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Opinion

Islam's response to contemporary world problems (43)

Qamar Fazal
Qamar Fazal
La respuesta del Islam a problemas del mundo contemporáneo (43)
Updated: 11/12/22

ECONOMIC PEACE.

We continue to develop the theme of "Economic Peace", linking to the 42nd installment.

(The Holy Quran references can be found at https://www.ahmadiyya-islam.org/es/coran/.)

Prohibition of accumulation of wealth

Islam rejects any kind of exploitation and injustice, such as the accumulation of wealth, capital, commodities and provisions that spirals prices and leads to general inflation. The Holy Quran states:

LA PAZ ECONÓMICA
 

"O ye who believe! Verily many of the priests and monks devour men's goods by false means, and turn men away from the way of Al'lah. But to those who hoard gold and silver, and do not spend it in the way of Al'lah, give them tidings of a grievous punishment. On the day when that treasure will be heated in the Hellfire, and their foreheads, their sides and their backs will be marked with it, saying to them, "This is what you treasured for yourselves; taste now what you have treasured." (9:34-35)

On the other hand, Islam grants freedom to every individual to obtain money in a lawful manner, within the Islamic code of economic conduct. Thus, it provides for the freedom and rights of individuals to own property and establish private enterprises.

In designing the economies of their respective countries, the focus of most governments is on how citizens earn their livelihoods. Taxes are levied on the balance invoiced, the profits of business and trade, and the wages of employees. Once this is achieved, there is little interference in the financial aspects of the individual. In general, the national interest is focused on income, and it is of no interest to most states to know how and on what each individual spends his or her earnings or savings. If he so wishes, an individual can throw his income or wealth into a sewer. He can lead a lifestyle of extravagance or waste, or, despite his wealth, if he so chooses, live harshly. It is not the business of the state to interfere in how one intends to spend or employ one's money.

However, this is one area where religion does intervene, and, by way of admonition or advice, not only inculcates in people how they should earn their daily bread, but also guides them in how what they have earned should or should not be spent. Most of the commandments that refer to disbursement are elementary moral and spiritual rules. For example, when Islam prohibits spending on alcoholic beverages, gambling and the pursuit of various kinds of pleasure, although such commandments are not intended to directly shape a spending budget, they are a derivative of a religion's moral and spiritual teachings. In capitalist economies, such injunctions are seen as an intrusion on privacy and an interference with the rights of the individual to spend as he or she wishes. But this attitude is not new to man.

According to The Holy Quran, earlier peoples and civilisations displayed exactly the same attitude towards religion, sometimes ending in a debate about the justification for religions to interfere in one's personal affairs. When Shuaib (lpD), an ancient prophet, tried to educate the people of Midian on how best to spend their wealth and what they should abstain from, he was rebuked by his people:

“¡Oh vosotros, los que creéis! En verdad que muchos de los sacerdotes y monjes devoran los bienes de los hombres por falsos medios, y apartan a los hombres del camino de Al’lah. Pero a quienes atesoran el oro y la plata, y no lo gastan en el camino de Al’lah, dales la noticia de un doloroso castigo. En el día en que ese tesoro sea calentado en el fuego del Infierno, y sus frentes, sus costados y sus espaldas sean marcados con él, diciéndoseles: “Esto es lo que atesorasteis para vosotros; probad ahora lo que habéis atesorado”. (9:34-35) Por otro lado, el Islam concede libertad a cada individuo para obtener dinero de forma lícita, dentro del código islámico de conducta económica. De este modo, se contempla la libertad y los derechos de los individuos a poseer propiedades y establecer empresas privadas. Al diseñar las economías de sus respectivos países, el foco de atención de la mayoría de los gobiernos se centra en la forma en que los ciudadanos consiguen su sustento. Se exigen impuestos sobre el saldo facturado, los beneficios del negocio y del comercio y el sueldo de los empleados. Conseguido esto, se produce una escasa interferencia en los aspectos financieros del individuo. En general, el interés nacional se centra en los ingresos, y no tiene interés para la mayoría de los Estados saber cómo y en qué gasta cada individuo sus ganancias o sus ahorros. Si así lo desea, un individuo puede arrojar sus ingresos o su riqueza a una alcantarilla. Puede llevar un estilo de vida de extravagancia o derroche, o, a pesar de su riqueza, si así lo desea, vivir con dureza. No es asunto del Estado interferir en la forma en que cada uno pretende gastar o emplear su dinero. Sin embargo, ésta es un área donde sí interviene la religión, y, mediante la amonestación o el consejo, no sólo inculca a las personas cómo deberían ganar el pan de cada día, sino que también les guía en cómo se debe gastar o no lo que han ganado. La mayoría de los mandamientos que se refieren al desembolso, son normas elementales morales y espirituales. Por e

"They replied, "O Shu'aib, does thy prayer command thee perchance to forsake that which our fathers worshipped, or to cease to do with our goods as we please? Verily, thou art very intelligent and sane." (11:88)

Simple lifestyle

Islam advocates a simple lifestyle. It prohibits wastefulness and encourages spending:

“Respondieron: “¡Oh, Shu’aib! ¿Te ordena por ventura tu oración que abandonemos lo que adoraron nuestros padres, o que dejemos de hacer con nuestros bienes lo que nos plazca? En verdad, eres muy inteligente y cuerdo”. (11:88) Estilo de vida sencillo El Islam aboga por un estilo sencillo de vida. Prohíbe el derroche y anima al gasto:

"And do not keep your hand chained around your neck out of extreme stinginess, nor open it with utter extravagance, for you will end up utterly condemned and of no use to you." (17:30)

“Y da al pariente lo que se le debe, y también al menesteroso y al viajero, y no malgastes tus bienes con extravagancia. En verdad, los extravagantes son hermanos de los satánicos, y Satanás es desagradecido con su Señor”. (17:27-28)


"And give to the kinsman what is due him, and also to the needy and to the wayfarer, and do not waste your goods with extravagance. Truly, the extravagant are brothers of the satanic, and Satan is ungrateful to his Lord." (17:27-28)

Marriage Expense

The custom of marriage ceremonies between rich and poor families can be a sensitive area that can bring terrible distress and affliction to poor parents with daughters of marriageable age.

Lavish wedding receptions, with great display of pomp, opulence and ostentation are roundly condemned in Islam. We note in fact that in the early history of Islam, wedding ceremonies were so simple, that they seemed colourless events in the eyes of many. Although influenced by the customs and traditions of the surrounding societies, many innovations and malpractice were incorporated into the wedding styles of the rich, the basic ceremonial form remains exactly the same: natural, simple and economical, for both the rich and the poor.

The announcement of the marriage, - the NIKAH - is pronounced mainly in mosques, in the presence of all without exception, and where rich and poor alike gather. The mosque is a house of worship and not a place of lavish displays.

When it comes to reception parties and other related expressions of joy, the rich are firmly warned that any party to which the poor are not invited is accursed in the sight of God. Thus, among the better-dressed rich members of society, the more poorly dressed will be found mingling freely with the well-to-do: a great window of observation and reflection for the rich and a special opportunity for the poor to sample some of the delicacies, fruits and dishes of the wealthy.

Accepting the invitation of the needy

Persons who occupy high positions in the social order are strongly advised to accept the invitation of the poorest, if they extend it to them to enter their humble home. Naturally, it is not an obligation for the rich, who may have their own commitments and obligations already established, but it was a constant practice of the Holy Founder of Islam (lpbD) to accept the invitation of the poorest of the poor. All who love him as their Holy Master are proudly influenced by this advice.

Although in modern societies, accepting such invitations as a matter of course would mean that the rich have no time for anything other than sharing food with the poor, it is a practice whose spirit can occasionally be encouraged by accepting such invitations.

Moderation in eating habit

“¡Oh, hijos de Adán! Engalanaos en cada momento y lugar de oración con la vestidura del temor de Al’lah; y comed y bebed, pero no superéis los límites; en verdad, Él no ama a quienes se extralimitan”. (7:32) El espacio no permite extenderme en la necesidad de hacerle la guerra al hambre, en la que uno de los pasos importantes es prevenir el desperdicio de los alimentos. No obstante, me referiré brevemente a este tema más adelante. (lpbD) – La paz y las bendiciones de Dios sean con él. (Continuaremos en la entrega 44, desarrollando “La Paz Económica” según las enseñanzas del Sagrado Corán)

"O children of Adam! Deck yourselves at every time and place of prayer with the garment of the fear of Al'lah; and eat and drink, but do not exceed the limits; verily, He loves not those who overreach." (7:32)

Space does not permit me to expand on the need to wage war on hunger, where one of the important steps is to prevent food waste. However, I will briefly touch on this issue below.

(lpbD) - Peace and God's blessings be upon him.

(To be continued in Issue 44, elaborating on "Economic Peace" according to the teachings of the Holy Quran).