54 AN INTRODUCTION TO ISLAMIC FINANCE
his daily life and in his dealings with others. It represents a defense mecha-
nism, an “inner torch” by which man can distinguish between right and
wrong, seeming and real, ephemeral and lasting. It is by this mechanism
that he can defend himself against the temptations of the lower instincts.
The becoming process and the evolutionary process toward perfection take
place through the constant strengthening of this inner torch.
SOCIETY
The central aim of Islam is to establish a just, moral, and viable social order
through the agency of man. Hence, the individual and the society are viewed
as correlates. The position of vicegerent and its concomitant responsibilities
are conferred upon all of mankind. Humanity has a collective responsibility
to ensure that every human being has the opportunity to tap their dormant
potential and to remove all obstacles from the individual’s path to the ultimate
goal. It is this collective view that evokes the matter of the Unity of mankind,
which leads to the equality (that is, before the Law) of its members. Islam
enunciates the principle that all mankind has been endowed with the same
nature. It assumes, affi rms, and confi rms the equality of the entire human race
and obliterates all basis of distinction except goodness, virtue, and service to
Allah (swt). The principle of the Unity of mankind is derived from the central
doctrine of Unity and Oneness of Allah (swt) around which every aspect of
Islam revolves. This principle leads to the conclusion that Islamic society is an
open-ended community that encompasses humanity as a whole.
The Islamic community was brought into existence as a “community of
the middle,” “justly balanced,” a “witness” to all nations, whose chief char-
acteristic is the belief in the certainty of the Absolute and His Oneness.^8 The
central function of this community is to “command the good and forbid
the evil;” and whose members possess the moral consciousness to fully
realize their obligations to their fellow men and to society.
Islam regards communities as having rights and responsibilities distinct
from those of the aggregation of their individual members and, like individu-
als, are accountable for their actions. The Qur’an asks Muslims to consider
the fate of communities and civilizations that went before them and see how
they, through the operations of immutable laws that govern the rise and fall
of peoples, received what they deserved and take lessons from it.^10
The Islamic community, as well as each of its members, is charged with
the responsibility of preserving, promoting, and propagating Islamic val-
ues and laws if it is to fl ourish and accomplish its missions and objectives.
Islam considers the existence of an Islamic community indispensable for the
achievement of the Divine purpose and recognizes that all individuals exist in a
cultural and sociological environment and owe much of their perception of
the world, and many of their reactions to its phenomena, to this environment
and other individuals who share it. Much of the signifi cance of this commu-
nity relates to the need for acquisition, acculturation, and inculcation of the