Refinement Of Character

Ibn Miskawayh's (b 932 AD) main contribution to Islamic culture lay in the field of history and ethics. In the area of ethics, the Tahdhib or Refinement of Character is his most important and influential work. While referring to Quranic verses and the Traditions of the Prophet, the Refinement of Character also relates to the Greek philosophico-ethical tradition which was specifically called the Science of Ethics (ilm al-akhlaq) and part of Practical Philosophy. Miskawayh's work was to influence al-Ghazzali and it was through al-Ghazzali that this ethical element became incorporated in the religious tradition which dominated later Muslim Sunni thought. The Refinement of Character consists of six discourses: The Principles of Ethics, Character and Its Refinement, the Good and Its Divisions, Justice, Love and Friendship and the Health of the Soul.