260 chapter six
that being rich is better than being poor. This was argued on two
grounds: first, if the rich was rich because of inheritance, this would
indicate the creditworthiness of his family, which adds to the cred-
ability of the person’s family line, and, second, if he was rich because
of his hard work during his life time this would add to the person’s
credability as being a hard worker, highly motivated and strongly
driven to better himself and his family. Furthermore, the rich who
became rich as a result of their hard work and good management
of business reflected a high quality of mind. The flùfìs are in dis-
agreement concerning these ideas. To them it suffices that the per-
son works to earn only enough to meet his needs and those of his
dependents, and the rest of the time should be spent in worship.
The next writer is a highly distinguished writer in an area that
was beginning to take an independent form in the writing on Islamic
economics. He is Ibn-al-Ukhùwwah, and the area is the Institution
of Œisbah. But before looking into the work of Ibn-al-Ukhùwwah, it
is proper to look into the institution of Œisbahfirst with a view to
examining its meaning and the circumstances surrounding the devel-
opment of the writing on the subject.
The Institution of Œisbah and Business Sector GovernanceThe Œisbah, as Ibn al-Ukhùwwah said in his “Ma"alim al-Qùrbah”,
is one of the spiritual orders of Islam, that aims at enforcing what
is Islamically ordained, ma"ruf, and preventing what is religiously
unlawful, mùnkar, (Ibn al-Ukhùwwah). The range of duties is very
wide. In particular, it includes matters related to two main aspects,
ibadat, which focuses on the essence and forms of worship, and
mu"amalat, which concentrates on the core and forms of the financial
behaviour of the individual. Securing the obedience to the two aspects
of the religion is essential in order for the Muslim society, that is
based on the Sharì"ah, to be regarded as complete. Further, while
ibadatdisciplinary matters are imposed on Muslims, mu"amalatregu-
latory issues are ordained for both Muslims and non-Muslims.
In the early days of Islam the task of the Œisbahwas vested with
the Prophet and the caliphs after him. The Prophet is reported to
have rebuked some merchants in the market for misleading the buy-
ers over the quality and quantity of the goods displayed. “Whoever
cheats us is not one of us”, the Prophet is reported to have said