A great number of empirical studies now challenge the position of conceptualising human behaviour only in the framework of a rational, utility-maximizing homo-economicus. Yet, this framework is used for the purpose of simplicity and tractability in situations where abstraction does not result in major loss of focus and information at hand.
Salman Ahmed Shaikh Some of the non-Muslim contemporaries of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) used to tease Him (PBUH) during His life. Qur’an mentions that people who did not believe in Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) […]
In early 2015, Muslims took to twitter to introduce our beloved Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to the world. Below are some of the tweets.
Animals wake up, find food, eat, sleep and wake up again. As per Atheism, humans are also supposed to have only that same purpose. If I believe in this life only, then as long as I can avoid conflict with material law, control legislation by funding political cronies and muster military and diplomatic strength, I can commit genocide, kill, steal, rob for 50 years of my life and the victims and society cannot do anything unless they gain same power and make me powerless and define a different standard of justice and ethics.
From a community of 1.6 billion people spreading in 7 continents of the world, individual instances from a small minority of deviants are picked in an effort to embarrass and tease peaceful mainstream Muslims. Close to 100 million Muslims live in developed regions alone. There has to be acknowledgement and understanding of this fact that Islam and Muslims are two different things. There can be difference of opinion, but selectively picking particular types of arguments, peoples and actions and generalizing them over 1.6 billion people is unjustified.
It is to be understood that 15 centuries ago, the institution of slavery was common in Arabs and when Islam spread, Islam took measures to get rid of the institution of slavery in a gradual process. Quran is very clear on freeing slaves in the later revealed verses. In verse 12 and 13 of Chapter Balad, Allah says: “And what can make you know what is [breaking through] the difficult pass? It is the freeing of a slave.”
This article discusses the major risks that Islamic banks face in their commercial operations and the tools with which they mitigate these risks.
On the social equality front, the one paying interest becomes a slave of those who lent him money since the burden gets bigger over time. This leads to dependency and leaves self-empowerment as mere fantasy and ultimately leads towards loss of self-identity, self-honor and destruction of humanity.
Recent evidence in behavioral finance and consumer psychology points to the fact that consumer information processing capabilities are limited and prone to error. Alias paradox and Ellsberg paradox are good examples of this phenomenon. Furthermore, ‘Ultimatum Game’ reflects the fact that people tend to look at their choice outcomes relatively. Prisoner’s Dilemma highlights the fact that choices by each player in a self-centric way are not necessarily going to be best for them either individually or collectively.
The two most important problems identified in a post-financial crisis look back are perverse incentives and de-linking of financial sector growth and activities with the real sector of the economy. Islamic finance principles by basing all financial products with real assets fill the gap and this feature alone is a very important risk management tool inbuilt into the system.
Reflections on the Origins in the Post COVID-19 World (Paperback)
ISBN: 978-96923470-0-6 An engaging book to reflect on the origins and the deeper questions of existence and meaning in life in the light of knowledge from science, philosophy and faith as we live through and beyond the COVID-19 world.
$8.00
Islamic Economics Project 