لطفا منتظر باشید ...
ECONOMIC DISTRIBUTION
IN ISLAM
PRESENTED BY
AL-BALAGH FOUNDATION
Whatever spoils given by Allah to His
Messenger from townspeople belongs to Allah and to the
Messenger, and to the nearest of kin, and to the orphans,
and the indigent, and the wayfarer, so that it may not
circulate amongst the rich of you. And what the Messenger
gives you, take it then; but forsake what he forbids you.
And venerate Allah, for He is stern in retribution.
Holy Qur'an (59:7)
Were it my money I would have distributed it
among them equally. But it is Allah's.
Imam Ali (a.s.)
PREFACE
Praise is due to Allah for His explicit and implicit
favours. Peace and blessings are on the brilliant light,
the giver of good tidings and warnings, our master
Muhammad and on his infallible household and the
righteous among his companions.
Today, the world appears to becoming more lost in
self-generated chaoses economic problems take precedence
over all other hardships and haunt the rulers of both the
Eastern and Western blocks.
If the West suffers from high unemployment, high
inflation...etc., the East complains of decline in
production, shortages in the supply of the basic
necessities of life... Both capitalism and socialism,
including before being developed into communism, are not
only retracting their theoretical slogans and renouncing
their doctrinal principles, they are nearly perishing as
each are riddled with ambiguities and shortcomings that
have failed to address even the most fundamental issues
of con temporary society.
Satellite states, like in the Arab world, have been
dominated by the Western democracies and as a result,
have been misled in setting up capitalistic systems or
they have reluctantly turned tificsocialism. The result
from both should announce their ideologies has been only
bitter disappointment. Nothing has remained in their
hands except the ashes of aping foreigners, which are
being scattered by the piercing wind of the Islamic
movement.
Both the East and the West have claimed their absolute
dependence on the outcome of abstract theories, not only
in the fields of material sciences but even in their
ideological and philosophical views with regard to the
universe, life and man. Each attach the uppermost
importance to tangible experiments to prove facts and
adopt the ensuing results. But, contrary to all their
claimed developments, the examples of socialism and
capitalism in practice have proved to be fiascoes,
neither imparting happiness to man nor satisfying his
basic needs, both physical and spiritual; in failing to
achieve worldwide security or putting an end to global
catastrophes, instead cultural erosion and moral
collapse, continue to increase unabated, while there has
been no sign of pinpointing the root causes of anxiety
and psychological misery that is sweeping virtually all
nations today.
As the Foundation presents this booklet about economic
distribution in Islam, free of charge, it is a single
proof of the greatness of Islam and looks forward to the
day when humanity will shake worldly dust of fits
communities and become arrayed with celestial robes to
walk in the light of Islam, where happiness can be won in
both this life and the Hereafter.
...and to whomever Allah does not give light,
he has no light.
Holy Qur'an (24:40)
Al-Balagh Foundation
ISLAM'S CARE FOR MAN'S LIVELIHOOD
Today, economic problems come at the head of man's
present plights. They may be considered the root of
life's problems that leave a pervasive impact on man's
material interests and social conditions. The result has
a direct effect not only on the life of the individual
but also on the community and on the level of their
material progress and civil development.
Economic conditions of the ummah (Muslim community),
like elsewhere, have a backlash on security and
stability, and consequently, advances in health,
scientific gains and the process of achieving social
justice. In Islam, life's stability is viewed as a base
in up a committed Muslim community. Similarly, catering
man's basic necessities is a factor conducive to
solidifying piety and winning divine rewards in the
Hereafter.
Present life and the Hereafter, economic welfare and
moral and spiritual ascendancy are tightly connected
together through a sound insight in having all-embracing
way of life, which only Islam can offer.
Allah, the Exalted, says:
And seek by means of what Allah has given you
the future abode, and do not neglect your portion of this
world,...
Holy Qur'an (28:77)
A Prophetic tradition from the Holy Messenger (s.a.w.)
pointedly records:
He is not from us who gives up his worldly
life in favour of his Hereafter, nor is he who gives up
his Hereafter in favour of his worldly life.
The Prophet (s.a.w.) is further quoted to saying:
How excellent is wealthiness in strengthening
man's fear of Allah.[1]
Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.), in interpreting the following
verse,
(...Our Lord! grant us good in this world and in
the Hereafter, and save us from the punishment of the
fire) (Qur'an 2:201) has elaborated that the good
referred is associated together in seeking the pleasure
of Allah and Paradise in the Hereafter and the provision
and good morals in worldly life.[2]
Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) is quoted himself to have said:
There is no good in him who does not like to
collect wealth lawfully, by which he satisfies his needs,
pays off his debts and keeps up his relations with his
relatives.[3]
How excellent is worldly life when it helps
one to prepare oneself for the Hereafter.
Wealthiness that prevents you from wronging
others is better than poverty that leads you to do
evils.[4]
The Prophet (s.a.w.) has also said:-
O Lord! make bread blessed for us. Do not
separate us form it. If it were not for bread we would
not have kept up prayers, fast not have discharged our
divine duties.[5]
It is better for the faithful to wake in the
morning or in the evening at the loss of a beloved one
than to go in the morning or the evening plundering
others' property. We take refuge in Allah from plundering
others' possessions.[6]
Through these Islamic texts about the importance of
the economic side of man's life, the role of the growth
of money and wealth in a Muslim's life, in relation to
his quest on earth can be seen. They present a clear
understanding of Islam's concern with economic life and
the necessity of fair distribution of wealth, and the
providing of a satisfactory standard of living to every
individual so as to keep his faith sound and his life
stable.
Based on this plain concept is Islam's stress on man's
managing his financial life and its concern to set up a
fair economic system based on the belief in man's lawful
right to satisfy his natural needs. These include
providing an adequacy of foodstuff, clothing, residence
and the rest of material, ideological and psychological
needs on whose availability, the justice of an economic
system and the betterment of the community's welfare
depend.
Qur'anic ayahs (verses) and Prophetic traditions are
bountiful in dealing with thc concerns of everyday
economic life of individuals. So exactly and meticulously
they attend to production, earnings, distribution of
wealth, management of money and all aspects of the
economy that they never fail to draw admiration of
economists and political scientists the world over.
How excellently perfect is the Qur'anic concept of
Islam's view of daily economic life in which it confirms
man' s right to gain comfort. It is vividly expressed in
this Qur'anic address to Adam (a.s.):
Surely it is (ordained for you that you shall
not be hungry therein nor bare of clothing.
Holy Qur'an (20:118)
Man's economic needs should be met, whether he
himself, achieves this goal or someone else, be it an
individual, a group of people or the state. The following
verse enriches this concept:
...so let them worship the Lord of this
House, Who feeds them against hungry and gives them
security against fear.
Holy Qur'an (106:3-4)
It makes it clearer and more positive the connection
of Allah's worthiness of being worshipped to favouring
man by providing his basic necessities of life. Tackling
starvation and furnishing the basic economic needs of
man, in the shadow of peace and security and is explained
by this verse. It is a sacred feature of man's
relationship with Allah and a stimulus to worship and
submit to His will.
It is quite evident, in Islam's view, that the issues
raised and questions emerging from thanksgiving, or to
which worship is related, must be the focus of man's
concern. They must be provided, for they form the path
leading to worship and the causes of thankfulness and
gratitude.
In a nutshell, Islam's view of man's rights to earn a
daily living, can be outlined as:-
1. Money and property are Allah's. People are equal in
gaining them and making use of them. Imam Ali (a.s.) is
reported to have said:
Were it my money I would have distributed it
among them equally. But it is Allah's.
2. Man has an inalienable right to earn his
livelihood. Under no circumstances should he be deprived
of it and at the time of infirmity or incapability, it
must be provided for him.
3. Man is obliged to exert his utmost efforts in
working and utilizing nature's resources to his
interests. Allah, the Exalted, says:
...therefore go about in the spacious sides
thereof, and eat of His provision, and to Him is the
return after death.
Holy Qur'an (67:15)
4. The system of economic life and the methods of
earning money, distributing wealth and consumption should
be in accordance with a specific moral and legal line.
Man's freedom and his economic rights should be similarly
subjected to this lawful commitment, which safeguards the
rights of all and balances everyone's interests.
MISCONCEPTIONS
Two main points related to the economic system and the
distribution of wealth and productivity in Islam, need
further consideration as a prelude to delve into related
issues. Primarily they are:
1. Islamic economic thought has become vague in the
minds of many scholars and cultured people and has led
them to deny the existence of such system in Islam. This
has been caused on the basis that Muslim thinkers have
not studied economic and financial percepts and concepts
and presented them in a related way in which contemporary
thought has tackled them and treated within modern idioms
and methodology.
It is due to this lack of development that Islamic
economic thought has remained texts and concepts
scattered in the Holy Qur'an, books of traditions, books
of history and Islamic studies on fiqh
(jurisprudence).
Muslim researchers did not consider them except in the
recent past and in a limited and narrow scope. The need
has been to have them to be more meticulously examined,
gathered, studied, analyzed, deduced and reshaped and
where the outcome should be easily comprehensible and
encapsulates all man's economic problems as well as
covering all related aspects, such as the themes of
wealth, its production and distribution within the Muslim
community.
In respect, the fuqaha' took great pains to
study these items extensively on the basis of fiqh.
They also examined zakat (poor-rate), khums
(an Islamic tax), kharaj (land tax levied on
non-Muslims), working systems for companies, trade, ijarah
(hiring someone or something for specific purposes), hawalah
(transfer of debt from one person to another), purchases,
usury, farming, speculation, usurpation, property,
conduct of business...etc. By so doing, they provided
basic ideological material conducive to form an economic
view, and a clear-cut viewpoint on an Islamic economic
system. Many contemporary Muslim intellectuals have made
use of this basic ideological material and studied
economic systems, ownership, distribution,
consumption...in its light. They have also developed it
in analyzing production relationships and offering an
explanation to economic problems and so forth.
When Muslim intellectuals systematically delve into
this field, in line with Islam's methodology of research
and employing a comprehensive economic method, an
economic overview can be presented, that make up entire
systems providing solutions for man's problems, for which
he has failed to find an answer. Instead man has been
left groping in the long dark tunnels of the communist,
socialist and capitalist theories, when satisfactory
answers are at hand to alleviate doubts adduced by the
enemies of Islam. Such have spared no effort to present,
to the sons of Islam and others, that Islamic economic
thought is a shallow mould, which is unable to
accommodate today's problems. They charge Islam, due to
their ignorance, obstinacy, and fear from its justice, as
well as its threat to their boundless self-centeredness
and greed, that it falls short of successfully treating
the more complicated daily economic issues. Islamic
economic system is still, as they maliciously claim,
composed of a set of varying charity-oriented questions
and moral commandments, which cannot tackle deep-seated
problems, nor can it resolve the ever-complicated crises
of inhumanity because of the immense phenomena, related
to financial considerations present in human society.
These efforts are clearly made in a bid to turn
attention of Muslims and others from returning to an
economic system that frees humanity from exploitation,
injustice and avarice and leads it to an economic life of
welfare, where man finds comfort, care and dignity.
2. The second misconception, which must be warned of,
is the mixing up of Islam with other economic systems and
without distinguishing between the two. Many researchers
and academics, be they Muslims or non-Muslims still
mingle the Islamic economic system with the capitalist
and social systems. Even, some of them go to the extent
of mixing it up with the communist systems. This
confusion can be ascribed to the comprehensible concepts
found in Islam, including the principles of freedom,
sponsorship, insurance or through the intervention of the
Islamic state in directing the economy and keeping watch
over the distribution and production.. etc.
Those, who examine the conception of economic,
political and individual freedom in Islam, look at Islam
within a capitalist framework. Yet those, observe Islam's
rejection of, for instance, the capitalist amassing of
wealth or the state's role in economic life, think Islam
is a socialist system.
Re-examining these ideological aspects and analyzing
them scientifically, meticulously and unbiasedly, it will
be noticed however, that there is a wide gap between
Islam's view and cures and those of capitalism and
socialism. The only conclusions that can be made about
attempts to converge manmade systems with Islam is that
they are clear distortions in line with other
misconception that are invented to belittle the
everlasting message of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.).
To emphasize the difference, the following four points
underline the key difference between Islam and these two
ideological system, in particular, and other social and
political systems, in general:
1. Islam differs from socialism, capitalism and
communism and other theories and perspectives in its
ideological and doctrinal bases. Islam is a Divine
Message with a special conception of the universe, life
and man. It basically disagrees with socialist and
capitalist views, which have their roots in their
materialistic vision that has no religious base, nor any
belief in Allah.
Socialism, capitalism and communism and the like are
merely concepts devoid of spiritual and moral values. The
distance between them and Islam is unmistakably great.
Islam has an all-embracing ideological and legislative
make-up. In it, no barriers are to be found between
morals, laws, worships, concepts and existence.
2. Islam differs from all man-made systems in that it
has a lawful executive framework, which exactly expresses
political, economic, and social concepts. Regarding the
social system[7], laws, which are the second stage of its
ideological ladder, are based on founding principles of
their own. They manage related affairs quite differently
from man-written laws and legislation, in all domains
whether they be economical, political, sociological, or
appertaining to individual behaviour...etc.
Such matters as ownership, investment, economic,
consumption are tackled in a unique way by Islam.
3. In its aims and objectives, Islam is distinguished
from other systems, like, it differs from them on the
basis of contents and the legal organization of life. It
treats related subjects in separate ways with specific
points. The ultimate goal of Islam is to worship and seek
the pleasure of Allah, the Exalted.
In implementing the divine law and adhering to the
divine order, a Muslim demonstrates he is a worshipper.
His objective is to seek the reward and pleasure of
Allah, the Exalted.
Contrarily, the human objective in capitalist and
socialist societies is purely a materialistic one,
expressed in terms of materialistic gain regardless of
the cost and fall out on society.
4. Even though there is a sort of analogy between
Islam and other systems in certain respects, Islam has
its own way and method of implementing its economic
concepts and objectives.
For example, Islam believes in social justice and so
it adopts just principles in distribution and production
growth.
Socialism and capitalism attempt to call for similar
concepts, which can be seen as generally logical and
which man, by no means, can shun. But in trying to
develop the conceptions and implement them, we will find
the difference between Islam and secular systems in both
method and way. In capitalism, freedom knows no
boundaries. In theory, individuals can do what they
desire to. In doing so, it believes that the
non-existence of limits or restrictions results in
economic freedom, in competition and the increase of
production. But to achieve a suitable and satisfactory
economic level is for all people, makeshift and
inexorable laws have to be enforced, based upon such
theories as the laws of wages, supply and demand...etc.
while, on the other hand, socialism subscribes to the
methods of confiscating the sources of wealth and means
of production. The state, thanks to this system, becomes
a massive capitalist party monopolizing all means of
economic resources and turns individuals into production
units, who take nothing from the fruit of their toil
except that which the state allows them to have.
Unlike these two systems Islam adopts its own methods.
It never opens the gates for individual selfishness to
flourish like in capitalism, nor does it confiscate the
means of production and acquiring wealth, turning people
into machines on behalf of the state, like socialism.
Islam believes in individual ownership, community
ownership and state ownership, as it is expounded in the
books of fiqh, traditions and in the Holy Qur'an.
Lest selfishness and urges of greed prevail, and to
prevent exploitation and economic injustice from sweeping
over the community, Islam has laid down lawful and moral
restrictions related to ownership, investment and
consumption in defense of manipulation and deprivation.
The aim, which has in view, as duly explained, is to
liberate man from both the greedy capitalist grip
solidified by the democratic system and state capitalism
thrust upon productive individuals in the socialist
system by means of coercion and force, which are the
monopoly of the government. In conformity with a
delicately set economic plan, Islam grants freedom and
responsibility to the Muslim individual and community
within bounds so each balance the other.
NATURE OF ECONOMIC PROBLEM
The central question which presents itself in the
world of economics and wealth and which needs a
comprehensive and exact answer is: What is the economic
problem and what is its cause?
The answer to this question depends upon what is the
approach and the nature of the system chosen. The
identity of the economic system, which manages the
distribution of wealth among human beings, conversely is
outlined in accordance with the general comprehension of
the problem and its nature. The solution to any economic
problem thus lies within the system, in its formula. It
gives the answer to the question, what the economic
problem is and how it can be dealt with.
To analyze the problem overall from a philosophical
point of view needs a comprehensive grasp of the nature
of both man and wealth, the value of each and their
significance in life as a prerequisite. It further relies
on a deep, exact and efficient comprehension of the
problem on one hand, and on the other, an objective
analysis of the implemented system, which is immune to
any prejudice that may caused by the personal bias of the
concerned economist and those who invented its
perspectives.
These factors, put together, help to give the shape of
the answer and to plan an economic system with its stated
hallmarks.
Now, let us see what answer Islam gives to our
question: What is the economic problem and what is its
mainspring?
1. Allah, the Exalted, says:
Corruption has appeared in the land and the
sea on account of what the hands of people have wrought,
that he may make them taste a part of that which they
have done, so that they may return.
Holy Qur'an (30:41)
2. And Allah has also said:
And you love wealth with exceeding
love.
Holy Qur'an (89:20)
3. Decked out fair to mankind is the love of
desires -Women, children, hoarded treasures of gold and
silver, marked horses, cattle and tilth. That is the
enjoyment of the life of this world; but Allah - with Him
is the fairest return. Say: 'Shall I tell you of better
than that?' For those that are godfearing, with their
Lord are Gardens underneath which rivers flow, therein
dwelling forever, purified spouse, and Allah's good
pleasure. And Allah sees His servants.
Holy Qur'an (3:14-15)
4. ...most surely man is ungrateful to his
Lord. And most surely he is a witness of that. And most
surely he is tenacious in the love of wealth...
Holy Qur'an (100:6-8)
5. 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)
6. Therefore be careful of (your duty to)
Allah as much as you can, an hear and obey and spend, it
is better for your souls; and whoever is saved from the
greediness of his soul, these it is that are the
successful.
Holy Qur'an (64:16)
7. The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) is reported to have
said:
Refrain from doing injustice, for it is the
darkness of the Judgement's Day. Avoid misery, it was
misery that cut down those who were before you. It made
them shed their blood and do haram (what is forbidden and
harmful).
8. And the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) is also quoted to
have said:
Two fierce wolves entering a pen of sheep are
not as much harmful as avarice and love of a social rank
to the faith of a Muslim.[8]
Examining these quotations and compile their content,
the following conclusions can be reached:
1. In the first quotation, the Qur'an blames man for
causing his own problem. Corruption, be it political,
economic or moral, is only man's making. Man encapsulates
a host of stimuli and desires and he himself is spurred
on to extremes in peculiar proclivities, to cause
corruption, injustice and tyranny under which humanity
suffers greatly.
Corruption has appeared in the land and the
sea on account of what the hands of people have wrought,
that he may make them taste a part of that which they
have done, so that they may return.
Holy Qur'an (30:41)
2. Quotations 2,3,4 and 8 emphasize that man' s
selfishness, avarice, his excessive love for properly and
wealth and his tendency to amass them, is the main cause
of all his daily problems, in general, and his economic
problems, in particular.
3. Quotations 5,6 and 7, from the Qur'an and holy
Prophetic traditions, how that avarice itself which is a
vice used with great eagerness and desire to obtain and
keep wealth away from the bands of others, is the latent,
effective factor behind man's greed and his predilection
to monopoly wealth and deprive others from it.
In summary, we can assert an important fact in the
world of economics, as clearly stated by Islam and known
as the causeehind the problem of wealth distribution, is
man's self-centeredness and his greed. For the worlds of
the holy Qur'anic verses and Prophetic traditions lay
great stress on avarice and greed as the root causes of
the economic problems in the fields of distribution and
consumption.
This view rules out the effect of external conditions,
including means of production, whether in abundance or
scarce, and distribution, for man, himself, controls
distribution, His will controls it. His awareness
identifies his view of justice, the value of money and
wealth and the meaning of life. It is this very awareness
that principally outlines the way he adopts in dealing
with himself and others.
Everywhere and every time subjective factors are the
root causes of the problems and the sources of economic
injustice, regardless of the variation in conditions,
means and quantity of production, which tend themselves
to be by-products resulting from the original
misdiagnosis.
The only way to save man from economic injustice and
confusion is his daily life, re-shaping his existence and
re-formulating his conceptions, his view of life, money,
wealth, profit and moral pleasure, in a sound and
objective way and in harmony with the Qur'an and in
agreement with its deep, analytical views.
Allah, the Exalted, says:
...surely Allah does not change the condition
of a people until they change their own
condition;...
Holy Qur'an (13:11)
Unless an independent, economic system is adhered to
this change cannot be fully successful; a system, which
takes upon itself the task of re-distributing human
wealth and managing economic life in agreement with the
principles of Islamic justice and equality and not on
high-fluting theories that lose the essence of what the
basic problem is:
Allah, the Exalted, says:
And that if they should keep to the (right)
way, We would certainly give them to drink of abundant
water.
Holy Qur'an (72:16)
And if the people of the towns had believed
and guarded (against evil) We would certainly have opened
up for them blessings from the heaven and the
earth...
Holy Qur'an (7:96)
There is no way to better man's life other than
effecting a complete, psychological and ideological
transformation. Yet to achieve this, a just system and
law must be brought about, both socially and legally, to
serve as a prelude in the building of a human community,
where man can bask in righteousness and happiness and
taste the flavor of freedom and dignity.
The Qur'an, in many of its ayahs and conceptions,
emphasizes this method of transformation:
until they change r own condition.
and that if they should keep to the (right)
way. believed and guarded (against
evil).
By scrutinizing these words, we can arrive at the
conclusion that the Qur'an made psychological change, and
treading on the right path (shari'ah and the
Divine system), having faith in them and insisting on
adhering to their profound principles. Islam is
prerequisite to human change for the better and the
sources of good and man's economic welfare.
This is the true dimensions of the problem and
overcoming it. But what of the external factor that
perpetuate and self-propel the ill-effects?
EXTERNAL FACTORS
Identifying human faults as an internal cause of the
economic problem, Islam turns its attention to specify
the external factors, which constitute the chief reasons
behind exacerbating the problem. Islam, attributes the
economic problems to two factors:
1.The Human Factor.
The subjective one and
root cause as already has been explained.
2.External Factors.
The objective ones.
These factors can be deduced, by concerned researchers of
Islamic economics, from the sources of legislation,
morals, and concepts that deal with the social and
economic aspects of man's life. Briefly they can be
summed as:
1. INADEQUATE PRODUCTION.
2. ILL-DISTRIBUTION.
3. ILL-CONSUMPTION.
By referring to the Qur'an, Prophetic Sunnah, books of
fiqh, studies on morals, we can compile many
texts, principles and thoughts which deal with each of
these causes. To present a more clearer picture of the
Islamic view of the economic problem, it is necessary to
consider all three causes separately.
1- INADEQUATE PRODUCTION:
The main cause of poverty as well as being a
principle factor behind the economic problem, under whose
burden man is still suffering, is the decline in
production in the view of Islam. That is why Islam has
focused attention on it and blamed two main factors for
it:
A. Unemployment and disusing of human resources:
Islam looks upon work as a holy and esteemed asset. It
puts it on the same footing with jihad and worship. The
Prophet (s.a.w.) is reported to have said:
Worship is of seven parts the best of which
is seeking halal (lawful) provision.[9]
Islamic traditions and texts dealing with the
importance of work are bountiful. They have one aspect in
common urging man to work, mobilizing human beings to
raise their production capabilities and fighting sloth
and unemployment as the prime reasons of poverty and
materialistic and social decline.
Of the traditions reported in regard to this point is
one quoted from Imam Ali (a.s.):
When things coupled, sloth and helplessness
got together and engendered poverty.
Imam al-Ridha (a.s.) quote his father Imam Musa
al-Kadhim (a.s.), on the same subject that he said to one
of his sons on his death-bed:
Beware of laziness and boredom, because for
they prevent you from your share of this world and in the
Hereafter.[10]
B. Ignorance and lack of experience about methods
of productions,
including the under-utilization of
natural resources and man's creative powers. These
factors play a critical and undeniable role in the
decline of production and spread of need and destitution.
Islam, for such consideration, urges Muslims to seek
knowledge, make use of natural resources and gain in
knowledge about work and management. The Prophet (s.a.w.)
is quoted to have said:
Allah surely loves the trustworthy
professional.
Islam works towards mobilizing man bodily,
psychologically and intellectually, employing his
technical and scientific abilities for the sake of
production, adequate supplies of needed commodities, and
creating wealth. The Prophet (s.a.w.) reproached whoever
has no interest in increasing his wealth through halal
(lawful) work and expanding his ability to spend and meet
his needs and the needs of his dependants.
In the words of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.):
There is no good in whoever who does not like
earning his living from halal work to satisfy his needs,
pays his debts, and strengthen his ties of kinship.
This Prophetic tradition emphasizes the necessity of
man striving to earn his own way; that his earnings
should outweigh his expenses. The Prophet (s.a.w.) laid
stress Oil this point in: relation to the good
of his family and the community as a whole.
Islam's plan is simple and precise, directing man's
energies into productive employment as a moral
responsibility and a legal duty that fits into building a
healthy Muslim society, where there is no unmet wanting.
2. ILL-DISTRIBUTION:
Bad distribution is the second gravest external cause
of the economic problem, which also results in the spread
of poverty and need, and unbalanced economic life. As
clearly seen from secular systems, different social
classes have arisen. One of them lives in the lap of
luxury, enjoying every kind of material pleasure, a
massing wealth, monopolizing means and sources of riches.
While the other is hardly able to have daily bread and
scrape together a subsistence living.
This gross inequality in economic life, which
represents a dangerous and harmful schism in society, has
its main causes principally in bad distribution and the
implementation of bland, man-made economic systems which
have their own momentum is aggravating the catastrophe.
Feudalism, capitalism, and communism and the like have
merely exacerbated the crisis all the more.
Ill-distribution, has a long historic experience,
regardless of whatever secular economic system has been
tried. Its consequence of an unjust spread of wealth is a
prime basis of today's social tragedy of mankind.
Such is well established, by Muslim and non-Muslim
experts alike, as exampled by one report in an Italian
publication, and translated and published in the Kuwaiti
daily al-Qabas, back on August 15-8-1976 in
its issue 1525:-
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
suffering brothers.
Numerous traditions and narrations emphasize this
principle and urge Muslims to share the burden uniformly.
The Noble Messenger (s.a.w.) is quoted to have said:
Never does he believe in me who goes to bed
full while his neighbour is hungry. Never shall Allah on
the Day of Judgement look with favour at the people of a
place who pass their night satisfied but among them is a
hungry one.[14]
He also said:
Surely he is not a Muslim who does not take
interest in the affairs of Muslims. And surely he is not
a Muslim who hears a Muslim calling for help and does not
respond to his call.[15]
He further said:
All of you are leaders and all of you are
responsible for your subjects.
On this point Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (a.s.) is quoted to
have said:
The right of the Muslim on the Muslim is that
he should never eat his fill while his brother suffers,
never should be quench his thirst while his brother
suffers thirst, never should he clothe himself while his
brother suffers inadequate clothing.[16]
Another tradition reads:
Any believer who denies another faithful
something he can certainly offer him or can do for him,
on his own or with others' help, Allah shall certainly
resurrect him on the Day of Judgement black-faced, with
withered eyes and hands tied up to his neck. Someone
shall cry out, 'This is the traitor who betrayed Allah
and his Messenger.' Then he shall be ordered to be thrown
into hell-fire.
Deep in themselves, Muslims feel great human
sentiments. With such cooperative, kindly manners,
Muslims treat one another. They only act incompatible
ways with Islam's excellent teachings, which leave their
mark far more than any material and corporal power could
do. Muslims move to act, urged by the reward stored for
them and by their implanted benevolence more than by the
whip of the dictatorial authority.
7 Economic security:
In Islam, state is liable for the demands and needs of
every single subject, be he Muslim or non-Muslim, should
he be unable to provide for himself, through his own
personal resources or his sponsor.
This point is best explained again in the letter Imam
Ali (a.s.) wrote to his governor in Egypt, Malik
al-Ashtar:
Then I want to caution you about the poor.
Fear Allah about their condition and your attitude
towards them. They have no support, no resources and no
opportunities. They are poor, they are destitute and many
of them are crippled and unfit for work Some of them,
come out begging and some (who maintain self-respect) do
not beg, but their condition screams about their
distress, poverty, destitution and wants. So, protect
them and their rights. Allah has laid the responsibility
of this on your shoulders. You must fix a share for them
from the government treasury. Beside this reservation in
cash, you must also reserve a share in kind of
crops...etc. from government grain stores in cities, in
which such grain are collected and cultivated on
state-owned lands. Because in this collection, the share
of those living far away from any particular city is
equal to the share of those living nearby.
Islamic law, made by this quotation, allots sums of
money from the treasury to support the infirm and needy,
who can no longer work or that their incomes fall short
of covering their expenses. It states clearly the
principle the state's responsibility for economic
security that applies to every citizen, irrespective of
his/her religion.
It is narrated that one day Imam Ali (a.s.) saw a
Christian dimmi (non-Muslim citizen living in an
Islamic state) begging. Amir al-Mu'minin (a.s.) asked:
Who is this?
Oh Amir al-Mu'minin!, said people, who
were present.
He is a Christian.
You employed him, Amir al-Mu'minin
(a.s.) retorted, until he become old and infirm
then you denied him help. Spend on him from the
treasury.[17]
8. Lawful sources of wealth.
Sources of ownership, or the means by which man can
gain wealth, property and amenities of life, are looked
upon by Islam as important matters, which define the
identity of the economic system, its method of
distributing wealth among members of society, fighting
poverty and need, and rooting out greed, exploitation and
unlawful ways of gaining wealth.
Islam sets two key ways of gaining wealth which are
work and need. They are lawfully accepted ways of
ownership.[18]
A- Employment and natural resources:
One may work in agriculture, mining, industry or any
field of production or one may give one' s services in
the fields of medicine, engineering, transportation,
education, trade...etc. In Islam, employment in any field
of lawful activity, is the chief way of acquiring wealth
and money. Islam lays out great emphasis on the personal
role in securing wealth and obtaining money, as we have
previously detailed.
B- Need:
In the same way Islam made work a legal way of getting
money and wealth, it made need a source of ownership for
wealth to fight destitution and poverty. But ownership
here is different from the former one.
For ownership, in the first case, is the fruit of the
direct interaction between man, nature or raw materials,
or services rendered to satisfy some needs. Man here
becomes entitled to ownership in return for the fruits of
his labour.
As for ownership by need, it is the process of
conveying property or wealth from one owner to another
one on account of the need for it by the new owner. In
order of precedence, the latter kind of ownership comes
second to the first one. Ownership by need is placed in
the category of owning something by inheritance and
maintenance as in the case given by the husband to his
wife.
The needy, who cannot work, due to bodily infirmity or
can finds no work, has a share in the money set aside
from the taxes of zakat and khums, or from
the money allotted by the state to meet the needs of the
impoverished.
The ultimate result of this economic system being put
into practice is that every single member of the Islamic
community becomes economically secure. He neither fears
poverty nor does he worry about his daily life. On the
contrary he feels secure, and has confidence in the
community and state he lives under its shade.
Once this unmatched economic system is implemented,
and security in welfare prevails along side with
stability. All man's efforts then are channelled into one
conduit, which is the competition to do good and to work
for building and constructing a society far removed from
in fighting and aggressive and destructive erosions.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the
world.
1. Al-Kulaini, al-Kafi, vol. 5, p. 71,
2. Al-Kulaini, op. cit.
3. Al-Kulaini, op. cit.
4. Al-Kulaini, op. cit.
5. Al-Kulaini, op. cit.
6. Al-Kulaini, op. cit. p. 72.
7. Theory of the social system is the first stage of
the ideological ladder. It is the bases from which laws
and legislations are derived. Social and moral theory is
the foundation stone on which man depends to outline the
attitude towards different matters in these two fields.
Laws then come to incarnate the theory and give it a
practical quality in the lives of the individual and the
community (like the areas of obligation, prohibition,
permission, unlawfulness and lawfulness).
8. Al-Naraqi, Jami' al- Sa'adat (Collector of
Felicities), vol. 2, p. 46.
9. Al-Harani, Tuhaf al-Uqul an Aal al-Rasul, Mawa'id
al-Nabi (Treasures of Minds about the Household of the
Messenger of Allah, Exhortations of the Prophet).
10. Al-Kulaini, al-Kafi, vol. 5, p.67.
11. Al-Tabari, Mirza Hussein al-Nuri, Mustadrak
al-Wasa'il, chapter on zakat.
12. Al-Kulaini, al-Kafi, vol. 3, 3rd ed., p. 497
13. Sa'id Hawa, al-Rasul (The Messenger), vol. 1, pp.
121123.
14. Al-Kulaini, al-Kafi, 3rd ed., p. 668.
15. Ibid, p. 164.
16. Al-Kulaini, al-Usul min al-Kafi, vol. 2, p. 170.
17. Al-Hur al-Amili, Wasa'il al-Shi'ah, vol. 6, 2nd ed.,
p. 49.
18. There are other ways of ownership in Islam allied
to work and need, including inheritance, maintenance,
donation, gifts, profits of endowments...etc, which our
main focus has not separated out.
