The many different religions in the world today often hold different significant beliefs. While they, at times, hold similar beliefs, the framework of the execution of beliefs is often varied. As a polytheistic community whose nature of pleasing their gods also involved being indulgent, the Arab religion was significantly different from the Islamic religion in terms of ethics and principles. As a result, the ethics of the Arab people and their religious beliefs were rapidly altered to fit the new religion. This essay draws heavily from Toshihiko Izutsu to argue that although the Islam religion and the traditional Arab communities hold shared values, the shared values of these religions are significantly different in their ethical framework. As a result, the Arab community had to conform to the change.

For starters, the introduction of Islam changed the entire outlook on the virtue of generosity. Traditional Arab generosity, as represented in tales and poems, was mainly done as a public demonstration of nobility and extended even to strangers[1]. While it is not wrong to share with strangers, the generosity was rooted in over-indulgence and was a sign of show-off aimed at getting the approval and respect of fellow men[2]. Additionally, this over-indulgence was not solely focused on food or helping people in need but also on alcoholic drinks, with the noble members of society drinking a lot and providing wine and alcoholic beverages to guests. While men were very generous in traditional Arab society, the same cannot be said for women, as they most often had to be the voice of reason in the family.[3]. The effects of over-indulgence tasked them with the responsibility to speak to reproach their men from participating in overindulgent gestures as is recorded in activities, as recorded in poems and tales of the Arab community. In other words, men and women were not held in the same regard when it came to generosity in the Arab culture.

The introduction of Islam to the Arab culture, however, presented a new approach to the ethical framework of generosity. According to the Quran, generosity was no longer a sign of over-indulgence but that of communion with God and others[4]. As a result, when Muslims gave, they did so without thinking of the approval of men, as the approval of men translated to sin. Additionally, the Quran introduced a new dynamic where generosity required a balance such that there would be no wastefulness and greed[5]. While there are recordings of generous men of faith in the Quran, they were not over-indulgent. Instead, the Quran calls for sharing with the needy in a way that is not wasteful; that is, there is a need for balance between sharing and being stingy. Even in the realm of giving in the concept of offerings to Allah, Muslims were not required to give in the honor of men but in the honor of God alone.[6]. In that way, the Quran presented a new ethical framework to the believers.

Similarly, traditional Arab beliefs prided themselves in the excessiveness of courage. In the desert environments that most Arabs inhabit, courage is a necessary virtue, mainly due to the extreme weather and limited resources[7]. Arabs had to exhibit their courage in the defense of their property and their people. As such, cowardice was shunned, and a soldier who had turned his back against a battle that would protect him or his people was unheard of. The courage praised and required in Arab society was also significantly indulgent and aimed at attaining the praises of other people in the community. Warriors who exhibited bravery and courage were highly praised and loved by the community, while cowardice was a recipe for shame and disrespect within the community. Additionally, courage in these communities was shown in the form of revenge in the event that an individual or a community was wronged by the other, and it restored honor among such people and communities.

On the contrary, Islam introduced courage with respect to the honor of God. In this light, the Islamic faithful are considered courageous if they express their courage with reverence to God and not for the honor of men. For example, the Quran encourages believers to smite the Kafirs as it is an honorable course before God[8]. There is, therefore, a sense of direction offered by the Quran as to how and when to exhibit courage, and that is significant in protecting the faith. The Islamic faith, similar to the Arab beliefs and culture, shuns cowardice. The Quran classifies cowardice as a sin. Islam does not encourage giving up in battle; in fact, the Quran states that if believers encounter Kafirs matching toward them, they should not turn back.[9]. The word also proceeds to state that even if individuals swear that they are Islam, if they are cowards, then they do not belong to the faith. The only way through which the Quran sets itself apart from Arab beliefs is that courage is encouraged i