Concept Of Development In Islam Written By 474y1m

DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT IN ISLAM Written by Ahmad Rawi The writer can be ed at [email protected]

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Table of content

1. Table of content

pg.2

2. Introduction

pg.3

3. Discussion on topic

pg. 3

4. Conclusion

pg.12

5. References

pg.14

Written by Ahmad Rawi The writer can be ed at [email protected]

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Written by Ahmad Rawi The writer can be ed at

[email protected]

The relationship between religion and economic development has always been neglected to the extent that literature on this relationship between religion and economic development form a class of its own. The factor underlying this neglect of relationship between religion and economic development has been identified as the implicit assumption that economic development is often viewed as essentially secular and therefore is separated from religious matters Culture and global change (Skelton and Allen,2005,p.237).This paper proposes to examine the concept of development in Islam as can be found in the Quran, the Traditions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and as elaborated by Muslim scholars over the century. The attempt to provide a complete definition of what development is has proven to be a difficult task. There seems to be no universally accepted standard for measuring economic development, as the term itself necessitates a significant amount of value judgments(EzealaHarrison,1996,p.14). Yet this paper submits that Islamic development concept is not difficult to define i.e. Islamic development concept is the concept of development that is in line with Islamic value system as derived from the Quran and Sunnah. There are several other definition of what is development in Islam. Focusing on economic development Mannan (1988) defines Islamic economic development as development which implies a balanced and sustained improvement in the well being of man over a period of time(p.172). As we can see from the ensuing discussion, the definition provides a number of useful insights into the nature and scope of (economic) devlopment in Islam. Discussion What is Islamic values? A summary glance on values uphold by Islam shows that it does not differ much from values stressed by other ideologies, in other words, they are

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Written by Ahmad Rawi The writer can be ed at

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universal. Islam stresses universal values that are applicable both to work and to general conduct and behaviour such as equality, ability, consultation, goodness, kindness, trust, honouring promises (commitment), sincerity, justice, hardwork, humility, universalism, consensus, self-discipline, persistence and co-operation. But what differentiate those values from values uphold by other ideologies is that Muslims derived their perspective from the Quran, their book of revelation. Therefore those values, though universal, must comply with the ‘Shariah’ (Islamic law).As such in order to elaborate on the concept of development in Islam, we must refer back to what is prescribed in the Quran and the Traditions of the Prophet (peace be upon him). However, it is important to point out that neither the Quran nor the sunnah provide a detailed or systematic theory of economics. The Quran and sunnah only outline general principles and regulations concerning the economics activities of Muslims. These general principles and regulations can be divided into two kinds : firstly, the rigid and strict principles which represent the very foundations of Islamic economy;Secondly, the very broad and flexible principles which represent the details-means,methods and so forth-of economic behaviour (AlBuraey,1985,p.180). Because it claims to be based on a set of immutable principles drawn from the traditional source of Islam i.e. Quran and Sunnah, Islamic economics is appropriately categorized as a “fundamentalist” economic doctrine (Kuran,2004,p.5) .Islamic economists have built the conceptual framework of Islamic development based on the these divinerevealed value system. The following discussion will review the literature available concerning concept of development in Islam according to Islamic economists and authors.

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Written by Ahmad Rawi The writer can be ed at

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Concept No. 1 : Tawhid-based and human-centered development. Chapra (1993) lists Tawhid, Khilafah, and 'Adalah (justice) as the three fundamental elements of the Islamic world-view(p.5). The most basic principle in Islam is tawhid, because it gives purposes to the Islamic framework. Tawhid refers to the existence,oneness and uniqueness of Allah, the Creator (AbuSulayman,1993,p.128) In order to understand the concept of development in Islam,it is important to understand the role of mankind in the value system of Islam. Allah commands you to entrusts authority into the hands of those who are best fitted to discharge it.(Chapter An-Nisa 4:59, The Quran) This ayat explains that in Islam, the basic concept of the universal sovereignty belongs to Allah, but that mankind are vested with authority in certain spheres, as a trust, for which they are answerable and able to Allah.In relation to the above, development in Islam is not an end in itself, rather it is a mean to achieve a greater end, i.e. the development of a complete human personality from all dimensions-material, moral, ethical and spiritual so as to make him capable of assuming the role of khalifa (vicegerent or representative of Allah in this world) (Pramanik,2002,p.39). To Roubaie (2009), development in Islam is human/people centered and is aimed at enhancing people's capabilities to ensure that man participates in the process as well as benefits from it (p.222). According to Ahmad (1980, pp. 178-181 as cited in Sardar ,1997,p.49), the philosophical foundations of the Islamic approach to development are (1) Tawhid (God's unity and sovereignty), (2) Rububiyyah (divine arrangement for nourishment, sustenance, and directing things towards their perfection), (3) Khilafah (man's role as God's vicegerent on earth), and (4) Tazkiyyah (purification plus-growth) in all his relationships. He contends that "the Islamic concept of development is to be derived from its concept of

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Written by Ahmad Rawi The writer can be ed at

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tazkiyyah as it addresses itself to the problem of human development in all its dimensions and is concerned with growth and expansion towards perfection through purification of attitudes and relationships." The essential elements of the Islamic concept of development in his view are as follows (Ahmad,1980, pp. 178-181 as cited in Sardar ,1997,p.49) : (a) It has a comprehensive character in the sense that is includes moral, spiritual, and material aspects.Development in Islam becomes a goal-oriented and value oriented activity, devoted to optimization of human well being in all these three dimension. In Islam, the moral and the material, the economic and the social, the spiritual and the physical are inseparable. In Islam, the objective of development is not merely welfare in this world. The welfare that Islam seeks extends to the life in the hereafter and there is no conflict between the two. This dimension is totally missing in the western concept of development. (b) The focus of development is man: development means development of man and his physical and socio-cultural environment.Development, therefore, means the development of man and his physical and socio-cultural environment. Islam adopts a man-centric attitude towards development and insists that the area of development relates to man either within the internal (spiritual) or external (the environment).As such human attitudes, incentives,tastes and aspirations

are

as

much

policy

variables

as

physical

resources,capital,labour,education,skill,organization and others.Thus on the one hand, Islam shifts the focus of effort from the physical environment to individual and communities in their social setting and on the other enlarges the scope of development policy, with the consequent enlargement of the number of targets and instruments variables in any model of economy.Another consequence of this shift in emphasis would be that maximum

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Written by Ahmad Rawi The writer can be ed at

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participation of the people at all levels of decision-making and plan implementation would be stipulated. (c) In an Islamic framework, development is a multi-dimensional activity. Developement effort therefore have to be made simultaneously in a number of directions and the challenge is to balance between different factors and forces. (d) Islam seeks to rectify the imbalance in secular economic development which put much emphasis on quantitative aspect of development.Economic development involves a number of changes, quantitative as well as qualitative. In secular development framework,preoccupation with the quantitative however, has unfortunately led to the neglect of the qualitative aspects of development in particular and life in general. (e) Among the dynamic of social life, Islam has particularly emphasised two: firstly, the optimal utilisation of resources that God has endowed man and his physical environment; and secondly, their equitable use and distribution and the promotion of all human relationship on the basis of rights and justice. Islam commands the value of shukr (thankfulness to God by acknowledging his blessings) and ‘adalah (justice) and condemn the act of kufr (denials of God and his blessings) and zulm (injustice).The aspect of justice (‘adalah) in the Islamic concept of development will be elaborated further in the discussion on Muhammad Umar Chapra’s elaboration on Islamic concept of development. Concept No. 2 : Development must be in line with moral and spiritual development and socio-economic justice. Chapra (1993) maintains that the immense commitment of Islam to brotherhood (deduced from the concept of Khilafah) and justice makes falah (true well-being) of all human beings the principal goal of Islam. With regard to

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Written by Ahmad Rawi The writer can be ed at

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development, he places great emphasis of moral development as a condition for economic development. In his view, Islamically-issible development or 'development with justice' would be considered to have been realised if the requirements of Khilafah and 'Adalah are satisfied through the need fulfilment of all, equitable distribution of income and wealth, full employment, and environmental protection(p.5).In his seminal work, Islam and the Economic Challenge, Chapra (1992) describes falah as the fundamental goal of a Muslim society (development must be aimed towards achieving falah);the notion of falah, he argues, gives utmost importance to brotherhood and socio-economic justice and requires a balanced satisfaction of both the material and the spiritual needs of all human beings(p.6 as cited in Sardar,1997,p.51). Khan (1991) describes falah as a comprehensive state of spiritual,cultural,political, social and economic well-being in this world and God's pleasure in the hereafter.Because of its eternal nature falah is primarily a state of bliss in the hereafter.But it is also applicable to conditions of survival, economic well being and human dignity in this world.At the micro level, it refers to a situation where an individual is gainfully employed, free from want, enjoys freedom,participates in social and political life and has opportunities to grow spiritually and culturally. At the macro level, a society can achieve falah, for example, if it is politically and economically independent and has institutional arrangements to establish economic justice,involves its people in decision making and provides environmentsconducive to physical and spiritual health.The state of falah, Khan added is not to be measured by whether or not the people have GNP per capita matchingb that of the present day industrially developed society (1991,as cited in Sardar,1997,p.52)

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In this regard, observation by Rice (1999) is apt here : “The goal of Islam is not primarily materialist. They are based on Islamic concept of human well being and good life which stresses brotherhood/sisterhood and socio-economic justice and require a balanced satisfaction of both the material and spiritual needs of humans” (p. 346 as cited in Baumann,2006, p. 82).Islam emphasizes the concept of communal good and duties to the community. According to Ammar (2000) Islam emphasis on the right of the community over individual is demonstrated through its position on issues of distributive justice in general (e.g.imposition of zakat)(p.137). However, despite this it is wrong to assume that Islam is akin to socialism. Maulana Muhammad Ali (n.d.) stated that “Islam is thus opposed to Bolshevism, which recognizes no individual rights of property; but it is at the same time socialistic in its tendencies, inasmuch as it tries to bring about a more or less equal distribution of wealth” (as cited in Nyang,2001, p.206). In the new global economy driven by globalization,some practice may violate the objective of development in Islam.In the Islamic economic system, priorities are given to production of essentials to meet people's needs and not necessarilyto produce for export. In other words, the objective of development in Islam is to alleviate poverty.Globalization therefore may compromise objective of development in Islam. (Al-Roubaie,2009,p.223) In discussing the concept of socio-economic justice in Islamic development framework, it is also pertinent here that Islam does not marginalized women in the development agenda. Women are accorded the right to participate in the development as long as it does not run counter to Shariah. According to Hasan (1999) Muslim women are free to work or be selfing if she wishes to do so provided her integrity and honour are

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Written by Ahmad Rawi The writer can be ed at

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safeguarded according to proper Islamic conduct (as cited in Mababaya ,2003). According to a study conducted by Mababaya (2003, p.176), even Saudi Arabia has to mobilise her women population to off-set the country dependence on foreign labour. As has been said before, cultural bias is a dynamic constant, and even in Saudi Arabia, the cultural bias has shifted to allowing women to work outside home(p.175). According to a study by Viola (1982), 67.7% of Viola’s male Saudi student respondents felt it was acceptable to employ Saudi women to offset the need for foreign labourers (as cited by Mababaya, 2003,p.176). Concept No. 3 : Development must be sustainable and responsible.The term sustainable development was introduced in 1980,popularized in the 1987 report of the World Commission on Environment and Development (the Brundtland Commission) and had been given the status of a global mission by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Developement (UNCED) IN Rio de Janeiro in 1992. The Brundtland Commission defined sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.The Brundtland Commission’s definition was thus not only about sustainability and its various aspects but also about

equity-equity

among

present

inhabitants

of

the

planet,and

equity

among

generations(Dincer and Rosen,2011,p.200). Islamic scholars agree that the concept of sustainable development does exist in Islam.According to an Islamic scholars, Prof. Amer Al-Roubaie, in Islam,development must ensure sustainability through research and development (R & D) activities, invention and innovation, good management and environmental protection. Future generations have equal

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rights to existing resources and therefore it is incumbent upon the present generation to take good care of the resource base. Excessive consumption and exploitation of resources are not acceptable from the Islamic perspective which mandates a balance between present and future consumption (Al-Roubaie,2009,p.218). Al-Roubaie (2009) has also introduced the term ‘responsible development’ to complement the term sustainable development (p.218). According to Roubaie, development in Islam is ‘responsible development’, exhibiting comprehensive objectives that go beyond income maximization. Development in Islam is not only to provide the basic needs and strengthen economic efficiency but also promotes human security through creation of job opportunities and social safety nets for all people without discrimination. Concept no. 4 :In the Islamic concept of development, the role of government is also important. A Muslim government is an essential pillar of the Islamic religion.Islamic fundamentalists take as their political cornerstone the belief that the main reason for existence of government is the implementation of divine law (Shariah) (Harik,2006,p.346). Perhaps the most notable example to illustrate this point is the role of Malaysian government towards the establishment of Islamic banking in Malaysia. In the case of Malaysia, the first major move towards establishing an interest-free institution was the setting up of the Pilgrims Management and Fund Board (Lembaga Urusan dan Tabung Haji or LUTH). The Board was set up by statute in August 1969 through the merger of the Malayan Muslim Pilgrims Savings Corporation and the Pilgrims Affairs Department of the of the Malaysian government to promote and co-ordinate all aspects of activities connected with the Muslims going on pilgrimage.Following the successful implementation of LUTH, there was a continuous pressure on the government to help establish an Islamic bank. Starting in 1980 committees were formed to study the various aspects of Islamic banking and its implementation in Malaysia. In July

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1981, the government formed a National Steering Committee on Islamic Banks to advise them on the working of Islamic Banks and finally, in 1983,the government promulgated the Islamic Banking Act 1983 which paved the way for Islamic banking in Malaysia(Man,1988,p.71). This show that in an Islamic framework of development, the role of government cannot be dispensed with. Conclusion Watt (1988) blamed the static nature of Muslim belief as the primary factor that hinder development in Islam.According to Watt “for Muslims, unchanginess is both an ideal for human individuals and societies, and also a perception of the actual nature of humanity and its environment.Unchanginess is an all pervading assumption which colours most aspects of the standard world-

view, and this justifies giving it a prominent place in the

presentation.Moreover, it is something which a Westerner finds it difficult to appreciate without a deliberate effort of thought.The idea of development is part of our general intellectual outlook.It is thus very difficult for the Westerner to appreciate the outlook of those in whose thinking there is no place for development,progress or social advance and improvement”(p.3 as cited in Raghuram,2005,p.239). However, our discussion in this paper refutes Watt’s claim and shows that Islam is not hostile to the idea of development as long as the latter is compatible with the value and belief system of Islam.In fact it is adherence to development models moulded on Western intellectual outlook that stunted developmental growth in Muslim countries (Brohman,n.d as cited in AlRoubaie,2009,p.218). Speeding up the process of development in Muslim countries requires sound planning and efficient policies that reflects Islamic fundamentals.As can be seen from our discussion in this paper, Islam gives human capital and skill development high priority in total investment.

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In Islam, development is all encoming such that Islamic concept of development comprises all aspects of human life in other words, the Islamic concept of development is concerned with total development of man in all its dimension-material development plus moral and siritual upliftment.While the former implies sustained increase in per capita income wothout destroying the physical,natural and ecological environment, the latter implies sustained purification of mind through better appreciation and preservation of moral and spiritual values as reflected in Tawhid.The ultimate objective of development in Islam is to increase man's happiness by meeting his material, social, cultural and spiritual requirements.In Islam, developmental process are driven by moral and ethical considerations which reflects the Islam place on justice and fairness in the production, consumption and distribution.To sum it all, development concept in Islam aimed at enhancing man's capabilities to develop in a meaningful way(Al-Roubaie,2009,p.227).

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and Economic Development. Islamabad: International Institute

of Islamic Thought.

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Dincer,I. & Rosen,M.(2011) Thermal Energy Storage: Systems and Applications.West Sus sex:John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Ezeala-Harrison, F.(1996) Economic development: theory and policy applications. Westport,CT:Praeger Publishers Kuran,T.(2004) Islam and Mammon: The Economic Predicaments of Islamism.New

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sey:Princeton University Press. Mababaya, M.P. (2003) International Business Success in a Strange Cultural Environ ment.USA : Universal Publishers. Mannan,M.A.(1988) The Islamic development bank and economic development in Southeast Asia. In Ariff,M.(Ed.) Islam and the economic development of Southeast Asia : Islam ic banking in Southeast Asia (pp.172-193).Singapore : Institute of Southeast Asian Studies Pramanik,A.H.(2002)Islam and development revisited with evidences from Malaysia.Islamic Economic

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Raghuram,P.(2005).Religion and development. In Skelton, T. & Allen, T.(Eds.)Culture and global change (pp. 236-244). New York : Routledge Sardar,Z.(1997) Beyond development : An Islamic perspective. In Tucker,V.(Ed.) Cultural perspectives on development (pp.36-55).London:Frank Cass and Company Limited Nyang, S.(2001) Religion and the maintenance of boundaries : An Islamic view, In : Miller, D. & Hashmi, S.H. (eds.) Boundaries and justice: diverse ethical perspectives (pp. 203-212) New Jersey : Princeton University Press 15

Harik,I.(2006)Pluralism in the Arab World.In Hopkins,N.S. & Ibrahim,S.E.(Eds.) Arab soci ety: class, gender, power, and development (pp.345-358).Cairo : The American Uni versity in Cairo Press Man,Z.(1988) Islamic banking : The Malaysian experience.In Ariff,M.(Ed.) Islam and the economic development of Southeast Asia : Islamic banking in Southeast Asia (pp.67102).Singapore : Institute of Southeast Asian Studies

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