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Fard al-kifayah and Its Implications for Economic Policy
In discussing the principle of fard al-kifayah and the role of the
Islamic state in providing public goods, Dr. Haq advocates a policy of
nationalization of resources as an appropriate policy for an Islamic
state to follow. The same policy is extended elsewhere to include price
fixing and direct control of the grain trade, and by implication,
of all other commercial activity. Rather than providing a justification
for such a policy on economic and Islamic grounds, he carries out his
entire discussion on the assumption that big government has the
capacity and the means to solve all economic problems. This thesis,
in my view, contradicts the basic economic philosophy of Islam, which
incorporates private initiative and free enterprise with a primary
focus on the individual as a decision maker and khalifah of God on
earth. The author continues to overlook the fact that equity and
efficiency are not complementary, but often competitive. An
over-emphasis on the distributional justice of Islam creates an
erroneous impression that in the Islamic worldview, economic growth
and development are relegated to a secondary role. This is not only
incorrect, but it also contradicts the very thesis of his book.
Elsewhere I have elaborated on the Qur'anic view of man and its
implications for his economic role.2
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