poor, has filled the world with misery, hatred and mutual suspicions.
It has turned the world into a veritable hell. The Qur'an has
denounced Capitalists as the enemies of mankind:
They who hoard up gold and silver and spend it not for the cause set
forth by Allah. Unto them give tidings (O Muhammad!) of a painful
doom, on the day when it will all be heated in the fire of Jahannam, and
their foreheads and their flanks and their backs will be branded
therewith (and it will be said unto them): Here is that which you
hoarded for yourselves. Now taste of what you used to hoard ( 9 : 34 - 35 ).
Capitalism appeals to the self-seeking motives of man and
tempts those who have amassed wealth to give free rein to their anti-
social tendencies. Let them not forget the doom which, in the words
of the Qur'an, is sure to overtake those who profit by a system so
detrimental to the real interests of mankind:
And let not those who hoard up that which Allah has bestowed upon
them of His bounty, think that it is better for them. Nay, it is worse for
them. That which they hoard will be their collar on the occasion of the
manifestation of the results of their deeds; and Allah's is the heritage
of the heavens and the earth, and He is well aware of what you do
(3:179).
Capitalism is a fertile source of misery for mankind and is thus an
inhuman system. It will certainly be abandoned when men become
more enlightened and have a clearer perception of their real
interests:
Lo! ye are those who are called to spend for the cause set forth by Allah,
And as for him who hoardeth and thus depriveth others of the
provision for life, really depriveth his own self thereof. And Allah is the
rich and ye are the poor. And if ye turn away, He will bring in your stead
a people other than you ; and they shall not be like you (47:38).
This is the verdict of history too. The Qur'an exhorts us to pay
attention to the fate of nations which devoted themselves to
amassing wealth and turned their back on high ideals. They were
supplanted by other nations:
And how many a people that dealt unjustly, have We shattered; and
raised after them another folk (21:11).
Man is under an obligation to work to his utmost to earn his
livelihood, then to keep for himself what he needs and hand over
the remainder to his society, The Qur'an is explicit on this point:
And they will ask thee: "What it is they should give away'." Say thou:
The Rububiyyah Order-Its Aim and Scope 207