Assignment #1

Assignment # 1
NAME: ABDULLAH KHAN JADOON ROLL#: FA21-BTY-002

NAME: FAIZAN SHAH ROLL#: FA21-BTY-024
SUBJECT: ISLAMIYAT
SUBMITTED TO: DR. TANWEER JAMAL
Confucius
Introduction
Confucius was a philosopher and teacher who lived from 551 to 479 B.C.E. His thoughts on ethics, good
behavior, and moral character were written down by his disciples in several books, the most important
being the Lunyu. Confucianism believes in ancestor worship and human-centered virtues for living a
peaceful life.
Confucius (551 - 479 BCE) was a Chinese philosopher and politician of the spring and autumn period who is
traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. Confucius's teachings and philosophy underpin East
Asian culture and society, remaining influential across China and East Asia to this day.
Confucius considered himself a transmitter for the values of earlier periods which he claimed had been
abandoned in his time. His philosophical teachings, called Confucianism, emphasized personal and
governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice, kindness, and sincerity. His followers
competed with many other schools during the Hundred Schools of Thought era, only to be suppressed in favor
of the Legalists during the Qin dynasty. After the collapse of Qin and the victory of Han over Chu, Confucius's
thoughts received official sanction in the new government. During the Tang and Song dynasties, Confucianism
developed into a system known in the West as Neo-Confucianism, and later as New Confucianism.
Confucianism was part of the Chinese social fabric and way of life; to Confucians, everyday life was the arena
of religion.
Confucius is traditionally credited with having authored or edited many of the Chinese classic texts, including
all of the Five Classics, but modern scholars are cautious of attributing specific assertions to Confucius
himself. Aphorisms concerning his teachings were compiled in the Analects, but only many years after his
death.
Confucius's principles have commonality with Chinese tradition and belief. With filial piety, he championed
strong family loyalty, ancestor veneration, and respect of elders by their children and of husbands by their
wives, recommending family as a basis for ideal government. He espoused the Golden Rule, "Do not do unto
others what you do not want done to yourself".
Reference
Wikipedia
Political career
In Confucius's time, the state of Lu was headed by a ruling ducal house. Under the duke were three
aristocratic families, whose heads bore the title of viscount and held hereditary positions in the Lu
bureaucracy. The Ji family held the position "Minister over the Masses", who was also the "Prime
Minister"; the Meng family held the position "Minister of Works"; and the Shu family held the position
"Minister of War". In the winter of 505 BCE, Yang Hu a retainer of the Ji family rose up in rebellion and
seized power from the Ji family. However, by the summer of 501 BCE, the three hereditary families had
succeeded in expelling Yang Hu from Lu. By then, Confucius had built up a considerable reputation
through his teachings, while the families came to see the value of proper conduct and righteousness, so
they could achieve loyalty to a legitimate government. Thus, that year (501 BCE), Confucius came to be
appointed to the minor position of governor of a town. Eventually, he rose to the position of Minister of
Crime.
Confucius desired to return the authority of the state to the duke by dismantling the fortifications of the
city strongholds belonging to the three families. This way, he could establish a centralized
government. However, Confucius relied solely on diplomacy as he had no military authority himself. In
500 BCE, Hou Fan the governor of Hou revolted against his lord of the Shu family. Although the Meng
and Shu families unsuccessfully besieged Hou, a loyalist official rose up with the people of Hou and
forced Hou Fan to flee to the Qi state. The situation may have been in favor for Confucius as this likely
made it possible for Confucius and his disciples to convince the aristocratic families to dismantle the
fortifications of their cities. Eventually, after a year and a half, Confucius and his disciples succeeded in
convincing the Shu family to raze the walls of Hou, the Ji family in razing the walls of Bi, and the Meng
family in razing the walls of Cheng. First, the Shu family led an army towards their city Hou and tore
down its walls in 498 BCE.
Soon thereafter, Gongshan Furao (also known as Gongshan Buniu), a retainer of the Ji family, revolted
and took control of the forces at Bi. He immediately launched an attack and entered the capital
Lu. Earlier, Gongshan had approached Confucius to join him, which Confucius considered as he wanted
the opportunity to put his principles into practice but he gave up on the idea in the end. Confucius
disapproved the use of a violent revolution by principle, even though the Ji family dominated the Lu state
by force for generations and had exiled the previous duke. Creel (1949) states that, unlike the rebel Yang
Hu before him, Gongshan may have sought to destroy the three hereditary families and restore the power
of the duke. However, Dubs (1946) is of the view that Gongshan was encouraged by Viscount Ji Huan to
invade the Lu capital in an attempt to avoid dismantling the Bi fortified walls. Whatever the situation may
have been, Gongshan was considered an upright man who continued to defend the state of Lu, even after
he was forced to flee.
During the revolt by Gongshan, Zhong You had managed to keep the duke and the three viscounts
together at the court. Zhong You was one of the disciples of Confucius and Confucius had arranged for
him to be given the position of governor by the Ji family. When Confucius heard of the raid, he requested
that Viscount Ji Huan allow the duke and his court to retreat to a stronghold on his palace
grounds. Thereafter, the heads of the three families and the duke retreated to the Ji's palace complex and
ascended the Wuzi Terrace. Confucius ordered two officers to lead an assault against the rebels. At least
one of the two officers was a retainer of the Ji family, but they were unable to refuse the orders while in
the presence of the duke, viscounts, and court. The rebels were pursued and defeated at Gu. Immediately
after the revolt was defeated, the Ji family razed the Bi city walls to the ground.
The attackers retreated after realizing that they would have to become rebels against the state and their
lord. Through Confucius' actions, the Bi officials had inadvertently revolted against their own lord, thus
forcing Viscount Ji Huan's hand in having to dismantle the walls of Bi (as it could have harbored such
rebels) or confess to instigating the event by going against proper conduct and righteousness as an
official. Dubs (1949) suggests that the incident brought to light Confucius' foresight, practical political
ability, and insight into human character.
When it was time to dismantle the city walls of the Meng family, the governor was reluctant to have his
city walls torn down and convinced the head of the Meng family not to do so. The Zuozhuan recalls that
the governor advised against razing the walls to the ground as he said that it made Cheng vulnerable to
the Qi state and cause the destruction of the Meng family. Even though Viscount Meng Yi gave his word
not to interfere with an attempt, he went back on his earlier promise to dismantle the walls.
Later in 498 BCE, Duke Ding personally went with an army to lay siege to Cheng in an attempt to raze its
walls to the ground, but he did not succeed. Thus, Confucius could not achieve the idealistic reforms that
he wanted including restoration of the legitimate rule of the duke. He had made powerful enemies within
the state, especially with Viscount Ji Huan, due to his successes so far. According to accounts in
the Zuozhuan and Shiji, Confucius departed his homeland in 497 BCE after his support for the failed
attempt of dismantling the fortified city walls of the powerful Ji, Meng, and Shu families. He left the state
of Lu without resigning, remaining in self-exile and unable to return as long as Viscount Ji Huan was
alive.
Reference
Wikipedia
Ethics
One of the deepest teachings of Confucius may have been the superiority of personal exemplification over
explicit rules of behavior. His moral teachings emphasized self-cultivation, emulation of moral
exemplars, and the attainment of skilled judgment rather than knowledge of rules. Confucian ethics may,
therefore, be considered a type of virtue ethics. His teachings rarely rely on reasoned argument, and
ethical ideals and methods are conveyed indirectly, through allusion, innuendo, and even tautology. His
teachings require examination and context to be understood. A good example is found in this famous
anecdote:
When the stables were burnt down, on returning from court Confucius said, "Was anyone hurt?" He did
not ask about the horses.
By not asking about the horses, Confucius demonstrates that the sage values human beings over property
(which animals seem to represent in this example)
Often overlooked in Confucian ethics are the virtues to the self: sincerity and the cultivation of
knowledge. Virtuous action towards others begins with virtuous and sincere thought, which begins with
knowledge. A virtuous disposition without knowledge is susceptible to corruption, and virtuous action
without sincerity is not true righteousness. Cultivating knowledge and sincerity is also important for one's
own sake; the superior person loves learning for the sake of learning and righteousness for the sake of
righteousness.
Reference
Wikipedia
Main article: Confucian ethics

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