The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides reliable location and time information in all weather and at all times and anywhere on the Earth.
A 'Moral GPS' is the one that provides a sense of being - not just in a spatial sense but also how we relate to the society around us - and a sense of temporal awareness in all conditions and times. Such directional guidance is essential for humans and does not get defined through pure trial and error. The Holy Quran is a user's manual that provides such guidance.
Let us review why the Holy Quran can be justified as a moral GPS for us. Please consider the following characteristics:
Societal Contextualization: The guidance provided by the Quran is contextualized by indicating its signficance to the wellbeing of a society. The 'normal' moral values, as considered in most societies, are explained in terms of the benefits they bring, or in the converse, the societal problems that would be created in their absence. For example, unfair business practices like over-pricing and fraudulent sales can amplify in a society and create a disproportionate distribution of wealth. There are many examples of social revolutions, for example the French revolution, that had their roots in unfair wealth distribution. While creation of wealth in itself is endorsed strongly in the Holy Quran -- a concept that does not fall too far from the capitalistic approach -- it defines the standards that must be applied.
Framework for Justice: The Holy Quran informs us about the generally accepted standards of justice in legal and societal terms. At the same time, it points out that these frameworks can expose us to justice only in a limited way. Many of our actions go unnoticed and do not garner rewards or punishment within the society, as the case may be. More importantly, the consequences of our actions have knock-on impacts that extend considerably beyond our lifetimes. It, therefore, argues that true justice and fairness require a long-term review process, which is introduced in the Holy Quran.
Governance Constructs: A number of directional guidelines are provided to define the societal needs for governance and basic principles for their implementation. The Holy Quran reinforces the basics of democracy and focuses on using consensus to prevent societal discord. Interestingly, a number of social welfare concepts, commonly relied upon in developed countries, are presented.
Openness and Transparency: The Holy Quran stresses on openness and transparency in socieities. It defines the standards for sharing of information as well as constraints in communication; for example, strongly-worded instructions to stay away from slander. At the same time, the Holy Quran also exposes itself to transparency and openly invites its readers to think about and question the concepts it has introduced. This notion is somewhat contrary to the popularly held belief that raising questions in an effort to understand the message of the Holy Quran is somehow sacrilegous -- our instructions are to ponder upon the guidance being provided as well as the reinforcing indications we see from the universe around us.
Reinforcement of Existing Moral Standards: The Holy Quran endorses the standards found in many societies and often conveyed through holy scriptures. Despite the editorial changes introduced in many scriptures, the moral aspects are typically retained intact. That is particularly true for ancient scriptures, like the one preserved in Hinduism. More 'recent' scriptures, like the ones included in the New Testament, contain essentially the same concepts -- albeit the contextualization and implementation instrucations are off-course as per the Holy Quran. The Holy Quran clearly claims that it has been published to reinforce those concepts and to rectify the implementation details.
Lastly, it is important to remember that the Holy Quran is the only divine scripture that has survived the ages without any deviation in its text. Historians and clergy would readily admit that the other scriptures - the Tora, the Old Testament, the New Testament, Geeta -- have benefited from 'editorial improvements' over the ages. This puts the Holy Quran in a superlative position, particularly because we are invited to understand its message, ab initio if needed.
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