The Concept of the Covenant and Ethics in Taha Abderrahmane

Abstract

This study examines the concept of the “Covenant” (Mithaq), which holds a central position in the intellectual world of Taha Abderrahmane, one of the original voices of contemporary Islamic thought, and explores its connection with moral, intellectual, and faithful dimensions. Countering the “Social Contract” theories operating within the secular framework of modern thought, Abderrahmane puts forward the primary contract made with the Creator in the “primordial assembly” (alastu bezmi), the plane where human beings first entered the realm of existence and where their will manifested for the first time: the Mithaq. According to him, the distinguishing characteristic of human beings is not merely being a “rational animal,” as Western modernity claims, but essentially being a creature that “makes a promise and bears the trust (amanah)”. This trust constitutes the most fundamental consciousness of spiritual responsibility, forming the basis of the relationship that humans establish with the realm of existence. The article discusses the idea that the level of “Supported Reason” (al-Aql al-Mu'ayyad), which stands at the peak of Abderrahmane’s classification of reason, is only attainable through loyalty to this Mithaq, which possesses the quality of an essential contract. From the perspective of Abderrahmane’s paradigm, at the root of the moral crisis experienced by the modern world lies humanity's forgetfulness  of this existential contract. This study aims to demonstrate that the concept of Mithaq, far from being a classical theological term alone, is a foundational truth upon which morality must be constructed in the physical world, the sociological sphere, law, politics, and all forms of human transactions.