240 chapter six
duties would contribute towards satisfying spiritual needs further.
Included in the spiritual needs, in terms of non-physiological needs,
is the need to learn and acquire knowledge in religious and secular
matters. The levels of consumption are divided further by al-A›fahànì
into severe, minimum, desire, abundance, and extravagance. A higher
level of consumption is an expansion of the previous level in quan-
tity and quality. The level of extravagance is regarded by him as a
wasteful use of resources, and, not surprisingly, is forbidden by God.
In brief, al-A›fahànìemphasised two further needs in addition to
food, clothing and shelter: (a) in contrast to any religiously puritan
call from an Islamic or non-Islamic court, he specified marriage as
among the basic human needs, and (b) with the academic acknowl-
edgment of mental curiosity he stressed learning and the pursuit of
knowledge as part of these basic human needs. Al-A›fahànì’s
classification of human needs would have various implications when
determining the role of individual, community, religious groups, and
above all the state in relation to meeting these needs. For example,
if the state is assuming the responsibility of making the necessary
arrangement for satisfying these needs, the role will not stop at the
level of feeding, clothing and providing shelter, it will go beyond
that to ensure the provision for marriage, or family building, and
the pursuit of learning. By including these as needs, the satisfaction
of them occupies a priority it would not have otherwise occupied.
Human Role: Production
Turning his attention to the function of human beings in the universe,
we find al-A›fahànì highlighting this as being of three types: first;
working towards the development of the universe, or economic devel-
opment, second; worship of God, and third; acting on earth as the
vicegerent of God. He provides the evidence from the Qur"àn of the
validity of his classification. Economic development is the first of
these functions because it ensures provision for human beings’ needs.
Having civilized the earth and provided for basic needs, the wor-
ship of God in thanks for His help and in seeking His support would
follow. The worship ought to be manifested in following God’s rules
and commands in the management of development, maintaining it,
and distributing its outcomes in a manner that pleases God. As such,
human beings would be acting on earth as vicegerents of God, which
cannot be achieved unless the development in earth is managed in