ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books The Role of the in Building the Virtuous Community, Book Five: The Economic System of the Virtuous Community Chapter 1: General Economic Legislation 1. Zakat 2. Derelict Lands 3. Annexed Lands 4. Endowments (Waqf) Preamble The (‘a) instructed their followers to accept and conform to general economic legislation, including commercial transactions and contracts and their financial resultants and commitments.

These instructions also dealt with disagreements by jurisprudents about transactions and the degree of obligation towards a certain law. Such differences between the (‘a) school and other jurisprudential schools are trivial. Laws regarding transactions and contracts depend upon the Holy Legislator’s consent according to the rationally approvable line of conduct (i.e.

al-Sirah al-’uqala'iyyah ), with a few exceptions like usury and transactions which include illegal profit about which there is a slight disagreement among the Muslim jurisprudential schools. According to the (‘a) school, the (‘a) are the rightful rulers of the Muslim nation as designated by Almighty Allah.

In the field of economic legislation, it might be strange if there were no disagreement among the Muslim jurisprudential schools in spite of being firmly based on the laws of Islam, and strongly related to the interests of the Muslim leadership and the virtuous community.

We will refer to four of the most important rulings in the field of finance and economy by looking at the instructions given to the partisans and followers of the (‘a) in order to demonstrate the standpoint of the (‘a) regarding these issues. Zakat Confirmed by the Holy Qur'an and the traditions of the Holy Prophet (S), zakat is held to be the most important legislation in the field of finance. Islam has very accurately delineated private assets owned by Muslims that are subject to this tax.

These assets are nine in number and include two monetary standards: gold and silver; four types of produce: wheat, barley, dates, and raisins; and the three types of livestock: camels, cows, and sheep. Furthermore, Islam has designated the ruler of the Muslim community as the supervisor and custodian of these taxes whose mission is to estimate, calculate, assess, and collect the correct amount of zakat from the owners of these assets.