108 chapter three
Civil unrest in some countries in recent history seemed to lend
support to Umar’s view about the relationship between unemploy-
ment and deprivation on the one hand and civil disturbances on
the other.
Besides land and labour, capital as a means of production also
occupied the attention of the second caliph. Umar stressed the impor-
tance of rationalising consumption for the sake of increasing saving
and investment. His recommendation to his subjects was not to con-
sume all their income, but to divide it into two parts: one for con-
sumption and another for investment (Al-Balaûrì). In his stand on
the rationalisation of consumption for the sake of saving, the second
caliph had advocated the concept of moderate consumption. We
recall from the previous chapter that although Islam does not con-
demn seeking the satisfaction of materialistic needs, it ordained that
it should be done in moderation. We also recall dividing consump-
tion into several levels, varying from the level of merely sustaining
the fundamental principles of life to that of extravagance, with mod-
erate consumption lying somewhere between. Umar seemed to have
narrowed the level of moderate consumption so much that he brought
it very close to the level of necessity, with anything above that level
as lying in the extravagant category. He is reported to have reproached
one who seemed to him to have bought a large quantity of meat,
“Do you buy all that you desire?” exclaiming twice. He preached,
“Beware of overeating, it is harmful to the body and wasteful with
the money, be moderate in your eating, it saves your money, keeps
you in the right path and brings you nearer to God”, His recom-
mendation was to divide income into two distinctive parts, the first
for consumption and the other for reinvestment. Furthermore, to
help members of the community with starting capital the caliph took
the initiative of distributing barren land to those who were capable
of utilising it and granted them its ownership as well as offering
financial help to those who were in need for help to cultivate it
(Abù-Yùsuf ).
Wealth Distribution
Turning our attention to wealth distribution, the other factor in eco-
nomic welfare, we find that this was taken care of by two main
means. The first was the institution of Zakàh, which was already
established in the Sharì"ah, while the second was a system of stipends
that was introduced by Caliph Umar. Revenues of Zakàh were to