Articles

Development of the Islamic Economics
Author : Dr. Safwan Odaybat
Date Added : 02-02-2023

Development of the Islamic Economics

 

As a science, Islamic Economics witnessed an accelerating dynamic development in the second half of the twentieth century. Al-Azhar University was the first to include Islamic Economics as an independent scientific course in 1961, followed by King Abdulaziz University in 1964, and Omdurman University in Sudan in 1966 (Al-Wajiz in Islamic Economics by Dr. Mohammed Shawqi Al-Finjri, pp.5-7, and Contemporary Financial Transactions in Islamic Fiqh by Dr. Mohammed Osman Shabir, pp.257).

 

One of the recommendations of the seventh Muslim Scholars Conference held in Cairo in 1972 was the necessity of teaching the course, Islamic Economics, in all universities of the Muslim world. This recommendation constituted the first nucleus for the establishment of Islamic Economics Departments and the emergence of institutes specializing in Islamic Economics and Banking. This is especially after the First World Conference on Islamic Economics held in Mecca in 1976. (Al-Wajiz by Al-Finjri, pp.5-7).

 

The experience of the Islamic banks developed following the development of the Islamic Economics. The first experience of the Islamic Bank was (Meteghumar Experience in Upper Egypt) in 1963, which was established as a local savings bank operating under the provisions of Islamic Shari 'a (Zero-Interest Banks by Ahmed Abdel Aziz Al-Najjar, pp.67).

 

The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) were established in 1975. Moreover, in 1977, three Islamic banks were established: Faisal Islamic Bank of Sudan, Faisal Islamic Bank of Egypt, Kuwait Finance House, Jordan Islamic Bank in 1978, and Islamic International Arab Bank in 1998.

 

After this long journey of giving and innovation and according to the latest global economic reports, Islamic banking-as part of the Islamic Economics-has achieved world records. Among the key findings of the Global Islamic Economy Reality Report of 2018 produced by Thomson Reuters in cooperation with Dinar Standard:

 

1. The size of the Islamic finance sector in 2017 was $2.438 billion, and is expected to reach $3.809 billion in 2023, with a growth rate of 7.7%.

 

2. The volume of significant investments in the Islamic economy- disclosed in private equity or venture capital funds for the years (2015-2018)-reaches $745 million.

 

3. A major trade movement in the Islamic economy lifestyle products with imports of up to $271.8 billion and exports of up to $210.5 billion. This is according to the Islamic countries data in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for the year 2017.

 

4. The size of the 2017 Islamic economy market reaches $2.107 billion and is expected to reach $3.007 billion in 2023.

 

5. The funding available for investment in the OIC countries reaches $4.9 trillion.

 

6. Islamic financing is undergoing change since digital banking and financial technology are in full swing in this sector reaching $12.6 million available for Islamic Fintech.

 

These recent results indicate the significant and continuous development in the finance and investment sector in various areas of the Islamic economy, including Islamic banks. This indicates the accelerated global trend towards the Islamic economy and the Islamic exchange in particular. Iran takes center stage in terms of Islamic finance market assets amounting to $578 billion; followed by Saudi Arabia then Malaysia. At the same time, we find a growing interest in the Islamic economy by European countries, America and East Asia. For example, Britain is establishing an Islamic Fintech Committee to take the lead position in this field in 2017. In France, Islamic transactions are taught in addition to introducing the specialization-Islamic Economics and Islamic Banks-in dozens of international universities in Europe, America and other countries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

 
What is the ruling on someone who eats or drinks while uncertain about the arrival of dawn, then later finds out that dawn had not yet broken?

If a person does this, their fast remains valid, as it is confirmed that they ate during the night. Similarly, if someone eats while uncertain and remains unsure whether they ate before or after dawn, their fast is still valid. This is based on the maxim of Sharia Law, which states: "Certainty is not removed by doubt." Certainty, here, is the presence of night, and the doubt concerns the arrival of dawn. Therefore, one relies on certainty and disregards doubt.

The Jurisprudential Significance of the Ḥadīth: "Whoever says, at the conclusion of the Fajr Prayer, while crossing his legs, before speaking..."
"Whoever says, at the conclusion of the Fajr prayer, while crossing his legs, before speaking: 'Lā ilāha illā Allāh, waḥdahu lā sharīka lah, lahu al-mulku wa lahu al-ḥamdu yuḥyī wa yumītu wa huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr' ten times — ten good deeds will be recorded for him, ten bad deeds will be erased from him, he will be raised ten levels, he will spend that day in protection from everything disliked and guarded from the devil, and no sin will be able to befall him on that day except associating partners with Allah" — does this noble ḥadīth apply to the imam, and what is meant by "extraneous speech"?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It is recommended for both the imam and those praying behind him to recite, immediately after the final salām, the specific remembrance reported in the sunnah to be said before turning away from one's place of prayer. The imam then leaves his praying spot, and the act of "turning" is fulfilled when the imam faces the congregation — even without physically leaving his spot — by positioning his right side toward them and his left side toward the qiblah, and this applies even while he is engaged in supplication.
Al-ʿAllāmah Ibn Qāsim al-ʿAbbādī states in his Ḥāshiyah ʿalā al-Tuḥfah (Vol.2/P.105): "It is most virtuous for the imam, once he has given the salām, to rise from his place of prayer immediately afterward." He adds that an exception must be made for the remembrances that are specifically required to be recited before he turns away. He then notes, citing Sharḥ al-ʿUbāb: "Yes, an exception to this rising immediately after the salām applies to the Fajr prayer, due to the authentic report that the Prophet ﷺ, when he prayed Fajr, would remain seated until the sun rose." He further cites, from al-Khādim, the ḥadīth concerning one who recites, at the conclusion of the Fajr prayer while still in the position of crossing his leg to rise: "Lā ilāha illā Allāh, waḥdahu lā sharīka lah..." and the rest of the well-known ḥadīth. He comments that this makes explicit that this particular remembrance is to be recited before the worshipper turns his legs to leave, and the same applies to Maghrib and ʿAṣr, as reported in those contexts as well.
What is meant by "speech" in the relevant ḥadīth is extraneous worldly speech that is not called for after the prayer and for which there is no legitimate excuse. The remembrances reported to be recited upon concluding the prayer, however, do not fall under this category of extraneous speech, since they are themselves required by the sharīʿah.
Al-ʿAllāmah ʿAlī al-Shabrāmalsī states in his Ḥāshiyah ʿalā al-Nihāyah (Vol.1/P.551): "If someone greets a person with salām while he is occupied with reciting this remembrance [i.e., 'Lā ilāha illā Allāh...'], should he return the greeting — without this causing him to forfeit the promised reward, since he is engaged in an obligatory matter — or should he delay returning the greeting until he finishes, this being a legitimate excuse for the delay?" He continues: "I say: the more likely view is the former, and the prohibition on speech is to be understood as applying to extraneous speech for which there is no legitimate excuse. Based on this, should the worshipper give precedence to this remembrance ('Lā ilāha illā Allāh...') or to reciting Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ ('Qul huwa Allāhu aḥad')? This requires consideration, though it is not unlikely that the remembrance takes precedence, given that the Lawgiver urged hastening to it through his words 'while crossing his leg.' This is not considered ordinary speech, since it is not extraneous to what is required after the prayer."
Accordingly, it is recommended for both the imam and those praying behind him to recite this remembrance and to give it precedence over the other remembrances of the prayer, ensuring it is said before they move from their place. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

Is it permissible for a husband to stop his wife from visiting her family?

A husband shouldn`t stop his wife from visiting her family, and it is disliked for him to do so because such an act makes them harbor feelings of hatred against him.

What is the wisdom behind legislating the Udhiyah?

The Muslim must know that through the Uḍḥiyah, he complies with the command of Allah, the Exalted, and performs a worship that brings him closer to Allah and distances him from the Fire.
 
The Uḍḥiyah holds profound wisdoms and noble meanings, including:
 
1-Reviving the Sunnah of Abraham, peace be upon him: He complied with Allah's command when He ordered him to slaughter his son Ishmael. Abraham, peace be upon him, succeeded in the test, and when he was about to slaughter his son, Allah sent down a ram to ransom Ishmael and commanded him to slaughter it instead. Allah, the Exalted, says {what means]: "And when he reached with him [the age of] exertion, he said, 'O my son, indeed I have seen in a dream that I [must] sacrifice you, so see what you think.' He said, 'O my father, do as you are commanded. You will find me, if Allah wills, of the steadfast.' And when they had both submitted and he put him down upon his forehead, We called to him, 'O Abraham, You have fulfilled the vision.' Indeed, We thus reward the doers of good. Indeed, this was the clear trial. And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice." [Al-Ṣāffāt/102-107]. Thus, the sacrificial offering became an enduring Sunnah until the Day of Judgment, and Muslims offer their wealth as sacrifices, drawing closer to Allah, the Exalted, reviving this great Sunnah.
 
2-Providing abundance for people on Eid day and the Days of Tashrīq: Among the wisdoms of the Uḍḥiyah is that the Muslim provides generously for his family, neighbors, relatives, and the poor during these days. The Muslim is encouraged to eat from his sacrifice, give charity from it to the poor, and gift from it to his wealthy neighbors. Thus, goodness spreads throughout the entire community. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "The Days of Tashrīq are days of eating and drinking." (Narrated by Muslim). Allah, the Exalted, says {what means}: "And the camels and cattle We have appointed for you as among the symbols of Allah; for you therein is good." [Al-Ḥajj/36]. This good includes the good of both this world and the Hereafter.