Widespread Impression."Our people have no character" is acknowledged universally, at home and abroad, in business and government circles, and in every sphere of administrative activity. Lack of character produces social imbalance and leads ultimately to national decline and disintegration. The malady has been eating up
vitals of our social life too fast to withstand an unexpected shock.
Meaning of Character.
The outward signs of a weak character are commonly believed to be bribery, corruption and exploitation but they do not bring out true significance of word. It belongs to realm of ethics, which defines character in terms not easily intelligible to common man. Here are a few definitions given by Western writers on ethics.
Character Defined.
Preservation of life is an animal instinct; not so is preservation of honour. The concept of honour is unknown to animal world. In fact it forms line of demarcation between Animal and Man. Honour is a specific human value. Preservation of human values elevates level of life, from animal to human. Character may, therefore, be defined as who so preserves human values against animal instincts is a man of character.
Assessment of Human Values.
Human values might have different meanings. Take word honour. "God has saved my honour," means that I have not been disgraced before my friends. "She gave her life to save her honour"—here honour signifies chastity. But meaning of chastity itself might differ from people to people. In East if some one casts an evil glance at a veiled lady, her father or brother would not hesitate to shoot him. In West, however, if a girl flirts publicly, her father or brother, instead of having any qualms, would feel proud of her as a popular society girl! Again one society might attach greatest importance to a particular value which in estimation of another society might not be a value at all. We respect and honour our parents, but there have been tribes with whom eating them up constituted a sacred duty. The Puritans saw nothing wrong in stealing Negro children and shooting Irishmen. The Jews thought it bad, even criminal, to levy interest among themselves but permitted it in case of non-Jews. In an island of Pacific there is a tribe with whom dishonesty is best moral conduct and among whom cleverest cheat is held in highest esteem. Thugs felt proud of killing poor wayfarers. Nationalism is recognized world over as a political and social creed and one who helps well being of his nation by exploiting other nations, is regarded a patriot worthy of being immortalized in metal and marble.
Universal Standard of Character.
Since human values vary with different societies should character mean harmonizing oneself to values which a society might stress for time being? In days gone by Spartans viewed theft a virtue and held smartest thief in high-test esteem; today theft is a crime and a thief a criminal. With us conception of a virgin is a disgrace for family, in West sexual intercourse between a willing couple is neither an evil nor a criminal offense: even homosexuality between willing parties is condoned there. Is there then no universal standard of character?
Quranic Concept of Character.
People inhabiting different countries might follow different ways of life but, according to Holy Quran, human values are same anywhere and unchangeable too. It is not given, however, to human intellect to determine such values. Human intellect is essentially individualistic in character. It can seek preservation of particular self to which it belongs individually or collectively, but not that of other selves. For well-being and preservation of mankind as a whole, however, what is needed is not an individualistic intellect, which cannot see beyond its nose, but a comprehensive and all pervading intellect, namely God and Revelation. It is Revelation alone which gives abiding universal values. The revealed values are preserved in Holy Quran, code of life for mankind in all climes and ages. Quranic values are Permanent Values of life and provide a universal standard of character or, to use Quranic terminology, Taqwa.
