This book bridges the gap between Islamic and conventional (micro)economics by demonstrating how modern tools and theories of microeconomics can be applied to Islamic assumptions regarding economics and finance. In contrast to the tendency for Islamic economics and finance proponents to use qualitative and normative approaches based on idealistic assumptions, this book demonstrates how one can instead construct analytical models of Islamic economics and finance and simply compare the implications with those predominant in today’s world. This book also offers extensive literature reviews demonstrating that for a long time, the gap between Islamic and conventional economics and finance is not as wide as previously thought, allowing those with an interest in both fields to participate more effectively and meaningfully in the ongoing discourse between the two fields. The authors conceptualize a general approach and apply it to basic consumer theory. More advanced microeconomic ideas are then discussed, culminating in demonstrations of how contract theory can facilitate a deeper analysis and appreciation of Islamic financial securities. A wide spectrum of academic literature on both Islamic and conventional economics and finance is drawn upon to facilitate a better appreciation for both fields and to inspire future works comparing the two in a more objective manner.
Gain deeper insight into the principles and theory of Islamic economics Introduction to Islamic Economics: Theory and Application provides an overview of the organizing principles and fundamentals of an Islamic economy. With deep discussion of the characteristics, rationale, key institutions, objectives, and instruments at work, the book addresses the core economic principles underlying a system based on the foundational teachings of Islam, and examines the implications for economic policies. Social welfare, economic justice, market functionality, efficiency, and equity are explored from an Islamic perspective, and the role and instruments of fiscal and monetary policy in Islamic systems are used to illustrate contemporary applications. Universities around the globe are offering courses on Islamic economics and finance, but despite the industry's rapid growth, most research has been focused on the financial principles rather than underlying economic principles. The first book of its kind, Introduction to Islamic Economics brings all the key concepts together into one reference volume. By outlining the ways in which Islamic finance and Islamic economics interrelate, this book can help readers to: Develop an understanding of the Islamic economic system and its institutional scaffolding Differentiate between the major characteristics of the dominant conventional economy and one based on the fundamental sources of Islam Understand the conditions that must be met for a just, well-balanced, stable, and growing economy Clarify the role of State, public policy, and risk-sharing in the Islamic financial system The Islamic financial system is expanding quickly, and those looking to increase their relevance in a changing economic landscape must get up to speed. Introduction to Islamic Economics provides a comprehensive overview of underlying economic system offering a deeper understanding of the feature of the system. This book is an excellent complement to Introduction to Islamic Finance, 2E by Iqbal and Mirakhor.
This major works collection surveys the nature of Muslim Diasporas in the west from a sociological perspective, exploring the issues of migration, integration, identity, politics, Islamophobia and radicalisation. This four-volume collected works is the state of the art on the research and scholarship on Muslim Diasporas in the West. From canonical works to the latest trends in research, these volumes added to the understanding of ethnicity, equality and diversity in relation to Muslims in the west. The articles explore the philosophies of multiculturalism, integration and interculturalism. They also analyse issues of identity politics, Islamophobia and radicalisation. This major works collection suitably captures the significance of past research and its importance for further scholarship in relation to Muslims and Islam across Europe, North America and Australia.
With the impressive emergence of Islamic finance as a branch of Islamic economics, the need for a solid knowledge base that encompasses theories, thoughts and applications related to the subject increased in importance. However, writing about Islamic economics is a great challenge due to the differences in opinion on many of its issues. This includes methodologies for determining the Islamic perspective on economic concepts and issues as well as applicable solutions for today’s economic and social problems. It is further argued that Islamic economics topics are not as clear as those in conventional economics as they have their own religious, spiritual and social dimensions. The points of controversy have generated lengthy discussions. Moreover, Islamic economics encompasses a vast array of topics and approaches, from the purely theoretical, which may include philosophy or religious ideas, to mathematical and quantitative analyses. We tried our best throughout this textbook to simplify, clarify and summarise these concepts to make them accessible to all readers including students, practitioners, academics and even interested non-specialists. This textbook presents, discusses and analyses various topics and issues related to Islamic economics ranging from philosophical, epistemological and methodological to microeconomic and macroeconomic perspectives. In this endeavour, the social aspect of Islamic economics—an essential part of the discipline—is not neglected. The textbook compares Islamic ideas and concepts related to economics with those in conventional economics to highlight Islamic economics as a distinct field of knowledge with an emphasis on the ethical and social aspects. The authors have tried their level best to explain the theoretical concepts as simply as possible without ignoring today’s realities and without compromising Sharīʿah principles and objectives. One of the main objectives of the book is to provide the reader with Islamic economic ideas and solutions that are realistic and applicable within the current highly globalised economic and business environment, which is largely dominated by conventional interest-based systems and institutions. Despite being written for an elementary-level audience, this textbook can also be beneficial to a wide range of specialist and non-specialist readers and seekers of knowledge. For those specialising in Islamic economics, it is an appropriate source of reference to gain an overview on different topics relating to the foundations of Islamic economics. At this point, however, it must be mentioned that each topic deliberated upon, by its nature, would require a book on its own to cover all its aspects. Therefore, further exploration is required for Islamic economics specialists. A list of references and recommended readings is provided for that purpose at the end of each chapter. On the other hand, students of mainstream economics, finance and other academic majors will find this textbook an excellent resource for comprehensive knowledge of Islamic economics and its related issues. Universities may benefit from the different topics presented in this textbook in designing or preparing their economics courses at different levels based on their own curriculums and classes. This textbook could be used at the undergraduate level or even for a master’s level economics or Islamic economics course, especially in an Islamic banking and finance programme or for an MBA having a specialisation in Islamic banking and finance where an economics or Islamic economics course is offered. Furthermore, practitioners and interested readers who are seeking essential and simple knowledge about Islamic economics will also find this textbook to be a helpful guide. It is important to mention here that Islamic economics literature shows wide differences among the scholars in almost every subtopic. Presenting all opinions within a limited number of pages is almost impossible. However, with the great contribution of more than 60 scholars from a wide span of countries and from various economic schools, this book represents an important attempt to present the topics and issues from various perspectives with the maximum objectivity possible. Through comprehensive content editing, the editors have striven to improve the flow of arguments, remove inconsistencies and put the ideas together in as coherent a manner as possible. However, the editors acknowledge that some biases and overlaps may still persist.
Muslim countries are facing serious problems in managing their economic life. Their inherited colonial ways of achieving economic aims are in basic contradiction to certain aspects of Islamic values and intended economic goals. Thus, it is imperative for Muslim countries endeavoring to escape underdevelopment and social injustice to turn to Islamic teaching and the Islamic way of harnessing human potentials to improve economic conditions and ascertain the necessary requirement for effective economic development.Islamic economics, as developed by Muslim jurists and social scientists (fuqaha'), needs to be recast in modern terms and developed further to deal with complex realities of the modern society. This book is one step on the long march to Islamizing the science of economics. It contains a selection of papers from the proceedings of the economic conference held in Cairo in 1988. These papers are a valuable contribution to the cause of modernizing Islamic economics.
This book presents the building blocks of Islamic economics as meso-science, offering an in-depth study of the Qur’anic worldview of the monotheistic unity of knowledge, which is the universal and unique message of Tawhid in the Qur’an. This primal ontological premise is formalised in an analytical approach that introduces and unpacks the philosophical concepts of ontology, epistemology, and phenomenology in relation to the Tawhidi methodological worldview. The analysis of Qur’anic logical consistency is then cast in a phenomenological perspective by applying the complete model of the unity of knowledge of the Qur’an in a specific study of the Tawhidi methodological approach to Islamic financial-economic theory. In doing so, it tackles the problems of meso-economics given its socio-scientific holism in world affairs. It hones in on the results of the symbiotic modulation of evolutionary learning processes in the world system of the unity of knowledge and its material embedding across knowledge, and knowledge-induced space and time dimensions. The author poses that Shari’ah is only partial in its scope, and excludes an analytical methodological worldview. Shari’ah is thus cast in the midst of a meso-socio-scientific absence of any appertaining methodology. The book is a landmark work in the conceptual and applied understanding of Tawhid as the methodological worldview of the monotheistic unity of knowledge in the meso-socio-scientific realm of ‘everything’, particularised to Islamic economics. Adopting an inter-disciplinary view integrating various fields, it challenges pervasive Western academic and institutional thinking in terms of economics. It will be of interest to students and researchers in Islamic economics, religious theory, Islamic philosophy, development studies, and finance.
'Islamic Finance is a welcome critical contribution to the growing body of literature on Islamic economics, banking and finance. As one would expect from an eminent and respected scholar, Visser has provided the reader with much food for thought. This stimulating book raises some serious questions which need to be addressed and provides valuable source material for researchers and students of Islamic finance.'– Abul Hassan, The Muslim World Bank Review'Since its development, the study of Islamic finance has been enriched by the insights of Western scholars of banking and finance. Here, Hans Visser provides a comprehensive analysis of the principles of Islamic finance, the main instruments, and the operation of Islamic institutions and markets. This thoughtful and well written study confirms Professor Visser's place in the group of Western writers able to comprehend and evaluate the essence of Islamic finance, while reinforcing Edward Elgar's position as the leading Western publishing house in this field.'– Mervyn K. Lewis, University of South Australia and Academy of the Social Sciences in AustraliaHans Visser presents a fascinating study of both the foundations of Islamic finance and its recent developments. This highly topical book explores the products and practices of Islamic finance, specifically targeting the tensions that may arise between the ideology and the practices. The author describes the forms Islamic finance has taken, analyzes the problems that it faces, and confronts the practice of Islamic finance with the principles it is based upon. He presents a dispassionate discussion of the problems facing Islamic forms of finance, including the question of how to reconcile activities such as liquidity management, monetary policy and government finance with Islamic principles.Islamic finance is an especially momentous phenomenon, and this book will prove an essential read for students with an interest in money and banking, and particularly Islamic finance. It will also be highly influential for bankers and staff in financial institutions, as well as financial journalists, politicians and civil servants dealing with the financial industry.
There has been a great revival of interest in recent years in the concerns of Islamic political economy after several hundred years of hiatus in its long history. The independence of Muslim countries and the revival of Islamic movements around the world have been among the factors encouraging new interest among the Muslims and others in how economies and economic theory can be brought into line with the Islamic vision of a just society. Masudul Alam Choudhury shows that the contribution which Islamic political economy can make requires a study first of epistemological principles, about the purpose and sources of knowledge, the role of reason and the relationship between self-and social-interest in human affairs. The conclusions which arise from this analysis - about the role and limits of markets, the goal of combining efficiency and equity and the means of doing so with state provision of welfare everywhere in crisis - will prove illuminating to all of those interested in Islamic studies and political economy as well as to other observers and analysts of contemporary society.
Studies conducted in the field of Islamic economics lose their relevance over time. Works examining Islamic economics since the 1970s have been co-opted by the existing economic system and have become limited to a large extent, as they are now only concerned with financial transactions. In fact, ""Islamic economics"" as a concept should actually be conceptualized as an alternative economic system. However, because of the financial and commercial transactions implemented in daily economic life ...
