The Qur’anic Concept of the Ideal Human Society

Abstract

Most of the western philosophies dominant today treat 
man as animals. The famous views on man attributed to 
the modern disciplines, such as sociology and 
psychology, are “Man is a social animal”; “Man is an 
intellectual animal”. To equate man with animals 
amounts to his/her humiliation. The Qur‟an names man as 
human (insan) {15:26}, describes him/her children of 
Adam (bani Adam) {7:26}, and informs that the children 
of Adam hold the most dignified position on earth 
(mukarram) {17:70}. The Qur‟an seeks to inspire the 
mankind to establish human society based on and 
governed by some absolute principles: (1) Sincerity of 
Commitment to Allah and the Last Prophet (s.a.w.), (2) 
Dominance of Absolute Moral Values, (3) Caring 
Attitude towards the Animals, and (4) Sensitivity to the 
Ecosystem. This paper represents discussion on these four 
features of the society the Qur‟an seeks to develop. The 
methodology applied to such discourse is in no uncertain 
term critical analysis. The conclusion arrived at in the 
paper is that the entire mankind needs to take the 
Qur‟anic messages concerning ideal society to ensure 
peace and harmony on the surface of the earth.