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Does the absence of religion in a person's life necessitate their loss of morals? Do polytheism or disbelief corrupt the sound innate disposition (fitra)? If so, why aren't morals corrupted along with the innate disposition, and why do we observe these morals present among non-Muslims?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Religion and ethics share a close relationship, for the entire Sharia is founded upon noble character traits. A sound innate disposition (fitra) guides towards and accepts noble character traits. Nevertheless, a deficiency in religiosity or deviation from the fitra does not necessarily lead to a complete corruption of ethics; good ethics may coexist with disbelief. Some ethical traits are instinctive, endowed upon an individual from the outset, while others are acquired. A disbeliever may possess a virtuous character, just as a believer may possess a blameworthy character.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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