Matalibul Furqan 5

Chapter 12

THE RUBUB1YYAH ORDER

(QUR'ANIC ECONOMICS)

I. The Order of Rububiyyah - Its Nature and Purpose

IN the animal world, evolution proceeds through the operation of

natural causes. It aims at the perfection of the species and the
eventual production of a better one. The individual does not count;
the race is all-important. There is no hesitation to expend individual
for the good of the species. This is the animal stage. At the human
level, however, the focus of interest shifts from the race to the
individual. There is the emergence of individuality, and, with it, the
evolutionary process enters a new phase – a strikingly different one.
Natural forces which had so far directed the course of evolution
now recede into the background and rational beings consciously
and actively participate in the evolutionary process. There is a
corresponding change in the goal of evolution which is now not the
production of a species well adjusted to its environment, but the
development of a free and autonomous self capable of directing its
ascent to higher levels of life. Nature leads the animal in the right
direction. Man has to discover the right path and follow it with his
own resources. He relies mainly on reason. He soon finds out,
however, that in voyaging across the uncharted seas of existence, he
cannot depend solely on the fitful flickering light of reason. In
desperation, he turns to God for help which is granted him in the
form of a summons to join the Order of the Rububiyyah. This order
would, naturally, make sense for those who have the earnest desire
and ambition to follow the right path. Those who join the order are
assured of speedy and smooth progress towards the goal of self-
fulfilment. This is what Jannah stands for in the terminology of the
Qur'an. Man will march towards the goal in the company of like-
minded persons.
The Qur'an sets forth a sustaining practical programme for this
inviting enterprise. The programme is essentially social and