1. The Middle Path
Islamisacompletewayoflife.Itisnotonlyconcernedwiththespiritual
upliftmentofhumanbeings,itisequallyconcernedabouttheirmaterial
andphysicalwellbeing. Islamguides itsfollowers infinancialandeco-
nomicmatters,insocialandpoliticalaffairs,andalsoinmoralandper-
sonal spheres of human life.
Inthislesson, Iwillbrieflydescribe the economic system.However,
onemustalwaysrememberthattheIslamiceconomicsystemisnotinit-
selfcomplete;itisapartoftheoverallsystemoflife.Islamisacompact
systemoflifeinwhichallitsaspects(religious,ideological,social,polit-
icalandethical)arewellsynchronized.Muslimswillsucceedonlyifthey
putthewholesystemintowork,andnotjustchooseandpickfromitac-
cording to their likes and dislikes.
Anyhow,forthislesson,thesimplestwaytodescribetheIslamiceco-
nomic system is by highlighting its differences with capitalism and
communism.
Capitalismisaneconomicdoctrinebasedontheideaofprivateown-
ership of the means of production and distribution. It is a system in
whichthecapitalistisgivenafreehand;andgovernmentdoesnotregu-
lateanythingforthebenefitoftheworkers.Forexample,thereisnomin-
imumorfairwage.Everythingisleftontheprincipleofsupplyandde-
mand.Therichgetricherandthepoorgetpoorer.Povertyisequatedto
idleness; personal shortcomings are considered the chief cause of
poverty.Hence,initsidealsystem,capitalismhasnoroomforcompas-
sion and benevolence towards the poor and the needy.[29]
AsimilarmentalityalsoexistedamongsomearistocratsofMecca.The
Qur'ān says,
“Whenitissaidtothem,GivecharityfromwhatGod hasgivento you,' the unbelievers say to the believers,Should we feed the person
whom God, if He wished, could feed?'”(36:47)
It was to remedythis situation that somethinkers of the West pro-
motedtheideasof communism.Theeconomicdoctrine ofcommunism
is based on the idea of centralizedpublic ownership of the means of