cramped when it keeps its riches to itself. Thus the most rewarding
activity in which it can engage is that of giving. Generosity enriches it
and niggardliness impoverishes it. We must never lose sight of this
truth. The Qur’an leaves no doubt on this point:
He who gives his wealth so that his self may develop (92:18).
Let us see how this principle can be applied in the economic
sphere. Even in the most advanced countries of the West the
national wealth is not distributed fairly. This has naturally resulted in
creating two social classes – the Haves and the Have-nots. The few
rich men earn considerably more than they require, while the
majority of the people do not earn enough to satisfy their basic
needs. The moral fibre of the former becomes loose by luxury and
that of the latter by extreme poverty. The causes are different but
the result is the same, debasement and corruption of the self. In
Western countries two remedies have been proposed – Taxation
and Charity. Both have proved to be ineffectual. They are mere
palliatives and cannot cure the social malaise. While taxation is
opposed and evaded, charity degrades the individual who receives it
and undermines his self-respect. In Eastern Europe it is believed
that communism can cure the evil. Against this view it may be urged
that in a totalitarian society there is little incentive for the individual
to put forth the best in him. Initiative and the spirit of enterprise are
at a discount in such a society. Besides this, in a collectivised
regimented society the individual’s freedom is curbed and hedged
round to such an extent that he ceases to be a free autonomous
being. Above all, if the concept of life is materialistic, be it in a
capitalistic society or communistic, there is no incentive for giving
the product of one’s own hard labour for the benefit of others.
For Islam the locus of value is the individual self and not society.
Self-development of the individual man is of supreme importance.
Everything else must be subordinated to this end. The Qur’an aims
at the production of free and good men, and such men
spontaneously, and of their own accord, will share their possessions
with their fellow beings. A society composed of such men will be
free from the evils of luxury in one class and poverty in the other. A
powerful incentive to generosity and selfless service of others is
provided by the belief in the Hereafter. The man who believes in the
Hereafter will naturally attach far greater importance to the values
The Self of Man and Its Destiny 88