لطفا منتظر باشید ...
"Experts in the fields of development, food and
population unanimously agree that the available natural resources in the
world are so abundant that they can meet all the needs of the nations if
goodwill was shown and if these resources were equally distributed among
all nations. The root cause is the unjust distribution of the
resources...and the failure of many nations to win their real
independence, decide the fate of their wealth and distribute it justly and
fairly.
"Russian scientist Ivan Shatilov has also said that
cultivated areas now could satisfy the hunger of tens of billions of
people if their crops were distributed equally and fairly among the
nations of the world. He further points out: 'On the other hand, we must
not lose sight of the fact that the advanced industrialized world has not,
sofar, made use of the marine sources of food. The oceans constitute 71
percent of the total surface of the earth, whereas they produce no more
that 1 percent of man's foodstuff.'"
Man will never be able to taste the flavor of happiness
and dignity, as historical records testify, unless he sheds the shackles
of short-sighted man-made systems, and blot out forever their traces in
the human community, souls and life. Such systems proved themselves a
failure. They only record their flagrant, tragic defeat, which victimize
humanity and brings forth unspeakable cries of starvation, wars and
deprivations. Man was metamorphosed into a machine working incessantly in
favour of the ruling classes, whether being individuals as is the case in
the capitalist and feudalis systems, or authorities, and parties as it is
in the socialist and communist systems.
Only when man recovers his consciousness from the
anaesthesia of propaganda manipulated by those who covet these principles
from their won vested interest and breaks the fetters of servitude which
subdues him by force and coercion, man will see the fountain of light and
find the path to an honorable, free life, where he finds his righteousness
and dignity. Only when man strives to seeks and intensifies his efforts to
win good and happiness will he find the key presented by Islam.
This concise discourse, is not intended to delve into
great detail the major principles and important lines drawn by Islam in
its unmatched economic system. It is but an outline of its just view.
3. ILL-CONSUMPTION:
The major third factor conducive to the economic problem
and perpetuating the spread of poverty and destruction of human resources
is ill-consumption, which the misuse of wealth and the non-usage of assets
that could preserve and satisfy human demands in a calculated balanced
way.
Like all other fields, Islam has a unique diagnosis for
consumption in its particularly caring way of embracing a complete formula
for life. Its guidelines show the following steps:-
1. Limiting Consumption:
Consumption is the most critical stage in dealing with
the wealth and making use of it and Islam did not neglect this vital area
but set a system with clear moral aspects that controls the process,
utilizing the graces and favours bestowed on man by Allah.
So that man would not act excessively or unreasonably in
regard to consuming life's resources, Islam projects a well-laid system,
calculated and in accordance with its message and its distinctive way of
handling matters at man's disposal.
2. Prohibition of Extravagance and
Wastefulness:
Extravagance and wastefulness are nothing but harmful
misusages of wealth. Islam exhorted man to confine himself to the
necessities of life and to keep his lusts, avarice and the untoward
behaviour in check.
Allah, the Exalted, says:
"O children of Adam! attend to your embellishments at
every time of prayer, and eat and drink and be not extravagant; surely He
does not love the extravagant."
Holy Qur'an (7:31)
"And they who when they spend, are neither extravagant
nor parimonious, and (keep) between these the just mean."
Holy Qur'an (25:67)
"And give to the near of kin his due and (to) the
needy and the wayfarer, and do not squander wastefully. Surely the
squanderers are the brothers of the Satan and Satan is ever ungrateful to
his Lord."
Holy Qur'an (17:26-27)
"And do not make your hand to be shackled to your neck
nor stretch it forth to the utmost (limit) of its stretching forth, lest
you should (afterwards) sit down blamed, stripped off ."
Holy Qur'an (17:29)
These exhortation and restrictions were purely to keep a
balanced economy . perfectly organized. If wealth is employed in the
interest of man, used as it was ordained and planned by Allah, all human
needs are met.
Islam, in its legislation and perceptions, erect a
structure of logical bases compatible with human make-up and instinctive
needs.
Because man cannot always handle wealth, Allah's given
services and favours are bestowed upon him in a strategically productive
way, Islam puts before him the way according to which he can utilize and
consume wealth efficiently and justly. If, however, these are ignored and
neglected, the specific objective outlined by Allah will be lost to man
with disastrous consequences as can be seen by the widespread plight of
people all over the world.
All activities, including commodities and services, are
put into two categories that best suit their nature, halal (lawful)
and the haram (unlawful). Wine, gambling, revelry, debauchery,
wasteful entertainment...etc, are strictly prohibited because they only
dissipate man's wealth.
Instead of being wasted in vain, such huge sums of money
should be spent in the services of human society to satisfy fundamental
human needs and preserve wealth from being squandered and lost. It is an
ailment that plagued all societies who lack the sound planning Islam
presents to man.
Thousands of millions of dollars are wasted daily on
wine, gambling, extravagant entertainment, debauchery, as well as on
accumulating weapons of mass destruction and annihilation for wars and
terrorizing other nations, whilst millions of people are straddled with
hunger, deprivation and misery.
Islam makes such perverse and corrupt consumption
haram because its aims are to employ wealth in fields that secure
welfare for humanity.
With its exact and perfectly planned economic system,
Islam has placed in the hands of mankind the economic gifts of securing
the cure of all financial woes and salvaging an equitable world from the
abyss of poverty, deprivation and injustice in which millions still
painfully suffer from and seemingly will continue to do so with
ill-founded man-made equivalents.
GENERAL BASES OF DISTRIBUTION IN
ISLAM
1. The distribution system of Islam is grounded in a
general ideological base that "Allah is the Only Real Owner." As for
man, he is not more than a deputizing vicegerent. He can only manage what
he owns within certain limits, specified by Allah.
Allah, the Most High, says:
"And certainly you have come to Us alone as We created
you at first, and you have left behind your backs the things which We gave
you, and We do not see with you your intercessors about whom you asserted
that they were (Allah's) associates in respect to you; certainly the ties
between you are now cut off and what you asserted is gone from you."
Holy Qur'an (6:95)
"Believe in Allah and His Apostle, and spend out of
what He has made to you to be successors of; for those of you who believe
and spend shall have a great reward".
Holy Qur'an (57:7)
2. Man has natural, instinctive needs which must be
met, and under no-circumstances can he be deprived of this right. The
aim of Islamic economic legislation is to provide needed commodities for
man. Thus in unmistakably made clear in this Prophetic tradition.
"Allah, the Exalted and mighty, looked at the wealth
of the well-off. And He looked at the destitute. He ordained a portion
from the wealth of the rich to be delivered to the poor to satisfy them.
If it had not satisfied them He would certainly have increased their
share."[11]
The ability to earn wealth is put at man's disposal to
better his life. It is not a goal in itself. Rather it is a means to
manage man's economic and daily life. Wealth, therefore, has a social
role. It serves man and makes him attain a nobler, and more comfortable
life. In its distribution, it must be spread into every cell of the human
society's body so that it can cater for all needs.
"Whatever Allah has restored to His Apostle from the
people of the towns, it is for Allah and for the Apostle, and for the near
of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer, so that it may not
be a thing taken by turns among the rich of you, and whatever the Apostle
gives you, accept it, and from whatever he forbids you, keep back, and be
careful of (your duty to) Allah; surely Allah is severe in retributing
(evil)".
Holy Qur'an (59:7)
3. In Islam, ownership in various forms is lawful
including individual, communal and state ownerships and which is an
axiomatic fact in fiqh and Islamic legislation.
4. The method of gaining money, property and economic
resources are restricted to certain laws as Islam puts restraints on
any tendency of greediness or other unscrupulous motives including
exploitation.
Islam adopts two important methods to tackle this
critical point to frustrate the urges of greediness and exploitation. They
are:
A - Rearing and cultivating Muslim individuals and
society, both morally and spiritually, in a way that promotes virtuous
aspirations to steer clear of greediness and selfishness and present the
reality of wealth being only transitory aspects of a temporary life on
earth. It is a life that belittles so much attention being paid to
competition and making material gains merely for their own sake as man's
existence has much greater goals to be achieved for his salvation.
Islam turns its attention to the process of upbringing
and focuses its attention on developing the spirit of thrift, innovation
and productive goals in line with its cultural values and guidance. Man is
advised to overlook the fierce rat race, which in merely for grabbing more
wealth and warns him not to drown himself extravagantly and excessively in
lusts and corporal pleasures.
Islam calls on man, to vie with his brothers, to create
good and give up a part of his property if able in favour of others in
need. Man is spurred on by Islamic teachings to shun methods and amass
wealth and property, which pollute the spirit, kill the conscience and
dispose man to the wrath of Allah. In return, man's reward is ensured in
the Hereafter. Undesirable and unproductive ways of accumulating wealth
such as usury, hoarding, cheating and other unprincipled methods are
forbidden by Islam.
There are bountiful texts and concepts in the Holy Our'an
and the Prophetic sunnah that instead nurture a noble human spirit and
promote the qualities of altruism and benevolence deep in man.
Allah, the Almighty, says in the Our'an:
"And those who made their abode in the city and in the
faith before them love those who have fled to them, and do not find in
their hearts a need of what they are given, and prefer (them) before
themselves though poverty may afflict them, and whoever is preserved from
the niggardliness of his soul, these it is that are the successful ones."
Holy Qur'an (59:9)
"Say: In the grace of Allah and in His mercy, in that
they should rejoice; it is better than that which they gather."
Holy Qur'an (10:58)
B- Laws are the second method employed by Islam to
limit ways of accumulating riches and prohibit amassing through unlawful
means that do the utmost harm to the community and feeds off the blood
of the impoverished social class.
It is the state that takes the responsibility of
achieving economic justice as it is responsible far justice in every
social realm. That is why laws strictly forbid usury, hoarding, cheating
and manipulating prices ...etc. The state's responsibility is to protect
and enforce laws and also to prevent such unlawful practices.
The letter written by Imam Ali (a.s.) to Malik al-Ashtar,
his governor in Egypt, clearly testifies to this required intervention,
when saying:
"Keep an eye on the activities of traders and
industrialists, whether they are nearby or live in far-flung areas in your
country.
"Let it be known to you, however, that they are usually stingy
misers, intensely self-centered and selfish, suffering from the obsession
of grasping and accumulating wealth. They often hoard their goods to make
more profit out of them by creating scarcity and black markets. Such
practice is extremely injurious to the public on one hand, and defames the
ruler on the other.
"So put an end to hoarding up wares because the Holy
Prophet (s.a.w.) has prohibited it. Remember that trade should go on
between purchasers and suppliers according to correct measures and
weights, and on such responsible terms that neither the consumers nor the
suppliers should have to face losses. But if traders and industrialists
carry on hoarding and black marketeering, even though you have explicitly
warned them earlier, then you must punish them according to the intensity
of their crime."
5. Economic balances by means of Islamic
taxes:
Islam has laid down certain taxes like zakat
(poor-rate) and khums (one-fifth of a Muslim's income paid to the
treasury every year). They are taken from the well-off according to
certain provisions, and delivered up to the destitute to satisfy their
needs, solve the problem of poverty, and in doing so achieve economic
justice. The ultimate goal of Islam here is to meet the economic needs of
all Muslim individuals, so that no one is left deprived in the whole
Muslim World.
Imam Ja'far bin Muhammad al-Sadiq (a.s.) is reported to
have said:
"Surely, Allah the Almighty and Exalted ordained a
portion from the wealth of the rich to be handed out to the poor which
satisfies them. Otherwise, He would certainly have increased their share.
If they, however, remain unsatisfied, that is because some people deny
them their undisputed right."[12]
In a dialogue between the Prophet (s.a.w.) and a man who
came asking him about faith, the Prophet (s.a.w.) described zakat
as a redress for the poor and a means to ensure a balance between the
needy and the rich.
The man narrated that he had asked the Messenger of Allah
(s.a.w.) what he called for and describes the following dialogue.
"I
call the servants of Allah to serve Allah," the Prophet (s.a.w.)
replied.
"What do you say?," I enquired.
"Bear witness," the Prophet (s.a.w.) said,
"that there is no god but Allah and that I, Muhammad, am the Messenger
of Allah. You must believe in what He revealed to me, deny the deity of
al- at and al-Uzzah, keep up prayer and pay zakat."
"And what is zakat?," I asked him.
"The well-off among us," he told me, "hand back
the money set aside to the poor among us."[13]
Looking at the statement of the Messenger of Allah
(s.a.w.) in his using of the verb "hand back," the Prophet (s.a.w.)
reveals the objective basis on which the process of economic distribution
in Islam depends, and the secret of the balance of its concept of eeonomic
justice in human society. The Prophet (s.a.w.) thus points out the
effective role of Islamic taxes in addressing defeats in economic life.
The reason behind that, in the light of the Prophet's statement, is that
surplus wealth that ought to be distributed fairly and evenly among
individuals, goes directly, due to mismanagement, to the pockets of the
well-off and tips the scale at the expense of the poor. Hence, the redress
is made by handing back the money to their original and lawful owners,
namely the poor.
The Prophet's statement sheds a glaring light on Islam's
view of one of the main pillars on which distribution is based.
It is
the belief that these taxes are a lawful guarantee to protect the right
that slips out of the hands of the poor, due to the self human attempts to
bend the law or on the account of human failure in raising itself to the
level where it can implement this natural law in economic life. These
taxes underpin the ground on which the pillars of just distribution stand,
in order to preserve the economy's stability, secure welfare to everyone
and ensure balance is addressed on both sides of the economic scale.
6. Reciprocal social
responsibility:
Reciprocal social responsibility among Muslims is a
further important safeguard towards a just distribution of wealth and
combatting destitution and poverty in the Muslim community.
From an Islamic education, Islamic sentiments are
developed for a Muslim to feel responsible for his brother. On no account
should be bask in life pleasures and luxuries whereas his brothers suffer
from the severe pains bitter hunger, and unsatisfied needs.
Islamic law lays down the principle of reciprocal social
responsibility on spiritual and moral grounds to implement such concerned
behaviour. By so doing, Islam build up a strong, tenacious society, in
which the individual shoulders his duties by identifying with his
