Production and Economic Development pdf

Production and Economic Development – Book Sample

Production and Economic Development

The basis of utilizing these resources in Islam

Before tackling this important issue, we want to shed the light on what is mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah and what the Muslim scholars said about man being the successor on earth. Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {Who perfected everything which He created and began the creation of man from clay.

 Then He made his posterity out of the extract of a liquid disdained. Then He proportioned him and breathed into him from His [created] soul and made for you hearing and vision and hearts; little are you grateful.} [Quran 32: 7-9].

Moreover, when the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was asked about the soul, Allaah The Almighty revealed to him the answer by saying (what means): {And they ask you, [O Muhammad], about the soul. Say, “The soul is of the affair of my Lord. And mankind have not been given of knowledge except a little.”} [Quran 17: 85]. Thus, the soul is an affair of Allaah The Almighty, and it is above the material things and above the worldly laws, and all of it is light and purity.

Thus, Allaah The Almighty sent His prophets and sent down with them the Scripture and the balance to preserve the soul on the surface of earth. Ibn Khaldoon said in his book, Muqaddimat Ibn Khaldoon,

“The human being is composed of two mixed parts; one is physical and the other is spiritual. Every part has its own senses or perceptions, but only the spiritual part can perceive. At sometimes it perceives physical perceptions, and it perceives spiritual perceptions at other times.

It realizes what is spiritual with its own without intermediary, and it perceives what is physical through the organs of the body like the brain and the five senses. And every perception has a delight with what is perceives, but surely the delight by the self perception of the soul without medium is greater and more delicious”.

Allaah The Almighty sent down His religion at the hands of His messengers and their books so that people believe and work at the same time. Whereas faith is necessary to fulfill the needs of the soul, work is also needed to satisfy the body. Thus, a person can keep his balance and be moderate in his attitude and behavior.

 Work coupled with faith motivates the person to sincerity, perfection and creativity, and knowledge is a necessity for reforming the condition of man, for increasing productivity and perfecting it, and for achieving wealth. Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {Allaah will raise those who have believed among you and those who were given knowledge, by degrees.} [Quran 58: 11].

The Quran includes many verses that guide the Muslim in his religion, life and Hereafter. We mention here an example from what is mentioned about Daawood (David), may Allaah exalt his mention, in the Quran; Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {And We taught him the fashioning of coats of armor to protect you from your [enemy in] battle.} [Quran 21: 80].

 The Quran also tells us about Yoosuf (Joseph), may Allaah exalt his mention, who was able to overcome the difficult years through his knowledge. Allaah The Almighty Says about him (what means): {And when Joseph reached maturity, We gave him judgment and knowledge. And thus We reward the doers of good.} [Quran 12: 22].

There is also the story of Moosa (Moses), may Allaah exalt his mention, with the righteous and knowledgeable Al-Khidhr. Allaah Says (what means): {And they found a servant from among Our servants to whom we had given mercy from us and had taught him from Us a [certain] knowledge.

Moses said to him, “May I follow you on [the condition] that you teach me from what you have been taught of sound judgment?”} [Quran 18: 65-66]. In this sense, Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {And fear Allaah. And Allaah teaches you. And Allaah is Knowing of all things.} [Quran 2: 282].

In the year sixty-seven A.H., the first big Masjid in the Moroccan city of Fez was established. It was not only a place dedicated for performing acts of worship, it also acted as a house of knowledge for its seekers, as they studied different branches of knowledge therein.

Moreover, the education there was not only limited to religious sciences like the Prophetic narrations, Quran interpretation or Islamic jurisprudence, it extended to include a broad range of subjects like mathematics, geography and astronomy. They even called this Masjid Al-Qarawiyyeen (The Villagers) University. Bandali Jawzi, a Palestinian Intellectual and researcher in the Academy of Moscow, said about this university,

“It is mistakenly thought that the oldest university on earth was founded in Europe. However, it was in Africa, and particularly in Fez, the old capital city of Morocco. It is worth mentioning that many non-Muslim students graduated from this university, at their head was the Monk Gerbert d’Aurillac, who later became Pope Sylvester II.

This Pope was the one who introduced the currently used Arabic numerals to Europe instead of the Roman ones, and he tried to translate all that the Muslims had compiled in science when he settled down in Italy. He also led the idea of modifying the Roman laws to be in conformity with the Islamic Sharee`ah”.

The human mind:

Allaah The Almighty created man with the ability to speak, with his head held high; and He made him capable of hearing and seeing, not only with his eyes, but He endowed him with the ability to do good work and to innovate.

He also made him good-looking, with a sightly outward appearance; He gives him feelings to love and hate, and to benefit himself and please others. Allaah The Almighty Said (what means): {We have certainly created man in the best of stature} [Quran 95:4]. And He also Says (what means): {Indeed in that is a reminder for whoever has a heart or who listens while he is present [in mind]} [Quran 50:37].

Commenting on this last Verse, scholars said that it is possible to express the “mind” with the “heart”, because the heart that is inside the chest is exactly like the mind with which Allaah The Almighty has favored man over other creatures. It is the source of his behavior, and there is no other way to reach a certain truth without the mind – a fact that scientists have failed to explain.

 Materialists say that the brain and nerves are the real controllers of human behavior, yet they are actually nothing but a part from the material world. Another view says that just as the soul interacts with the body so that it moves, the mind interacts with the brain, so that it produces concrete and the abstract perceptions and this attribute is what