Imam Al-Ghazali and social welfare
Social welfar is not merely giving some arm to poor individuals in the society or giving some coins to a ragged man, or to a begging child. It is an organized effort to help people in need in a way that they are empowered to meet themselves for their future needs.
As one of the most celebrated scholars in the history, Imam Ghazali’s teachings are multi facets which include philosophy, psychology, jurisprudence, theology, cosmology, logic, economics, and medicine. His social welfare thoughts distributed in each subjects, an organized and focused efforts are need to be done to extract the same. For the time constrain, let me focus only to the Islamic social welfare thoughts of imam Ghazali from the economic aspects of his works.
When we consider the society in a total view, most of the social problems are occure and exist due to the economic causes. Unequal distribution of wealth, failure in the production of necessary materials to meet the basic needs of people, and influence of market activities are makes social life miserable. The well equipped function of a society and the welfare of its members mainly depend on the economic activities of that society. Interestingly the social economic teachings of imam Ghazali cover all these aspects while describing the economic functions in an Islamic state.
The cardinal feature of Islam, as a din, is that any and all “segmented” human activities form only a part of the "holistic" view of life. The teachings of Islam extend to all aspects of life on this earth as well as to life in the Hereafter. Thus, al-Ghazali makes it abundantly clear that, while the ultimate goal of life is the Hereafter, the pursuit of economic activities is not merely desirable -- it is imperative for salvation.
When discussing the means and methods of earning one’s livelihood, the Hereafter is actually the place for ultimate rewards and punishments for one’s deeds. That worldly life is not only temporary but the earth is the place for struggle and preparation for one’s salvation.
Then who will achieve salvation..? in this regard imam divides people into three groups.
Those who ignore hereafter …they will be destroyed.
Those who pursuit hereafter at the expense of worldly life… they will be successful
Those who follows the middle path and engage in worldly affires including economic activities according to the rules of sheriah… they will achieve salvation.
According to Imam Ghazali, there are vive necessary Shariah mandated functions of proper individual and social life, in an Islamic society. These are Religion, Life, Family, property and wealth, intellect or reason. Maslahah (literally meaning public or social interest) requires the protection and pre-servation of these foundations, and mafsadah (evil) can destroy them. Al-Ghazali emphasizes that the goodness of this life and the Hereafter (maslahah al din wa al-dunya) represents the key objective of shariah and this goal is necessarily known from shariah's overall teachings. Indeed, the noblest of all worships is the promotion of society's wellbeing; al-Ghazali quotes one of the Prophet’s (PBUH) sayings, “all creatures are dependents of Allah and the most beloved of them to Allah are those who are most beneficial to His dependents”.
As part of the Islamic social welfare function, al-Ghazali, among other things, also focuses on the economic aspects of maslahah. He proposes a tire hierarchy of social utilities; necessities (darurat), conveniences or comforts (hajat), and refinements or luxuries (tahsinat). The key to the minimum protection and preservation of the five foundations of shariah lies in the provision of necessities for people. The second group
of needs “comprise all activities and things that are not vital to the preservation of the five foundations, but, rather, are needed to relieve or remove impediments and difficulties in life.” The third group “includes activities and things that go beyond the limits of conveniences includes matters that complement, brighten or adorn life.”
We may infer easily, according to al-Ghazali, it is the obligation (fard kifayah) of the state to perform this “need fulfillment” function as resources permit, in accordance with the “rules of precedence” implied in these guidelines so that conflicts among different social objectives are avoided or minimized.”
The shariah-mandated socially-obligated duties (fard kifayah) not fulfilled, then worldly life would collapse and humanity would perish. Further, al-Ghazali insists upon efficiency in the pursuit of economic affairs, whether on a job or one’s own trade, for doing so is part of fulfilling one’s religious duties.
Al-Ghazali also identifies three distinct goals of economic activities, which are not only virtuous for their own sake, but also represent part of one’s religious duties. These are:
i) Achievement of self-sufficiency for one’s survival;
ii) Provision for the well-being of one's family; and
iii) Provision for assisting those in economic need.
Any shortcomings in their pursuit will be religiously "blameworthy", according to al- Ghazali.
Inadequacy of Subsistence Living
As part of his Islamic perception of economic affairs, al-Ghazali is critical of those people who, often because of their confusion of halal and haram (legitimate and illegitimate, according to shariah) hold that economic activities should be confined to the acquisition of merely a subsistence level of living. He argues as follows: “If people confine to subsistence level (sadd al ramaq) and become very feeble, deaths will increase, all work and industry will come to halt, and the society will be ruined. Further, religion will be destroyed, as the worldly life is the preparation for ٧the Hereafter.”
Thus, al-Ghazali insists that subsistence living could not be accepted as the norm for a society. He does suggest, however, that some may make this choice of their own volition.
It should be noted, furthermore, that while arguing against subsistence living, al- Ghazali does not encourage excessive acquisition of material things -- surely not much more than what he calls kifayah -- defined as a moderate standard of living which enables one to provide for one-self and one’s family the basic necessities of life, i.e., food, clothing, and shelter. Curiously, however, al-Ghazali suggests that any income over and above the kifayah may be surrendered.
Economic and Non-Economic Needs and Their Hierarchy
According to al-Ghazali, all economic activities are undertaken to provide for three basic human needs: food, clothing, and shelter. However, this meaning of basic needs is flexible and may be more inclusive, depending upon conditions prevalent in a given society and at a given time, but consistent with the Islamic shariah. Indeed, according to al-Ghazali, the list may include such economic and socio-psychological needs as furnishings, property, status and prestige, and even marital relations, in addition to the aforementioned basic needs. All of these (and others) are recognized as significant human needs. After 900 years of Imam Ghazali, a famous sociologist Abraham Maslow proposed a hierarchy of needs of human being.
Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
This hierarchy focused only on individual. But Al Ghazali proposes a hierarchy with a wide range of social life.
As part of his Islamic social welfare function, al-Ghazali also explores the extent to which the provision and consumption of the various material things lead to human satisfaction and well-being. At another point in his book, Mizan al ‘Amal, he distinguishes among three levels of consumption: the lowest, the middle, and the highest -- and these may apply to each of the three basic needs (food, clothing, shelter) - each may be satisfied at any of the three levels: as a necessity, convenience or luxury. For example, the lowest (minimum necessary) standard of shelter may be living in a cave or a trust (public owned) dwelling. The middle (convenient) standard may be one’s own house, with privacy and use through one’s life; such a house may be the ‘average’ type, and this is the kind al-Ghazali includes as part of his kifayah. The highest level of shelter (luxury) is a large, well-built, aesthetically superior mansion, with many amenities -- the kind always sought by the worldly people and those of higher ranks. Further, al-Ghazali states that anyone may own such elaborate shelter, without any constraints from the state, but certain groups, such as the ascetics or sufis, may be discouraged from such ostentatious living, since, given the nature of their spiritual pursuits, they ought to live a simple life.
Sharing and Equality of Wealth ( Al Ghazali against socialism)
Al-Ghazali is critical of any means to force equality of income and wealth in a society. He is also critical of those who insist upon subsistence level of living for people generally -- such an approach may be suitable only for those pious people who only seek the Hereafter; it cannot be a prescription for society as a whole. If such is a general approach, it will provide a rationale for rulers to become tyrants and thieves and they will force people to surrender what, in their view, is over and above the needs of the people. Further, this will lead to problems for the state with respect to not only the collection of this ‘surplus’ but also concerning the proper distribution to those who are to be judged to be in need.
As an alternative, al-Ghazali maintains that the spirit of Islamic brotherhood must lead to voluntary sharing of one’s wealth. Here, too, al-Ghazali talks in terms of three types of sharing and he ranks them in terms of their desirability according to shariah. The lowest stage is when a person should consider his brother as his helper or servant and he takes it upon himself to help his brother in need without expecting to be asked for help. A higher level is to regard his brother as himself and permit him to share in his property as though he, too, was the owner of that property. The highest rank is to prefer the brother’s needs over one’s own needs.
According to al-Ghazali, true Islamic behavior is characterized by this highest level of voluntary sharing and giving. And he quotes the Qura’nic verse (42:38), “. . . . and whose affairs are a matter of counsel, and who spend of what We have bestowed on them . . . .”, which he interprets as referring to those early Muslims who shared in each other’s property, sometimes without even distinguishing what belonged to each other, as when riding on animals. Thus, it is clear that in as much as sharing of wealth is concerned, al-Ghazali would prefer such actions to be voluntary, as part of one’s shariah-induced moral obligations and tendencies, rather than through rules of authority from the state.
Production of Necessities as a Socially Obligatory Duty (Fard Kifayah):
We already noted elsewhere that al-Ghazali, in light of the rules of Islamic shariah considers productive work as part of worship. Further, production of necessities for the public welfare is a socially obligatory duty (Fard Kifayah). That is if some people are engaged in the production of such goods in sufficient quantities for the society, then the obligation of all is fulfilled in this respect. However, if none is undertaking such activities or insufficient quantities are being produced, then all will be held accountable in the Hereafter. Such a position by al-Ghazali suggests his conviction that the production of necessary goods is an individual as well as social duty. And, in an ultimate sense, we may infer, the state as the society’s supreme social institution must assume the responsibility of ensuring that sufficient quantities of necessities are always forthcoming, and if the private sectors of the economy are lacking in this respect, then the state must undertake the responsibility of “need fulfillment” for the welfare of the people -- i.e., the state must be ready, willing and able to fulfill its obligations along with the private sector, in order to ensure a balanced functioning of the economy inasmuch as the necessities are concerned; an imbalance in this respect will tend to create ruinous conditions.
ii) Hierarchy of Productive Activities:
Al-Ghazali classified productive activities into five groups:
- Farming (food for people);
- Grazing (food for animals);
- Hunting (including exploration of mineral and forest products);
- Weaving (textiles, or clothing); and
- Building and construction (for shelter)
Further, al-Ghazali suggests a classification of industries quite similar to that found in contemporary discussions -- i.e., primary, secondary, tertiary, which refer to agriculture, manufacturing, and services, respectively.
He identifies three broad categories: First, there are basic industries without which human life will be difficult to sustain – they encompass four types of economic activities: agriculture for food, textiles for clothing, construction for shelter, and activities of the state for facilitating the production and provision of sufficient quantities of necessities for the society’s welfare and for promoting cooperation and coordination among those engaged in producing such goods. Second, there are those activities which are necessary adjuncts to the basic industries -- for example, iron industry. Third, there are those activities which are complementary to the basic industries -- for example, grinding and baking of certain agricultural products. Al-Ghazali recognizes the most important among these three groups is the basic industries group, and in this latter group, per al-Ghazali, the most important is the role of the state in promoting cooperation and coordination.
While al-Ghazali provides this three-way classification of industries with an indication of the relative importance of each, nevertheless, he believes that for proper harmony in a society’s socio-economic environment, the pursuit of all three groups of industries is essential; indeed, their fulfilment represents a socially obligatory duty (fard kifayah). “These industries and businesses represent a religious duty because if people abandon them, then human beings could not survive. It is one of the blessings of Allah that people have skills to undertake different occupations. This is one of the interpretations of the Prophet (PBUH) sayings that “difference of my people are blessing.” Thus, the undertaking of a particular economic endeavor by a Muslim entrepreneur is not merely motivated by the desire for private profits, but also by the desire of fulfilling a shariah-mandated socially obligatory duty.
ROLE OF THE STATE AND PUBLIC FINANCE
Al-Ghazali considers the state as a necessary institution, not only for the proper guidance and functioning of society’s affairs but for the fulfillment of shariah-mandated social obligations (furud kifayah). For al-Ghazali, the “state and religion are the inseparable pillars of an orderly society. The religion is the foundation and the sultan is its promulgator and protector. Any pillar without a foundation will be weak, and if not protected, it may crumble.”
Further, he goes on, “Man’s inability to fulfill all his needs alone persuades him to live in a society with cooperation; but tendencies like jealousy, competition, and selfishness, can create conflicts, and, therefore, some collective arrangement becomes necessary to
check and control those tendencies.” Still, on another occasion, al-Ghazali mentions the management of society’s affairs through the state as one of the four key “industries”, which is “essential” to keep people living together harmoniously and in cooperation with each other in order to obtain the mean of livelihood. The noblest of all basic industries is the state which must strive for the good of the society through cooperation and reconcilation.”
1. Justice, Peace, Stability: Conditions of Economic Progress
Al-Ghazali does not discuss specifically the various economic functions and responsibilities of the state. However, he clearly identifies and discusses the types of state functions that are often attributed to the classical economists, such as Adam Smith and others. He mentions that in order to promote economic prosperity, the state must establish justice and provide conditions of peace and security so that healthy economic development could take place.
Al-Ghazali emphasizing the role and functions of the state, he states, “where injustice and oppression are present, the people have no foothold, the cities and localities go to ruin, the inhabitants flee and move to other territories, the cultivated lands are abandoned, the kingdom falls into decay, the revenue diminishes, the treasury becomes empty, and happiness fades among the people. The subjects do not love the unjust king, but always pray that evil may befall him.”
In order to establish conditions of internal law and order and defense from external threats, al-Ghazali stresses the state must adopt all necessary measures. It is very necessary for establishing conditions of justice, security, peace, and stability in order to promote economic prosperity and development for the society.
2. Public Finance
Al-Ghazali provides a rather detailed and concise discussion of the role and functions of state finances in an Islamic society. His discussion, unlike that of many scholars on this subject during the last one or two centuries, tends to be quite symmetrical -- that is, he concentrates on both sides of the public budget, revenues as well as expenditures. Indeed, he also provides some insights into what has since become known as benefit-cost analysis in matters of public policy. He mentions the various sources of revenues, scope of taxation, burden-distribution of taxation, public borrowing, and public expenditure -- precisely the areas of concern one finds in any contemporary text on the subject.
While allowing the imposition of new taxes, there are two guiding principles evident from his discussion:
(a) For defense of the state
(b) Another principle that is suggested here is by al-Ghazali’s analogy of protecting and/or improving the property of the orphan. The state as the guardian and protector of the society may impose new taxes which will enhance the society’s overall well-being.
While the discussions about the public expenditure, al-Ghazali suggested rather broad and flexible: establishment of justice, security of the state, and development of a prosperous society. One almost infers from his writings this to be the priority ranking as far as state functions are concerned. Concerning justice, al-Ghazali warns the rulers, where injustice and oppression are present, the people have no foothold; the cities and localities go to ruin, the kingdom falls into decay, the revenue diminishes, the treasury becomes empty, and happiness fades among the people. As for the need for a secure, peaceful, and stable environment, al-Ghazali declares, “Whenever sultans (rulers) rule oppressively, insecurity appears; and however much prosperity there may be, this will not suit the subjects if accompanied by insecurity. However, little prosperity there may be, this will not displease them if accompanied by security; on the contrary, it will suit them well . . . . Now the security of the world depends on the discipline maintained by the Sultan.”
Imam Ghazali give a list of the areas where the public funds to be utilized. These are education, maintenance of general law and order, defense and health care. As per his thoughts and teachings of economics, a better society will be established if the economic planning occurs and the justice and peace kept among the people. These teachings are very relevant in the contemporary social life.
Adv. Muhamed Ansari N. B.Sc. LL.B, MSW
Ansar Manzil, Kulasekharapathy,
Pathanamthitta PO.
ansaripta@gmail.com
Referances :
Mohammad Ghazanfar S. &Abdul Azim Islahi, Economic thought of al-Ghazali, Islamic Economics Research Series, King Abdulaziz University-2, Scientific Publising Centre, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Montgomery Watt. Muslim Intellectual: A Study of Al-Ghazali; Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 1963
Watt, Faith and Practice of Al-Ghazali, George Allen and Unwin Ltd., London, 1953;
M. Abdul Quasam, The Ethics of Al-Ghazali: A Composite Ethics in Islam, Universiti Kebaugsaan Malaysia, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia, 1975
Mohamed Ahmed Sharif, Ghazali’s Theory of Virtue, State University of New York Press, A1bany, N.Y., 1975
Fadlou Shehada, Ghazali’s Unique Knowable God, E.J Brill, Leiden, Netherlands, 1964
William Makane, Al-Ghazali's Book of Fear and Hope, E.J. Brill, Leiden, Netherlands, 1965; Nabih Amin Faris,
Joseph A. Schumpeter, History of Economic Analysis, Oxford University Press, N.Y., 1954
Anas Zarqa, “Islamic Economics: An Approach to Human Welfare,” in Khurshid Ahmed (Editor), Studies in Islamic Economics, The Islamic Foundation, Leicester, U.K., 1980
