Moral Autonomy and Habituation Method: A Study Based on Islamic Teachings

The current paper seeks to illustrate the conflict between habituation and moralautonomy and explain the Islamic view in this regard. The methodology of this researchis qualitative and Islamic classical sources have been used to further elucidate Islam’sstance, as we have referred to some articles and resources to understand the concept ofhabituation method and its contradictions with moral autonomy. The achievement of thepaper is realising the contradiction between the habituation method and moral autonomyand habituation’s incompatibility with the rational growth and development of the youthwhich is the goal of Islamic education. Therefore, this method cannot be accepted in Islamicmoral education. On the other hand, there are some narratives in the Islamic sources thatapparently have recommended this method, so another important achievement of the articleis the proper interpretation of these narratives, presented for the first time. According tothis interpretation, these narratives do not recommend the habituation method, but ratherthe continuity and maintenance of the action. Therefore, there is no disapproval in Islamic sources in this regard, and these sources reject the use of this method in moral education.The paper concludes by saying that the habituation method is not an Islamic method ofeducation, and Islamic narrations have not recommended it. This paper comes with asuggestion that education scholars and policy makers need to extract other methods fromthe Islamic sources and devise them according to scientific findings instead of using thismethod.