROFESSION
1. Expertise (Theoretical & practical knowledge gained
through education & training in the chosen field. It
requires exercising sophisticated skills, judgment and
discretion which is not entirely routine or susceptible to
mechanization).
2. Use of knowledge & expertise for public good like
in case of Medicine, Law and Engineering in promoting
health, safety, welfare.
3. Membership of an organization or society which lays
down rules and standards, evolve and enforce a code of
conduct and represent the profession to the public and
the government.

W
ha
ti
s
Pr
of
es
si
o

n?

Job and Occupation

Job: any work for hire can be

considered a job, regardless of
the skill level involved and the
responsibility granted.
The
word
Occupation
implies employment through
which someone makes a living.

Question

Is Engineering
a Profession?
Think about ..

Professionalism: Western View

The term professional is used as an

adjective of profession which is a
noun.
Professionalism
refers
to
the
qualities,
competencies
and
skills of professional.
It has behavioural connotations
and refers to the manifestation of a
professional.
When the criteria of a profession are
applied to ones vocation it makes for
professionalism.

Western Core qualities of

professionals
1- Integrity: openness and honesty, both with
themselves and with others:
It is not simply
truthfulness or avoid telling lies, but the capacity to
communicate the truth in such a way as to enable the
client and others to make informed decisions.
2- Independence: to be free of secondary
interests with other parties: Not to be involved with
either the employer or an action group in such a way
that professional judgment is clouded as to lose
professional autonomy.
3- Impartiality: to be free of bias and
unbalanced interests and treat all parties equally.
There is a need not to give primacy to self-interest, self
advancement pressures of management roles.

4. Responsibility: the recognition and

acceptance of personal commitments, and the
realistic assessment of skills and capacities and the
acceptance of their possibilities and limitations.
5. Competence: a thorough knowledge of
the work they undertake to do: Perseverance in the
acquisition of technical competence and for its
application in solving technical problems.
6. Discretion: care with communications,
trustworthiness: Discretion has two meanings:
aThe
preservation
of
confidential
information.
bThe
ability
to
make
decisions
autonomously.

PROFESSION & ITS MEANING IN ISLAM

1.Al-Mihnah: an occupation done

with high skills.
2.It includes services offered to
others.
3.()() ,(
) : Occupation,
craft,
handicraft
to
earn
sustenance.
4.(Mahin):a fellow worker.

Works on Professional ethics &

Professionalism
- 1- Politics:
A- Adab Al-Moulouk (King's etiquette), Abu Mansur Altaalibi.
B- Siraj Al-Moulouk (Kings Lamp), Abu Bakr Altartouchi.
- 2- Education:
A- Ethics of Scholars, by Abu Bakr Al-Ajjurri.
B- The etiquettes of the knowledge Seekers, by AlKhatib al-Baghdadi.
3- Medicine:
A- Ethics of medical Practitioner, By Mohammad bin
Zakariya Al-Razi.
B- The etiquettes of Medical practices, by Ishaq Al-

CHARACTERISTIC OF A PROFESSION IN THE QURAN

1. The Prophet Sulayman () & Ifrit.

Two Prophets: Shuayb & Mussa ()

.(26 : )

One of the two women said: O my father! Hire him! For the best
(man) that thou canst hire is the strong, the trustworthy.

2- The prophet Yusuf and the Pharaoh:

[55 : ]

He said: Set me over the storehouses of the land. Lo! I

am a skilled custodian.

Cont
1- Care / preservation
-The ability to manageoneself, workcarefully in a responsible
manner.
(Managerial competency/ Practical
efficiency)

2- Knowledge: to be fully aware about the nature of his Job and the
skills needed to perform his tasks.
(Intellectual Competency)

3- Strength: good qualifications

implementation,controland discipline.

and

efficiency,

accurate

(Formational competency)

4- Trustworthiness: To fulfill his responsibilities towards his job,

fellow colleagues, work place and the society.
(Moral competency)

These four represent the principles of the Islamic professional

ethics and include the following:

1- Include the preservation of rights which is one of the

core ingredients of ethical principles.
2- Include knowing ones duties and performing them in
the best of ones ability.
3- Justice with oneself and with his fellow human beings.
4- Cover individual and social behavior.
5- All are based on universal values of: Rights, Goodness
and Beauty.
6- Islam has four main aspects which include: Doctrine,
worship, Law and Ethics and each one of these are
categorized into Principles and branches.
The four
qualities mentioned earlier represent the principles
of Islamic Professional Ethics and by extension they are
the core of the Islamic ethical map.

CHARACTERISTIC OF A PROFESSION: AN ELBORATION

1- Strength:

Hold fast that which We have given you

[63 : ]

[60 : ]

Make ready for them all thou canst of (armed) force

[247 : ]

Their Prophet said unto them: Lo! Allah hath raised up Saul to be a king for
you. They said: How can he have kingdom over us when we are more
deserving of the kingdom than he is, since he hath not been given wealth
enough? He said: Lo! Allah hath chosen him above you, and hath increased
him abundantly in wisdom and stature. Allah bestoweth His sovereignty on
whom He will. Allah is All Embracing, All Knowing.

O Allah, I seek refuge in Thee from care and grief. I

seek refuge in Thee from incapacity and slackness

-The strong believer is better and more

beloved to Allah than the weak believer,
while there is good in both

...... -

-O Abu Dharr, you are a weak leadership

while it is the mandate. And later on the
Day of Resurrection, he will be a shame
and remorse except those who take to their
rights and fulfill what he was supposed to

2- Trustworthiness:

] [58 :
Allah commandeth you that ye restore deposits to their
owners, and, if ye judge between mankind, that ye judge
!justly. Lo! comely is this which Allah admonisheth you. Lo
Allah is ever Hearer, Seer.

] [8 :

-

And who are shepherds of their pledge and their covenant,

] [27 :

O ye who believe! Betray not Allah and His messenger, nor

He Has Little Faith The One Who Has No Trust,

Return The Trust To Those Who Entrusted You, And Do Not

Betray Even The One Who Broke His Promise To You

:( ) ) : .
.(
The Prophet said, "Whoever has (the following) four
characters will be a hypocrite, and whoever has one of the
following four characteristics will have one characteristic of
hypocrisy until he gives it up. These are: (1 ) Whenever he
talks, he tells a lie; (2) whenever he makes a promise, he

3- Care / preservation

: ]




[32 -31
And the Garden is brought nigh for those who kept from evil, no
longer distant. (And it is said): That is that which ye were
promised. (It is) for every penitent and heedful one,

Each of you is a shepherd and each of you is responsible for his
flock. The ruler is the shepherd of his people and is responsible
for his flock. A man is the shepherd of his family and is
responsible for his flock.

4- Knowledge:

[247 : ]

Their Prophet said unto them: Lo! Allah hath raised up Saul to be a king for you.
They said: How can he have kingdom over us when we are more deserving of
the kingdom than he is, since he hath not been given wealth enough? He said:
Lo! Allah hath chosen him above you, and hath increased him abundantly in
wisdom and stature. Allah bestoweth His sovereignty on whom He will. Allah is
All Embracing, All Knowing

[45 : ]

And me mention of our bondmen, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, men of parts and
vision.

-The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer,

The Concepts of Itqan & Ihsan and their

relation to Professionalism

PROFESSIONALISM: QURANIC TERMS

Term

Frequency

Ahsana, Ihsanan, Husna, Muhsin, Ihsan, 194

Ahsinu, Ahsanu, Hasanah, husn, hasan,
Ahsan, hasuna, al-Husna, Muhsin,
Tuhsinu, hasanan, al-hasanat, alHusnayayn, husnuhunna, hisan,
Muhsinin

Atqana

1 (Naml: 88)

Taqwim (best stature)

1 (Tin: 4)

Al-Hikmah (Wisdom)

18

Qaddara, qadruhu, biqadariha, qadarin, 40

taqdir, maqduran, qaddir, qaddarna,
qadra, qaddaruha, al-qadr (the right
measure)

Ikmal: tukamlu, kamlatan, kamlayn,

kamlatan, (perfection)

Quwah: ulu quwatin (power, to hold

fast, strength).

29

 Itqan and Ihsansharethesamebasicmeaning

of "perfection" and "excellence", or to do
beautifulthings.
Itqan and Ihsan have a close relation.
Usually Itqan refers to a work done
based on acquired skills,while Ihsan
represents the inner strengthof a
Muslim and his intention,reflected on
his deeds through his skillsas well.
OthertermisIhkamfromHikmahwhichmeans
doing things with perfection and deep
consciousnesswithhighresults.

Itqan & Ihsan in the

Quran


] [88 :
And thou seest the hills thou deemest solid flying with
the flight of clouds: the doing of Allah Who perfecteth
all things. Lo! He is Informed of what ye do.


] :


[4 -3
Who hath created seven heavens in harmony. Thou
(Muhammad) canst see no fault in the Beneficent
One's creation; then look again: Canst thou see any
rifts? Then look again and yet again, thy sight will
return unto thee weakened and made dim.



] :
[112
Nay, but whosoever surrendereth his purpose to Allah
while doing good, his reward is with his Lord; and there
shall no fear come upon them neither shall they grieve.

] [195 :
Spend your wealth for the cause of Allah, and be not cast
by your own hands to ruin; and do good. Lo! Allah loveth
the beneficent.




] [26 :
For those who do good is the best (reward) and more
(thereto). Neither dust nor ignominy cometh near their
faces. Such are rightful owners of the Garden; they will
abide therein.
] [93 :
and do right. Allah loveth the good.

In the Sunnah
The Prophet (p) said: "Allah Loves when
you perform a deed to execute it with
excellence
Increasing the level of itqan in our
activities increases our level of taqwa
because it is one of the things that our
Prophet emphasized on us to inherit so
that we adopt right and noble character.
By the time we establish high level of
itqan, we are also establishing good
characters of striving for perfection.

 On the authority of Omar, who said: One day while we

were sitting with the messenger of Allah (Peace Be Upon
Him) there appeared before us a man whose clothes were
exceedingly white and whose hair was exceedingly black;
no signs of journeying were to be seen on him and none of
us knew him. He walked up and sat down by the prophet.
Resting his knees against his and placing the palms of his
hands on his thighs, he said:O Muhammed, tell me about
Islam. The messenger of Allah said: Islam is to testify that
there is no god but Allah and Muhammed is the messenger
of Allah, to perform the prayers, to pay the zakat, to fast in
Ramadhan, and to make the pilgrimage to the House if you
are able to do so. He said:You have spoken rightly, and
we were amazed at him asking him and saying that he had
spoken rightly. He said: Then tell me about eman.He
said:It is to believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His
messengers, and the Last Day, and to believe in divine
destiny, both the good and the evil thereof. He said:You
have spoken rightly. He said: Then tell me about ehsan.
He said: It is to worship Allah as though you are seeing
Him, and while you see Him not yet truly He sees you.

In Islam, ihsan is the Muslim responsibility to obtain

perfection, or excellence in worship. That definition comes
from theHadith of Gabriel in whichthe prophet Muhammad
states, "[Ihsan is] to worship God as though you see Him, and if
you cannot see Him, then indeed He sees you." (Al-Bukhari
andAl-Muslim).

Ihsan, is one of the three dimensions of the Islamic

religion Islam, Iman and Ihsan. In contrast to the emphases
ofIslam(what one should do) andIman(why one should
do), the concept of Ihsan is primarily associated with intention.
One who "does what is beautiful" is called amuhsin.

SomeMuslim
scholars
explain
Ihsan
as
being
theinnerdimension of Islam whereasShariah is often
described as theouterdimension.
From the preceding discussion it should be clear that not every
Muslim is a man or woman of faith (Mu'min), but every person
of faith is aMuslim. Furthermore, a Muslim who believes in all
the principles of Islam may not necessarily be a righteous
person, a doer of good (Muhsin), but a truly good and righteous
person is both aMuslimand a true person of faith.

CRITERIA OF PROFESSIONALISM:
AN ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE
1- Accountability to Allah.
-AccountabilitytoAllahisthecropofIslamicmessage.Humanbeingbynaturemakesthe
efforttodosomethingortriestoavoiditonlybecauseheknowsthatthereisabenefitindoingitor
thereisharmindoingit.

-Theideaofrewardandpunishmentisanincentivetodowhatisrightandavoidwhatis
wrong.Therelevanceofthissubjectthereforetousisthatthewholeofourlifeisatest.Allahsaysin
Quran67:2

-TheOneWhocreateddeathandlife,sothatHemayputyoutotest,tofindoutwhichofyouisbest
indeeds:HeistheAll-Mighty,theAll-Forgiving
-Onthedaywheneverysoulwillfinditselfconfrontedwithallthatithathdoneofgoodandallthatit
hathdoneofevil

2- Responsibility.
-"Everyoneofyouisashepherd,andeveryoneofyouwillbequestionedaboutthoseunderhisrule:
therulerisashepherd,andhewillbequestionedabouthissubjects;themanisashepherdinhisfamily,
andhewillbequestionedaboutthoseunderhiscare;andthewomanisashepherdinthehouseofher
husband,andshewillbequestionedaboutthoseunderhercare...Thus,everyoneofyouisashepherd
andisresponsibleforthoseunderhiscare."

Scope of Responsibility for Muslim

Engineers

BAD PRACTICE OF PROFESSIONALISM

.[85 : ]
And unto Midian (We sent) their brother, Shueyb.
He said: O my people! Serve Allah. Ye have no
other God save Him. Lo! a clear proof hath come
unto you from your Lord; so give full measure
and full weight and wrong not mankind in
their goods, and work not confusion in the
earth after the fair ordering thereof. That will
be better for you, if ye are believers.

Qarun (Kurah)
Secular professionalism
NowKorahwasofMosesfolk,butheoppressedthem
and We gave him so much treasure that the stores
thereofwouldverilyhavebeenaburdenforatroopof
mighty men. When his own folk said unto him: Exult
not; lo! Allah loveth not the exultant; But seek the
abode of the Hereafter in that whichAllah hath given
thee and neglect not thy portion of the world, and be
thou kind even as Allah hath been kind to thee, and
seek not corruption in the earth; lo! Allah loveth not
corrupters, He said: I have been given it only on
account of knowledge I possess. Knew he not that
Allah had destroyed already of the generations before
himmenwho weremightierthanHiminstrengthand
greater in respect of following? The guilty are not
questionedoftheirsins.Thenwentheforthbeforehis
people in his pomp. Those who were desirous of the
lifeoftheworldsaid:Ah,wouldthatuntoushadbeen
giventhelikeofwhathathbeengivenuntoKorah!Lo!
heislordofraregoodfortune.oWecausedtheearthto
swallow him and his dwelling place. Then he had no
hosttohelphimagainstAllah,norwasheofthosewho
cansavethemselves.