ABSTRACT
After the period of the reform that lasts from 1812-1903,
the Muslims became uncomfortable with the changes brought about by the
colonialist in the economic system. This study observed the level to which the
Muslim attitudes were influence by the capitalist ideas of exploitation,
extortion, fraudulence, interest and free market.It analyzed closely the
concept of social justice, contracts, labour, enterprise and entrepreneur,
loans acquisition and usury. Islam maintained that in every aspect of life,
there can be only one choice between lawful, and forbidden, and nothing in
between. A total number of six hundred (600) respondents formed the sample
population selected randomly from five selected local government areas in Gombe
state, by using the simple random sampling technique. And the instruments used
for the data collection were questionnaire and interview, while frequency and
percentage were employed in the analysis of the data collected. The finding
strongly confirmed the presence of capitalist influence on Muslim attitudes in
their socio-economic activities consciously or subliminally. It revealed that
most Muslims found it difficult to restrain themselves from Haram and they
failed to observe at every step of their earnings, the distinction between
Halal and Haram. In conclusion, there is a necessity for the Muslim leaders
(spiritual and temporal) as well as the society at large to re-organize our
socio-economic system.
CHAPTER
ONE:
INTRODUCTION
1.0 INTRODUCTION
IN
THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE MERCIFUL, THE MOST COMPASSIONATE
Man
as a social animal cannot survive in isolation. He needs to interact with
other fellow human beings in order to live a happy and comfortable life.
He
cannot provide all his needs alone without resorting to others. In this regard
man is enjoined to make transactions and dealings with others in just manner.
Allah
(Subhanahu Wataalah) says:
Is it they who portion out the
mercy of your Lord? It is we who portioned out between them their livelihood in
this World, and we raised some of them above others in rank so that some may
employ others in their work. But the mercy (paradise) of your Lord (O Muhammad
S.A.W) is better than the wealth of this World which they amass. (Q43:32).
Allah
(S.W.T) also says:
O you who believe! Eat not your
wealth among yourselves in vanity, except be it a trade amongst you by mutual
consent…(Q4:29).
He
again says:
Be just, that justice is nearer
to piety…(Q5:8).
All the
above mentioned verses pointed out the position of transaction and contract as
a bilateral engagement which is an inevitable part of human life, and should be
carried out with full justice and devoid of any form of exploitation,
fraudulence, and swindling. In fact all the past Prophets of Allah (S.W.T)
engaged in lawful contracts in order to earn their resources in honest and
happy living. Prophet Adam (Alaihis-Salam) toiled on earth for sustenance.
Dawud (A.S.) was a blacksmith and father to the metallurgical engineering.
Prophets Shu’aib and Musa were shepherds. Our noble Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.)
who is an embodiment of all virtues, has left good legacy in all human
endeavour as in trade, commerce and all other forms of contract. He had engaged
in trade and commerce on behalf of Sayyidatunah Khadijah (R.A) (Hasan,
1987:49 Vol. 1)
Before the advent
of Islam, the Arabs were notable businessmen whose trade was characterized by
fraud, exploitation and other forms of cheatings, but Islam brought a lot of
reformation and regulation to contract and commercial activity. Thus, Sunusi
(2002:2-3) asserted that Islam is a religion that recognizes the need for
preserving and sustaining a balance between man’s spiritual and material needs.
The companion of the Prophet, Hudhaifah said: “the best among you is not he who
abandons this world (in search of) the hereafter, nor he who abandons the
hereafter in his quest for this world. But the best among you is he who takes from both”. The Qur’an and Sunnah stress
the importance of earning a living and seeking economic empowerment and
independence at the level of the individual Muslim and the community at large
(Sunusi, 2002:3). Allah (S.W.T)
opened the door to the legitimate quest
for economic empowerment in several verses of the Qur’an. He says:
Then when the Jumuah
prayer is ended, you may disperse through the land and seek the bounties of
Allah… (Q62:10).
Allah
(S.W.T) also says:
Say: It is He Who made the
earth subservient to you (i.e. easy for you to walk on, to live in and to
cultivate). So walk in the path thereof and eat of His provisions. (Q67:15).
He
again says:
...Allah
has made trading lawful, and prohibited usury … (Q2:275)
It
is therefore clear that Allah (S.W.T) permits and exhorts Muslim to seek
of His
wealth and bounties through business, farming, mining, labouring and industry
rather than relying on the charity of others.
The Prophet (S.A.W) in this
respect said;
For one of you to take his rope
and bring a bundle of wood on his back and (sell it, such that Allah protects
his personal dignity thereby), is better for him than to ask men, whether or
not they give him (Khan, 1976:163:288&289 Bukhari).
asked,
which type of earning is the best? He said:
A man’s
earning through working with his own hands and every business transaction which
is approved (which is Halal and free of cheating etc... (Abbasi, 1983:314:543
vol.1 An-Nawawi).
He
also said:
A man will not eat any food at
all that is better than what he eats from the work of his hands (i.e. his
legitimate reward for his own work) and the Prophet Dawud used to eat from the
works of his own hand (Khan, 1976:163:288&289 Bukhari).
Every
economic system has its own peculiar features, which form its foundation
and from which it can be distinguished and recognized. Modern capitalism,
which has emerged due to rapid industrialization facilitated by unprecedented
human advancement in science and technology, is based on free
market economy, non-intervention or very limited intervention of state in economic
affairs, and the principle of interest in their banking industry.
Socialism,
which has emerged as a reaction to capitalism believes in total state control
of the economy as well as full ownership of means of production by the
state. Feudalism stands for ownership of land by few persons or families and
makes majority of people tenants or serfs, who work on land either as servants
of the landlords or for meager share in the produce of land. Islam on the
other hand believes in justice and fairness in the economic field (Sale, 2003:
XV-5).
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Islam
is a religion and a way of life based on the commandments of Allah
(S.W.T) as enshrined in the Glorious Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet
Muhammad (S.A.W). Every Muslim is under an obligation to fashion his
entire life in accordance with the dictates of Allah (S.W.T) in the
Qur’an and
the Sunnah. He has to observe at every step the distinction between what is
right/permissible Halal and what is wrong/forbidden Haram. In the
course of
earnings and resource mobilization one has to be cautious to restrain from Haram
and to seek for Halal.
Abu Hurairah (R.A.) narrated
that the Prophet (S.A.W) said: O people, Allah is pure (al-tayyib) and
He only accepts that which is pure! Allah has commanded the believers what He
had commanded the messengers, for He said: “O Messengers! Eat from the pure
foods, and do good deeds, verily, I am aware pf what you do, and He said: ‘O
you who believe! Eat from the pure and good foods that we have given you. He
then made a mention of a person who travels widely, his hair dishevelled and
covered with dust. Stretching his hands towards heaven, (and thus make
supplication) saying: O Lord! O Lord! Whereas, his source of food is unlawful,
his source of drinks is unlawful, his source of clothes is unlawful, and he is
already nourished with what is unlawful.
(Siddiqi,1978:486:2214
vol.3 Muslim).
This Hadith mentioned the verse of the Qur’an where
Allah (S.W.T) says:
O Messengers! Eat of the good
foods and do righteous deeds. Verily, I am well acquainted with what you do
(Q23:51).
Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (R.A. 1989:101&104 Vol. 2)
explained that:
The term
Good food denotes those things that are lawful Halal. If one consumes
unlawful Haram in the form of earnings or food, or engages in Haram
activities, his good deeds will suffer the result. Clearly, the Halal
alluded to in the verse includes Halal earnings. Moreover, the command
to partake of the ‘good food’ is given before the command to work
righteousness, or to do good deeds. As the order of the commands indicates
precedence, it should be clear that one’s earnings and then eating of the ‘good
foods’ is even more important than one’s doing good deeds.
Similarly,
earnings and resource mobilization based on Haram will lead to un-acceptance
of all good deeds and supplications as cited above in Qur’an (23:51),
and the explanation of al-Ghazali and the Hadith narrated by Abu Hurairah
(R.A.)
Where a man makes a long
journey, “Appears disheveled and covered with dust, stretching his hands
towards the Heaven and saying: ‘O Lord! O Lord! Whereas his source of food is
unlawful his source of drink is unlawful, his source of clothes is unlawful and
he is already nourished with what is unlawful.
How can then his supplication be accepted? (Siddiqi, 1978:486:2214 vol.2
Muslim).
Resource
mobilization is an integral part of Islamic economy, in this regard, (Jomo,
1992:1) said:
Some proponents among Ulamah
tend to emphasize that economic aspect cannot be divorced from other aspects of
human life, and hence, that economic reform is contingent on and consequent of
spiritual transformation and commitment. Often, this approach asserts that
worldly matters are ultimately determined by human intent. Sacred or otherwise,
order or disorder, stability or instability, justice or injustice all seem to
be determined by righteousness, or otherwise of human motivation.
Riba,
commonly translated to mean: “interest” is strictly forbidden. The Qur’anic
verses and Prophetic traditions that outlaw interest are clear and irrefutable.
Islam strictly forbids the giving or taking of interest on any loan in
any amount. Interest is defined
as a set return on a loan, and as suc implies
a profit based on no risk or effort – a principle completely against
Islamic
ideals. Financial profit is as a result
of effort and risk or both, and interest
seeks to undermine the risk-based nature of trade.
In
many instances interest is exploitative – it is typically used as a means of deriving
profit from the financially weaker members of the society by a wealthy
class in whose hands the lent money is concentrated. To these people, a loan is
not a favour done to help others or the society, but is used as a means of
oppression and this undermines social cohesion. Interest has led to destruction
of empires. Islam encourages investment and loans given as a means of charity.
Such loans are given by Muslims with the expectation that they will be paid
back. However, the intention behind helping a fellow Muslim in distress is not
profit but the pleasure of Allah (S.W.T) (Islam online.net, 2009:1).
Furthermore, there
are a number of trade and commercial activities that form the bedrock of
resource mobilization acceptable from the Shari’ah point of view, which
have encouraged Muslims to engage themselves in wide range lawful trade and
commerce. There are also many Prophetic traditions supporting Qur’anic
injunctions on trade and commerce. Some verses specifically mentioned trade as
(Fadl Allah (S.W.T)) the bounties and favour of Allah (S.W.T).
He says:
...Others
travelling through the land, seeking of Allah’s bounties through trade...
(Q73:20).
In order to conduct a
successful trade, Muslims have been asked to undertake long journeys as mentioned
in the above verse. Doi, (1983:482-84) said: The messenger of Allah (S.A.W.)
himself was engaged in trade on behalf of a lady, Khadijah
(R.A) and has encouraged business through his own practice. He once said:
A trustworthy, honest and
truthful Muslim businessman will rise up with Prophets, truthfuls and martyrs;
on the day of Resurrection. (Abdulbaqi, nd: 724:2139 vol.2 Ibn Majah)
Finally, Islam
embodies an essentially labour value, better than one based on subjective
preference or marginal utility as in the neoclassical economics. The most
common objections that Islam favours commodity exchanges and individual
property rights (have been) rebutted by reference to the ‘market socialism’
option, and by emphasizing Islam’s recognition of communal rights and state
ownership.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The impact of
colonial imperialism which came with the capitalist system of economy
characterized by free market economy, non-intervention of the state, exploitation,
fraud, and interest which ouster the already established Islamic economic
system in Northern Nigeria by Shehu Usman Danfodio in 1812-1903. (Kani, A.
Gandi, K. 1990:28). In this regard, Eyiyere, (1983:113) said: “The peoples’
post independence economic systems still follow that of their former colonial
master”. This situation seems to have influenced many Muslims to indulge in
such kinds of transaction and contract, with the
sole aim to amass wealth in various ways in an encroachment of individual right
and property to the detriment of the right of society. This attitude makes some
Muslims blindly amassing and earning wealth through any means without
considering any Islamic precepts in transactions and dealings, abandoning all
spiritual gains for the benefits of here and now.
There is prevailing
fraud, and swindling in dealings with one another within the Muslims in markets
and in labour sector, where weights and measures are altered, while
adulteration became the status-quo. This attitude brought many Muslims into
suffering in life due to lack of trust and justice in dealings and
transactions. The existence of interest in the resource mobilization and needs
satisfying resulted into the financial crises of the individual, industries and
the society today. Sani, (2005:20) asserted that: “The recurrence of trade
cycles fluctuation in economic activities is explained by the phenomenon of
interest and the operation of banking in its present form”. Human labour is
necessary for profit and capital accumulation, but exploitation of individual
energy by individual and industries became a fashion of the day. With regard to
the means of determining minimum wage, scholars of the economic discipline like
Ibn Khaldun, Recardo, Karl Marx, Afzal-ur-Rahman, Chaudhry and Usmani debated
on the issue. But in its most rudimentary form, wages is not just the concept
of money paid to an individual,
but rather the tangible amount of value assigned to the human labour.
Moreover,
nowadays some Muslims in Gombe State do:
-
Create an economy that is
uncomfortable to the society by hoarding goods and money, in order to inflate
the market price, or cause the scarcity of commodity.
-
Swears unnecessarily on the prices
or services, and commodities to increase the prices.
-
Change the prices of commodities
especially brokers who take undue advantage of the unsuspecting ignorant
traders, and thereby deceiving them.
-
Queuing for buying a single
commodity, thereby increasing the prices to the buyers.
-
Feed livestock with drugged foods
and Retaining milk in the udder of an animal to increase the weight, and/or the
activeness of an animal to attract higher price than its normal proportionate
price.
-
Meet traders outside the market
square; to gain undue profit from the merchandise and commodity owners.
This
research is aimed to achieve the following objectives:
Ø Observe
the extent to which Muslim attitudes were influenced by the capitalist ideas of
exploitation, extortion, free market and interest.
Ø Critically
analyse the lawful and justifiable means of resource mobilization as well as
the principles of labour value.
Ø Analyze
closely the concept of social justice, contract, investment, loans acquiring
and usury, (As relates to the subject of study).
Ø Investigate
some of the conditions and factors that influence the indulgence of some
Muslims into the unlawful contract and business transactions.
Ø Provide
some valuable suggestions and recommendations that could eliminate the basic
problems associated with the resources mobilization in a Muslim society and
people at large.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
This
research intends to answer the following questions:
I.
To what extent did the capitalist
ideas of exploitation, free market and interest as ways of resource
mobilization affected the Muslim communities in Gombe State?
II.
Do the Muslim communities in Gombe
State mobilize their human and material resources in a lawful and justifiable
manner?
III.
What are the ways of transaction
that are recognized within an
Islamic
framework?
IV. What
are the values attached to labour by Muslims of Gombe State?
V.
What is the repercussion of interest
and hoarding as means of resource mobilization among Muslims in Gombe State?
VI. What are the general bases of investment
in Gombe State?
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This research is
very significant to the Muslim society, due to its nature that the data is to
be collected from the original source, by observation and interview on the
attitude of Muslims in dealings and transactions for the purpose of earnings
and resource mobilization, and comparing it with Islamic rules and regulations
governing dealings and transactions among Muslims, for their livelihood
earnings and resource mobilization. This would enable the Muslims to know and
understand that they are required to struggle to earn their lawful livelihood
in a right channel and be cautious enough while fulfilling their own needs not
to tamper with some one’s right.
Definitely,
it would help to inculcate the spirit of Islam in the minds of Muslims towards
their dealings and transactions, and regulate public life in such a manner that
the society would attain high degree of morality and social justice, by having
protection from bad workmanship, fraudulence, extortion, cheating and
exploitation.
The findings would
yield to the promotion of welfare of the individuals and the community at
large, which will lie in safeguarding their faith, life, properties and
interest based on complete justice, mercy and wisdom of Islamic system of
dealings and transactions.
It will also give a
limelight through the Islamic rules and regulations of earning, resource
mobilizations. The findings of this study will encourage individuals,
governments and non-governmental organizations to participate in partnership
investment based on profit and loss sharing. Thus, it would discourage
merchants, companies and individuals from creating an economic discomfort to
the people by hoarding goods, foodstuff, money, social amenities and other
basic necessities. And finally it would make Muslims to be aware of the serious
repercussion of interacting with usury in dealings with others; because of the
saying of Allah (S.W.T):
And
if you do not do it, then take a notice of war from Allah and His Messenger...
(Q2:279)
And
to inculcate how Islamic system on resource mobilization differed fundamentally
from the Western mentality based on materialism, individualism and
utilitarianism, as well as to highlight on the equity capital and the profit
sharing ratio as the primary determinants of investment.
1.6 SCOPE AND DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY
The study is
supposed to have covered the whole Muslim communities in Nigeria, but is
delimited to the Muslim communities in Gombe State as the population, and some
local governments will be randomly selected to form the sample of the study.
Meanwhile in the field of Islamic economics, the study is delimited only to the
bases of the human, material incomes and earnings which imply the business
transactions, corporate enterprises and labour value respectively.
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