Fall Of Capitalism and Rise of Islam by Mohammad Malkawi

Among the many existing definitions, an ideology can be defined as a set of aims and ideas that directs one’s goals, expectations, and actions; an ideology can be thought of as a comprehensive vision, as a way of looking at things. The word ideology itself does not carry any positive or negative semantics or connotation. According to Destutt de Tracy, the word ideology is assembled from two parts, idea and logy. In other words, ideology describes the logic which derives the set of goals, aims, rules, and systems from a basic and comprehensive idea. From this perspective, an ideology is just an ideology; it is neither positive nor negative, neither good nor bad, neither acceptable nor rejected. It provides a systematic way of describing ideas, concepts, systems, regulations, and methods. In this regard, the ideology of socialism cannot be criticized simply because it comprises an ideology. Socialism can be criticized based on the ideas and beliefs it carries; it is the content of the ideology that could be subject for scrutiny and criticism. By the same token, capitalism cannot be rejected or accepted simply because it stands as an ideology. It is the principles of capitalism and the impact of its application that should be subject for criticism and scrutiny. The same applies to Islam. We cannot accept or reject the notion of Islam on the basis that it formulates an ideology.

David F. Forte, professor of law at Cleveland State University, in an article published by the Heritage Foundation, takes the extreme point when he equates ideology to terrorism and killing and insists that Islam should be viewed only as a religion capable of providing charity. In his own words, “Our policy ought to be that all peoples, of all religions, who fulfill their religion with devotion, charity, equality and concern for others will be celebrated and protected, but that any person—whether in the name of religion or socialism or history—who seeks to take over a state and turn that belief into an ideology, an ideology which terrorizes and kills innocent people, is our enemy and the enemy of all religion.” Where it should be clear that terrorism cannot and should not be tolerated under any circumstances, it should also be clear that terrorism is not equivalent to “ideology.”.

What is at stake here is not the names or terminology used to describe Islam. What is more important than terms or names are the ideas and concepts underlying the definitions and terms. The term ideology is certainly more neutral than the term Islamism, fundamentalism, Extremism, phonetic-ism, or the like. To avoid any confusion, I will try to use the plain word Islam in lieu of the term ideology of Islam where applicable.

Around the year 610 CE, Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) began to receive Quran in the form of revelation from Allah, god the Creator.8 Mohammad was living in Mecca. Mecca was famous for hosting the Sacred Mosque built around the place called the Ka’aba. The Sacred Mosque is believed to have been built by Prophet Ibraheem and his son Ismail. The religion propagated by Ibraheem in Mecca and its surrounding preached the oneness of god and the supreme values which were carried out by subsequent religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Over time, the Arabs in Mecca and its surrounding managed to distort the religion of Ibraheem and introduce polytheistic religion with multiple gods. The Arabs in Mecca and Arabia grew accustomed to worshiping stone idols as material representatives of Gods. Since the Ka’aba was considered a holy place by Arabs in the area, the tribes of Mecca worked out their way to become the hosts and custodians of all gods worshiped by Arabs in Mecca and elsewhere. This status has secured for Quraish, the main tribe of Mecca, a special status and prestige, and won them the title of the custodians of the holy place (Al-Haram). Besides the prestige, honor, and status, Quraish was in a position to gain financially and economically from their position as custodians of Al-Haram. The Quran later reminded Quraish of this special status in a Surah named “Quraish.”9

Before the declaration of Islam by Prophet Mohammad, the religion in Mecca was reduced to traditions and mythical stories and representations of god. The role of god as a source of legislation and commands was bestowed upon the influential and wealthy leaders in Mecca.10, 11 Eventually, the supreme values of the religion of Ibraheem were brought to null in Mecca and the Arab communities. The most sacred ritual of the old religion was the circulation around the Ka’aba in anticipation of god’s mercy and forgiveness. The Arabs under the influence of Quraish evolved that practice into a bizarre when they allowed the circulation to be conducted by nude men and women.12 This practice was officially and practically aborted after the conquest of Mecca by Prophet Mohammad twenty years after the revelation of Islam.

Slavery in Mecca and the rest of the Arab land was a practice, which enabled the rich and powerful to enslave the weak and poor. Slavery was coupled with male and female prostitution. The rich and powerful men were allowed to sleep with the wives of the less fortunate in order to improve their offsprings. The ill practices of Mecca included money lending for a percentage of usury. In case the indebted fails to pay the interest, the creditor had the right to enslave the indebted or any member of his family.

Those were some of the conditions which prevailed at the time when Mohammad was designated as a prophet. The mind-set of the Arabs had become so engraved with corruption, mythology, abuse, oppression, disorder, discrimination, self-proclaimed supremacy, and much more. The mind-set required a comprehensive change before any change on the ground could take place. Changing this environment and creating a new system to replace the corrupted one in Arabia could not have succeeded without a strong new foundation.

For thirteen years after its initiation, the message of Islam as revealed in the Quran and practiced by Mohammad focused entirely on an intellectual foundation aimed at creating a new mind-set. This was deemed necessary to create an environment for change as well as to create a base upon which the systems of Islam could be built.

During this period, Islam addressed a myriad of fundamental questions, such as who is god? Is there a god? What is the purpose of believing in a god? Who could carry a message from god? What is the impact of believing in a god on society and the individuals? What is the relationship, if any, between people and god? Although the questions seemed simple and innocent, the elites of Mecca understood that the answers to these questions could undermine their leadership, reduce their influence, and collide with their interests.

The first revelation ever to be received by Prophet Mohammad was a Surah (chapter) called Iqra’a (Read). It started with the following words: “Read in the name of your Lord; the one who created all the creation; He created man . . .”13 For the first time in Mecca since the dismissal of the religion of Ibraheem, the notion of lord was attributed to the Creator. This notion did not resonate well with the chiefs of Mecca, who assumed the position of lord in their capacity as custodians of the sacred holy mosque. It is not coincidence that the same Surah ended with a declaration of disobedience to the chieftains of Mecca “Nay; you are not to obey him (the Chieftain); instead prostrate to Allah and come nearer to Him.” This declaration was vigorously 14

confirmed in Islam to the extent that it constituted the first step to enter into the new religion. The declaration of Islam by any individual begins with the statement “There shall be no god except Allah.” In essence, this declaration negates all forms of gods, which were numerous in Mecca, and confirms only god the creator, Allah.

The Quran through subsequent revelations created a platform to debate all issues related to god. This can be traced in many verses and places. It is beyond the scope of this book to go into great details into the arguments, debates, and discussion brought forward by the Quran and Mohammad. However, I will provide some examples to demonstrate the significance of the intellectual foundation in the Islamic culture.

In a sequence of verses in Surah Al-Toor (chapter 52), which was revealed in Mecca before the migration to the state in Medina, the Quran invokes the following debate with the polytheists of Mecca in an attempt to provoke their thoughts:

Were they created of nothing, or were they themselves the creators?

Or did they create the heavens and the earth? Nay, they have no firm belief of that. Or are the Treasures of thy Lord with them, or are they the managers of world affairs? Or have they a ladder, by which they can climb up to heaven and listen to its secrets? Then let such a listener produce a manifest proof . . . Or have they a God other than Allah? (52:

35-43)

Occasionally, the Quran provided an argument for the correctness and soundness of the ideas it presents. Here is an example from Surah Al-Mumenun (chapter 23):

No son did Allah beget, nor is there any God along with Him: if there were many Gods other than Allah, then each God would have taken away what he had created, and some would have lorded it over others (23:91).

Along with the concept of one and only one god, Islam promoted certain concepts to help create a society with particular character. One of these concepts has to do with wealth and ownership. Islam promoted the idea that all wealth and resources in the world belong to Allah in the first place. And it is Allah who enables people to acquire part of this wealth while they are living on this earth. Once this belief is established, it becomes much easier to request the rich to share part of their wealth with the poorer ones. The idea here is that the one who acquires more wealth than others has more responsibility in terms of redistributing part of the wealth to the less-fortunate ones.

This concept is best illustrated in the Quran through the story of Qarun, a wealthy man and a follower of Prophet Moses (PBUH).15 The story reports that “Qarun was one of the people of Moses” and he was so rich that the keys of the treasures of his wealth were too heavy to be lifted by strong men. His fellow men requested of him to spend part of his wealth to help the poor and the needy. Qarun refused and claimed that he acquired wealth using his own knowledge and skills. His fellow men reminded him that because of greed and arrogance, god had destroyed the wealth of people who “were superior to him in strength and greater in the amount of wealth they had collected.” Qarun ignored the warnings and paraded with great pride and arrogance in front of all people. Soon after, god “caused the earth to swallow up him and his wealth.” The story of Qarun aims at creating the notion that individuals who end up with great wealth should remember that the source of their wealth is god, and they should be open enough to the concept of spending part of this wealth on the needy ones. This concept will become handy when the society is reformed according to the Islamic principles.

The Quran and Prophet Mohammad provided serious critique of some of the practices of the society of Mecca, while building new concepts and ideas. In Surah Al-Mutafifeen (chapter 83), the Quran condemns those who deal in fraud and use different scales, one for sale and one for purchase. At the time of purchase, they use a scale that allows them to receive more goods than they paid for; at the time of sale, they use another scale which allows them to give fewer goods than the price paid for the goods. This practice was common in Mecca at the time when Islam was launched.

More explicit criticism came in Surah Al-Fajr (chapter 89), where it was pointed out that the rich people in Mecca had no mercy for the orphanage, no sympathy for the poor and needy, and were full of greed and excessive love for wealth accumulation. The practice of usury received serious defamation as well. In Surah Al-Rum (chapter 30) the Quran derides usury as a means of growing wealth at the expense of the wealth of other people.

The approbation and appreciation of justice is demonstrated in more than forty verses in the Quran. By the same token, oppression received serious scolding and admonishment in more than 170 locations in the Quran. The reference to oppressors was occasionally explicit by referring to specific tyrants in Mecca.19

Evidently, the custodians of the holy places in Mecca, the merchants, the chiefs, and the wealthy felt that they were targeted and threatened by the new message of Islam. A message that calls for the ban of usury did not resonate well with those who increased their wealth by making profit simply by lending money and receiving usury. The message which called for the worship of only one god seemed antagonistic to the custodians of numerous stone gods in Mecca. The message that stated that all children of Adam are equally human irrespective of their color, race, wealth, gender, or any other consideration was detested by the ones who preyed on slavery and discrimination.

Soon, a tedious struggle arose in Mecca. On one part, Mohammad and his followers assert that the only one who deserves to be called a god is the one who created all creation, the one who provides the wealth and the capacity to multiply it, the one who will hold people accountable for their deeds in this life and in the hereafter. On the opposite side stood the powerful men of Mecca in defense of their sovereignty, their numerous gods, their culture, their usurious financial wealth, and their tribal supremacy. While Mohammad used only intellectual and verbal means to lead his part of the struggle, the elites of Mecca chose methods of suppression, torture, and execution.20

Throughout the first thirteen years of the rise of Islam in Mecca, very few rules and regulations of Islam were revealed. Only prayer among the rituals of Islam was ordained and organized in Mecca, albeit towards the end of the Meccan period. The other rituals of fasting, pilgrimage, and Zakah-charity were revealed in Medina after the migration from Mecca. The period of Mecca was dominated by the intellectual ideological foundation and moral and ethical values. Islam had the privilege of criticizing existing practices while it had no practices of its own to be scrutinized. The model of Islam was mostly theoretical during the thirteen years in Mecca. Islam only provided an intellectual and ideological creed base and claimed that any system built upon this creed will be a just and fair system.

By the end of the thirteen years’ period in Mecca, Prophet Mohammad had achieved three subobjectives. The first is a solid intellectual foundation fully argued and tested against many of the contemporary ideas. The foundation confirmed the oneness of god and the absolute sovereignty of god as a source of directions, guidance, regulations, and rules. It established the Quran and Sunnah (Prophet Mohammad statements and actions) as a reference for god’s revelation to people. It established the accountability principle for all acts by all people; no one could stand above the laws of god.

The second subobjective was the creation of a group of people, historically known as the companions of the Prophet, who firmly believed in the foundation and demonstrated readiness to sacrifice the best of their belongings in support of their belief. The third was the establishment of a nucleus for statehood in the city of Medina (210 miles north of Mecca).

Around the year 623 CE, thirteen years after the initiation of Islam, Prophet Mohammad and his companions migrated from Mecca to the city of Medina (called Yathrib until the day of migration). That same year marked the beginning of the Islamic calendar. Muslims chose this year to mark the calendar instead of the year Islam physically began thirteen years earlier. The significance of this year is that it marked the transfer of Islam from being a theoretical model into a practical one.

Prophet Mohammad added to his role as a messenger who receives god’s revelations, the role of a statesman who applies the rules upon people. His leadership position in Medina was unanimously approved without the least challenge, not even from Jewish tribes living in the vicinity of Medina or the group which did not thoroughly accept Islam.

Right after the migration to Medina and the creation of the nucleus Islamic state, the revelation of the Quran took a new direction. The emphasis now is more focused on the rules, regulations, structure, organization, and relationships between people. The people in Medina, who were under the rule of Islam, were requested to bring their issues, problems, disputes to Mohammad for ruling and judgments.

Prophet Mohammad did not spare any time before he began to organize the relationships in the new society. He established a matching system, by which he matched individuals who migrated from Mecca to counterparts from Medina. This matching or coupling schema allowed the new immigrants to make smooth transition into a new place and locality after they have left all their wealth and belongings back in Mecca. Wealth sharing was the most visible result of the matching program. Prophet Mohammad also drafted a treaty governing the relationship between the Jewish tribes and the Muslims in Medina. The treaty defined the mutual responsibility for the safety and protection of Medina and its surrounding.

The rules of marriage, divorce, inheritance, maternity, and fatherhood were soon revealed. One of the largest chapters, Surah Al-Nisa21 (chapter 4, “The Women”), contains numerous rules which govern the relations between husbands and wives. Rules of war and peace were reveled over an extended period of time following war and peace incidents.22 Rules of trade were also revealed over extended period of time and can be found in many chapters, especially Surah Al-Baqara (chapter 2).23

In the meantime, many of the day-to-day activities were addressed and resolved by Prophet Mohammad as people brought forward their daily issues. Occasionally, people brought issues of pure technical merit thinking that these issues also should be addressed by the Messenger of Allah. In one incident the Prophet advised the people of Medina on palm tree pollination; his advice was counterproductive, although the people took his advice as binding. He then told the crowd, “You know the technical issues of your life better than I do.”24

In a short period of time, the Islamic state in Medina under the leadership of Prophet Mohammad grew to a stable position with coherency among constituents of diverse tribes and ethnicity.25 The two main tribes of Medina, the once-rivals Aws and Khazraj, became grateful of the new bond of brotherhood. The Quran drew their attention to their state of affairs before the arrival of Mohammad and his companions and how it has changed.26

After several encounters with Mecca and the Jewish tribes around Medina, the Islamic state spread its dominance to the whole of the Arabian Peninsula. Soon after, the new Islamic state engaged the Roman and Persian empires on the north and east of the Arabian Peninsula. The shape and character of the structure of Islam became more distinct. The laws and regulations are derived from revealed sources. The sovereignty does not fall on the shoulders of individuals, but rather on the intellectual foundation. New laws for trade, property ownership, investment, and spending are in place. The morals and ethics of piety replaced the ethics of tribalism and tribal pride. The relationships among components of the society are constructed and characterized by Islamic character.

By the end of the tenth year after migration, Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) passed away, leaving behind a well-defined state and coherent society. But he did not name a successor who could assume the position of the political leadership. What he left behind is a complete religion embedded within the realm of the Quran and Sunnah. Before burying the dead body of the Prophet, the prominent companions held a meeting and elected Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq as a successor for the Prophet. They called him the caliph (khalifah), which literally means the successor. Abu Bakr was appointed to the post of caliph through a process called the bai’ah (pledge of allegiance). It was immediately recognized that Abu Bakr assumes the political leadership only and has no prophecy role of any kind.

The Islamic state came to be known since then as the state of the caliphate (khilafah). The state continued to function in the same manner: rules and regulations derived from the texts of the Quran and the Sunnah.

With the appointment of Abu Bakr as the first successor of the Prophet, the shape and the context of the Islamic structure has taken its distinct character and shape. The structure included a state with the khalifah as the head of the state. The khalifah assumes the post of the head of state through a process of election followed by a process of bai’ah. A council representing the people is charged with the process of appointing the khalifah. The khalifah appoints assistants to help him carry the governing responsibilities. Disputes within the state are handled by judicial personnel. Remote areas within the state are governed by governors appointed by the khalifah. Over time, these organs of the state became more stable and better defined. The state of the khilafah collectively became responsible for the implementation of the systems of Islam. Through a large set of rules derived from the Quran and the Sunnah, it can be shown that the structure of Islam comprised economic, social, political, and judicial systems. Of particular interest to this publication is the economic system, which will be discussed in greater details in subsequent sections.

The ideological structure of Islam is summarized in figure 28. The intellectual foundation consists of the basic creed which in turn contains the belief in Allah as the one and only god, in Mohammad as the last messenger of Allah to all people, and in the Quran as the final divine revelation to mankind. The method of implementing the ideology is the Islamic state, which is responsible for the implementation of the various systems.

The systems of Islam include the social, economic, political, legal, and moral systems. The social system treats the issues that emerge out of man woman relationships such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, and parenthood.

The economic system deals with issues related to ownership definitions, partnerships and corporations, monetary system, internal and external trade, sources of revenues for the state, and poverty resolution mechanism.

The political system defines the structure of the state and governance organs. It includes the post of the khalifah, the assistants to the khalifah, the people council structure as well as its composition and responsibilities, the governors of state, the army structure and its responsibilities, the administration departments, and the financial department.

The legal system defines three court systems: the supreme court, the regular court, and the market court. It defines the scope and code for each court type. The moral system defines the basic traits and qualities of the people in the Islamic society, a society that stands on piety more so than law. The moral system aims at creating people who would rather provide their scarce food to the ones who are in more need for the food