Short answer
Close in much of daily life, but different at the root. Islam teaches kindness to parents, respect for elders, love of learning and cleanliness. It also teaches modesty, care for neighbours and guests, gratitude, not wasting, and keeping your word. Many East Asian families hold these same values dear. In Islam each one is taught by God (﷾), the One Creator, and He rewards those who do it with faith (16:97). Islam differs at the root: worship belongs to God (﷾) alone. Prayer, offerings and bowing in worship go to Him (72:18). So a Muslim prays to God (﷾) for his parents, never to them. The values you already live by point to the One who gave them.
Full explanation
The short answer
Much of what you value, Islam teaches too, for its own reason. Here "Eastern" means East Asian. This page is for anyone whose family culture is Chinese, Japanese, Korean or close to them, with a religion or none. In Islam every good value is taught by God (﷾), the One Creator, and He sees every good deed. The Qur'an says that whoever does good and has faith will be given "a life that is good and pure", and a reward. Below are eight values. Each time, Islam's own teaching comes first, and then a custom many families keep. Three pages go deeper: "What does Islam share with Chinese culture?", and the same question for Japanese and for Korean culture.
“Whoever works righteousness, man or woman, and has Faith, verily, to him will We give a new Life, a life that is good and pure and We will bestow on such their reward according to the best of their actions.”
Parents and elders
The Qur'an puts kindness to parents beside the worship of God (﷾), in one sentence. In their old age it forbids even a word of contempt: "address them in terms of honour". It tells the child to thank God (﷾) and his parents together: "Show gratitude to Me and to thy parents". A man asked the Prophet (ﷺ) who most deserves his good company. He answered: your mother, three times, and then your father. He also taught that the young should greet the old first. Many families in East Asia also put a duty to parents at the heart of family life. They call it filial piety: xiao in Chinese, hyo in Korean. Confucius taught that supporting parents is not enough without reverence. Japan keeps a national holiday, Respect for the Aged Day, to respect and love the elderly. When a Korean survey asked what Confucianism brings to mind, respect for older people and filial piety were among the answers.
“Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him, and that ye be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honour. And, out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say: "My Lord! bestow on them thy Mercy even as they cherished me in childhood."”
“And We have enjoined on man (to be good) to his parents: in travail upon travail did his mother bear him, and in years twain was his weaning: (hear the command), "Show gratitude to Me and to thy parents: to Me is (thy final) Goal.”
Abu Huraira reports that a man asked the Prophet (ﷺ) who most deserves his good company. The Prophet said: your mother. The man asked three more times who came next, and the answer was your mother, then your mother, and then your father.
Abu Huraira reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: the young should greet the old, the one passing by should greet the one sitting, and the small group should greet the large group.
“The filial piety of now-a-days means the support of one's parents. But dogs and horses likewise are able to do something in the way of support;-- without reverence, what is there to distinguish the one support given from the other?”
A study of how the ban on ancestral rites shaped Korean Christianity. It calls filial piety (hyo) one of the fundamental values of Confucianism, and says ancestral rites were the main social basis of Joseon, a Confucian society. It says Korean Protestants replaced the rites with a memorial service of worship (chudo yebae).
The Act sets the purpose of each national holiday. Respect for the Aged Day (Keiro no Hi), the third Monday of September, is to respect and love the elderly who have served society for many years, and to celebrate their long life. Children's Day (5 May) is to respect children as persons, to seek their happiness, and to thank mothers. Greenery Day (4 May) is to draw close to nature and be thankful for its blessings.
A study of Confucian identity, beliefs about ancestors and ancestral rites in Korea, from national surveys. It reports that in the 2015 census, 54% of Korean adults had no religion; 19% were Protestant, 17% Buddhist and 8% Catholic. It says ancestral rites include death-day rites and holiday rites at the Lunar New Year or Korean Thanksgiving. Of the Confucian family rites they are counted the most important, because they express filial piety. Its surveys ask how often people perform rites for their dead family at graves or at home, such as prayers, incense, food or wine. Protestants are the least likely to keep the rites; Korean Protestants created a Christian memorial service to replace them. When a 2021 survey asked what Confucianism brings to mind, the answers included an ethical life or following rules (19%), respect for older people (17%), filial piety or family (11%) and politeness (8%).
Love of learning
The first verses of the Qur'an to come down begin with a command: "Proclaim! (or read!)". They praise God (﷾), who "Taught man that which he knew not." The Qur'an teaches the believer to pray: "O my Lord! advance me in knowledge." The Prophet (ﷺ) said that whoever sets out on a path to seek knowledge, God (﷾) makes easy for him a path to Paradise. Many families in the East also give learning great honour. One study of education and family in Korea, for example, says many families keep paying for their children's schooling, even when times are hard.
“Proclaim! (or read!) in the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created- Created man, out of a (mere) clot of congealed blood: Proclaim! And thy Lord is Most Bountiful,- He Who taught (the use of) the pen,- Taught man that which he knew not.”
“High above all is Allah, the King, the Truth! Be not in haste with the Qur'an before its revelation to thee is completed, but say, "O my Lord! advance me in knowledge."”
Abu Hurayra reports a longer saying of the Prophet (ﷺ) about good deeds and their reward. Among them: whoever follows a path in search of knowledge, Allah makes easy for him a path to Paradise; and when people gather in a mosque to recite the Qur'an and study it together, tranquillity descends on them, mercy covers them and the angels surround them. It ends: whoever is held back by his deeds will not be hurried forward by his lineage.
Says that education has long been considered paramount in Korean society, from the Joseon era to the present. It says many Korean families keep supporting their children's education despite hardship.
Cleanliness
Before he prays, a Muslim washes his face, and his hands and arms, wipes his head, and washes his feet. This washing is called wudu, and it lasts until something breaks it. The Qur'an gives the reason: "Allah doth not wish to place you in a difficulty, but to make you clean". So cleanliness is part of worship, every day. The page on Japanese culture says more about washing.
“O ye who believe! when ye prepare for prayer, wash your faces, and your hands (and arms) to the elbows; Rub your heads (with water); and (wash) your feet to the ankles. If ye are in a state of ceremonial impurity, bathe your whole body. But if ye are ill, or on a journey, or one of you cometh from offices of nature, or ye have been in contact with women, and ye find no water, then take for yourselves clean sand or earth, and rub therewith your faces and hands, Allah doth not wish to place you in a difficulty, but to make you clean, and to complete his favour to you, that ye may be grateful.”
Modesty and humility
The Prophet (ﷺ) said that modesty is a branch of faith. The Qur'an praises those who "walk on the earth in humility". The Prophet (ﷺ) warned that pride keeps a person out of Paradise. He explained that pride is rejecting the truth and looking down on people. Many families prize a modest, humble manner too. A study of Japanese hospitality, omotenashi, counts modesty among its marks.
Abu Hurayra reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said faith has more than sixty branches, and that modesty is one branch of faith.
“And the servants of (Allah) Most Gracious are those who walk on the earth in humility, and when the ignorant address them, they say, "Peace!";”
Abdullah ibn Mas'ud reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said no one with an atom's weight of pride in his heart will enter Paradise. A man said that people like their clothes and shoes to be fine. The Prophet answered that Allah is beautiful and loves beauty; pride is rejecting the truth and looking down on people.
Describes omotenashi as the Japanese way of hospitality: not only giving food and a safe place, but traditional ways of caring for guests. Its marks include understanding the guest's situation and needs, a carefully prepared setting (shitsurae), unobtrusiveness and modesty, and sensitivity.
Neighbours and guests
The Qur'an joins the worship of God (﷾) with doing good to others. It names parents, kinsfolk, the needy, and "neighbours who are near, neighbours who are strangers". The Prophet (ﷺ) said that whoever believes in God (﷾) and the Last Day must not harm his neighbour, and must honour his guest. He said such a person must be generous to both. Many families take great care of a guest. In Japan this care for guests is called omotenashi.
“Serve Allah, and join not any partners with Him; and do good- to parents, kinsfolk, orphans, those in need, neighbours who are near, neighbours who are strangers, the companion by your side, the wayfarer (ye meet), and what your right hands possess: For Allah loveth not the arrogant, the vainglorious;-”
Abu Huraira reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day must not harm his neighbour, must honour his guest, and must speak good or keep silent.
Abu Shurayh reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day must be generous to his neighbour and generous to his guest.
Describes omotenashi as the Japanese way of hospitality: not only giving food and a safe place, but traditional ways of caring for guests. Its marks include understanding the guest's situation and needs, a carefully prepared setting (shitsurae), unobtrusiveness and modesty, and sensitivity.
Gratitude and not wasting
The Prophet (ﷺ) taught a boy at his table to say God's (﷾) name before eating. He also said that God (﷾) is pleased with someone who eats a meal and praises Him for it. The Qur'an says: "eat and drink: But waste not by excess, for Allah loveth not the wasters." Many families give thanks for a meal. In Japan, people say itadakimasu before eating, which roughly means I humbly receive. And the Japanese word mottainai (what a waste) expresses regret at throwing away anything of value, such as food.
Umar ibn Abi Salama reports that, as a boy in the Prophet's (ﷺ) care, his hand roamed around the dish while he ate. The Prophet (ﷺ) told him to mention the name of Allah, to eat with his right hand, and to eat from the part of the dish nearest to him. He says he kept to this from then on.
Anas ibn Malik reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said that Allah is pleased with a servant who eats a meal and praises Him for it, or drinks a drink and praises Him for it. Muslim places it in the chapter on praising Allah after eating and drinking.
“eat and drink: But waste not by excess, for Allah loveth not the wasters.”
Explains that itadakimasu, roughly "I partake" or "I humbly receive", is said before eating as thanks to those who provide the food and for the food itself, and that it can also be understood as thanks to the living things that become food.
A qualitative study of food waste in the everyday life of Japanese consumers, using mobile ethnography. It says mottainai, which can be translated "What a waste", expresses regret at throwing away something valuable, such as food or money, and stresses appreciation of food and its limits. The idea guided the participants to buy only what they needed, eat the leftovers and plan so that nothing went to waste.
Keeping one's word
The Qur'an commands: "fulfil (every) engagement, for (every) engagement will be enquired into". The Prophet (ﷺ) named three signs of a hypocrite. He lies when he speaks, he breaks his promises, and he betrays a trust. So in Islam a promise is kept for God's (﷾) sake, even when no one else would know.
“Come not nigh to the orphan's property except to improve it, until he attains the age of full strength; and fulfil (every) engagement, for (every) engagement will be enquired into (on the Day of Reckoning).”
Abu Huraira reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said the signs of a hypocrite are three: when he speaks he lies, when he makes a promise he breaks it, and when he is trusted he betrays the trust.
Self-discipline
Each year Muslims fast in the month of Ramadan, from dawn to sunset. The Qur'an gives the reason: fasting is prescribed "that ye may (learn) self-restraint". So a Muslim trains himself to say no to his own wants, for God's (﷾) sake.
“O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint,-”
Where Islam differs: the One who gave these values
Islam differs at the root, and this matters most. These values have a Giver. Islam roots every one of them in the worship of the One Creator, who sees and rewards them. So prayer, offerings and bowing in worship go to God (﷾) alone. The Qur'an says, "invoke not any one along with Allah", and "prostrate to Allah, Who created them". So bowing down to the ground is for God (﷾) alone, whatever name it is given. Those called on besides Him cannot answer or help. Many families also remember their dead, at the graves and at home. A Muslim remembers his dead too, but he prays to God (﷾) for his parents, never to them: "My Lord! bestow on them thy Mercy". A child's prayer reaches a parent who died a believer. A Muslim does not ask God's (﷾) forgiveness for those who died outside Islam. The verse on this gives its condition: "after it is clear to them that they are companions of the Fire". That rule is for his own prayers. It is not a verdict on anyone. God (﷾) sends no wrath "until We had sent a messenger", and "Allah is never unjust in the least degree". No Muslim may declare any particular person's fate. That belongs to God (﷾). The page "How should we honour our ancestors?" says more.
“"And the places of worship are for Allah (alone): So invoke not any one along with Allah;”
“Among His Signs are the Night and the Day, and the Sun and the Moon. Do not prostrate to the sun and the moon, but prostrate to Allah, Who created them, if it is Him ye wish to serve.”
“If ye invoke them, they will not listen to your call, and if they were to listen, they cannot answer your (prayer). On the Day of Judgment they will reject your "Partnership". and none, (O man!) can tell thee (the Truth) like the One Who is acquainted with all things.”
A study of Confucian identity, beliefs about ancestors and ancestral rites in Korea, from national surveys. It reports that in the 2015 census, 54% of Korean adults had no religion; 19% were Protestant, 17% Buddhist and 8% Catholic. It says ancestral rites include death-day rites and holiday rites at the Lunar New Year or Korean Thanksgiving. Of the Confucian family rites they are counted the most important, because they express filial piety. Its surveys ask how often people perform rites for their dead family at graves or at home, such as prayers, incense, food or wine. Protestants are the least likely to keep the rites; Korean Protestants created a Christian memorial service to replace them. When a 2021 survey asked what Confucianism brings to mind, the answers included an ethical life or following rules (19%), respect for older people (17%), filial piety or family (11%) and politeness (8%).
“Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him, and that ye be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honour. And, out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say: "My Lord! bestow on them thy Mercy even as they cherished me in childhood."”
Abu Huraira reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said that when a person dies, his deeds come to an end except three: lasting charity, knowledge that people benefit from, and a righteous child who prays for him.
“It is not fitting, for the Prophet and those who believe, that they should pray for forgiveness for Pagans, even though they be of kin, after it is clear to them that they are companions of the Fire.”
“Who receiveth guidance, receiveth it for his own benefit: who goeth astray doth so to his own loss: No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another: nor would We visit with Our Wrath until We had sent a messenger (to give warning).”
“Allah is never unjust in the least degree: If there is any good (done), He doubleth it, and giveth from His own presence a great reward.”
The values you live by point to their Giver
The values you already live by point to the One who gave them. Islam is a complete way of life (deen): belief, worship, family and character together. The Qur'an says, "This day have I perfected your religion for you". It calls believers to "Enter into Islam whole-heartedly". Its message is for every people: "O men! I am sent unto you all". The Qur'an asks to be tested: if you doubt it, "produce a Sura like thereunto", that is, one chapter like it. It calls Muhammad (ﷺ) the Seal of the Prophets, the last of them. Read the page on your own culture next: Chinese, Japanese or Korean. Then read "What is Islam?", which shows it all in one place.
“This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.”
“O ye who believe! Enter into Islam whole-heartedly; and follow not the footsteps of the evil one; for he is to you an avowed enemy.”
“Say: "O men! I am sent unto you all, as the Messenger of Allah, to Whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth: there is no god but He: it is He That giveth both life and death. So believe in Allah and His Messenger, the Unlettered Prophet, who believeth in Allah and His words: follow him that (so) ye may be guided."”
“And if ye are in doubt as to what We have revealed from time to time to Our servant, then produce a Sura like thereunto; and call your witnesses or helpers (If there are any) besides Allah, if your (doubts) are true.”
“Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but (he is) the Messenger of Allah, and the Seal of the Prophets: and Allah has full knowledge of all things.”
What you may ask
Qur'an 2:256 — Surat al-Baqara (The Cow), verse 256
“Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And Allah heareth and knoweth all things.”
Cited for
Are you trying to convert me?
The response
No. This page makes you aware of Islam, as in a friendly discussion, not a debate. No one can make anyone believe. The Qur'an tells even the Prophet (ﷺ) that he cannot guide everyone he loves, but God (﷾) guides whom He wills. It also says, "Let there be no compulsion in religion". So the choice is yours. If you decide Islam is not for you, the Qur'an teaches Muslims to say: "To you be your Way, and to me mine."
Where it lands — The page shares Islam and presses no one. The choice is the reader's.
Qur'an 9:113 — Surat al-Tawba (The Repentance), verse 113
“It is not fitting, for the Prophet and those who believe, that they should pray for forgiveness for Pagans, even though they be of kin, after it is clear to them that they are companions of the Fire.”
Cited for
So Islam says my grandparents are in hell.
The response
For those who died outside Islam, a Muslim does not ask God's (﷾) forgiveness (9:113). That is a rule for his own prayers. It is not a verdict on your grandparents. The verse gives its condition: "after it is clear to them that they are companions of the Fire". The Qur'an also says God (﷾) sends no wrath "until We had sent a messenger" (17:15). He is "never unjust in the least degree" (4:40). No Muslim may declare any particular person's fate. That belongs to God (﷾).
Where it lands — Islam states its rule for prayer openly, and leaves each person's fate to a God who wrongs no one.
Qur'an 49:13 — Surat al-Hujurat (The Inner Apartments), verse 13
“O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).”
Cited for
Would I have to stop being Chinese, Japanese or Korean?
The response
No. God (﷾) made nations and tribes "that ye may know each other" (49:13). The Qur'an counts "the variations in your languages and your colours" among His signs (30:22). Your family, your language, your good manners and the values on this page stay. What changes is worship, which goes to God (﷾) alone, and anything Islam forbids. The page "If I become Muslim, what happens to my family's customs?" says more.
Where it lands — Islam keeps a person's people, language and good customs, and asks that worship go to God (﷾) alone.
Perspectives
Questions an Eastern reader may ask
Some readers feel their values are enough without religion. Some suspect that talk of shared values is a way to win converts. Some feel that Islam is a Western-style faith that asks for one religion only.
I live by these values without any religion, so I do not need one.
Rebuttal
Living well is good, and Islam honours it. But who gives a value its authority, and who sees it when no one else does? Islam answers: God (﷾), who made us. He promises a good life and full reward to whoever does good "and has Faith" (16:97). So good values are not the whole answer. They point to the One who gave them, and ask us to know Him. The page "How do we know God exists?" sets out the reasons.
Talk of shared values is just a polite way to recruit.
Rebuttal
No. This page makes you aware of Islam in a friendly discussion, not a debate, and it says openly where Islam differs. The Qur'an asks Muslims to invite with wisdom and kind words (16:125), never to press. Only God (﷾) guides (28:56), and there is no compulsion in religion (2:256), so the choice is yours. If it is no: "To you be your Way, and to me mine" (109:6).
Islam is a Western-style faith that asks for one religion only. Many Eastern families keep several ways at once.
Rebuttal
Islam is not Western. The Prophet (ﷺ) lived in Arabia, and the Qur'an calls him "a universal (Messenger) to men" (34:28). It is not only for Arabs either: God (﷾) made nations and tribes "that ye may know each other" (49:13). Islam does ask one thing above all: that worship go to God (﷾) alone. That is not a Western idea. The Qur'an says every messenger brought it: "there is no god but I; therefore worship and serve Me" (21:25).
Buddhist: the Buddha's way is enough
Many Buddhists feel the Buddha's teaching already gives a whole way of life. It is to avoid evil, do good, and make the mind pure.
Do no evil, take up the good, and make your mind pure: this is the teaching of the Buddhas.
Rebuttal
Islam teaches the same three things, and says that whoever makes his soul pure succeeds. The difference is the One behind them. In Islam, goodness is offered to the Creator who made the soul, and every deed is weighed before Him.
Shinto: purity and harmony
Shinto values purity, sincerity and harmony with nature and community, kept through purification and festivals rather than doctrine.
Washing removes uncleanness and makes a person ready to meet the kami. So purity and harmony are already our way.
Rebuttal
Islam also washes before prayer, and values a pure heart. But it turns that purity toward the One who made the sun, the moon and the mountains. Do not bow to the sun and the moon, the Qur'an says, but to Allah (﷾), who created them.
Daoist: live simply, like water
Daoists value a simple, gentle life in step with the Tao. It is like water, which helps all things and takes the low place.
The highest excellence is like water, which benefits all things and takes the low place without striving.
Rebuttal
Islam also honours humility and doing good to all: the servants of the Most Gracious walk on the earth in humility. But water does not choose, and people do. The Qur'an says God (﷾) created death and life to test which of you is best in deed.
Confucian: reciprocity is a rule for life
Confucians hold that one word can guide a whole life: reciprocity. It means not doing to others what you would not want done to you.
Reciprocity is the one word that can be a rule for all of life. What you do not want done to you, do not do to others.
Rebuttal
Islam teaches the same: none of you truly believes until he wants for his brother what he wants for himself. It puts this beside worshipping God (﷾) alone, and kindness to parents, family and neighbours. So the rule has a Giver as well as a reason.
Chinese tradition: family first
For many Chinese families, the heart of a good life is the family. That means honouring parents while they live and the ancestors after death, and keeping the family rites.
Parents are to be served in life, and buried and sacrificed to after death, according to propriety.
Rebuttal
Islam honours parents next after God (﷾). It puts His worship beside kindness to them, and forbids even a word of contempt. It remembers the dead by praying to God (﷾) for them. And it gives worship and sacrifice to Him alone.
The Islamic perspective
Islam teaches these values as commands and good manners from the One Creator. He rewards those who keep them with faith. Worship belongs to Him alone, and it is for Him to judge each person's fate.
The Qur'an and the Prophet (ﷺ) teach kindness to parents, respect for elders, learning, cleanliness and modesty. They also teach care for neighbours and guests, gratitude, keeping your word, and self-control.
God (﷾) rewards whoever does good and has faith.
Prayer, offerings and bowing in worship belong to God (﷾) alone; those invoked besides Him cannot answer or help.
A Muslim does not ask God's (﷾) forgiveness for those who died outside Islam (9:113). The verse adds a condition: "after it is clear to them that they are companions of the Fire". No one is punished before a messenger reaches them (17:15), God (﷾) is never unjust (4:40), and no Muslim may declare any particular person's fate.
The Prophet (ﷺ) was sent to all people, of every nation.