Economy is one of the most important areas of man’s life. Not any of the vibrant systems of life can afford to ignore it. Islam, giving economy its due importance, has provided some solid foundations to build economy in their light.
1: Wealth a Support for Life
Islam does not support monasticism. It repudiates an apathetic attitude, spiritless of playing any constructive role in the worldly life. A thinking that makes man spiritless of playing a constructive role to set this worldly life is not a virtue. Earning through lawful means is not a prohibited matter. Deliberately choosing poverty and living a miserable life is neither asceticism nor a sign of piety. Our Holy Prophet, be peace and blessings of Allah upon him, has taught an invocation to seek protection of Allah from Kufr (profanity) and also from the poverty. Being a good practising Muslim does not mean abstinence from all the tastes of life and rejecting all the gifts showered by our Lord upon us. Uncountable resources of life created for man by Allah, the Most Gracious, are not only for irreligious people and nonbelievers to consume and make avail of them. True believers have their right and should utilize the bounties of their Lord. The Quran says:
“It is He who created for you all that is on the earth…” (Al-Baqarah: 29)
“Allah is He Who has created the heavens and the earth and sends down water from the sky, and thereby brought forth fruits as provision for you; and He has made the ships to be of service to you, that they may sail through the sea by His Command; and He has made rivers to be of service to you.” (Ibrahim: 32)
“Do you not see that Allah has subjected to you (mankind) all that is on the earth…?” (Al-Hajj: 65)
“Do you not see that Allah has subjected for you whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth, and amply bestowed upon you His favours, both apparent and unapparent?” (Luqman: 20)
This all is a proof that Allah has not prevented His sincere and obedient servants from availing them of all opportunities and using them in their benefit. Possession of wealth by a pious and noble man is much better than being in hold of a weak-minded, who may waste it and miserly person who may not spend it for good. Extravagance is, as told in a tradition, a nuisance of generosity. The one who is killed while guarding his possession is declared by the Prophet, SAW, to be a martyred.
2: Hard Work Necessary to Make Earnings
Islam disapproves idleness and laziness because they prove to be hindrances in making a progress in life. It enjoins all physically and mentally fit followers to work hard for making lawful earnings. In Islamic teachings earning through hard labour is a virtue and good while begging, really an ignominy, is strictly prevented. Neither getting heavily preoccupied with Ibadaat (acts of worship) making man negligent of his role in his worldly life nor in the name of Tawakkal (trust in God) has any approval in Islam to be away from hard work to earn and feed his family through Halal (lawful) means. The Ibadaat of the people with no blood of Halal subsistence circulating in their bodies are unacceptable and worthless. Tawakkal means trust in God after making utmost efforts on man’s part but doing nothing for making livelihoods is Tawaakul, entirely dependent on others in hope of some solicit. Umer, May Allah be pleased with him, the second Guided Caliph, once advised such people to do something by themselves for their needs because it is against Allah’s Sunnah to shower treasures from the heavens in response of supplications by such idle people. Our Holy Prophet, SAW, has taught us to invoke for protection of Allah from ‘anxieties and grief, from incompetence and laziness, from cowardliness and miserliness and from burden of debts and tyranny of the people.’
3: Discovering the Treasures of Nature
Allah, the Bountiful, has created dozens of His precious gifts (oil, gas, mines, minerals and many others) hidden in the womb of this earth. It is the duty of the Muslim governments to arrange for extracting them and making them available for use of the Muslim Ummah. The projects should be completed to build reservoirs for storing the water for irrigation and also install filter plants for drinking. Research laboratories should be established to make the soil more and more fertile.
4: Prohibition of Unlawful Means of Earning
Islam, while inciting its followers to work hard for making honourable and lawful earning, strictly forbids from all the unfair, unethical and unlawful means to make worldly gains. Interest on loans has been declared Haraam, gambling is forbidden, speculative deals in business are not allowed, making fortunes through lottery and forcefully or fraudulently grab of others’ properties is illegal. All means like begging, corruption of government servants and money plundering is banned in Islam. In the business markets black-marketing, profiteering, adulteration and hoarding the stock are abominable acts. Income through drug trade and selling the meat of swine and other animals declared Haraam in Islam is inadmissible.
5: Lessening the Class Disparity
Islam immensely rejects all the economic theories and systems based on merciless disparity between the rich and the poor. Though the difference in financial positions is a natural thing and man has never succeeded in diminishing it completely, yet giving it legal and constitutional justification is unacceptable. Islam has taken measures to gradually lessen all the uncongenial social and economic differences. It is unacceptable that some people are living luxurious life with lavish expenditures without caring for tens of thousands longing for basic needs of life. Avariciousness and stinginess are the worst moral evils, having no vindication in Islamic moral system. Act of generously spending one’s wealth in help of the poor for the pleasure of Allah, is one of the greatest virtues, one out of the five pillars Islam and a form of Ibadah. Islam has brought forth a wise solution to ease the state of unending contention and clash of the poor and rich. The poor have been, on one hand, made bound to work hard for making honourable earnings and developing a sense of self respect never stretching their hand before anyone. On the other hand the rich are required to be kind and munificent towards their brethrens who are facing hardship in their life. Islam teaches contentment and patience to stop vying between the lower and upper social classes.
6: Safeguarding the Wealth
Islam is strict in protecting the right of individual ownership. The right of a proprietor is legally safeguarded and no one is allowed to violate its inviolability unless it harms the collective and social interests. The Prophet, be peace and blessings of Allah upon him, had affirmed the sanctity of life, honour and property of a believer. Islam has kept in its penal code hard punitive laws for murderers, thieves and dacoits and robbers and adulterers and rappers because they break the law of sanctity of others’ life, property and honour.
7: Currency Control
At the time when Muhammad, be peace and blessings of Allah upon him, was raised with the Message of Islam, there was no particular currency used for business in the markets. Mainly the barter system was followed in financial dealings. But in the light of a far sighting vision of Islam, what was going to be in vogue in the times to come later had started reflecting in the measures taken by it in its economic policies. Gold coins were used centuries before Islamic Sharia’ laws became enforced. The fact that the time were to come when gold and silver would be main powers to regulate the value of the currencies of the nations was not hidden from Allah, the All-Knower and All-Acquainted. For keeping the use of gold within the bounds in individual life men were barred to use gold. Keeping the nature of the women in regard they are allowed to use gold ornaments but pomp and show and extravagance is not forbidding. Impeding the circulation of gold and silver by amassing them in stockpiles has been declared strictly proscribed. “…and those who hoard gold and silver and spend it not in the way of Allah, give them tidings of a painful punishment. The day when it (hoarded gold and silver) heated in the fire of Hell and seared therewith will be their foreheads, their flanks and their backs, (it will be said to them) “This is what you hoarded for yourselves, so taste what you used to hoard.” (At-Taubah: 34-35)
8: Guarantee of the Social Insurance
Islam guarantees all of the citizens of a Muslim state a good reward for their services without any discrimination of their faith and race as long as they are faithful to the state and the society. In case of old age, health problems or natural affliction if any of the citizens is unable to bear his financial burden, the state is responsible to provide him financial and moral support. Umer, RA, once saw an old Jew begging in the streets. He made inquiry and came to know the circumstances forcing him to beg, he was deeply grieved and said to the man: “We have not done just with you. We received tribute from you when you were healthy and strong and now when you are old aged and weak we have become inconsiderate of your condition.” Umer, RA, then ordered to pay him from the state treasury as much to be sufficient for his needs.
9: State as Guardian of the Affairs of the People
Islam is not confined only to the matters of Ibadaat and some moral traits. As a complete code of life it has to address the issues of political, social and economic nature also. It determines the responsibilities of an individual and ascertains the duties of the state too. It has given the state the responsibility of safeguarding the interests of the individual as well as the society. The state has to check neither of the elements of the state goes beyond its limits to manipulate others. The state has to keep its eye none of the deserving people are deprived of their rightful share in the government revenues. Umer, RA, once said it was the duty of the state to assure any of the deserving persons not remain deprived of his share from the state treasury, even a shepherd, grazing his sheep flock far away from the city.
10: Flow of the Wealth from the Rich to the Poor
In this modern and presumed to be the most advanced period we are living in, when human rights are thought to be safe from any encroachment from the powerful manipulating powers, the economic systems have seldom a care to assure the flow of wealth from upper classes of the societies to the lower and deprived classes. Many tricks have been invented for monopolization. Out pouring of the wealth from the heavy bank balances of the capitalists, industrialists and giant multinational companies is blocked. The rich speedily grows richer and the poor are sunk in the pool of poverty day by day.
The measures taken by Islam in its wise economic scheme, if followed in their true spirit, give little leeway for a particular group of people to obtain exclusive possession of wealth stripping all the honourable means of living from the others. A clear Quranic teaching (Al-Hashr: 7) is to let not the fortune become perpetual distribution among the rich. A healthy natured and sincere Muslim is never expected to be too penny-pinching to spend for the needy people what he possesses. What is spent to ease financial difficulties of the people is actually their right and it has to go to them. The Quran says: “And (free from discontentedness are) those in whose wealth there is a recognized right for those who stretch their needy hand and for the deprived.” (Al-Maarij: 24-25)
11: A Check on Misuse of the Powers
Misuse of the powers of the bureaucrats and government officials of high ranks is always one of the main reasons of financial irregularities. Undue grants, briberies, gifts, nepotism and a lot of the evils take root only when the government servants become corrupt. Islam strictly forbids such practices. One who gives and one who accepts bribe are cursed and both have been told to be the fuel of the Hell fire. Umer, RA, the second Guided Caliph of Islam, used to take all that was found above the personal possessions and a fixed salary of the government servants and distributed among the needy people. He used to say that for the governors there was no portion in the wealth of the Ummah beyond their genuine needs.
The Guided Caliphs themselves set golden traditions in this case, really forever to be emulated. Abu Bakr, RA, was a merchant. When was chosen the head of the state as the first Guided Caliph, he was not authorized to take from the treasury by himself. He put up his case to a responsible team of Sahabah to fix an amount for livelihood of his family. An amount of 200 Dirham was approved for wearing and food for him and his family members, which, after sometime, thought to be insufficient, was raised to 500 Dirham. Umer, RA, while being in full power as the second Guided Caliph, wore the clothes with patches and lived a life more simple than an ordinary person of the Muslim community.
A Blog by Muneer Ahmed Khalili....
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