The Protection of Human Life in Islam: A Critical Reading of the Wasted Vigil

Abstract

This study explores the sanctity of human life in Nadeem Aslam's The Wasted Vigil, focusing on how Islamic ethics and Critical Race Theory (CRT) illuminate the protection of life and the racialized experiences of Muslim identities in war-torn Afghanistan. This study is based on a qualitative approach by applying the method of critical reading, including close reading and a thematic analysis to the critical motifs of the dignity of life, justice and mercy. It merges Islam ethical reasoning and CRT in order to analyze the racial and cultural elements of the novel. Results indicate that The Wasted Vigil adheres to the Islamic code of ethical morality regarding sanctity of life and yet it criticizes the inability to apply the moral in the new age of modern warfare. The fact that CRT has been employed means that responses towards race have been changed in regard to how Muslim identities are racialized in terms of the moral choices and predicaments of the characters demonstrated in the film. This study is an addition to the burgeoning sub-discussion of Islamic ethics in literature that presents a dexterous interpretation of the depiction of Islamic concepts of human rights in literature of post-conflict. It also widens the scope of CRT on the study of Muslim identities under global conflicts contexts.

Keywords: Islamic Ethics, The Wasted Vigil, Post-Conflict Narratives, Human Rights, Moral Responsibility.

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18088436