Akhlaq, which is the Arabic word for morality, is the plural form of the word "khulq" or "khuluq", which means religion, nature, character. While the same root word carries the meaning of “khalq” i.e. creation/outer appearance of an individual, “akhlaq” refers to the inner appearance and nafs of a person. (Ibn Mandhur, Lisan al-Arab, “hlk”; Mustafa Çağrıcı, “Ahlak”, DIA.) Prophet Muhammad (saw) said in one of his duas:“Allah! Beautify my morals (khuluq) as you have beautified my creation (khalq).” (Ibn Hanbal, I, 403) . His prayer indicates that morality is related to both the inner world and the behaviors of a person. 

Different definitions of morality have been made. Abdullah ibn Mubarak, who has produced valuable works on the topic of morality,  defines a good morality as follows: “Akhlaq is to be cheerful, spread goodness, and prevent suffering.” (Tirmidhi, Birr, 62) But one of the most accepted definitions is the following one: Akhlaq “is a feature/capability that is well rooted in the nafs, and thanks to this feature, good behaviors arise spontaneously and easily without forcing oneself.” (Gazali, Ihya, III, 125)

In this description of what morality is, several points stand out. The first is that morality has settled in a person's nafs/nature and has become a talent/capability that shapes its character. Thus this feature called morality becomes an integral part of the person. The second point that stands out is the effect of morals on behaviors. The person's behaviors and actions emerges naturally and effortlessly thanks to his morality, which has become his character. Thus, morality enables people to do their actions intentionally and coming from within. According to this, what matters in morality is not the behavior but the purpose for which that behavior is done.

Behaviors performed under pressure, fear or threat cannot be qualified as moral. In order for an act to be moral, one must do it voluntarily and freely. For this reason, behaviors that are done out of fear of the law, fear of parents or teachers and  social pressure cannot be accepted as an example of good morals. Because morality is not a temporal set of abilities that come and go, but it's the complete package of abilities that settles in the person's inner world and becomes a part of him. For example, if a person stops at a red light because everyone stops, but crosses the red light in an environment where there is no one, it cannot be considered as a moral behavior for this person to stop at the red light while in the presence of other people. Because this is not a behavior that has been adopted by the mentioned person, nor has it become a part of his character. The person acted differently at the first opportunity he found. This indicates that stopping at the red light is a behavior that has emerged as a result of social pressure. If obeying traffic rules had become a morality in that person, that person would be able to show the same behavior in every situation. 

These behaviors of people who help people to show off even though they are not benevolent, or who try to deceive non-Muslims while being honest with Muslims in the society are not considered moral. Because such behaviors is a sign of hypocrisy. Rumi's famous words "Either seem as you are or be as you seem!" illustrates that people should act in accordance with what they actually are.