Economics Guidelines and its Analysis

ECONOMICS GUIDE LINES AND ITS ANALYSIS

The research work Dr. Muhammad Masood Ahmad has done on Imam Ahmed Raza al-Qaadiri Bareilly is well known.  In the course of his research work Dr. Masood Ahmad focused his attention on his Economic Guidelines of Imam Ahmed Raza al-Qaadiri which he enunciated in his pamphlet “TADBEER-E-FALAH-O-NIJAT-WA-ISLAH” which was published from Calcutta in 1912/1331 AH.  The details of these guidelines are as follows:-

1)   Excepting those matters in which the state is intervening, the Muslims should settle their conflicts by mutual consultation, so that thousand of rupees which are squandered in unnecessary litigation may be saved.

2)   The rich Muslims of Bombay, Calcutta, Rangoon, Madras and Hyderabad-Decan should set up banks for their Muslim brethren.

3)   The Muslims should not purchase anything from non-Muslims.  They should have business dealings with Muslims only.

4)   They should be emphasis on the spread of Ilm-e-Deen (Islamic Teachings).

Apparently these four points or guidelines are brief but Dr. Masood Ahmad has entrusted the task of elucidating these guidelines to me as a humble student of Economics.  This task is stupendous.  Despite my twenty years teaching experience, I think my knowledge is limited.  In spite of my limitations, I have made up my mind to explain these guidelines to the best of my ability. Allama Iqbal says: Indeed these are the guidelines of a Mo’min who was saturated with the love of the Holy Prophet.

Before discussing these guidelines, I would like to say something by the way of Preface. In 1912 when these guidelines were published, the study of Economics as a distinct subject was not common.  In other developed countries of the world like England, America, France, and Germany a special group of intellectuals was engaged in acquiring knowledge of Economics.

There is no doubt that regular books on Economics were being published, but the masses were not interested in this subject.  The students used to avoid this subject, considering it to be dry.