CONTINUING OF FUNDAMENTALS ISLAM ECONOMICS SYTEM

......THESE ARTICLES BELOW ARE CONTINUING OF fUNDAMENTALS ISLAM ECONOMICS SYTEM.
THESE ARTICLES WERE WRITTEN BY Dr. Muhammad Syarif Chaudhry MA, LLB, PhD.

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8- Policy of Moderation

Islam follows policy of middle way or moderation and avoids extremes. The two extremes of every action are bad and moderation between them is the best policy according to Islam. Following verses of the Qur’an and Ahadith of Muhammad exhort the Muslims to follow the way of moderation.


The verses of the Qur’an:

1- O ye, who believe ! Forbid not the good things, which Allah hath made lawful for you, and transgress not. Lo, Allah loveth not transgressors. -(5: 87)

2- And let not thy hand be chained to thy neck nor open it with a complete opening, lest thou sit down rebuked, denuded. -(17: 29)

3- …… And thou (Muhammad) be not loud voiced in thy worship nor yet silent therein, but follow a way between. -(17: 110)

4- Be modest in thy bearing and subdue thy voice. Lo! the harshest of all voices is the voice of the ass. (31: 19)


Ahadith of the Prophet:

1- Good manners, delay and moderation form a part out of twenty-four parts of Prophethood. -(Mishkat-ul-Masabih)

2- Abu Hurairah reported that the Messenger of Allah said: Moderation in expenditure is half of livelihood, and love for people is half of wisdom, and good questioning is half of learning. -(Bukhari)

3- Matref-b-Abdullah reported that the messenger of Allah said: The best of affairs is their mean. The principle of moderation propounded by the above mentioned texts equally applies in economic field specially in the field of acquisition of wealth and consumption.




9- Condemnation of Monasticism and Materialism

Islam condemns Monasticism as well as Materialism and recommends its followers to adopt middle way between these two extremist ways of life.

A spiritual or a monastic lays all the emphasis on moral and spiritual aspect of life and ignores completely material aspect. He regards all economic activity as a vice and economic struggle as a sinful act. The Qur’an, the revealed scripture of Islam, expresses its dislike explicitly for the monastic way of life in its following verses:

1- O ye who believe ! Forbid not the good things which Allah hath made lawful for you, and transgress not. Lo! Allah loveth not transgressors. -(5: 87)

2- But monasticism they invented. We ordained it not for them-only seeking Allah’s pleasure, and they observed it not with right observance. So we give those of them who believe their reward, but many of them are evil-livers. -(57: 27)

The Prophet of Islam has also discouraged the monastic way of life among his followers. Once he learnt that some companions had taken a vow to fast during the day, pass the night in worship, abstain from meat and fat and renounce intercourse with women. Thereupon he (peace be on him) delivered a sermon in the course of which he observed: “This is not my creed. Your body has rights over you. You should fast, but eat and drink also. Pray at night, but sleep also. Look at me. I sleep and I pray also. I both keep and omit fasts. I eat both meat and fat. So whoso does not subscribe to my way, he is not of mine.[1]

He (peace be on him) then said, “What has happened to people that they have renounced women, good food, perfume, sleep and worldly pleasure? I have never taught you to be a monk or a priest. In my Deen (Creed) there is not provision for renunciation of women or meat nor for abandoning the world. For self-control, I enjoin fast. All the advantages of asceticism can be had from the Jihad of Islam. Worship Allah and do not associate naught with him. Perform Hajj and Umra. Establish Namaz, pay Zakat, and keep fasts in Ramadan. The people who came to ruin before you met this fate because they were hard on themselves and Allah was hard on them too. It is the remnants of these people that you see in monasteries and convents.[2]

Some other traditions on the same subject relate that the Holy Prophet (peace be on him) once learned regarding a companion that it was long since he had gone in to his wife and was engaged in prayer day and night. The Holy Prophet (peace be on him) summoned him and ordered that he should go in to his wife at once. ‘I am fasting’, submitted the companion. “Break your fast and proceed,” the Holy Prophet (peace be on him) told him.[3]

Thus Islam does not subscribe to the view of monks and ascetics that satisfaction of physical urges is an impediment in spiritual development. Rather Islam enjoins upon its followers that the things, which Allah has made lawful for them, should be enjoyed as enjoyment of them is piety and renunciation of them is transgression.

On the other hand Islam has expressed in unequivocal and unambiguous terms its condemnation of Materialism as well. Materialists are those who lay the entire stress on the material aspect of life. They ignore moral aspect of life and devote their entire time and energy to the attainment of material ends. They justify every means, right or wrong, to acquire wealth and comforts of this life and utterly disregard moral values, noble causes and human virtues. Following verses of the Qur’an reject materialism which, in fact, is passion for wealth and worldly pleasures:

1- …….But of mankind is he who saith: “Our Lord ! Give unto us in this world” and he hath no portion in the Hereafter. -(2: 200)

2- Lo ! Those who expect not the meeting with Us but desire the life of the world and feel secure therein, and those who are neglectful of Our revelations; Their home will be the Fire because of what they used to earn. (10: 7-8)

3- Whoso desireth the life of the world and its pomp, We shall repay them their deeds herein, and therein they will not be wronged. These are they for whom is naught in the Hereafter save the Fire. (All) that they contrive here is vain and (all) that they are wont to do is fruitless. -----(11: 15-16)

4- Whoso desireth that (life) which hasteneth away, We hasten for him therein that We will for whom We please. And afterward We have appointed for him hell; he will endure the heat thereof, condemned, rejected. -----(17: 18)

5- Rivalry in worldly increase distracteth you. Until ye come to the graves. -(102: 1-2)

6- Woe unto every slandering traducer, who hath gathered wealth (of this world), and arranged it. He thinketh that his wealth will render him immortal. Nay, but verily he will be flung to the Consuming One. Ah, what will convey unto thee what the Consuming One is! (It is) the fire of Allah, kindled. -(104: 1-6)

Islam adopts middle way between these two extremist views of life. It advises its followers that their success lies neither in monasticism nor in pure materialism. Therefore, they should neither give themselves up entirely to monasticism or spiritualism disregarding the importance of material means of life; nor they should go to the other extreme and judge everything by the materialistic point of view. They should strike balance between these extremes and follow middle path. The Muslims have been called by the Qur’an the people of the middle way and, therefore, they should not be extremists.




10- Equity and not Equality

Islam establishes equity, fairness and justice in the production and distribution of wealth, and in ownership of means of livelihood. However it recognises that like other natural things there is no equality among human beings as regards the economic means and possession of worldly wealth. This inequality has been presented by the Qur’an as a part of Divine Economic order. The Qur’an does not consider these inequalities in the distribution of Divine sustenance as punishment or reward and does not try to eliminate them, because no two individuals have been blessed with hundred percent equal mental and physical abilities.

Taking the existence of inequalities as a part of divine scheme, the Qur’an advises its followers not to covet those things in which Allah has made some of them excess others. By exalting some of you over others in rank or by favouring some of you over others in provisions, God in fact tries and tests the human beings whether they are thankful to Him in good circumstances and patient in bad circumstances.

The Qur’an highlights these inequalities in its following verses:
1- And covet not the thing in which Allah hath made some of you exceed others. Unto men a fortune from that which they have earned, and unto women a fortune from that which they have earned…… -(4: 32)

2- He it is Who hath placed you as viceroys of the earth and hath exalted some of you in rank above others. That He may try you by (the test of) that which He hath given you…… -(6: 165)

3- And Allah hath favoured some of you above others in provision…… -(16: 71)

4- Lo ! thy Lord enlargeth the provision for whom He will, and straiteneth it (for whom He will)…… -(17: 30)

5- Is it they who apportion their Lord’s mercy? We have apportioned among them their livelihood in the life of the world, and raised some of them above others in rank that some of them may take labour from others; and the mercy of thy Lord is better than (The wealth) that they amass. -(43: 32)
The existence of economic inequalities among the people is not only natural but is also a blessing for the purification of human soul and development of human personality. Those who have scarce means of sustenance should thereby learn to be patient and contented and not to be jealous; while those who have abundant resources should thereby learn to be grateful to God, to be kind and benevolent to the poor and to sacrifice their possessions for the cause of God.

Islam, in fact, teaches the people to regard the existence of differences in wealth as a test by which God tries them in this world. By granting abundance of wealth to some, God observes how they spend it; whether they consider it as their personal property denying the poor any share in that or they consider themselves as trustees in respect of the wealth bestowed by God and spend it in the way of God for the welfare of their poor brothers. And God tries the poor by straitening their sustenance whether they lose their trust in God and become jealous of the rich or whether they keep their faith in God and remain patient in the adverse circumstances.

However, Islam does not permit the difference in possession of wealth to assume such proportions that few lucky persons live in ease and luxury controlling major portion of community’s wealth while the vast majority of people possessing negligible share in community’s wealth lives a life of abject poverty, misery and hunger. According to Islam, difference in wealth must not exceed natural and reasonable limits, because if it happens the community invites wrath of God and meets its natural end of self-destruction. The Prophet of Islam has said: If anyone spent a night in a town and he remained hungry till morning, the promise of God’s protection for that town comes to an end. Islam, therefore, does not allow the difference between the rich and poor reach an uncontrollable limits so as to disturb the peace of society. Although it does not believe in complete equality in possession of economic means, yet it perfectly stands for socio-economic justice. It believes in fair and equitable distribution of incomes and wealth and ensures that the Islamic state should provide for basic human needs to all of its citizens. Many legal and economic measures have been provided to bridge the gulf between the rich and the poor and to establish Islamic welfare state which guarantees provision of social security and secures basic needs to its less fortunate citizens. These aspects of Islamic economy we shall study in subsequent chapters of this book. Here we can safely conclude that Islam believes not in equal distribution but in equitable and just distribution of resources and wealth.