The study of relationship between "philanthropy" and " social morality" in Islam

Some ethical theories and moral education approaches consider "philanthropy" as the foundation of social morality. There are some recommendations for affection for the people in Islam, too. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent of "philanthropy" in Islam; and to investigate the capacity of "love for the people” to be considered as the emotional foundation of social morality. The research method was descriptive-analytical method. The findings showed that in Islam, "philanthropy", by itself, dose not have absolute value and it must adapt to some criteria; and therefore, it has a limited scope, and it is not necessary and should not love anyone in heart. On contrast, social morality has no boundaries, and we are bound to observe ethics for "all" people around us, absolutely. Due to the unconformity of the scope of "philanthropy" and "social morality", and misadventures of considering "philanthropy" as the basis of morality, it can not be the emotional basis and general motive for the moral social interactions. It is possible that using some other concepts, such as mercy and so on, could open up other ways in this regard.