Human ethics or values are to be accepted by all men regardless of their faith and they are obliged to observe them in their lives. In Islamic ethics, emphasis is made on human ethics to the extent that it constitutes the basis of Islamic ethics. That is, Islam expects Muslims to first observe ethical principles and then perform religious rituals. So the relation between Islamic ethics and human ethics is absolute specific; i.e. the former contains not only the later but also something besides it. As a matter of fact, there is a difference among Muslim thinkers regarding the referents of virtues and vices and their limits. Such differences have made less animosity among Muslim scholars than among uneducated Muslims, because they believe in the words of Prophet (SAW) in which he has said, ‘the difference of view among the scholars (Ulama) of my community is a blessing from God. The bigotry of uneducated Muslims, rooted in their ignorance, sometimes unfortunately terminates in them harming each other. What sometimes intensifies hostility between them is misunderstanding other words of the Prophet (SAW), in particular when he anticipated that the Islamic community would be divided after him into seventy-two schools, of which only one would be completely in the right and would possess the complete truth. It could be concluded that any one of the groups may be right, so they need to respect each other. The Muslim intellectuals and scholars warn all Muslims, especially the uneducated, against involvement in such pointless disputes and to be unified and to be kind to each other and to respect all people. The Quran places great emphasis on the dignity of human beings regardless of their gender or race or even status. It says: “We have bestowed dignity on the children of Adam; provided them with transport on land and sea; given them for sustenance things good and pure; and conferred on them special favors, above a great part of our creation” (Quran).
The Quran does not give preference to one over the other. The Quran does not say that only Muslims or who have faith in God deserve dignity or rights that are associated with dignity. It talks in a broader term and declares that no one has a right to deny humans their dignity that is a God given right.
The dignity comprises rights and duties. It means that all human beings are created equal by the One Creator, and no one is superior to another on the basis of his or her birth or family or tribe. It is only the divine that alone is the judge to decide who lived up to his/her dignified status accepting the dignity of the other. The dignity also means that human beings have a right to life, right to freedom of religion, right to freedom of lifestyle, right to labor, right to security and right to family are secured, even if that means that human beings do not accept divine guidance. The Quran does not want people to deprive others of these rights because of their color, gender or even religion. The Quran does not give preference to one over the other. The Quran does not say that only Muslims or who have faith in God deserve dignity or rights that are associated with dignity. It talks in a broader term and declares that no one has a right to deny humans their dignity that is a God given right.
