Before revelation of Grand Qur'aan the ethics or morality posed questions how people ought to work and how they should live. The questions were; "According to what standards are these actions right or wrong?"; "What character traits (like honesty, compassion, fairness) are necessary to live a truly human life?"; and also, "What concerns or groups do we usually minimize or ignore?". Later in history different perspectives were associated with decision making, like, utilitarian perspective whose principle states "Of any two actions, the most ethical one will produce the greatest balance of benefits over harms"; rights perspective; the fairness/justice perspective; the common good perspective; and the ethics and virtue perspective.
These principles and rules have only recently been challenged by several ethicists who argue that the emphasis on principles ignores a fundamental component of ethics-virtue. These ethicists point out that by focusing on what people should do or how people should act, the "moral principles approach" neglects the more important issue--what kind of people should they be.
Had people studied the Grand Qur'aan as books are studied in academic circles they would have found that it had at the very outset stated what people should be and only later on a table of do's and don'ts was given which would facilitate to be what they ought to be.
http//haqeeqat.pk/English%20Tafsir%20e%20Haqeeqat/00.%20Tabweeb/00021.%20Muttaqeen%20Waw%20Qaf%20Ya/0003.A%20Muttaqeen%20Waw%20Qaf%20Ya/8.gif It is a term. What is the difference between a word and a term? A word is usually defined as a complete meaningful element of a language. All terms are words, but not all words are terms. A term is a particular definition of a word, which is applicable to a special situation. Terms occur only in the process of communication. They occur when the writer tries to avoid ambiguity and a reader follows his use of words. This term signifies persons who are embodiment of what is denoted by the verbal noun intensive cautiousness, wariness, fending off. It signifies such people who endeavour for ultimate success by remaining mindful and cautious and avoid unrestrained conduct.
We might not need reading voluminous theories about "Value System", "Ethics", "deontology" propounded by philosophers in timeline to arrive at an ideal perception about human conduct encompassing all spheres of human activity. All theories and dissertations on the subject put on one side, this one Active Participle referring a group of people outweighs them for arriving and formulating an approach to life.
http//haqeeqat.pk/English%20Tafsir%20e%20Haqeeqat/00.%20Individual%20Ayaat/002.%20Albaqrah/02.2-5.htmPhilosophy of conduct
