Tag: IslamicEconomics

The Dual Structure of Islamic Economics: Economics of Religion and Religious Economics

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Islamic economics is fundamentally a normative field, dedicated to the in-depth study of the normative principles outlined in the Qur’an and the Sunna (religious economics). In its empirical research, it probes into the economic behaviours and values of Muslims. As a result, it extensively utilizes economic tools to comprehend Muslim behaviour, integrating the economics of religion as one method of exploration.  In reconciling normative (what should be) and positive (what is) economics, the discipline also emphasizes facilitating the transition from the current state to an ideal one, aiming to transform ‘what is’ into ‘what should be’. This agenda is central to Islamic economics, as it is to religious economics.

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Methodology of Economics: Secular Versus Islamic

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The author asserts that Islamic economics is currently the result of applying Islamic rules and injunctions (Fiqh) to the secular economic framework, and is not yet a separate discipline that fully replaces secular economics. The author notes that methodology is a messy and confusing area in both fields. He highlights that in Islamic economics, it is often wrongly treated as a research design or work plan. The author explains that economics is usually called ‘science’ and is seen to be built for achieving its objectives on some perception of rationality. Methodology is the ‘theory of theories’; in the field of economics it refers to the “process economists use to authenticate the knowledge about economic phenomena”.

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Zakah Driven Islamic Economy and Interest Driven Capitalism

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Entrepreneurs may have less or more capital than they plan to invest. Owners of surplus capital may withhold it or may make it available to investors. This may be based on profit sharing ratio or interest. In the Islamic system, charge of Zakah assisted by expected share in profit motivates the owners of capital to get it invested while in a capitalist system, interest motivates the capitalist creditors to lend capital for earning interest.

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Integration of Tawhidic Epistemology in ESG

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Halal ESG shaped by Tawhidic epistemology is not merely an alternative model; it is a civilizational intervention—calling for harmony between the sacred and the temporal, between environmental responsibility and metaphysical awareness, between economic development and divine accountability. It is this synthesis—rooted in Tawhid, driven by Ummatic consciousness, and aspiring toward Ummatic excellence—that will enable halal industries to become ethical vanguards in a fractured world.

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Islamic Economics: A Short History

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The earlier scholars provided application of Islamic juristic principles to derive and apply the Islamic teachings related to commerce, entrepreneurship and consumption. Muslim scholarship initially focused on public finance and its administration to deal with the practical problems of the newly formed state which expanded rapidly and required sound legal and administrative framework to legislate economic activities centred around agriculture and trade.

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The Role of Integrated Value Mediation in ESG Frameworks: Transforming Circular Agriculture within an Islamic Economic Context

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The global momentum behind sustainable development has elevated ESG principles to a central position in both corporate and public sector strategies. The Global Sustainable Investment Review (2020) reports that assets managed under sustainable investment strategies reached USD 35.3 trillion, representing over one-third of total professionally managed assets worldwide. Despite this impressive shift, the practical implementation of ESG is beset by challenges, with the agricultural sector particularly affected due to its central role in food security, economic development, and environmental stewardship. Conflicts over land rights, water resources, environmental impacts, and social inequalities are common and often impede progress toward sustainability and inclusivity.

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Central Bank Digital Currencies Through an Islamic Lens

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In Islamic jurisprudence, money (mal) serves primarily as a medium of exchange, a store of value, and a unit of account. Classical jurists such as al-Ghazālī and Ibn Taymīyah stressed that money must not be used for speculative ends or to generate guaranteed returns (riba), nor should it expose transacting parties to undue uncertainty (gharar) or resemble gambling (maysir). Extending these timeless principles into the digital age, a Shariah-compliant CBDC must preserve the objectives of Islamic law (Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah) by fostering economic justice, preventing harm, and promoting communal welfare.

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Behavioural and Islamic Economics Critique on Mainstream Views on Unemployment: A Joint Perspective

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Mainstream economic policies often prioritize short-term goals, such as inflation control and GDP growth, over addressing the root causes of unemployment. This short-sighted approach can lead to unemployment persistence, even during periods of apparent economic growth. By contrast, behavioural economics urges policymakers to adopt long-term and holistic strategies that prioritize social welfare and sustainable job creation, offering a more nuanced and comprehensive perspective on addressing unemployment.

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Towards Understanding Riba (Part II)

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Clarity on issue of Riba is so important in Shari’ah that while recognizing change in value due to change in quality, it does not force us to exchange different qualities in equal quantity and yet in case of Amwale Ribuwiah, it does not allow these to be directly exchanged with any excess of weight (quantity) on either side. As generally understood by our scholars, this restriction was essential to stop practice of Riba by hiding behind difference in quality.

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Reinstating the Family in ESG: A Tawhidic and Maqasidic Recalibration of Global Governance Frameworks

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The omission of the family from ESG frameworks is not a minor oversight—it is symptomatic of a deeper malaise within secular ethics and governance. As Professor Nejatullah Siddiqi once noted, “The preservation of family is not a cultural preference—it is a civilizational necessity.” The Mf-ESG model, with its Tawhidic, Maqasidic, and civilizational foundations, offers a corrective to the ESG paradigm’s moral myopia. It presents a model of sustainability not limited to compliance and metrics but inspired by meaning, purpose, and transcendence.

This model deserves further exploration and institutional support through high-level scholarly forums, international think tanks, policy summits, and academic curricula. It bridges theory and practice, faith and governance, offering not only a critique but a constructive framework for a just and flourishing civilization.

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