all credit to it – and fails to do justice to the other equally – rather
more – important factor, namely labour. The result is that the bulk
of the wealth produced goes to the man who contributes capital and
the labourer has to be content with a mere pittance. Capital tends to
accumulate in the hands of the few while poverty is the lot of the
labourers who constitute the bulk of the population. This unequal
distribution of the national wealth, a necessary consequence of
Capitalism, is tolerated for a time, but, sooner or later, it generates
class struggle and paves the way to the dissolution of society.
Capitalism is based on two assumptions. The first assumption is that
man has an inviolable right to the property that he has acquired. The
second is that society can prosper only when it does not interfere
with the economic activity of the individual. The Capitalist pins his
faith on the doctrine of laissez-faire and holds private property to be
sacred. He argues that what he has earned through his own ability,
skill and effort, must be exclusively his own. Nobody can claim a
share in it. He may, if he likes, give a part or the whole of it to
another but no one can force him to do so. He will be doing no
wrong if he keeps it all to himself. This attitude is exemplified in
Korah whose story is narrated in the Qur'an. When he was asked to
give a part of his immense wealth to the needy and the poor, he
replied exactly like the Capitalist of today. "Why should I? This is
the result of my own capability" (28:78). The Qur'an tells us that
man commits a grave mistake if he believes that he owes his wealth
exclusively to his own ability and effort:
Now, when harm falls on man, he cries to Us, and afterwards, when We
have granted him a boon from Us, he says: "Only by means of my own
ability I obtained it." Nay, it is a mischief (to think so) but most of them
know not (39:49).
The main fallacy inherent in the Capitalists' argument is made
evident when we look at the conditions on which the production of
wealth depends. Four factors, stated below, contribute to the
production of wealth:
- Man's physical and mental capacities.
- The education and training he has received.
- The opportunities available to him.
- His industry.
It is obvious that man can take credit for only the fourth factor, i.e.,
Islam: A Challenge to Religion 202