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STEPS ON
THE STRAIGHT PATH
In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.
GOD has revealed the unbroken chain of belief and
guidance through His Prophets to humanity. This book shows how previous Paths
converge into THE STRAIGHT PATH. The writer approaches this subject through (a)
objective writing and (b) group discussions to clear the mist of
misunderstanding held by Muslims and non-Muslims about Islam.
This work attempts to unite the spiritual with the secular
both in private and in public life after their long divorce. Religious belief
is to be translated into moral action supported by all social systems; ethical,
political, economic and in our duty towards God, to oneself and to others. All
of these are sustained by a Divine Moral Decree that links the temporal world
with the spiritual to save the welfare state of humanity and its destiny.
These writings hope to persuade Muslims, in particular
the youth, to adapt a spiritual infusion, to safeguard their beliefs in
relation to moral action. To non-Muslims and researchers in this field of
study, it allows them to distinguish clearly the differences between Muslim
thought, the behaviour of Muslims and Islamic theology and its conduct. It is
also directed to assist students who need a reference book for use in Religious
Studies and also as a source of reference in public libraries. It is an
introduction to study the principles of Divine Decree in the Qur’an.
“And verily this is my Straight Path, so follow it,
and follow not other ways, lest they cause you to deviate from His way. This
has He enjoined upon you, so that you might remain conscious of Him” [Qur’an,
6:153].
H.M.Abbara is
an Educationist specialising in Moral and Religious Development.
5th Step
on the Straight Path
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Contents of 5th Step on the
Straight Path Chapters 11 - 16. The Islamic System: page: Chapter 11. The Political System. Page: 11.1
The pillars of
Political System: 1. Justice 2. Consultation 3. Equality
4. Freedom 5. Unity 11.2
Administering the Divine Law. 11.3
The Government as a trustee. 11.4
Conclusion. 11.5
Discussion on political orders. References Chapter 12. The Shari'ah System. page: 12.1
The Sources of Shar'ah. 12.1.1 The Qur'an 12.1.2 The Sunnah. 12.1.3 The consensus of
opinion (Ijma'a) 12.1.4 Analogy (Qiyas). 12.1.5 Ijtihad, the
Exercise of Judgment . 12.2
The constitution of Islamic Law. 12.3
Discussion on Islamic Law. Chapter 13. The Ethical System. page: 13.1
The basis of morality. 13.2
The Source of
Personal Morality: A. Reciting the Qur’an B. Studying it C. Applying its wisdom 13.3
The ethical standards. 13.3.1 Ordinance, Fardh. 13.3.2 Lawful, Halal. 13.3.3 Prohibited, Haram. 13.3.4 Undesirable, Makruh. 13.3.5 Order without
obligation. 13.4.
Pillars of Islamic Morality. 13.4.1 Acquired Moral
Knowledge. 13.4.2 God-consciousness. 13.4.3 Purifying the inner
self. 13.4.4 Developing the
conscience. 13.5.
The direct pillars of Islamic ethics. 13.5.1 Happiness. 13.5.2 Just and reasoning. 13.5.3 Moderation. 13.5.4 Stability. 13.5.5 Comprehensiveness. 13.6
The criteria of Islamic morality. 13.6.1 Sense of obligation. 13.6.2 Sense of
responsibility. 13.6.3 Sense of
retribution. 13.6.4 Sense of moral effort. 13.7.
Discussion. 13.7.1
Islamic ethics. 13.7.2
Islamic ethics and general ethics. References. Chapter 14 The Economic System. page: 14.
The Principles of Islamic Economics. 14.1
Production. 14.1.1 Usury and Interest or Riba
14.1.1.A. The substitute of
interest: i. Competition ii. Partnership iii. Profitable [?] iv. Co-Farming v. Shares
14.1.1.B. Free loan "al-Qard". 14.1.1.C. The mortgage. 14.2.
Distributions. 14.2.1 Zakah,
Poor-Due. 14.2.2 Zakat al-fitr,
compulsory charity 14.2.3 Expiation. 14.2.4 Family Support. 14.2.5 Sadaqah,
charity. 14.2.6 Inheritance. 14.2.7 Insurance. 14.2.8 Waqf,
endowment. 14.3
Consumption. 14.4
Development. 14.5
Discussion. 14.5.1 Islamic economics. 14.5.2 Riba, interest. 14.5.3 Distribution and Consumption 14.5.4 Inheritance. References. 5th. Step on the Straight Path In
previous chapters, we saw how the Pillars are standing firmly together the
spiritual and social. Each one is link to others. These Pillars are supported
by the following systems: 1.
Pillars of society supported by Islamic systems:- 2.
Political system supported by the Shari’a system. 3. Shari’a
system supported by the ethical system. 4. Ethical
system depends on the economic system. 5.
Economic system depends on the social system. 6.
Social system sustained by value systems 7.
Values systems supported by spiritual values 8.
Spiritual values depend on individual system. 9.
Individual system resulted from the education system 10. Education
system sustains duties and rights systems. 11. Duty
inwards towards oneself sustains by duty to God. 12. Duty up
wards, to God sustains by duty outwards to others. 13. Duties and rights sustain by spiritual link, bond with God and a bond with others all
link together. The mindful of the society is the political system: 11. The Political System. The overall system is the political system which is
in the charge of the society, which has the control over all other systems;
leads it either to the prosperity or into destruction. Islam considers the political system is the
politeness of justice. The government to be given in trust by God and
therefore those with authority have to judge between men in truth and
justice: capricious judgement leads man away from the Path of God. Therefore,
political system has duties to fulfil to up right the pillars of society as
follow: 1. The pillars of the political system depends on
loyalty to God 2. Loyalty to God sustained by administrating the Divine
Law
3. The Divine Law sustained by the government as a
trustee 3.
The government
as a trustee maintained by the authority of
Muslims community 4.
Ummah
authority sustained by consultation 6
Consultation
sustained by justice 7
The justice
maintained by equality , 8. Equality
sustained by freedom 9. Freedom
maintained by: 10. Unity of the Ummah
The political systems are sustained by: 12. The Divine Law or Shari'ah System. This is summarised in the Qur'an, translated into
action by His Prophet and expanded by a consensus of opinion within the
framework prescribed and is supported by the application of every individual.
We study the source of the Shari’ah as follows: These sources of Shari’ah are: 1. The application of the Qur’an supported by the
Sunnah 2. The Sunnah
supported by Ijma’a, the consensus
of opinion 3. The
consensus of opinion supported by Qiyas,
analogy; 4.The Analogy, supported by Ijtihad, the exercise of judgement. 5. The exercise of judgement supported by a). Istihsan, equitable reference. B). by Istislah, unprecedented judgement,
and, c). Al-Urf wa A’adat; traditional convention and well
establishment moral practice.
The application of Shari’ah is sustained by
moral behaviour of the public and the private; maintained by: 13. The Ethical System and its fivefold hierarchy of values: 1. The
compulsory, 2. The lawful, 3. The preferable, 4. The undesirable and the prohibited.
These values are supported by the pillars of Islamic morality: a. acquired
moral knowledge, b. God-consciousness, c. purification of the inner self and
d. development of the conscience. We will refer to them as well as to the
human characteristics that result from them such as: happiness, reasoning,
moderation, stability and wholeheartedness. In addition, there are other
aspects such as a sense of obligation, responsibility, accountability and the
making of moral efforts. The moral life is supported by the means of living,
and by: 14. The Economic System. This is a comprehensive and complex system and we
present it in its 3 main stages. 1. Production
and enterprise are the lawful means. Islam clearly prohibits usury and
interest, where the rich freeze their capital, which is the very means of
production, in the bank or in a few hands. Wealth is the right of the
individual and society in equal measure. 2. Consumption
and distribution in lawful ways and in the prescribed manner, so that the
less fortunate receive their rights; and 3. Economic
growth and increase, which are the basis of the welfare of the individual and
the society. Therefore, the economic system is supported by social system in
next Step: The Islamic Systems. Chapters: 11 - 16 0. Introduction "O
Mankind! A manifestation of the Truth has now come unto you from your Lord;
And We have sent down to you a manifest Light. As for those who believe in
God , and hold fast to Him, He will surely admit them to Mercy from Him, and Bounty,
and will guide them to Him on a Straight Path." (4:174-5). This verse
indicates: the light of Qur’an direct the believers to the right
destiny. In previous chapters, we
explained the Pillars of Religion. The first three Pillars: Islam, Belief and
Virtue represent the spiritual system in Islam and concentrate on developing
the spirit and building up the perfect believer in his inner self so that the
believer may act freely on moral principles. The remaining two Pillars focus
on the basis of social life and the principles of society respectively. These
two Pillars are fruitless unless supported by the application of the Islamic
system, which has been appointed for the use of Islamic societies (the Ummah).
These Pillars employ Faith and commitment; belief and the will, the creed and
the Law of God, as the most decisive forces in the re-ordering of the
individual and collective lives of people in building a society founded on
God's Systems. It should
be clear by now that Islam is not a jumble of unrelated ideas and incoherent
modes of conduct; rather is it a well-ordered system, a consistent whole
resting on a definite set of clear cut postulates. Its major tenets, as well
as detailed rules of conduct, are all derived from, and logically connected with,
its basic principles. All the rules and regulations that Islam has laid down
for different spheres of human life are, in their essence and spirit, a
reflection, extension and corollary of its first principle. The various
phases of Islamic life and activity flow from these fundamental postulates
exactly as the plant sprouts forth from its seed.1 The
Islamic system is like a strong, healthy tree; it is illuminated by God’s
guidance It is like a lighthouse,- the pillars- signaling to safeguard those
who guided by. It has a wide compass, spreading in all directions, and its
many boughs - the systems - reach high, giving guidance and shelter to all
His Creatures. The branches and twigs, -are sub-principles- and the details
of the moral applications are like the leaves, moral on one side to be
encouraged and the on the other the immoral to be discouraged. The fruit is
the enjoyment of God blessings and the safeguards provided for all those who
live under the Guidance of God's. In
previous chapters, we saw how the Pillars are stand firmly together. Each one
is link to others. These Pillars are supported by the following systems: 5.
Pillars of society supported by Islamic systems:- 6.
Political system supported by the Shari’a system. 3. Shari’a
system supported by the ethical system. 4. Ethical
system depends on the economic system. 14. Economic
system depends on the social system. 15. Social
system sustained by value systems 16. Values systems
supported by spiritual values 17. Spiritual
values depend on individual system. 18. Individual system
resulted from the education system 19. Education
system sustains duties and rights systems. 20. Duty
inwards towards oneself sustains by duty to God. 21. Duty up
wards, to God sustains by duty outwards to others. 22. Duties and rights sustain by spiritual link, bond with God and a bond with others all
link together. Chapter eleven
11. The
Political System. "And We have sent down to thee the
Book with the Truth, confirming the Book that was before it, and guarding it.
So judge between them according to what God has sent down, and do not follow
their caprices, forsaking the Truth that has come to thee." (5:48). In a
previous discussion, we pointed out that Muslim unity depends, directly or
indirectly, on administering God's Law. Priority over all other systems is
given to the political system; its importance is reflected in the concern for
social justice for all members of society. We pointed out that Islam is both
a religion and a state, but, in fact, the Islamic state is simply the main
function of the religion. The political element of life is founded on the
same basis as the spiritual system, so the political and spiritual systems in
Islam may be regarded as twins. The main purpose of God's Revelation is to
drive out the strong that make themselves lords over the weak and put
themselves in authority and charge of others, designing their laws,
ideologies or socio-political organisations for their own interest, rather
than to conform to Islamic values and principles, which secure the rights of
every individual. Other systems rarely guarantee justice for all members of
society on the basis of equal opportunity and rights. The first
purpose of God's Revelation is to safeguard public affairs from individual
interests and influence. The second purpose is to enable people to believe in
Him. His Will is that all people should live in justice and peace. Therefore
He prescribed hard punishments for those who create corruption on earth, but
He postponed His Punishments for disbelievers to the next life. The command
to believers is not only to worship God in a passive sense, by ritual
behaviour and private devotion like a monk or a Sufi, but to obey God,
applying His Divine Law in every aspect of his life, doing good to others and
contributing positively to society rather than living in a negative way.
Hence, every believer should apply God's Laws in private and in public. The
injunctions in the Qur'an take different forms in regard to the application
of God's Rules. Sometimes the Qur'an requests people to live in peace and
justice for their own good, e.g., "O mankind! Your insolence is only
against yourselves." (10:23) And sometimes it commands the believers to
bring together their wills and respond to God's Will, e.g., "O believers!
Obey God and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. If you
should quarrel about anything, refer it to God and the Messenger, if you
believe in God and the Last Day; this is better, and fairer in the
issue." (4:59) God made
the community responsible for applying His rules, and gave them the authority
to choose the methods of administrating their affairs within His Guidance,
under His Supervision. He made authority a kind of trust and collective duty,
so that every believer who stood guarantor for the best policy, giving a fair
chance to everyone, would reap success and power. This responsibility creates
uniformity under the Divine Attributes. God does not put the authority in the
hands of a person unless he is willing to bear the responsibilities he was
appointed for, his will being bound by the will of society, which observed
God's Will. He does not allow authority merely on the basis of descent, race,
etc., but enjoins the whole community to use the principle of consultation
and consensus. The chain of political system as follow: 1. The pillars of the political system depends
on loyalty to God 2. Loyalty to God sustained by administrating the Divine Law
3. The Divine Law sustained by the government
as a trustee 7.
The
government as a trustee maintained
by the authority of Muslims community 8.
Ummah
authority sustained by consultation 8
Consultation
sustained by justice 9
The justice maintained by equality , 8. Equality
sustained by freedom 9. Freedom maintained by: 10. Unity of the Ummah Discussion. {Between Abbara and Dina expressing the Islamic view whilst Badr and Charles the opposite side of the argument} 11.12 Political
Order If you deny the Truth, God is independent of you, yet
He does not approve of ingratitude in His servants; but if you are thankful,
He will be pleased with you. And no soul may be laden with the load of
another. In the end, to your Lord shall you return, and He will tell you the
truth of what you have been doing." (39:6-7) Abbara:
God revealed his Guidance in every system of life - spiritual, social,
political and individual. All man-made ideologies are disapproved of by God,
Who demands a system planned for the interest of the entire humanity. His Law
guarantees the welfare of society and its salvation for all in this life,
together with personal salvation in the next life. That is the aim of the
Islamic policy. Charles: This looks like a theocratic system: political
rule by religious officials deemed to be representatives of God. History
provides evidence of its invalidity. Contemporary society proves that this
system is unreliable. When religious people are put in authority, they cause
more corruption than government by kings. Abbara: As we said before, the first principle of Islam is
that there is no intercession, no caste system, no priests and no religious
group which may claim authority over others. It is clear enough that the Sole
Authority rests on the whole community with guidance from God alone. He
appointed His Divine Law to judge between people in equity. Nobody may claim
this sovereignty or monopolise it in the Name of God or say that he is worthy
of authority because he is a good scholar of religion. The entire Muslim
community must decide who is capable of applying God's Guidance in absolute
justice. Obedience is due to anyone who obeys God but none is due to anyone
who digresses from the Straight Path. The
concept of theocracy is not the same in Islam as it is in other religions,
where religious people monopolise authority in the name of religion and then
inflict injustice upon others, using it as a source of power and domination
over the elite and the masses alike. Admittedly, some Muslims misuse the name
of Islam to gain power or satisfy their own interests, rather than acting in
the interests of its principles, which do not accept anything except the
whole Truth as we have pointed out in the text. Dina: But still some Muslims behave according to their
own judgement, causing unjustifiable wars, killing honest people,
assassinating their enemies, and spreading corruption in its name. Certainly,
when you discuss an issue relating to political theory with those who
consider themselves religious and the guardian of the religion, you can get a
wrong impression about Islam itself from the way they express their ideas and
support them by parts of verses from the Qur'an and Hadith which correspond to their interpretation of Islam. Abbara: Islamic principles are comprehensive but flexible.
Man's weakness is bound to his self interest, which makes him blind to the
Truth and unable to hear it or judge by it. In addition, most Muslims are too
short-sighted to focus on the objectives of God's Word who granted freedom
for al in worldly affairs. They deal with Islam in units instead of a single
unity and use the portion which helps them to serve their interests under the
banner of Islam. Hence, the deficiency is in those who twist the principles,
knowingly or ignorantly, more commonly the latter. On the other hand, the
general view of true Muslims is that the insufficiencies in Muslim society
are due to diversions from genuine Islamic systems, in particular the
political system, which has the authority to guide and direct people to the Badr: Many
Muslims still have the desire to go back to the old days and apply the
principles which suited those who lived centuries ago. Life is going forward
and they want to go backward. For example, when the West divorced from the
old traditions, which usually opposed development, their progress was fast,
not only in technological terms but in political organisation as well. They
apply justice, equality and freedom, while Muslims lag behind, applying
neither Islamic law, as you claim, nor western law as they claim. They have
different forms of government - kingship, republic, democracy, princedom and
presidency; none of them apply complete justice, equality and freedom to all
citizens in their territory. The original Islamic Ummah did not
recognise borders between Muslim countries but now you can see injustice and
discrimination against those who are not citizens of a particular country. Therefore
the theory you are supporting has no place in Muslim countries, while, to
some extent, such principles are applied in the West without the need for
religion having authority over people to fetter their freedom. Dina: For
example, Muslims do not apply Islamic law or religion and still “behind their
democratic parliamentary façade, problems of authoritarianism, legitimacy,
and limited political participation plagued most Muslims countries.
Government promises and development progress had created rising expectation
that often went unfulfilled” 8 Abbara:
this is because the absence of justice and shortfall the relationship between
the Governments and its nations. Therefore, the authority here is not to the
nations but to the governments which opposed to Islamic political system. For the previous hypothesis; I would like to
say that God's Principles are valid and reliable for every time and every
place and every society. But man creates injustice for himself by creating
fallacious arguments and following ways which corrupt his humanity. God
pointed out: "When a Warner came to them, it only increased their flight
(from righteousness) - on account of their arrogant behaviour on earth, and
their devising of evil. Yet (in the end) such evil scheming will engulf none
but its authors; and can they expect anything but (to be made to go) the way
of those (sinners) of olden times?
Thus (it is): no change wilt thou ever find in God's Way."
(35:43). The validity of the Divine Law will remain and never will God's Way
change. Muslim
theologians pointed out that God supports non-Muslim governments if they
apply justice, while He withdraws his support from Muslim societies if they
are unjust, because the main objective of the Divine Decree is that people
live in peace on earth. The purpose of belief is self-elevation and
development, so that the true believer may gain ascendancy in the next life.
God is concerned firstly about man in general in this life and secondly about
the individual believers. Therefore, He specifies the pillars of the
political system and leaves the method of their application to each society.
He is the King of the world not in particular, Muslims. Western or Eastern
systems which satisfy the interest of the government and not the whole
society in general cannot afford complete justice, equality and freedom
whereas God's interest is justice for the sake of justice and absolute
fairness in every affair for all people. Justice or fairness which democratic
society proud of it monopolize for own nations, while applying oppression on
other nations an shade blood and all other corruption. Charles: Islam, as such, is not seen as the basis
of political organisation. From the above discussion, we must ask: why has
degradation overtaken the Muslims and why are they not able to keep peace
within their countries? It is, in my judgement, a matter of religion. The
problems arise from two extremes: the conservative conventionalists who
strictly hold Islamic values and the sophisticated modernists who oppose such
values because they are old. Besides that, each state, government or kingdom
has its own administration, and no one is allowed to interfere in its
affairs. For example the second article of the Arab league requires members
to respect each other government, whether or not it is just. The head of the
government is sacred and no one is allowed to speak in the name of justice,
as some people do, or as Amnesty International sometimes does which in its
record most of Muslims countries listed for their oppressions and torture. Badr: On the
other hand, there are some Muslims who want all the Ummah to be under one Caliph; then differences arise among them
about whether his descendants should rule and whether he should be from the
Prophet's tribe. However, this is all theory; there is no place in Muslim
countries for ruling in the name of religion. If it did happen, it would
cause more digressions in society, because each Muslim society has more than
one religious sect and even inside each sect, there are different
interpretations as to how to apply Islamic teaching. Abbara: First of
all, we should specify that Islam is the basis of political organisation but
it may be that you are right to say that Muslims are not able to have
political unity because of their divisions and because some of them - not the
majority - hold an extreme Islamic view or the opposite, a non-Islamic view.
But Islam stands on its own feet; it does not need a solicitor or lawyer,
because sovereignty belongs to God alone and His Divine Law is clear to
anyone. God, in the Qur'an, did not entrust authority to any tribe, race,
group or even the Muslim scholars. All people are equal in the Eyes of God,
except those honoured for their rightfulness, piety and God-consciousness. He
who is knowledgeable in the Divine law fears God: "Only such as are
endowed with knowledge stand (truly) in awe of God: (for they alone
comprehend)." (35:28) anyone who reaches the standard which qualifies
him for a position dispensing justice acts upon it for its own sake, i.e., God's
Sake. Reach that through election the he ensures justice to all members of
society without discrimination so that the whole society will, like brothers,
function in one direction. "That is surely no great matter for God to
fulfil. (14:20) The
application of the Islamic political system takes time, for people have to
develop enough so that when they are entrusted with freedom they are
qualified for it, are able to bear the responsibility and can use it in a
proper way and cause no harm to others. Progress in a Muslim society means;
raising more truly educated and righteous people to hold positions in
government. In contemporary society, the type of government in a Muslim
country corresponds to the standard of the society. When a Muslim society
progresses enough to stand for responsibility, the system of politics will
change spontaneously in relation to justice, equality, freedom and true
consultation, in other words, in relation to Islam. Charles: “Islam has reasserted itself more forcefully in
both the personal and the public lives of Muslim societies in a striking and
sometimes dramatic manner often called the Islamic resurgence, Islamic
revivalism, Islamic fundamentalism, or political Islam. When you say: ‘Islam
is a total way of life’. It is not correct, according to this viewpoint, to
speak of religion and politics but instead religiopolitics. Islam is believed
to be relevant and integral to politics, law, education, social life, and
economics. These institutions or areas of life are not viewed as secular but
religious (Islamic), based on the belief that Islam is the way of
life, and thus religion and society are interrelated”.9 Abbara:
Yes, Majority of young Muslims tend to have a true belief, realise their duty
to God, themselves and others. Muslims [not Islamic] revival increase in
private and public life it is noticeable everywhere, but if some diverted
from the right way, exempted from Islamic teaching. I clearly define the pillars of Islamic politics,-
to the best of my knowledge,- that God granted the Authority to the
Ummah directly, -there is no religious
hierarchy or intercession In Islam- to
decide its affairs by fairness and justice, to the whole community including
the minority. These ten pillars of politics or the constitutional law capable
to constitute the best community that has ever been brought for mankind,
because, all its members, enjoin right and forbid evils. Non-Muslims judges Islam from his
religious background, or Muslims behaviours, he chose what applied to way he think
he is right, so they can not see the principles of God clearly. Religion
can not be judge by secular; Life combines body and spirit, secular and
spiritual, so, Islamic systems joining together all aspects of life to fulfil
its objective. Islam not like other religions is a matter of belief without
guidance in every direction and “no single thing have We neglected in the
Book” (6:38). Thus, his expression ‘religiopolitics’ is irrelevant to Islam. Islamic
systems, as we going to discuss later, have been put into practice and gave
the best result. However, the application of the Islamic
political system depends on the application of the Shari’a which
comprises the Qur'an and the Sunnah.
This is the source of legislation and policy. Chapter twelve
12. THE SHARI’AH SYSTEM. "Then We
set thee upon a way of the command (Shari’ah) therefore follow it, and
follow not the caprice of those who do not know." (45:18) The Shari’ah
and Islamic Ethics are twins. They encompass all aspects of human life, from the
inner-self to their surrounding upwards to God. They are the throne of the
political system in Islam. The political system that deviates from the Shari’ah
deviates from the right way. While, if it remains on the straight path it
saves the dignity and the honour of the people under its control. In Islam,
Law is not distinct from faith and spirituality; they flow in a single
channel and are indistinguishable. Islamic morality is driven by the Shari’ah,
which is binding on all Muslims. Intention, reasons and moral understanding
are indispensable. Islam is a unity, a complete code of life. Islamic
jurisprudence deals with questions of faith and its implication in public
life, with legal transactions along with all provisions, rules. Jurists in
Islam are at one and the same time men of religion and jurisprudence. Islamic
jurisprudence plays a deeply significant role in Islamic thought as well as
in all aspects of Muslim life. The most
important and comprehensive concept of Islam at the practical level is that
of the Shari’ah. The term literally means 'place leading to the
watering place', in other words, the source of life. In religious terms, it
is a Divinely ordained system to guide mankind to the right path, 'the
highway of righteous life leading to God', or the sum total of Divine
Commands to man, technically it means 'the Civil and canonical Law'. God's
Law is embodied in the Qur'an, manifested by the Sunnah and the believer.
Moral authority has always been treated higher than legal power in the
ascending order concept of Muslim social organization. The Shari’ah,
in its comprehensiveness, includes Law, moral principles and the creed to
which every Muslim must subscribe. Muslim must know his duties and rights in
three dimensions of life towards God, himself and others, whereby he may
fully conduct his life in this world and prepare himself for the future life.
This marks the difference between the Divine Law and the human laws. Other
systems are swayed by what can be regarded as "right" in accordance
with the interests of the party, government or the society. Islam considers
it unjust to discriminate in favour of some people to the detriment of
others. God alone is the Sovereign and it is He who has the right to Guide
mankind to the straight path. The Shari'ah
shapes Islamic society in a way conducive to the unfettered growth of
good, virtue and truth in every sphere of human activity. It removes
everything standing in the path of virtue. It seeks to eradicate evil from
its social scheme by prohibiting vice and hatred, by obviating the causes of
its appearance and growth, and by closing the inlets through which evil seeps
into society and by adopting different measures to check its occurrence. Rule
by force is not the aim of the Shari’ah; justice is considered
the supreme end, an act of justice in itself next only to belief in God and
God Consciousness. The Shari’ah
differs from Western systems of law in two principal respects: The scope of
the Shari’ah is much wider, since it regulates man's relationship not
only with his neighbours and with the society, but also with God and his own
conscience. The Shari’ah is concerned as much with ethical standards
as with legal rules, indicating not only what man is entitled or bound to do
in law, but also what he ought, in conscience, to refrain from doing. The Shari’ah
is not merely a system of law, but a comprehensive code of behaviour that
embraces both private and public activities. The second
major distinction is the result of the Islamic concept of law as expression
of Divine Decree. In Islamic jurisprudence, it is not society that moulds and
fashions law, but the law that precedes and controls society. It is God's
Law, and as such merciful to His creation. Severe punishment is reserved for
such crimes as are of a grave nature, for example, murder, physical injury,
adultery, fornication, theft, highway robbery, and wine drinking in order to
maintain peace and order in the whole society. Islamic
Law governs all human acts, public or private, national and international. In
moral law, there has been an interaction between the teaching of the religion
and ethics on the one hand and the provision of law on the other. Thus, we
find justice and charity coupled by the Qur'an in one single verse e.g. 7:29,
8:6 as a comprehensive ethical exhortation of generosity towards others.
Therefore, it has become a rule of justice not to do harm to another and a
duty in legal transactions to abide by the principle of honesty and
tolerance. All of this, no doubt has been a source of benefit for the
humanity. God's teaching is for the welfare of all rather than one certain
party or group of people. Discussion
{Between Abbara and Dina expressing the Islamic view whilst Badr and Charles the opposite side of the argument} 12.3.1 Islamic Law. "Say: 'Is there any of your associates who can
guide to the Truth?' Say: 'It is God Who guides to the Truth: and which is
worthier to be followed - He who guides to the Truth, or he who guides not
unless he is guided? What then ails you? How do you judge?'" (10:35) Abbara: Islamic Law is divinely ordained, particularly as
applied to regulations codifying government, legal systems, ethical systems,
economic systems, social systems, individual systems, educational systems and
national and international systems. It is derived from a Divine Source. The Shari’ah
encompasses all human affairs, spiritual and secular. In Islam, law is not
distinct from religion. The two streams flow in a single channel and are
indistinguishable; both are living in the conscience of the believers. The
religion is the will of man and the law is the will of the community; the
first is the basis of the spiritual harmony in the society and this gives
support to the second, which defines the relationship between people under
the Sovereignty of God. Charles: So there is no distinction between 'legal' and
'religious' in Islam. The two aspects are found side by side. The Qur’an is
not law book , it concerned with law , many of them covering matters of
worship ,family law, and few in crime and punishment and social life. Hence, there is the claim that Islamic law
has anticipated all modern laws and codes. If that is so, why have all Muslim
countries borrowed Western law and now apply it in administration of their
affairs? If Islamic law covers each aspect of life, there is no need to
transfer Western law. Dina: Islam puts forward the main principles and the
framework and leaves it up to the people to create their own solutions, by
reasoning in relation to Absolute Justice. If the Muslims borrow what is
suitable for their administration that does not mean that Islam cannot offer
its own solution to any problem that exists in Muslim societies. In fact,
Muslims did not borrow Western law; during the period of colonisation, the
West planted their laws, rules and code of life. Afterwards succeeding
governments mostly allied to the West, accepted the laws with little change
in order to preserve their rights rather than the rights of the whole
community as Islam demands. However, Islam is not opposed to what is alien;
it may embrace any fair rules related to a new kind of administration, so
long as they do not conflict with Islamic law can be applied with fair
justice. Abbara: Islamic Law differs from the Western legal system
in at least two major respects: scope and value. The Western system governs
one's relationship to the state and one's fellow human beings. The scope of
Islamic Law is much wider, since it regulates one's relationship with God and
one's conscience, as well as with the state and one's fellow human beings.
Islamic Law is a comprehensive code of behaviour that embraces both private
and public acts.18 Badr: In modern life, it is difficult to combine
religious law and secular law. The re-examination of the Shari’ah and
theology in all their aspects, as well as modern philosophy, metaphysics,
ethics, psychology and logic, should be applied to formulate and restate its
essential dogma. If religion is gradually freed from the shackles of civil
law, and law (canon) is allowed to grow and develop freely, Muslim society is
bound to progress rapidly.19 Dina: In Islam, the life of the individual and
social life are bound together. The essential faith of the spirit is correlated
with the conscience of the soul. There must be equilibrium between the inner
and outer life, i.e. a Muslim's devotion to God is not accepted if he harms
others; his prayer is not accepted if he lives by illegitimate means or if he
is not paying the poor due, etc. Thus the inner life of believers harmonises
with the social life of others. The Law of God makes no distinction between
the law of the state and the law of ethics. As we going to discuss next, the
principle of justice has inward, upward and outward dimensions. It links the
individual with God and society. But some Muslims and non-Muslims
misunderstand the objective of Divine Law which contains the True Wisdom
rather than philosophical conceptions, the true metaphysics of the spiritual
life and the next life, true psychology rather than mere theories "He
(God) knows the thoughts within the breast. Should He not know, He Who
created? And He is the All-subtle , the All-aware." (67:13-14) Dina: The Shari’ah is the mainspring from
which Muslims draw their rules. If they are reluctant to work hard to find
out its teaching in some aspects, it does not mean that the 'spring' is
empty; it never becomes dry. Hence, their lagging behind is because they
borrow artificial man-made codes rather than using pure natural remedies. God
provides on an equal basis for all His Creation. Any attempt to separate or
to divide God's Rule between private and public matters, or to break the
unity, is considered non-Islamic. Charles:
You indicate that the door of Ijtihad should
be open; but this door was closed long ago and Muslims had to be contented
with four schools of law: Abu Hanifa, Malik Ibn Anas, Al-Shafi'i, and Ahmad
ibn Hanbal. The result has been that Islamic thought met a dead end, on the
one hand, and, on the other, each school has its own interpretation of
Islamic thought. Abbara:
The door of Ijtihad was opened
widely in the second century of the Islamic calendar when the Islamic state
was expanding and scientific research had led to the flourishing of Islamic
jurisprudence. Muslims approved these four schools, which drew their
interpretations from the Qur'an and the Sunnah,
supported by Ijma’a, consensus of
opinion. The disagreements among the schools were not on the basis of the
fundamental principles and doctrine; al-Usul, which was defined by
God and His Prophet, but only on details of application as a result of
diversity of interpretation. Such differences occurred even in the time of
the Prophet, when he used to consult his Companions. The existence of
diversity of opinion was, in fact, the basis of flexibility in Islamic
jurisprudence. The Prophet said, "Disagreement among jurists is the
nation's blessing."19 Difference of opinion is a Mercy from God.
It allows, within the Islamic teaching, the believer to choose whatever is
more convenient to him. It is through this 'trust' granted by God and His
Apostle that Muslim jurists devoted their life to Islamic jurisprudence,
which played such a significant role in the history of Islamic thought as
well as in all aspects of Muslim life and created a body of comprehensive
legal opinions and decisions. Today the jurists' duty is to obtain a legal
decision for every new issue that has not been discussed before. Badr: But the differences of opinion among scholars
cause sectarianism and divide the Muslim society. In actual fact, some
Muslims will not offer their prayer behind an Imam who follows a different school of thought from themselves.
So it is very necessary to hold to the main teaching rather than to create
arguments and legal opinions. Dina: Islam does
not accept sect, or nonconformist with its doctrine. In my experience of
going to the Mosque, that has never happened. It is difficult to know whether
the Imam is a follower of Shafi'i
or Abu Hanifa. In fact, these schools exist through their disciples, who
collected their works. During their lifetime, no such dogmatic ideas existed
before. For example, Harun Ar-Rasheed asked Imam Malik to give a positive
conclusion on something. Malik refused. Al-Shafi'i said, "If a different
opinion is more authentic than mine, follow it." Thus, the difference is
really a matter of the degree to which an opinion is more authentic and
related to the truth and justice. Social life is a complex of facts, so different
opinions may have the same worth in relation to the truth. Any approach may
give the same result, as long as that approach is within the main principles
and framework defined by God and applied by His Apostle. So, Jurists gave
their opinion, non of them intended to create a party. Charles: So the
differences mainly center on such issues as whether a prayer has to be done
in this way or that. This makes no difference to the main fundamental
principles of belief or legislation. But one problem that arises is the
application of the Shari’ah to specific crimes where the punishments
are considered too cruel for modern life, such as stoning adulterers, or
lashing fornicators with a hundred stripes, cutting off the thief's hands,
lashing drinkers with eighty stripes, and so on. We are all human beings with
desires and sometimes we cannot resist the temptation and fall into sin. So
why do we have to punish a person for mistakes made out of weakness,
ignorance or temptation? Why don’t
follow Jesus, when he saw some Jews trying to stone adulterer, He asked, any one he did not
commit a sin throw first stone, all of them left the seen. I believe that the true Muslim persevering
in his duties often finds himself perplexed between the Commandments and the
demands of this life. Abbara: God would like to make sure that the life,
property, progeny and honour of everyone are safe from evil-doers. This is
what His Law is designed for. The Divine Law is free from passion and emotion
towards those who overstep the Divine Limits (Hudud) causing harm to others. These limits one based on certain
principles. God created Man and knows what principles are suited to this life
and what punishments can put him right and prevent society from suffering the
consequences of evil-doers. For example the dangers of sexual intercourse
outside marriage are known to everyone: the spread of venereal disease,
illness, illegitimate children, preventing the young from legal marriage and
the committing of other crimes, all of which have the grave consequences on
social life for everybody. The purpose of punishment is to prevent this
suffering. Sometimes, lenient punishment increases
corruption and crimes against society. If we compare the number of crimes
which take place in the West with those in Muslim countries the statistics
testify that crimes in Muslims countries in spite of poverty are far less
than in the west. This evidence is not just related to the application of
Islamic Law, but to the fact that the Muslim is not permitted to overstep the
limits and is taught that if he does, the whole scheme of his life will go
awry and he will receive punishment from God. Whoever rebels against God and
His Apostle and transgresses His Bounds will be admitted to Hell. Such strong
teaching affects the subconscious mind of a person from early childhood and
controls his motivation in the event of his being tempted to violate people's
rights. The Divine Law works through people's own conscience, the Spiritual
Moral Decree as well as by force. While under human law, people can act
without their conscience troubling them. The specific punishments will be
discussed later. Badr: Everyone should have a right to live in dignity
and be provided with the necessities of life, e.g. full board and
accommodation, before cutting off the hand of the thief. The problems of
youth should be solved before applying the Hudud, e.g. financial aids to facilitate marriage for those who
cannot live in celibacy. In other words the standard of life in Muslim
society should be reorganised before demanding the application of the Shari’ah. Dina: The application of the Shari’ah, followed
by the Hudud punishment, is the
only cure for the spread of evil crime. Creating a society without principles
is as invalid as putting the cart before the horse. The teaching of the law
and the principles is the most powerful means for creating good individuals
and a good society. Charles: However, Muslim Law, as displayed in the Qur'an,
clearly follows the trends of its Jewish predecessor in its scope and, in
some cases, its specifics as well. 1.
Abbara: Of
course they have a relationship since they are from the same source; the God
is one for all. But Muslims consider
that the final Revelation is more authentic as it sometimes abrogates some
punishments or makes an evaluation more suitable to modern life. The
Commandments and the obligations and
their relevant actions are categorised into five levels: 2.
Obligatory. Actions for which a person
is rewarded if he does them and punished if he omits them. 3.
Recommended. Actions
which carry a reward, but for which there is no punishment for omission. 4.
Indifferent.
The vast majority of actions, for which God has granted permission for their
performance, but neither reward nor punishment are involved. 5.
Reprehensible.
Actions whose performance brings punishment, but the avoidance of which
brings no reward. 6.
Forbidden.
Actions which are punished and whose avoidance is rewarded. We will refer to these criteria in more detail in
the next section. The ethical system is the twin of the Islamic Law system.
Their principles overlap. The former controls the inward life of the Muslim
and the latter controls society, from the ruler down to the individual. Shari’ah
sustained by Islamic ethical systems: Chapter thirteen
13. The Ethical
System. "Consider
the human soul, and how it is formed in accordance with what it is meant to
be, and how it is imbued with moral failing as well as with consciousness of
God! To a happy state shall indeed attain he who causes this (self) to grow
in purity, and truly lost is he who buries it [in darkness]" (91:7-10) 13.1 The
Basis of Morality. Arguments
about morals go back to the earliest times and the contention will carry on as
human nature. Theologians trace them back to Adam and the prophets who came
after him whose message was to guide man to act morally. Philosophers
researched into the problem of perception with great energy, and tried to
find its purpose. They laid down the norm by which intellectual speculation
was enabled to distinguish between true and false, and built a system of
thinking which they called logic and reasoning. The greatest problem that has
confronted man continuously is the moral problem. All other problems,
religious or spiritual, social, economic, political, etc, are only aspects of
this master-problem. Whatever the situation, man is always faced with the
question of what is right or wrong, good or evil. Morality is the main pillar
of the life of human beings, both as individuals and as nations. God
endowed everyone with a moral sense and judges his actions according to the
Spiritual Moral Decree: that anyone who does well, will have good in return,
and anyone who does bad, will have bad in return. God revealed His 'Eternal
Wisdom', the Ethical System, which provides a standard measurement, or
criterion of ethics. Man may reach the 'ultimate good' in theory by his
intelligence alone, but mostly he fails in practising all the principles of
ethics which are universally agreed. Therefore, God imposes His commands upon
all mankind in order to secure fair dealing and just acts. The
dimensions of Islamic ethics and morality are numerous, far reaching and
comprehensive, and differ from those of all other religions or systems of
morality in two principal respects. In the first place, the scope of Islamic
ethics is much wider, since it regulates man's relationship not only with
himself, his physical and spiritual aspect, and his relation with neighbours,
society, and state and with the whole universe - which is the limit of most
other systems - but also with his God and his own conscience. This kind of
relationship with Him who created everything and determines its nature
enforces in the human being the spiritual discipline which educates and
trains the inner self of man which is the center of the Islamic system. It
frees man from the slavery of the self and others, and purges his soul of the
lust for the material life and instills in him a passion of love for his Lord
- he who loves obeys his lover and cares about his relationship with Him - so
the believer always tries to follow His code of life. Moral
doctrine has always been central to religion. All the religions prescribe
obedience to the Golden Rule, and all set forth precepts about the way men
ought to live. Traditionally
ethics have undertaken to analyse, evolve and develop normative moral
criteria for dealing with moral problems, since ethics are concerned with
what is morally good and bad, right or wrong. Some things have been
universally condemned, like murder and theft. Other moral practices differ
from one society to another. On the other hand, widespread agreement may
reflect the fact that morality is rooted in the human nature, and if human
nature is fundamentally everywhere the same, it will also manifest this
similarity in significant ways, including morality. This is related to the
fact that all humanity is created out of the one living entity, moulded with
knowledge of moral failings; man's ability to rise up or fall down, to act
wrongly is a concomitant to his ability to act rightly, in other words there
is an inherent polarity of tendencies which gives to every 'right' choice a
value and, thus, endows man with moral free will. All
societies have moral rules that prescribe or forbid certain classes of action
and these rules are accompanied by sanctions to ensure their enforcement. It
has been observed, for example, that virtually every scarcity has
well-established norms dealing with such matters as family organization and
individual duties, sexual activity, property, personal welfare, truth telling
and promise keeping, but not all societies have evolved the same norms for
these various aspects of human conducts. However, intuitivism has seemed to
provide an indispensable basis for moral argument. It has been held for
example, that to engage in moral argument with a person is impossible if that
person does not even see the relevance of certain considerations, such as
that the action would cause pain, to the desirability or undesirability of
action, and that there is no independent awareness of moral qualities because
they are always seen as dependent on empirical qualities. The moral qualities
have been said to be consequential on empirical qualities, for example, to
define good as what God commands would still be naturalistic.1 Those who
hold that what God has commanded is the basis of all right action sometimes
also say that obedience to God's Commands yields more good that does
non-obedience. The ultimate reason for obeying God's Commands is the good
consequences of such obedience and more good in the long run. Therefore, the
origin of ethics in Islam is the True Faith, and the main purpose of the
Qur'an is to awaken in man the higher consciousness of his manifold relations
with God, so that moral law without proper and authentic sanctions can have
neither force nor support nor cooperation from anyone; it will remain simply
a theoretical code of morality, without being followed or practiced by any
group of individuals or nations like the moral code of the secularists,
humanists and atheists. The
Islamic ideology provides a motivating force to inspire individuals and
groups to conduct their affairs in public and private in accordance with the
moral code of Islam. The voluntary and willing acceptance of their code of
behaviour is far more effective and stronger than any application of external
force of law and order. Only a command
can answer a question of the form "what shall I do?" For a statement
of fact to guide action, it must in some way be related to the wants,
desires, self satisfaction, or interests of a person. Without these factors,
it is unlikely to have any impact or bearing on his action. But belief in God
reflects a spiritual discipline and if a believer breaks the Law of God, he
will suffer eternal punishment, so his desire and interests are to fulfil His
commands. Islamic
ethical tenets are grounded in religious dogma. The believer listens to the
voice of his conscience, which in turn, depends on God-consciousness, and
follows His guidance; accordingly, faith plays a part in his inner life and
like a compass, always directs him to the Straight Path, and at the same time
controls his motivation and desires. In that sense, men's actions are often a
sign of what they believe, but if their actions diverge from their beliefs,
they are considered hypocrites. Faith is the ground for the belief in God as
the Supreme Being or Creator of the world, the One who revealed a supreme
ethical code of life, suitable for all His Creatures, and One who ought,
therefore, to be obeyed. The code
is concerned as much with ethical standards as with legal rules indicating
not what a person is entitled or bound to do in law, but also what he ought,
in conscience, to do or refrain from doing. No doubt all religions,
philosophers, sociologists, psychologists etc. are trying to present sets of
principles - not a complete code of ethics - which could be generalised for
all societies, but none of the theories are completely applicable to all
kinds of social illness. The original principles of Islam are completely able
to purify the individual's moral character, and the reformation of the
individual is the basis for the reformation of society (as will be explained
later). In that connection the prophet said, "I was sent in order to
complete the virtues of character"2
It is better to follow what God has laid down and apply it carefully
with God-Consciousness than to follow the mere theories of man. 13.7. Discussion. {Between Abbara and Dina expressing the Islamic view whilst Badr and Charles the opposite side of the argument} 13.7.1. Islamic Ethics. "Follow what has been sent down unto you by
your Sustainer, and follow no masters other than Him." (7:2) Abbara: Islamic
Ethics deals with the principles of good and evil. People are generally
agreed that Islam supports the welfare of the individual as well as of the
community. The virtues of the Qur’an teach are more precise then the general
virtues that philosophers who inspired by God, have defined through the ages
and called people to follow. Each philosopher sees only one side of the
Truth; none of them has seen the whole Truth as Islam does. Islam lays down
the ethical standards of conduct within a fivefold scheme. This constitutes a
scale ranging from obligatory and imperative through commendable and
permissible to abhorrent and reprehensible; to harm is categorically
forbidden. Each deed has its own rating in comparison with others. When a
conflict of duties arises, the one which weighs more than the other, for the
time being, has priority over the other and should be acted upon. The
believer has to know, or ascertain, the rating of an act he is about to
engage in. If he is ignorant of the legal rating of an act, he should consult
a Muslim scholar. Because Islamic morality is comprehensive, it includes all
theories of ethics in a balanced way rather than stressing one aspect of it,
and thus leaves other ethical systems far behind in the application of
ethical principles to life. Charles: Muslim literature on ethics covers an exceedingly
wide field. The general moral character of the pre-Islamic Arabs, the
outstanding ethical teaching of the Qur'an itself, the portrayal of the
Prophet as an example for the personal conduct of his followers, the
theological efforts to limit the doctrine of determinism so as to provide for
moral responsibility, the wholesome influence of Greek thought on the Muslim
world, the ready acceptance of the attempted Neo-Platonic reconciliation
between religion and philosophy, the Stoics' illuminating conception of a
universal law of nature, the valuable contributions that were made by
Christian ascetics and mystics, and the individual struggles of the Muslim
mystics, or Sufis, to master the inner life of man in relation to the Will of
his Creator; all these subjects belong to the ethics of Islam.21 Abbara: This statement covers so many aspects that are
foreign to Islamic ethics that it needs to be answered point by point. 1. This statement includes the sort of paradox which
most Western writers fall into owing to misjudgment and lack of knowledge. An
intelligent understanding is needed to distinguish between these two terms:
"Muslim philosophers of ethics and Islamic ethics". There is an
important difference: "That is the right Religion; but most men know
not" (12:40). 2. Regarding
"the general moral character of the pre-Islamic Arabs", God created
man and endowed him with the ability to live a moral life; of this there is
evidence in every society. People balance their life between right and wrong;
they do wrong and admit that it is wrong. Therefore, not every aspect of the
Arabs life was completely wrong. It was not that they had no morals at all,
but their values were different from Islamic values, which are unique in
their aims. Islam teaches that the life of this world is not an end in
itself, but a means to a superior end. Thus, when Islam was revealed and its
aim was seen to be the creation of a
moral and spiritual type of man that was new to them, most of them fought
against it. But whose who embraced it were elevated to a higher moral
standard than was ever seen before or afterwards. I should like to add that
Islam spread not by the sword of the Arabs as it might seem, but by its ethical
system, which made the new Muslims - who were not Arabs - carry on its
Message. The ethical system was originated by God and translated into action
by His Prophet. 3."The outstanding ethical teaching of the
Qur'an itself" was originated by God in clear-cut principles which had
no relation to any others as stated: "The Truth has come and falsehood
has vanished away; surely falsehood is ever certain to vanish." (17:81).
It is the 'standard' (furqan)
between Truth and error in everything which concerns life in both its stages
(present and future life). Its criteria are different from all other types of
philosophy or man-made religion. We have tried above to define its ethical
system without reference to its principles - which there is no place to
discuss here - and how each act has its own rating with reference to others
within the equilibrium of total life. 4. "The portrayal of the Prophet as an example
for the personal conduct of his followers". As we mentioned above, the
Qur'an constitutes the ethics, and the Sunnah
shows mankind how the ethical system revealed by God can yield its fruit
if man puts it into action. 5. "The theological efforts to limit the
doctrine of determinism..." As we said above, as long as a man believes
in God he is one of His Trustees. When man accepted the Trust of God, he
committed himself to making efforts to carry out his responsibility towards
both himself and others. "There should be neither harming nor
reciprocating harm." 6. "The wholesome influence of Greek thought on
the Muslim world". Greek philosophy had two rival views: idealistic
ethics, as advanced by Plato, and naturalistic ethics, as advanced by
Aristotle. Both views found their way into Muslim thought - not Islamic - in
the second century of the Islamic revival. When Islam was born, it had no
connection with Greek philosophy, nor was fostered by it. Both views can be
related to Islam, provided that the ideal moral law is seen as the revealed
one determined by God. There is a general misunderstanding that there is an
'Islamic philosophy' which emerged from its theological background in the 9th
century. In fact, there is no Islamic philosophy; the philosophy of various
Muslim philosophers may relate to Islam or not; in either case, they do not
affect Islam, since validity of Islamic wisdom (not Islamic philosophy)
sprang up from the Qur'an and Sunnah and from nowhere else. Islam
stands on its own feet, not on the philosophy of the Muslims or the Greeks.
Hence, Greek philosophy had no effect on Islamic wisdom, either as its predecessor
or afterwards. Greek philosophy was rejected not only by Islam but by Western
philosophers and replaced by a new school of thought, as the perennial
philosophy renews itself from century to century. 7. "The contributions that were made by Christian
ascetics and mystics." Islam, unlike Christianity, has no church to
influence the religion. Therefore the writer could say that Muslims - not
Islam - may be affected by Christian ascetics and mystics. Islam itself was
practiced by Christians when the Qur'an was revealed: "And We sent after them (the Apostles)
Jesus, son of Mary, and gave unto him the Gospel. And in the hearts of those
who [truly] followed him We engendered compassion and mercy. But as for
monastic asceticism - We did not enjoin it upon them: they invented it
themselves out of a desire for God's goodly acceptance. But then, they did
not [always] observe it as it ought to have been observed" (57:27). 8. And that
led to "the individual struggles of Muslim mystics, or Sufis..."
The conception of ethical good in Islam is not exclusively this-worldly or
other-worldly, but keeps a balance between them. A Muslim tradition says,
"A Muslim should work for this life as though he will live for ever and
for the next life as though he will die tomorrow." So both asceticism
and extravagance in this life are condemned. The one attempt is to subjugate
the body; the other aims at attaining the maximum pleasure for the body. The
concept of monastic life, with its exaggerated asceticism, often amounts to a
denial of any value in the life of this world. In ascetic morality, there is
abstention from the beautiful things of this life, e.g., food, coition, etc.,
while the pleasure-lover goes to the opposite extreme and denies any value to
the spiritual life. Islam attempts to keep an equitable balance between these
extremes and is realistic in its appreciation of man's nature. It gives the
body its needs, fulfils the desires of the soul in a legitimate manner, and
fulfils the requirements of the spirit. For example, the prayer is the very
source of spiritual nourishment and morality, for it regulates both the
spirit and the soul within the equilibrium of the body. This balance is
unique to Islam; no other religion or ideology could serve mankind in all affairs
- spiritual and secular - on the same basis. 9. "All these subjects belong to the ethics of
Islam". In fact, only two out of the eight belong to Islamic ethics, as
stated in the Qur'an and practised by the Prophet. This general
misinterpretation is common to non-Muslims and uneducated Muslims. This leads
us to the final point: 10. Most
people make no distinction between the way the Muslims live socially and the
way of Islam. Already we have pointed out the Islamic principles with their
pillars and systems and what a gap there is between them and the Muslims'
application of them. It is hard to find a significant relationship between
them and normal Muslim life today. In spite of this, non-Muslims have picked
up some customs of the Muslims and given them an Islamic title, such as,
"the way of Muslim mystics," or "sufism," and have copied
the celebration of weddings, the manner of dress or the daily way of life.
Furthermore, academics and some Orientalists read some popular Muslim writer
and unknowingly choose an opinion which is, in fact, invalid, and put it
forward as an Islamic principle. For example, we have given some quotations
from the Encyclopaedia Britannica under the titles: "Islam,
History of." "Islamic Mysticism", "Islamic Myth and
legend", "Islamic people, Arts of", "Islamic theology and
philosophy", "Islamic Arts", etc. In fact, most of the
contents of these subjects are not related to Islam but to the Muslims, or
those who claim that they are related to it!
They are confused between the Will of God and the will of the people
and do an injustice to God's Message, that is, Islam. Badr:
Could I ask you a private question: do you yourself apply Islamic morality to
your life? Charles: In Islam man is and agent of God or His
vicegerents. From her that we see the roots of Islamic ethics, God ordains,
humankind is to implement His will. Human responsibility and mission are of
cosmic proportion, and people will be judge on the cosmic consequences of
their acts. As God’s representative, the measure of human actions, and indeed
life, is the extent to which the Muslim contribute to the realization of
God’s will on earth. This
responsibility lies squarely on each individual’s shoulders. Page 26-7
Esposito Dina: God has willed to
show mankind, not only Muslims, the
right way by means of the positive instincts which He has implanted in
everyone, as will through the revelations; The Qur’an question such narrow
judgement “Whither, then will you go? This is no less than a reminder to all
mankind, to every one of you who will to walk straight way”(81:26-28) The right way not only for Muslim, it is
open to everyone who willing to avail himself to the universal morality or
ethics. Of course every one bears his own responsibility about his action
this is the only way of salvation, rather on shoulder of others. Abbara: Well, the will of God depends on my
will. If I commit myself to general Islamic morality and I admit I far behind
true righteousness. Morality is not necessarily put into practice just
because one has knowledge without will. It normally develops from early
childhood from having a subconscious programme in the right principles, so
that there is no conflict between the will in the conscious and the
unconscious. There are psychological features to moral weakness, as when a
person smokes cigarettes while believing it is wrong and has no will to stop
it. Badr: Then, why do religious people mostly fail to act
by the moral behaviour they require others to act by? Another question, why
do the children of religious people mostly fail to behave morally? Dina: It is
difficult to control man from outside by authoritative commandments. It is
better that he is controlled by the inner self, spiritual and moral
development, which is what Islam aims for. Faith should be preceded by
knowledge and followed by appreciation of the commitment to one's
responsibilities under God-consciousness. Therefore a person is not qualified
to be called religious if there is conflict between what he says and what he
does and naturally the children watch their parents and are subconsciously
programmed positively or negatively. So our early environment and education
is a matter of real import as it sets up good or bad habits in us. 13.7.2.Islamic Ethics and General Ethics. "But
they reject (the warning) being always wont to follow their own desires. But
everything reveals its reality in the end. And withal, there has come unto
them many a tiding that should have restrained (their arrogance):
far-reaching wisdom (was held out to them): but all warnings have been of no
avail." (54:3-5) Charles: So here we might discuss and compare the
philosophical moral code with the Islamic one. For instance, the idealist
view considers that moral behaviour is that which is in accord with ideal moral
law, while the naturalistic view considers it as a strategy for optimising
human welfare. What does Islam say? Abbara: Islam
considers that the ideal moral law is the one revealed by God, Whose purpose is
the optimum welfare of the individual, as well as of societies. It demands
that the Muslim not only follow it, but also hold back his natural desires
and elevate his emotions to love, sympathy, altruism, gentleness and right
feeling in order to perfect the
fulfilling of his duties to God and His Creation. Hence Islam not only
lays down the ideal moral law but requires people to act upon it, instead of
merely having philosophical views and theories without action. Islam has been
put into practice, but the philosophy is bound to theory without practice, or
has only been partly applied. Charles: The rationalists hold that genuine knowledge is
acquired by reason, but Islamic knowledge is acquired by means of Revelation,
and doing one's duty to Allah, rather then using human reason and experience.
This is manifested by the conduct of the Muslims, which is not always related
to universal moral law, because they naturally feel conflict between their
reason and the Authority of Revelation from Allah. Abbara: God did not
neglect man's reason. It was He Who endowed man with reason. In particular, a
few people in every nation are granted more so that they can guide others to
the Truth, as God stated: "And, among those whom We created, there are
people who guide others in the way of the Truth and act justly in its
Light" (7:181). By the functions God has endowed him with; man is
capable of discovering what is good and what is bad. Besides that, He sent
His Prophets with Revelation, and Revelation corroborates the findings of
reason. Man would be, therefore, under a moral obligation to do the right
things, even if there had been no Prophets and no Divine Revelation.
Revelation aims to aid man in choosing the right things for his worldly
affairs and his spiritual affairs, but in
the conflict between good and bad, man often fails and makes the wrong
choice, even against his rational judgement. On the other hand, Revelation
informs man of the right way to follow for his salvation in this life and the
next life. Thus, there is no conflict between reason and Revelation, but the
latter is the higher. When the results of reasoning agree with Revelation,
they are considered authentic; otherwise, they are simply the low product of
reasoning. Dina: The other
side of the argument is that the Revelation has been bestowed from on high
and it is not necessary that everyone should know the reason behind its
rules, just as with traffic signs. it is not necessary that everyone should
know why a particular sign is put in a specific place, but only to believe
that it is placed there for the general safety of the public. However God's
rules are laid down, the Qur'an appeals to reason on many occasions as when
it says,," O you possessors of mind..." or "Do you not use
your reason?" or "But most men do not understand", or "He
makes clear His Signs for men of Understanding". It is significant that
many times in the Qur'an a caution is given that a rule of action should be
implied "in reason". Also the Prophet was inspired by God to give
full details in the Sunnah as to how to apply the Revelation and reap
the result of its Wisdom. Moral
principles have many reasons behind them, which may differ from one time to
another. Islam provides Muslims with the principles and exhorts them to use
their reason and act with caution, but if they fail to uphold the Rules, they
will find that they have created a society devoted to self-interest rather
than to Islamic ethics. Charles: The
Utilitarian state that we all ought to act rightly to promote the greatest
happiness for ourselves and others. I think this is the ultimate good. But,
in Islam, the ultimate good is not for everyone. There is a variation in
applying the rules for social purposes such as punishments. Abbara: Perhaps the
Utilitarian are right to some extent, in theory, but the weakness becomes
visible when a conflict arises between self-interest and the interests of
others, between private and public concerns, in particular when the theory is
put into practice. Islam holds that it is the Will of God which brings the
ultimate happiness to all His Creatures, according to justice, i.e., one who
harms society should suffer the consequences of his action. The criterion of
virtue placed upon every Muslim is that he has to make sacrifices for the
sake of others. Hence
Islam also stresses the importance of altruism and putting the interests of
others first to earn God's Pleasure, no matter how much one abases or
sacrifices one's own happiness. Therefore a relationship does exist between
Islam and Utilitarianism, but the aim of happiness is carried out more
efficiently by Islam. Charles: With regard to perfection, the philosophical
approach states that the virtues leading to happiness or perfection are
pleasant and therefore self-enforcing, while those leading to imperfection
are repugnant to human nature, and that, therefore the ethical law does not
stand in need of any external authority. This concept is better than the
theological concept, which derives morality from a Divine and Supremely
Perfect Will. Abbara: Islam has the unique system for human perfection
and is different from all other religions, whose principles are, like the
philosophic principles of perfection, without specific definition. People are
not all perfect and cannot act perfectly - they have to develop from one
stage of moral awareness to a higher one and that is what Islam aims at.
Philosophical theories can be applied to, and motivate, only philosophers and
mindful people, but most people's minds are weak. Everyone has a heart and
needs resources to satisfy it. Everyone has a different level of moral
judgement and needs continuous reinforcement and reminders to enjoin justice
and to do perfect actions. What Islam is concerned with is to build up such
characteristics, to implant faith in man's heart, and conscious intention in
his mind, and to develop God-consciousness, not only to advance the believer
towards perfection, but also to make him instrumental in helping others to
advance. Dina: Hence, a relationship exist between Islam and one
side of philosophy, but philosophies have no means of supporting man in his
journey towards perfection; they are theories without practice, while Islam
provides the foundations for building a perfect man, by trusting him with
responsibility and expecting him to fulfil it. Badr: Well, in
regard to "duty for the sake of duty," is not Kant's formulation of
the categorical imperative - duty - seen to have a relationship with Islamic
injunctions? Dina: But in Islam, duty is not only done on the basis
of reasoning. Sometimes we do our duty for no reason. Faith in God's Commands
is put first, i.e., man's destiny, man's nature and the purpose of this life
turn the believer more and more towards doing his duty to others for the sake
of God alone. A believer desires no recompense from others, nor thanks,
hoping that all his good actions will bring him closer to God, and this hope
acts as an umbrella for other duties and is more effective than trying to do
one's duty for the sake of duty, as the philosophers believe. The Pillars of
Perfection depend on true faith, supported by trust, reflected by commitment
and fulfilled by responsibility under God-Consciousness. Hence, the
relationship is there but Islam not only includes the philosophical approach,
but also motivates the people to put it into practice as a compulsory duty,
as it demands effort and sacrifice. It starts from a duty towards oneself and
extends to parents, spouse, children, relatives, countrymen and
internationally. Charles:
According to the theory of the "natural disposition," man's basic
instincts are naturally good and so there is no inherent conflict between
morality and human nature. Morality is the object of feeling, not of reason.
When you pronounce any action or character to be vicious, you mean nothing
but that from the constitution of your nature, you have a feeling or
sentiment of blame from contemplation of it. If we rely on the original
virtue within our self, there is no need for rules to be imposed from
outside. Abbara: Man is naturally good, but unfortunately,
this natural disposition is spoiled by the environment. Men came to love the
ornaments of this life and are influenced by society, the demands of desire
and invisible beings. Therefore, man needs above all, a controller to
safeguard his primordial norm and motives: a pure motive is usually upheld by
self-interest. "I want to, but I ought not to". In Islam, the
believer is expected to obey the injunctions of God prescribed in the Qur'an,
even against his natural inclinations, personal interests and selfish
desires, for the sake of others; "I ought to, but I do not want
to". So Islam has the effect on individual inclinations and desires of
promoting them and directing them into the right paths; it keeps a person in
constant touch with God, Who will help and inspire him to go in the right
direction. It is in
man's best interests to follow the Truth and avoid those selfish motives
which can corrupt him. Islam makes it clear that there is no more appropriate
motive than to be pious and devote oneself to perfect acts through God's
injunctions. The philosophical approach relies on intuition, and the emotions
involved do not get a correct motivation, according to Islam, which tries
always to elevate sentiment to higher standards, and to instill correct
motivation. It also purifies the heart from ostentation and hypocrisy and
enables one to act freely from a pure heart. Badr: It appears
that there is a relationship between the philosophical aspect, "inborn
respect for moral law and the natural disposition", and the
"primordial norm", fitrah the
intuitive ability to distinguish between right and wrong. Dina: As regards inborn respect for moral law, Islam
goes further in this respect by three degrees. Firstly,
the believer, besides his natural disposition, has inspiration and moral
guidance, which lights his way according to his spiritual development; the
non-believer is left in darkness and receives no God-Guidance. The spirit of
the believer mediates between his 'self' and God, and gets a response from
Him by way of inspiration to right conduct. The quality of his spirit is the
essential part of his intelligence and when it is pure, it will reflect a
just moral judgement. This makes him superior to others. Secondly, God
the Just appointed a Spiritual Moral Decree to control the relationships
between his creatures and to keep the balance between them. Believers are
more conscious of this fact than are others, so they are more cautious about
their moral actions, and Thirdly,
God provides mankind with a comprehensive system of ethics; which covers the
moral, social, legal, and religious aspects of life all combined under the
principles of justice. Charles: With regard to reward and punishment, almost all
philosophies, religious and non-religious, are agreed that punishment ought
to be sufficient to prevent crime, and there is no difference here between
primitive people and civilised ones except in the type of punishment they
use. But I think that in Islam, more emphasis is placed on reward and
punishment in this world and in the Hereafter. Besides that, the legal
punishments are very hard for those who have broken not only the man-made law
but the moral law as well. So here morality is imposed upon man rather than
letting him practise it freely as part of his natural disposition! Dina: In Islam,
the value of all human acts is made dependent on the inner will of the agent.
He can apply himself to the direction planned for him by God, either by the
faculty He endowed in him to distinguish between right and wrong, his moral
sense of the Spiritual Moral Decree, what was revealed through his Prophets;
or what he learns from public opinion. With this help, if a man deliberately
uses his will to oppose God's Will, he leaves the right direction which is
implicit by nature or has been made explicit by His Revelation; he will break
the Law or exceed the limits and so he deserve God's Retribution,
spiritually, psychologically or physically, in this world or in the next.
Punishment prescribed by the government has its own effect if the criminal is
caught. By comparison, the believer lives under God's supervision both in
private and in public. Abbara: Moral philosophy exists only in theory, while in
Islam; the whole matter is approached in a practical way. Therefore Islamic
principles function to close the gap between theory and practice, to promote
human life to a higher stage of moral development and to help believers to a
higher stage of spiritual development to be ready for their place in heaven. Chapter
fourteen
THE ECONOMIC SYSTEM. 14. Principles of Islamic Economics. "And (in
all your dealings) give full measure and weight, with equity: (however) We do
not burden any human being with more than he is well able to bear; and when you
voice an opinion, be just, even though it be (against) one near of kin. And
(always) observe your bond with God: this has He enjoined upon you, so that
you might keep it in mind." (6:152).
Introduction We said ethics
maintained by economic, but in fact, Economics sustained by ethics. There are
identity twins; the economics is the body; and the ethics its spirit. Rich
without moral has no spirit; poor maintenance has no body for moral life. No
one has ever succeeded in neatly defining the scope of economics in general.
Economists used to say, with Alfred Marshall, the great English economist,
that economics is a study of mankind in the ordinary business of life; it
examines that part of individual and social action which is most closely
connected with attainment and with the use of the material requisites of well
being - ignoring the fact that sociologists, psychologists and
anthropologists frequently study exactly the same phenomena.1 An economic system may be defined as the sum
total of institutions and patterns of behaviour that organize economic
activity in society. Islam provides principles and a framework within which
the economic system can function in private and in public. Islam
regulates and directs the life of Muslims in all affairs; its principles
control all business dealing, ensuring fairness and absolute honesty between
the individual and the society for the public interest under God's
supervision. It secures human welfare in general and guarantees the financial
security of Muslims. It seeks to guide man in the light of the Divine
injunctions and to orientate man's economic attitudes towards Islamic ends
and ideals. The
Prophet, in his last sermon, underlined the main principles of business
dealings, when he stated "O people! Just as you regard this day, this
month, this city as a sacred trust. Return the goods entrusted to you to
their rightful owners, Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you. Remember that
you will indeed meet your Lord, and that He will indeed reckon your deeds.
God has forbidden you to take usury (interest), therefore, all interest
obligation shall henceforth be waived"2. All this implies that Islam
considers all business dealings should be conducted in a spirit of fairness
and justice, with the consent of God. The above hadith contains the
fundamental principles of the Islamic economic system, whose functions, in
the context of the Qur'an and the Sunnah, are categorised in three
dimensions: 1) Production
and its resources. 2) Distribution
and its channels, within consumption and the consumers, and 3) Development
and its pillars. The main purpose of Islamic commercial
legislation is to secure the rights of the individual and maintain social
cohesion by enforcing God’s Law and introducing high morality into the
business world. The Qur’an summaries the principles of trade and commerce:
"O believers! Squander not your wealth among yourselves in vanity except
it be a trade by mutual consent". (4:29) This verse
provides the basis for a set of values in economics, which touches upon every
aspect of social relations. There is nothing in Islam to prevent the Muslim
from striving to gain wealth by lawful and decent means, but this wealth
should be saved or used only in lawful ways. Islam provides the framework of
what is right and what is wrong in the way of earning and spending. Wealth
must be acquired through means which are legitimate and totally beyond
suspicion, and not by trading in any goods used for committing sin. In the
Qur'an God, goes so far as to associate the acquisition of wealth with
praying and God-Consciousness. A Muslim should of course avoid all kinds of
fraud, and actively apply the rules of business codified in Islamic law.
These two elements hold him from going astray and falling into serious lapses
where his earnings would become unlawful. God emphasises the important of
prayer before a Muslim engages in worldly pursuits. He links
God-consciousness with the business: "And when prayer, salah is
ended, then disperses in the land and seeks of God's Bounty, and remembers
God much, that you may be successful" (62:10). The three
factors of production are, first, labour; secondly, land, and, third, the
Bounty of God in its broadest possible sense -this includes capital, skills,
education, land, and all stock or raw materials. "Remembering God
much," means to be conscious of God's Presence while business be
present. Having "God-Consciousness," implies living a morally
responsible life in accordance with the norms of Islam, earning money only by
right methods, in a legitimate way. It also implies obtaining something of
God's Bounty by encouraging ownership. God commands "Fill the measure -
when you measure - and weigh with a right balance ". (17:35) The command
is not only to give just measure and weight but also not to withhold from the
people the things that are their due in every dealing or transaction. This
injunction applies not merely to commercial or business dealing but to all
relations between people. Because the task of Islamic economics lies in
building bridges between "is and ought" in relation to the
individual earning and expending on himself and on those for whom he is
responsible, as well as the needy, by means of the poor due and charity.
Hence, the importance of the principles of Islam is that they not only change
the values and habits of people, but also provide the necessary legislative
framework to support and sustain these ideals and prevent their misuse, by
defining moral attitudes and behaviour patterns for economic agents. The
Prophet teaches, "May God's Mercy be on him who is lenient in his
buying, his selling and in demanding back his money ".3 This teaching creates a harmony between the
materials and morals by urging Muslims to strive for material gain on a moral
foundation, thus providing a spiritual orientation to material efforts. The Qur'an
says, "Seek the abode of the Hereafter in that which God hath given thee
and neglect not thy portion of the present world; and do good, as God has
been good to thee." (28:77) Wealth is not an end in itself but is a
means to the good of this life and the next. Wealth belongs to God and should
be circulated between His creatures according to the principles He revealed. Islam
stands for absolute justice and fairness in the social order. It seeks to
create a strong moral sense that puts justice before fulfillment of materials
needs. It accepts no tyranny, oppression, injustice or exploitation. God
warns defrauders against the punishment which will befall them on the Day of
Judgement. He says: "Woe unto those who give short measure, those who,
when they are to receive their due from other people, demand that it to be
given in full, but, when they have to measure or weigh whatever they own to
others, give less than what is due. Do they not know that they are bound to
be raised from the dead?" (83:1-4) These
verses determine the principles governing all forms of commercial dealings
between individuals, societies and nations. They are especially addressed to
those who obtain by force what they have no right to demand but who, when it
is their turn to control the economy for others, exercise their power by
giving them less than their due. They apply to every aspect of social
relations. If these
commands are not responded to freely then state regulations may be applied to
ensure the fulfilment of basic needs, to assure the welfare of the society in
general and to guarantee social security as well. The
Islamic economic system is based on social justice, equity, moderation and balanced
relationships. It forbids all forms of exploitation and honours labour,
encouraging man to earn his living by honest means, and to spend his earnings
in a rational way.4 Any economic system
may be examined on the following levels: 1. Production. Maintained by avoidance interest;: 1. Avoidance interest maintained by substitute of the
interest; these are: i) Competition ii) Partnership, iii) profitable iv)
Co-Farming. v) Shares. Supported by vi) Free-loan. And vii) By mortgage
partnership. Production sustained by distribution and consumption. 2.Distribution sustained by paying i. the poor-Due and by: ii. zakat al-fitr, compulsory charity iii.
Expiation. iv. Family support v. Charity vi. Inheritance. Vii. Insurance.
Viii. Endowment. Distribution sustained
by 3. Consumption maintained by: 4. Economical Development. 14.5. Discussion. {Between Abbara and Dina expressing the Islamic view whilst Badr and Charles the opposite side of the argument} 14.5.1. Islamic Economics. "Is
it they who would distribute thy Sustainer's Grace? (Nay), it is We who
distribute their means of livelihood among them in the life of this world,
and raise some of them by degrees above others, to the end that they might
avail themselves of one another's help But thy Sustainer's Grace is better
than all that they amass"
(43:32). Abbara: Islamic economic systems take a middle way in
economic theories. They depend on the just dealing of one with another and
involve using an honest way for the accumulation of wealth as a means and not
as an end in itself. Wealth is acquired for the good of oneself and others.
It is a two edged sword: when used well, it has a good effect on this life;
when used badly, it causes great harm, and may be used as a source of corruption
in the hand of the individual as well as of the nation. Therefore, Islam
emphasises both the moral and the material aspects of life and erects the
edifice of economic well-being on the foundation of moral values. The values
in other systems are unjust accumulation, unfair distribution and
unidentifiable consumption; the faster the growth to the peak the faster it
falls to the other side of the curve, leading to the corruption of the
nation. History is full of lessons which teach this but man never realises
this. Charles: From the above description of the theory of
economics in Islam, it seems to me there is no economic system which could
bear this responsibility for the development and growth of a society, and no
Muslim society to apply such a system. No doubt all economic systems point
out the necessity for honest dealing. What Islam stresses in common with
other religions, is that wealth should be acquired by just means and spent
for the good of society. I believe
that in the matter of economic systems as in political and legal systems,
most modern Muslim states have followed the West or the East in their systems
of administration. If their system were clear cut, there would be no need to
import other systems, as some Muslims point out. It is natural that some
people will always be dissatisfied with the policy which exists in a society.
However, the Qur'an and the Shari'ah do
address themselves to economic questions of ownership, taxation, banking,
distribution of wealth and so on. Abbara: I must remind
you that the Qur'an is not a book of economic policy but has left it to each
Muslim society according to the life development, to define the economic
planning for their own development according to their resources. It merely
underlines the main principles which should be observed in economic life, and
which are intended to create a harmony between man's spiritual life and
material welfare by applying moral standards. As we pointed out previously,
the ethical system depends on the economic system; but, in fact, the economic
system, in turn, depends on the ethical system. In other words, the two
systems are analogous to the two legs of a man - without their balance he
cannot walk straight. Thus, "Islamic economy is inextricably bound up
with Islamic ethics, which combine the idealism of man's spiritual ascent
with a deep concern for his worldly attachment. It is with Islamic ethics
that economic preferences have to be determined, giving equal importance to
the legitimacy of the policy goal and of the policy instruments."29 I have to
admit that I am not a specialist in economic fields and cannot go into the
matter of economic planning for each Muslim society, which may be economic,
agricultural, commercial, geological, geographical or industrial. According to
my understanding, I have tried to point out the Islamic principles which
safeguard the three dimensions of the economic system: production,
consumption; distribution and development. We can say that Islam sets up the
framework within which Muslim societies should work together. Justice, equity
and equality are the main fundamental principles of human conduct, whatever a
society's aims. The objective of the Qur'an is to achieve an increase in
national income and the distribution of this income to promote the welfare of
the individual and society. It gives the example of when the Prophet Joseph
was put in charge of the economy: "The King said to Joseph, 'this day
thou shalt be of high standing with us, invested with all trust!'"
(Joseph) replied: 'Place in my charge the store-house of the land; behold, I
shall be a good and knowing keeper'" (12:54-55). He made this request to
ensure that the economic policy of the society should balanced as between the
seven years of good production and the seven years of scarcity that had been
prophesied (12:46-49). This indicates that knowledge of economic planning is
a trust which reflects man's responsibility and accountability to God rather
than to his earthly superiors. In this regard, God reveals to man economic
principles and he uses his planning ability to maintain equilibrium. In the
same way, Islam teaches people who are charged with the economic welfare of
society to work according to the code of Islamic ethics and this depends on
their having a sense of God-Consciousness so that they can fulfil His
Commands. If there
are Muslims states who have adopted un-Islamic systems, this does not mean
that Islam did not provide distinctive ways of organising economic activity
so as to safeguard the welfare of both the individual and the society. It is
simply that Muslim societies have failed to apply these Islamic economic
ideals. Badr: But Muslim societies live in class-divisions.
There are those who are very rich and those who are very poor. The barrier
between them is very high; there is no brotherhood as Islam teaches. I have
no idea how a person used to being very poor in a short time can become very
rich! What kind of system do they follow in achieving the caste system, while
the society is getting poorer. Dina: We are discussing the Islamic economic system,
which is considered to be a remedy for removing the inequality of opportunity
created by an unjust accumulation and unfair distribution of wealth, not by
illegitimate acquisition of wealth, illegal transactions, monopolies, graft,
infringements on the rights of others, extravagant consumption and
squandering. Islam desires to mould
the economic life of society in such a manner that neither millionaires nor
paupers should come into existence. One principle laid down in the Qur'an is
that economic life should be so organised that wealth does not circulate only
among the rich.(59:7) The wealth of the rich is illegal if there is one poor
person in the society who cannot find food. In fact wealth, according to
Islam, belongs to God; all Muslims and non-Muslims in an Islamic state have a
right in it. Man is a trustee; if he betrays his trust, e.g., by not paying
the zakah, the poor-due may be taken from him by force. Charles: However the text does not refer to the income of the
state and its expenditure. Islam concentrates on private wealth, the way of
acquiring it and how to spend it or distribute it. Abbara: There are many ways for public sectors to be run.
E.g., those who collect the zakah may
have a portion of it; income tax; taxation; the government planning a role in
collecting tax based on services provided; governmental regulation of
production etc. 'Umar, the second Caliph, refused the possession of
beneficent trusts, mines and underground resources petroleum, metal, mineral,
manufacture, to all, considering them the right of the public sector. Charles:
What is the state to do for the individual who is not able to provide for
himself the bare necessities of life on which to survive? Dina: Of course, it is the responsibility of the state
to motivate any person capable of working, to win by his own efforts all that
is necessary to his life and if there is no work available, it should create jobs even it they are
non-productive, although the aim is productiveness if possible. 14.5.2 Interest (Riba). "And
what you give in usury, that it may increase upon the people's wealth,
increases not with God; but what you give in poor-due, desiring God's Face,
those- they receive recompense manifold." (30:39). Abbara: The concept
of riba denotes addition to or an increase of a thing over and above
its original size or amount: In the terminology of the Qur'an it signifies
any addition by way of interest, above the sum lent, and this includes both
usury and interest as well as profits obtained through any kind of
interest-bearing loans, irrespective of the rate of interest and the economic
motivation involved. Charles: Today interest is needed in banking and industrial
finance. No one can run a business without support from a bank. In economics,
the main productive asset is credit from the bank. The concept of capital has
been so closely bound to the concept of interest that they should be
considered together, even though in the modern view it is capital and income
rather than capital and interest that are the related concepts. The whole
world of business relies on the financial support of the bank. Therefore
Muslim countries are lagging behind others, particularly in
industrialisation, because Islam does not encourage borrowing from the bank
for the growth of the economy and invention. Dina: Interest is the price paid for the use of credit
or money. In other words, it is income received as a result of the ownership of
a bond. 'Usury' is exploitation of the ignorant poor by moneylenders. The
third form of income is profit usually
derived from the ownership of aggregate or assets of all kinds
organised in an enterprise. In modern
life, the focus on the moral justification of interest shifted away from the
ethical justification toward the problem of mechanical equilibrium, and the
rate of interest simply followed the rate of profit. Economists seemed to
lose interest in the equilibrium theory, and their main concern was with the
effect of rates of interest as a part of monetary policy in the control of
inflation. Hence, the problem of the ethics of interest is still unresolved
after many centuries of discussion.30 In
fact, interest holds up production, because people do not borrow unless they
are sure that they can earn something more than the cost of the loan by
investing the proceeds in the enterprise or aggregates of real capital, with
intention to exploit others and misuse the honest way of production. Abbara: The Qur'an gives an example of how the person who
indulges in interest loses control of his judgement: "Those who gorge
themselves on usury behave but as he might behave whom Satan has confounded
with his touch; for they say, 'Buying and selling is but a kind of usury'-
the while God has made buying and selling lawful and usury unlawful"
(2:275). God categorically prohibits usury. The Qur'an puts forward the
philosophical conception that 'interest is like trade', and then makes the
statement that 'no, the two are radically different': implying that trade
increases wealth, while the other is the source of economic exploitation; its
tendencies are not productive but destructive. Charles: In regard to usury, the Qura’nic text appears to
be directed against the Jews rather against the Makkans (4:161). The Jews are
accused of having taken usury although this had been forbidden. The Jews had
refused to give contributions in response to Muhammad's appeal, but had said
that they were willing to lend money at interest, as pointed out in 3:130.31 Dina: What a weak
bit of propaganda. The Qur'an teaches the believers that usury was also
forbidden in the Old Testament but that in spite of that, they (the Jews)
used to take it: "...taking usury although it had been forbidden to
them, and their wrongful devouring of other people's possessions."
(4:161) The other statement is directed to the believers and has no reference
to Jews at all: "O you who have attained to faith! Do not gorge
yourselves on usury, doubling and re-doubling it, but remain conscious of
God, that so you may attain to a happy state" (3:130). It only stresses
the prohibition of usury for the believers and not for others. Badr: Some Muslim scholars make a difference between
usury, which is taken from poor people, and interest, which is taken from or
by the bank on profit. They say "It was permissible to charge interest
in the cause of trade and that interest is forbidden only where one's debtor
is a poor man". The late Mahmod Shaltout (1892-1963), the Rector of al-Azhar,
says some scholars consider the profit on a deposit in the Post Office to be
prohibited, because it is a usurious interest on the deposited money. I think
this type of profit is legal without the least prohibition being necessary;
because that deposit is not a loan from its owner to the Post Office. He
offered it knowing that the Post Office would do business with it and give
him part of the profit not as interest.32 Abbara: Admittedly, Muslim scholars have not yet been able
to reach absolute agreement on the definition of riba, I believe,
because of the absence of an Islamic state which links all principles so that
they function in one direction within the Straight Path. Man is bound to use
interest when he is faced with difficulties and the existing system does not
satisfy his needs in a lawful way. He must exercise his judgement to find a
solution to his problem according to his self-interest, irrespective of the
principles. God's
Admonition in the Qur'an is for the believers, who are conscious of God
(2:275). The statement "God has permitted trade and forbidden
usury" closes any further discussion and leaves no room for jurists to
exercise their judgement in opposite directions. The verses which follow
again stress the same command to the believer: "O you who have attained
to faith! Remain conscious of God, and give up all outstanding gains from riba,
if you are [truly] believers; for if you do it not, then know that you are at
war with God and His Apostle." (2:278-9) These strong terms are used to
impress the consciousness of believers with the need to avoid any kind of
financial transactions which fall into the category of riba, for both ethical and socio-economic reasons. According
to Islamic morals, it is not only forbidden to charge interest to the poor,
but they should be helped out of zakah,
the poor-due, or Sadaqah, charity. In a socio-economic sense, it is God Who
is the Owner of everything and man is a trustee. The believer's economic
effort and its reward are determined within the context of this framework of
trust; he is not to live in idleness but in productive ways. Thus, the true
believers receive admonition from their Lord and leave their wealth in the
bank getting zero rates or less, depending on the difference between the rate
of interest and inflation or deflation. The Islamic wisdom is that money
should be used in socio-economic production and should circulate in society
so that everyone gains according to his efforts, rather then being put in the
hands of a few bank managers. Islam
wants all the members of society to be
productive. When a rich person cannot work or is unable to find the
best use for his money, he has the choice of profit-sharing or partnership,
which is multi-purpose, is lawful investments. Of course, any enterprise is
liable to succeed or fail. Badr: But it is the same whether the bank gives a
guaranteed percentage of its profit or you borrow from the bank and you
invest the capital and give it a fixed percentage of your profit. The bank is
an agent; as with insurance, it makes a balance between the one who lends and
the one who borrows. Why does Islam insist on direct contact between them,
rather than allowing them to deal through an agent, in other words, a bank? Abbara: Islam
believes in collective responsibility rather than entrusting the
responsibility to an agent or an individual. It seeks revenue for the welfare
of the whole society; what belongs to individuals belongs to society and what
belongs to society belongs to individuals. Thus every individual feels safe
in a society of believers, since all its members are as brothers. Therefore,
"an Islamic economic order shall insist upon the institution of a
socially optimum banking structure to be based on (i) productive efficiency,
(ii) allocate efficiency, (iii) absence of exploitation of depositors and
borrowers, and (iv) adaptability to meet the ever-growing demands. It shall
be an interest-free banking system."33 A bank can be set up on the principles
mentioned above and some Muslim banks are already set up as 'seed' central
Islamic banks. Dina: In my experience, so-called Islamic banks are not
related to Islamic principles. Their charges for lending money vary directly
according to the interest rates of commercial banks. Unit trusts, which
distribute the profit and keep the actual value of the units in the bank, are
allowed in Islam. Badr: The paradox
is that interest in Islamic countries has become taboo at the very time that
the rich are investing their wealth in interest-paying western banks and
other financial institutions rather than in their own countries. So their
countries are getting poorer as they export capital and import credit notes
which perish with their death. Another point is that although the banks
gives interest, some Muslims are conscientious, and do not take the interest.
So, millions of dollars are lost in the banks. Is it not better to give this
money to the poor people in different countries? Dina: The Muslim world is rich in material wealth and
manpower. In spite of that, it is economically poor and weak due to
underdevelopment. Perhaps this is related to both 'interest' and
self-interest - all these natural resources are left unused because the rich
invest their wealth in banks or abroad, rather than in the means of
production in their own countries. On the
second point, Muslim scholars have different opinions. Some say that the
unclaimed interest should be taken and distributed to the poor, while others
say 'no', because true believers are conscious of God, and God is Good and does
not accept anything except the good and they realise that they do not reach
God's Standard of virtue unless they spend on others out of what they cherish
themselves: "You will not attain piety until you give of what you love;
and whatever things you give, God knows of it" (3:92). Another verse
points out clearly: "And what you give in usury that it may increase
upon the people's wealth, increases not with God, whereas all that you give
out in charity, seeking God's Countenance, (will be blessed by Him)"
(30:39). According to these instructions God does not give any permission to
take or give interest except on capital put into productive enterprises Charles: Regarding natural resources and their use, I
believe that many companies in western countries would like to use these
natural resources and in particular the manpower, but the policies of the
governments concerned create doubts whether they would succeed. Similarly, the Muslims who have
capital smuggle it outside their country because they feel that it is safer!. Badr: Could I add
that such wealth is mostly illegitimate and has accumulated in illegitimate
ways. It mostly belongs to the society rather than to the individuals, who
may do a thing knowingly or
unknowingly which leads to the destruction of their own society. Dina: You may
well be right, but this is a very broad generalisation. Charles: Islam has
forbidden giving or taking interest and yet a Building Society is like a
bank. When they lend money to buy a house, they calculate the compound
interest, add it to the capital and then divide the result into installments.
It is a direct way of taking interest. Yet for a Muslim living in the West,
it is the only way to get a house. What is your solution to this problem? Abbara: According
to Islamic principles, when a Building Society lends money for the purchase
of a house, it becomes part-owner of the house (in proportion to the amount
of money lent) and charges the occupier rent, which is calculated in such a
way that the investment is eventually recovered along with a reasonable
profit. Once the original investment plus the profit have been recovered, the
ownership of the house is transferred wholly to the occupier. Badr: But this is taking interest in an indirect way;
the charge of rent is equivalent to the interest!. Dina: This way
makes the borrower work harder to pay back installments in the shortest
possible time. In the case of borrowing money from a Building Society, they
define the period of the loan in advance and it is usually twenty five years
or less. Hence, the Building Society charges threefold or fourfold the
original price. Badr: But the price of the house itself at the end of
this period may be worth more than that, so the owner loses nothing. But if
he lives in a rented house, he pays as much as a mortgage and accumulates
nothing. Dina: But as you know lot of people fall in this
trap and resell their houses with great loss, particularly, council houses
are available. Charles: You have still not answered my query. If it is forbidden
to buy through interest, what will he do?. Abbara: In Islam, whatever is conducive to the unlawful is
itself unlawful. As we have seen from the above discussion, God admonishes
the believer that he should not approach anything related to the unlawful,
such as interest, as it leads to the destruction of the society. A believer
commits his affairs to God, Who facilitates the means. For example, I have a
friend who faced this difficulty and was patient. Two true believers offered
him a free loan, and the same thing has happened to others. Therefore, it is
highly difficult to say what is allowed in regard to being a house owner
through paying interest, and we cannot generalize on such things, Each case
must be looked at for its religious legality. Muslim scholars have different
opinions regarding this matter. There is a saying in jurisprudence that
"necessity dictates exceptions."
Nevertheless those who live in God-consciousness would prefer to
purify themselves from all doubt. Charles: Why has the Qur’an declared war on
interest? Dina: God
takes very strong action against those who do not give up interest, for a
number of reasons, for example: 1.
Such a person
has betrayed God’s trust for God is the real owner of everything. 2.
Interest is the disease of the economy and
its development. 3.
Actually, it is
the disease of social life as most suffering results from interest,
unemployment being an example. 4.
Whoever takes
an interest is greedy and covetous, so he does not pay zakah which
would purify him; he may give to charity simply to show off and be praised. 5.
Whoever hoards
their wealth or misuses it, prevents society from production, as well as not
used the manpower of that society which gradually declines. 6.
He makes wealth
a token of power which can only be possessed by rich people. 7.
Depositing
money in a bank so that it may be used
for an unlawful production, such as destroyer weapons, drugs or anything else
which is unlawful in Islam. 8.
Inflation gorges
on interest for even if the total amount of money has increased because of
interest, the amount gained from interest does not match that of
inflation. 9.
Rich Muslims, including those in the
authorities deposit their money in Western Banks rather than the banks in
their own countries which may be used for the development of their own
economy. So-called Islamic banks are
the same, for they are unwilling to do any projects for poor. 10. Another reason why the rich put their money in
Western banks is that they may have accumulated it by unlawful means, so they
feel able to store it unlawfully too. Badr: That
is because they feel safer and do not trust their own country or that of
other Muslim political systems.
However, the banks do not keep the money but use it in productions or
loans.. Abbara: God announced war and hard punishments because the
wealth of the community which is necessary for production has been frozen in
the banks. His decision is not arbitrary but provides solutions to the
problems of society as a whole; the interest of an individual should be
implemented for the benefit of others. For example, if one of the rich became
true believer and gives up the war with his Lord and used his wealth for
different projects within his society through the methods mentioned earlier; e.g., mudaraba [joint
ventures or competition], would make the money circulate in his society; the musharakah
[partnership or participation], which involve all manpower in such projects;
the musahamah [shares] most of the members of the society would
participate, as share holders or workers; murabaha [profitable or
cost-plus financing] here the one who has the money uses other workers; muzarah
or mua’ajrah [co-farming or leasing contract],which contribute to cultivate
the vast land which need support, such production help poor people every
where, mua’azarah [home
partnership, as a mortgage], they buy a home on a shared basis and the one
who lives in it pays rent for the other according to his share and in meantime
buy the share from him, so that at the end he will be the owner, and finally,
Al-qard al-hassn [free loan] to help others in starting a business or
buying a home. Therefore
God cares about all people.
Suppose a rich believer invests
ten billion pounds in such projects, at the end of it, assume, if all these have failed, he
would still be considered the most profitable in the sight of God, and such
reward is uncountable for the believer in Day of Judgement, because the
bounty of God is distributed equally according to each one’s effort,
throughout the society. Dina:
Therefore, Interest used by the International Bank as it sucks the blood of
poor countries, thereby increasing the chasm between the rich and poor. I
believe that, if the International Monetary Fund used these methods in
developing countries and invested in projects rather than giving the money to
the governments of these countries, who may be dishonest, the people in these
countries would benefit tremendously. God care about welfare all His
creations but they oppressed themselves. 14.5.3 Distribution and consumption. "O children of Adam! Wear your adornment at
every place of worship; and eat and drink, but be you not prodigal; He loves
not the prodigal." (7:32) Abbara: In Islam
distribution and consumption are under the same laws as production. Nothing
should be accumulated through illegitimate means such as usury, interest,
gambling, lotteries or any kind of game of chance, stealing, robbery, or any
way of deceiving or cheating direct or indirect. Those who are in authority
and in charge of administration of public affairs are not allowed to receive
gifts. Bribery is the main cause of corruption in society. Monopoly leads to
exorbitant prices. Selling anything which may be used in something unlawful
is still unlawful, for example to sell grapes to those who are going to use
them to make wine. Any kind of theatrical activity which leads to unlawful
acts is unlawful. If a person is employed on a job but his production is less
than it should be because he is not punctual, it is unlawful to take the
money equal to the time missing. It is dishonest to sell something knowing
there is something wrong with it and not pointing it out. Everyone
is free to enjoy consumption and distribution of his wealth in a lawful
manner. As a Muslim accumulates his wealth in legal ways, he should use it in
lawful ways: to sustain himself, his family and relatives if they are in
need, and in other reasonable expenditure. Islam encourages charitable
expenditure for the poor and needy, gifts and endowments for a special
purpose, inheritance of legal bequests, etc, and on the other hand,
deprecates extravagance of any sort, consumption of alcohol, or drugs and
gambling, which are strictly forbidden. Charles: But what is
really forbidden in Islam? Some Muslims indulge in gambling, where they
squander money with great extravagance. If Islam says one thing but Muslims
act in a contrary way, there is a gap between
principle and application. Either the principles are not practical or
there is something wrong in the behaviour of its followers. Abbara: The way
individuals behave cannot be blamed on Islam, which is opposed to such
behaviour. Consumption should follow the same rules as accumulation. In every
society there are some who get their income without hard work or in a
dishonest way. Their capital has no blessing on it and it follows the same
channel from beginning to end. Muslims who spend their wealth in an evil way
prevent non-Muslims seeing God's Way by their actions. This life is a trial
to teach man to distinguish the corrupt from the good. Those who heap corrupt
actions one upon another (8:15) reap punishment, both in this world according
to Spiritual Moral Decree and in the hereafter, as a result of their betrayal
of God's Trust. There are
many verses in the Qur'an against exaggeration, and luxury, especially when
there is one poor man suffering. Furthermore, it is not allowed for a Muslim
to spend anything in a corrupt way or for corrupt purposes. He is responsible
for his actions and accountable to God for them. "But the evil-doers
exulted in the ease they were given and persisted in sin." (11:116). The
rule of the Spiritual Moral Decree is " When it is Our Will to destroy a
community, We convey Our Last Warning to those of its people who have lost
themselves entirely in the pursuit of pleasures; and (if) they (continue to)
act sinfully, the sentence (of doom) passed on the community takes effect,
and We break it utterly." (17:16)
14.54. Inheritance. "Concerning (the inheritance of) your children,
God enjoins upon you: The male shall have the equal of two females' share;
but if there are more than two females, they shall have two-thirds of what
(their parents) leave behind; and if there is only one, she shall have one
half thereof. And as for the parents (of the deceased), each of them shall
have one-sixth of what he leaves
behind, in the event of his having (left) a child; but if he has left no
child and his parents are (only) heirs, then his mother shall have one-third;
and if he has brothers and sisters, then his mother shall have one-sixth. (In
all cases this is) after (the deduction of) any bequest he may have made, or
any debt (he may have incurred)." (4:11)
Charles: The text
makes it clear that the Law of Inheritance is a unique system of dividing the
property of the deceased among his successors. But I have three questions
about the share of the daughter. The text says "to the male, a portion
equal to that of two females;" (4:11) so she has a half portion of what
her brother gets. I believe this is a rule from the pre-Islamic period. Also
the widow inherits one-eighth if the deceased had children. And third, a
non-Muslim cannot inherit from a Muslim. The first rule discriminates between
male and female and the second is a hardship to the widow, while the third
rule is religious discrimination in favour of Muslims. These rules indicate
injustice for the three parties concerned. Abbara: God knows best. Islam has instituted a powerful
social security system, giving it a religious sanctity according to God's
Commandments, which apply the principles of justice and equity. No
self-interest of man is allowed to make any change in God's Decree. It has
its own wisdom for distributing property. The inheritance is not meant for
men only; women have the right to inherit (4:7) according to their financial
responsibilities. Women have
no responsibility in Islam regarding their living expenses. If a woman is
single, her parents or her guardian must support her. When she marries, the
responsibility is transferred to her husband and rest on his shoulder. At the
wedding, he should pay her marriage grant in advance and assign a dowry to
her later in case of divorce or death. He is responsible for keeping her and
he has no right to use her capital. Hence the portion she gets in inheritance
corresponds with her practical responsibilities, not her mental abilities or
self interest. The rule is based on justice, no matter whether it was
practised in the pre-Islamic period or revealed later: "And God has
created you and what you do." (37:96). The intention to do right is part
of human endeavour, so whatever those people did, that is what God meant it
to be. The
widow has her own portion: "And
your (widows) shall have one-quarter of what you leave behind, provided you
have left no child; but if you have left a child, then they shall have
one-eighth of what you leave behind." (4:12). It is the duty of the
husband to make a bequest for least one year's maintenance of his widow, so
that she is not obliged to leave the dead husband's home. (2:240) Besides
that, she has the privilege of a "later dowry" and she should
receive this before the inheritance is shared among the appropriate heirs.
Thus, the shares are given according to different people's responsibilities.
If there is no child, she gets a quarter, if one child or more, she gets an
eighth. Either she is so old that her children must look after her, or if
not, her portion sustains her. If she is young, she may get married again, if
she rich she will fall in trap of marriage for wealth not for her sake. In
the case of more than one child, if they are adult, responsibility is
assigned to them, while if they are young, she may look after them and live
with them. There is no encouragement to leave them. There is
no religious discrimination between the heirs. The majority of Muslim jurists
say that a Muslim will not inherit from his deceased relative who happens to
be a non-Muslim and vice versa. According to a Hadith, "A Muslim cannot inherit from a non-believer and an
unbeliever will not inherit from a believer."34 But they were still entitled to inherit if a
will exists, but not to more than one-third of the estate. Hence, Islam
treats the two parties the same in the same conditions and the word "discrimination" is used blindly. The wisdom behind this is that the believer
accumulates and uses his wealth in lawful ways. On the other hand, a
non-believer may accumulate his wealth by unlawful means, which are forbidden
to a believer, and inheriting such wealth might affect the purity of his
soul. God is Good, and accepts only good things. Badr: The law of
succession is very complex, but why is the portion of the same heirs
different according to the number of other heirs? For example, the father and
mother of the deceased are sometimes given equal and sometimes different
portions, according to verse 4:11. Dina: If you try
to understand God's Wisdom, you will find that absolute justice is done; their
share is according to their responsibilities. For example: (i) When a
son dies who has children, then the parents have an equal share. Everyone has
a sixth. The grandmother and grandfather have equal responsibilities for
their life. (ii) When
the son who dies has a daughter, she has half, her grandmother a sixth and
the grandfather a third. But if their son has two daughters, they take
two-thirds and their grandmother and grandfather a sixth each. Thus, in the
first case, the grandfather takes double the share of his wife, because he
has become her guardian and responsible for her, like her father while his
wife not responsible financially. But when there are two children he is their
guardian and has responsibility for them. (iii) When
the son who dies has no children, but
has brothers and sisters, they do not inherit from him, but all his
possessions go to his parents: his mother will have a sixth and the rest goes
to his father. If he has no brothers or sisters, his mother will have a third
and the rest goes to his father. In the first case, the father is responsible
for his children and must sustain them and preserve the wealth; anyhow, they
are his heirs, but because they are young, they may misspend their share. In
the second case, the wealth could go to a wide circle of relatives of the
mother and the father. There is wisdom in every Command, but we cannot always
see it because our judgement is related to our self-interest and we are
shortsighted about our purpose in this life which designed for us by the
Creator. Abbara: In brief, the Islamic economic system in its three
dimension: production, consumption; distribution and development is designed
for the welfare of the society as a whole to share bounty of God. Every
individual, capable or incapable, has a just call upon the wealth of the
society to satisfy his needs. If the Muslims applied the Islamic economic
system, it would definitely solve all their economic problems by increasing
production, and creating just distribution, ideal consumption, growth and
development, social welfare, equality
and equilibrium in the society. However, the application of the economic
system depends on the proper functioning of the social system, which is
explained in the next chapter. |
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