Open Access

An evaluation within the framework of Lawrence Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development: The Ashara al-Mubashshara

1 Department of Psychology, Bilecik Şeyh Edebali University, Bilecik, 11100, Türkiye ROR

Abstract

This study aims to examine the moral attitudes and behaviors of the Ashara Mubashshara—those companions who were promised Paradise during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad—within the framework of Lawrence Kohlberg’s Moral Development Theory, one of the foundational theoretical models of modern moral psychology. Using a document analysis method grounded in an interpretive approach, selected case examples from the lives of these companions were evaluated through content analysis and theoretical coding techniques. In this process, the positioning of the resulting behavioral patterns within Kohlberg’s six-stage model of moral development was systematically analyzed. The findings indicate that the moral behaviors displayed by the Ashara Mubashshara in response to various situations were based not on utilitarian motivations or external reward–punishment expectations, but on internalized universal ethical principles. A principle-centered moral responsibility, prioritizing values such as justice, truthfulness, loyalty, compassion, and respect for human dignity, emerges as the primary determinant of their decision-making processes. In this regard, the promise of Paradise granted to the Ashara Mubashshara can be understood, beyond its historical and religious affirmation, as a psychologically meaningful manifestation of deeply internalized moral rationality and an integrated moral identity. From this perspective, the moral attitudes exhibited by the Ashara Mubashshara closely align with Kohlberg’s post-conventional level, specifically the “Stage of Universal Ethical Principles.” Consequently, the Ashara Mubashshara can be regarded as exemplary figures representing high levels of moral maturity both in early Islamic ethical thought and in contemporary moral development psychology literature. This study bridges a significant gap in the literature by linking early Islamic moral exemplarity with the theoretical framework of modern moral psychology, offering an interdisciplinary, cultural, and historical perspective on moral development research.

Keywords

How to Cite

Yilmaz, E. (2026). An evaluation within the framework of Lawrence Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development: The Ashara al-Mubashshara. International Journal of Eurasia Social Sciences, 17(63), 375–394. https://doi.org/10.70736/ijoess.2212

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