Principles of Professional Ethics in Nahj al-Balaghah

Professional ethics is a branch of ethics which has recently come into focus in Iran and it needs to be examined more extensively from epistemological perspective. Teachings of Islam are a rich source for studying professional ethics. The study، however، will not be reasonable without an analysis of teachings of Nahj al-Balaghah. The present study therefore adopts a documentary research methodology to explore principles of professional ethics in Nahj al-Balaghah. The findings show that Imam Ali emphasized ethics and principles of ethics، and that he has in many instances advised his agents and companions as well as all humans living then and after him to be ethical and observes ethical principles. The principles which are highlighted in Nahj al-Balaghah include respect، freedom، fairness، keeping one’s word، trust، honesty، being responsible، being both critical and open to critique، tolerance and patience، balance، and keeping secrets of others.