242 chapter six
He stated that if voluntary unemployment, as advocated by the
flùfìs, is regarded as an injustice to society, the state should endeav-
our to avoid compulsory unemployment.
Man in Society: Cooperation
In an opening statement, al-A›fahànìin introducing his chapter on
industry, earnings, and spending, stated that co-operation between
individuals is imperative to fulfill their needs. He used the analogy
of producing a loaf of bread that requires the co-operation of groups
of individuals of different means and ability, and reiterated the
Prophet’s saying, “Believers to each other are like a building in which
parts strengthen each other”. In stressing the importance of coop-
eration further he emphasised, “if every one aims to be self-sufficient,
this may lead to the global malfunction” (Al-A›fahànì).
Man in Economic Efficiency: Specialisation
From co-operation, he turned to specialisation. He emphasised the
need for specialisation and stressed that it leads to a better and more
efficient performance. People are different in their ability, readiness,
and desire to take different occupational tasks, and with that they are
able to excel otherwise, if forced into other occupations they will
grow bored and become less efficient. By implication, training should
therefore be tailored so as to suit the trainees’ ability, traits, and
aspirations. In a religious connotation, he indicated that variety of
abilities and willingness is a bounty from God, with which best, pro-
duction performance may be achieved.
Man in Economic Activities: Economic integration
Economic integration was, however, emphasised by al-A›fahànìwhile
discussing specialisation and co-operation. He highlighted how every
industry is in need of another and how each is either a producer of
goods needed by another and/or a user of the products generated
by the industry. Though he did not touch on input/output economic
tables, he provided an insight into how industries, voluntarily or
obligatorily, are integrated.
It is interesting to notice that al-A›fahànì, in contrast to al-Shaibànì