An Interpretation of the Distinction between the Criterion for Ethics and Moral Education from Ayatollah Misbah's Viewpoint

Following the famous thinkers, Ayatollah Misbah considers the ethics to include moral education, but in his moral philosophy, he distinguishes between moral education and ethics. In his philosophy of ethics, he considers faith in God and belief in the resurrection to be the moral criterion, while he holds that the generosity of non-Muslims such as Hātam al-Ṭāʾī is valuable and will lead to a reduction in punishment. Considering that moral standard refers to the conditions necessary to reach the ultimate goal of morality, the generosity of Hātam al-Ṭāʾī as a non-believer should not have moral qualification and value; so what is the reason for reducing his punishment and what value can be considered for his generosity? With a new interpretation of Ayatollah Misbah's point of view in answering these questions, this research uses the distinction between ethics and moral education that are different at least in their aim, method, nature and criterion. Based on this distinction, the actions of infidels fails to qualify moral standards and lack moral value, while some of their actions may satisfy the standards and enjoy values of moral education. Ayatollah Misbah's view on moral education needs to be completed, and this article considers the criterion and standard of moral education as being the means for attaining nearness to God, and explains the goal of moral education in a way that the generosity of those like Hātam al-Ṭāʾī can enjoy the standard and value of moral education due to the goodness of the action.