Islamic Economics: Morality, Rationality, and Research الاقتصاد الإسلامي: الأخلاق والعقلانية والبحث

Zubair Hasan

Journal of King Abdulaziz University: Islamic Economics, 2021, vol. 34, issue 2, 111-120

Abstract: The lead paper of Asad Zaman (2021) – Islamic alternatives to the secular morality embedded in modern economics– under review, is lucid and well documented; it speaks of his scholarship. The author talks of secular moral values ingrained in secular economics. Among them, the learned author focuses on ‘pleasure and profit’ as the goals of modern economics and scarcity buried in its foundations. He regards these two as definitional for secular rationality leading to positivism and what it implies. Since this view, in his opinion, is devoid of human traits like compassion, equity, and altruism, he proposes Islamic alternative as replacements. While some observations of the author in this regard are well meaning and well taken, we shall evaluate the author’s critique of the mainstream positions to see if they need rejection or reform for compatibility with the Islamic norms. We shall argue that reform is a better alternative than refusal. الورقة الرئيسية لأَسد زمان – البدائل الإسلامية للأخلاق العلمانية المُتضمنة في الاقتصاد الحديث – قَيْدُ المراجعة واضحة وموثقة جيدًا مما يبرز المكانة العلمية لِمُعِدِّها. يتحدث المؤلف عن القيم الأخلاقية العلمانية المتجذرة في الاقتصاد العلماني. من بين تلك القِيَّم رَكز المؤلف على "المتعة والربح" كأهداف للاقتصاد الحديث، والنُّدرة "المتجذرة" في أساسيات هذا العلم من جهة أخرى. يَعْتبر أَسد زمان هذين العنصرين يُمثلان تعريفًا للعقلانية العلمانية المؤدية إلى المُقاربة الوضعية وما يترتب عليها. وبما أن وجهة النظر هذه تخلو -في رأيه- من بعض الخصال الإنسانية الحميدة؛ كالرحمة، والعدالة، والإيثار، فإنه يقترح البديل الإسلامي كحل لهذه المُعضلة. تُقرر الورقة الحالية أن بعض ملاحظات المؤلف في هذا الصدد ذات مغزى جيد ومقبولة، ومع ذلك سنقوم بتقييم نقد المؤلف للمواقف السائدة لمعرفة ما إذا كانت بحاجة إلى الرفض أو الإصلاح للتوافق مع المبادئ والأعراف الإسلامية. تُحَاجِجُ الورقة أن الإصلاح بديلٌ أفضل من الرفض.

Keywords: The lead paper of Asad Zaman (2021) – Islamic alternatives to the secular morality embedded in modern economics– under review, is lucid and well documented; it speaks of his scholarship. The author talks of secular moral values ingrained in secular economics. Among them, the learned author focuses on ‘pleasure and profit’ as the goals of modern economics and scarcity buried in its foundations. He regards these two as definitional for secular rationality leading to positivism and what it implies. Since this view, in his opinion, is devoid of human traits like compassion, equity, and altruism, he proposes Islamic alternative as replacements. While some observations of the author in this regard are well meaning and well taken, we shall evaluate the author’s critique of the mainstream positions to see if they need rejection or reform for compatibility with the Islamic norms. We shall argue that reform is a better alternative than refusal. الأخلاق، السلوك العقلاني، الوضعية، الأعراف الإسلامية، القضايا البحثية. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: B4 C01 I23 Z12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:abd:kauiea:v:34:y:2021:i:2:no:7:p:111-120

DOI: 10.4197/Islec.34-2.7

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