The Ethics of Expression: The ABCs of Morality We Shouldn’t Have to Teach

Gratitude, Justice, and the Spiritual Flow of Ethical Reciprocity in Islam

1. The Ethics of Appreciation

Justice (ʿAdl):
In Islamic ethics, justice means placing everything in its rightful place. When someone does good or creates something beautiful, justice requires that we give them their due — which includes acknowledging and appreciating their effort.
- “Whoever does not thank people, has not thanked Allah.” (Hadith)
Rights (Ḥuqūq):
Imam Zayn al-ʿAbidin’s Risālat al-Ḥuqūq teaches that people have rights over us — the right of your neighbor, your teacher, your friend. If someone shares beauty, kindness, or goodness, expressing gratitude honors their right.

Shukr (Gratitude):
Shukr in Islam isn’t just internal; it has three levels:
1. Recognition in the heart (knowing the gift came from Allah or someone).
2. Verbal acknowledgment (“Alhamdulillah,” or praising the doer).
3. Action — using the blessing rightly and spreading goodness.
If we stop at the first level, we cut off the blessing’s barakah (spiritual flow).

When someone creates or gives, they release beauty, effort, or kindness into the world.
If we receive silently, we take the benefit but withhold the rightful recognition that completes the act ethically and spiritually.
Islam sees ingratitude as a form of spiritual blockage — it severs the chain of goodness that should flow both ways.