Iqtisadu-na (book)

Iqtisadu-na (book)
Author	Al-Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr
Original title	إقتصادنا
Language	Arabic
Subject	Islamic economy
Published	Beirut
Publisher	Dar al-Ta'aruf li-l-Matbu'at
English translation
En. title	Our Economics (Iqtisaduna)
En. publisher	Bookextra Ltd (August 21, 2000)

Iqtiṣādu-nā (Arabic: إقْتِصادُنا, literally, Our economy) is a book written by al-Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr in Arabic about the Islamic economy. The book was written in order to state the foundations of the Islamic economy and its difference from other prominent economic doctrines. The book introduces and criticizes the economic doctrines of Marxism and Capitalism, and then outlines the Islamic economic doctrine. The theory of Mantaqat al-Firagh (the lacuna), one of the most important views of al-Shahid al-Sadr about the Islamic economy, is propounded in this book. Iqtiṣādu-nā was translated to different languages, and has been subject to many objections and criticisms.

Author

Al-Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr, also known as al-Shaid al-Sadr, was born in Kadhimiya on Dhu l-Qa'da 25, 1353/March 1, 1935. He undertook the religious, as well as the political, marja'iyya (or authority) of the Shi'as in Iraq. He established Hizb al-Da'wat al-Islamiyya.

Al-Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr presented novel views in branches of disciplines such as usul al-fiqh, fiqh, political philosophy, and epistemology. His best-known views include the theories of Haqq al-Ta'a (the right for obedience), Mantaqat al-Firagh (the lacuna), and al-tawalud al-dhati (spontaneous initiation). His books include Falsafatuna (our philosophy), Iqtisaduna (our economy), Durus fi 'ilm al-usul (lectures on usul al-fiqh) also known as Halaqat, and al-Usus al-mantiqiyya li-l-istiqra' (logical foundations for induction).

He and his sister, Bint al-Huda al-Sadr, were arrested, and then martyred, by the Ba'ath regime in Iraq in 1400/1979.

Motivation for Writing

In his preface to the first edition of the book, al-Shahid al-Sadr characterized it as an initial attempt to a deep investigation, and a systematic presentation, of the Islamic economic doctrine. According to al-Sadr, his purpose was to formulate the fundamental views of the Islamic economy, to show its differences from other prominent economic doctrines, and to present the Islamic economy as being connected to other parts of Islam.

Position and Significance

Although Iqtisaduna was written over half a century ago, it is still the most significant and the most common book concerning the Islamic economy. It is a reference for Islamic economy in different universities around the world. In the Islamic world, the book has been taught not only in Shiite countries, but also in universities in some Sunni countries, such as Egypt. Dr. Muhammad Mubarak wrote: "Iqtisaduna has presented the theory of Islamic economy with an examination of Islamic rulings, and has formulated it by means of the concepts of [modern] economics while preserving its jurisprudential (fiqh) authenticity".

Structure

Iqtisaduna consists of two general parts, under the title "kitab":

The first part consists of three chapters:

Chapter 1: Marxism (introduction and criticism)
Chapter 2: capitalism (introduction and criticism)
Chapter 3: the main sign-posts of the Islamic economy

The second part consists of the following chapters:

Chapter 1: the operational discovery of an economic doctrine
Chapter 2: the theory of distribution before production
Chapter 3: the theory of distribution after production (theory of post-production)
Chapter 4: the theory of production
Chapter 5: state responsibility in the Islamic economy
Chapter 6: appendices

Important Issues

In Iqtisaduna, al-Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr distinguished the notions of "economic doctrine" and "economics". The economics (the science) seeks to discover economic phenomena in the society, their causes, as well as their interrelationships, while the economic doctrine offers a fair and just procedure to regulate people's economic life.

He believes that Islam has provided an Islamic economic doctrine, rather than an Islamic economics. Thus, the Islamic economy offers a fair and just procedure to regulate people's economic life, without ever seeking to make scientific discoveries in economic phenomena. For example, Islam did not seek to show the causes of usury in Hijaz; rather it prohibited it and constructed a new system on the basis of mudaraba (Profit and loss sharing).

Mantaqat al-Firagh (the Lacuna)

The theory of the lacuna (mantaqat al-firagh) is the most important view propounded and innovated by al-Sadr in Iqtisaduna. According to this theory, in some cases, Islam gives the Islamic government the authority to legislate laws in response to the requirements of a time. This area of legislation is called "mantaqat al-firagh" (the lacuna). Al-Sadr believes that some laws legislated by Prophet Muhammad (s) are examples of such laws filling the lacuna, rather than laws conveyed to us by the Prophet (s) through the prophet.

Sources

Al-Shahid al-Sadr did not seek to only express his personal jurisprudential views in Iqtisaduna. Thus, it is not the case that the whole book consists only of his views. Al-Sadr himself points out that the views in the book come from three sources:

Views of the faqihs (Muslim jurists): most of the jurisprudential rulings in the book are views of one or a number of faqihs.
Views of the author: the jurisprudential views espoused by the author himself.
Jurisprudential views that might be acceptable after scholarly research, although the author himself might not accept them for some reasons.

Publication and Translations

Here are some publications and translations of Iqtisaduna:

Iqtisaduna, Pazhuhishgah-i 'Ilmi Takhassosi-yi Shahid Sadr, Qom.
Iqtisaduna, Dar al-Fikr, Beirut.
The book was translated into English by Kadom Jawad Shubber under Our Economics (Iqtisaduna), and was published by Bookextra, Limited.

References

The material for this article is mainly taken from اقتصادنا (کتاب) in Farsi WikiShia.

v t e Fiqh Literature
2/8 century	Masa'il 'Ali b. Ja'far • Fiqh al-Rida • Kitab al-diyat
4/10 century	Al-Muqni' • Ahkam al-nisa' • Al-A'lam • Al-Hidaya • Man la yahduruh al-faqih • Masa'il al-'awis • Al-Masa'il al-sarwiyya • Al-Masa'il al-saghaniyya • Al-Muqni'a • Khulasat al-ijaz
5/11 century	Jumal al-'ilm wa l-'amal • Al-Kafi fi l-fiqh • Al-Khilaf • Al-Nihaya • Al-Muhadhdhab • Al-Mabsut • Al-Marasim al-'alawiyya • Al-Nasiriyyat • Jawahir al-fiqh • Misbah al-mutahajjid
6/12 century	Isbah al-Shia • Ayat al-Ahkam • Al-Ghunya • Al-Sara'ir • Al-Da'awat • Isharat al-sabq • Al-Wasila
7/13 century	Shara'i' al-Islam • Al-Mukhtasar al-nafi' • Jami' al-khilaf wa l-wifaq • Nuzhat al-nazir • Kashf al-rumuz
8/14 century	Irshad al-adhhan • Tabsirat al-muti'allimin • Tahrir al-ahkam • Tadhkirat al-fuqaha' • Talkhis al-maram • Qawa'id al-ahkam • Mukhtalaf al-Shi'a • Muntaha l-matlab • Nahayat al-ahkam • Kanz al-fawa'id • Al-Durus • Al-Dhikra • Al-Lum'a al-Dimashqiyya • Idah al-fawa'id • Al-Alfiyya • Al-Nafliyya • Al-Risala al-sa'diyya • Al-Mu'tabar
9/15 century	Kanz al-'irfan • Al-Aqtab al-fiqhiyya • Al-Muhadhdha al-bari'
10/16 century	Jami' al-maqasid • Rawd al-jinan • Al-Rawda al-bahiyya • Masalik al-afham • Zubdat al-bayan • Majma' al-fa'ida • Madarik al-ahkam • Tamhid al-qawa'id • Ma'alim al-din
11/17 century	Maslik al-afham • Rawdat al-muttaqin • Lawami'-i Sahibqarani • Dhakhirat al-ma'ad • Jami'-i 'Abbasi • Kifayat al-ahkam • Mashriq al-shamsayn • Miftah al-falah • Maladh al-akhyar • Istiqsa' al-i'tibar
12/18 century	Kashf al-litham • Iqad al-na'imin • Al-Hada'iq al-nadira • Lawami' al-ahkam • Mu'tamad al-Shi'a • Fiqh al-Rida • Kashf al-asrar
13/19 century	Miftah al-kirama • Anwar al-fiqaha • Jawahir al-kalam • Mawarid al-anam • Riyad al-masa'il • Jami' al-madarik • Mustanad al-Shi'a • Tuhfa-yi Radawiyya • Manahij al-ahkam • Yanabi' al-ahkam • Ghana'im al-ayyam • 'Awa'id al-ayyam • Al-Makasib • Kashf al-ghita' • Tadhkirat al-ahbab
14/20 century	Al-'Urwa al-wuthqa • Iqtisadu-na • Balaghat al-faqih • Mustamsak al-'urwa • Nahj al-fiqaha • Misbah al-faqih • Tawdih al-masa'il
15/21 century	Tafsil al-shari'a • Tahrir al-wasila • Takmilat al-minhaj • Mabani takmilat al-minhaj • Misbah al-fiqaha • Masa'il fiqhiyya
Faqihs

v t e Bibliography of 14th/20th Century
Hadith	Mustadrak al-wasa'il • Jami' ahadith al-Shi'a • Safinat al-bihar • Al-Arba'in al-Husayniyya • Al-Akhbar al-dakhila
Exegesis	Ala' al-rahman • Tafsir al-kashshaf • Tafsir-i mubin • Bayan al-sa'ada • Taqrib al-Qur'an ila al-adhhan • Al-Jadid • Anwar-i dirakhshan • Tafsir-i ithna 'ashari • Tafsir-i khusrawi • Tafsir-i Safi 'Ali Shah • Tafsir-i 'Amili • Tafsir-i asan • Tafsir-i nowin • Partu-yi az Qur'an • Tafsir-i balaghi • Tafsir-i rawan-i jawid • Nafahat al-rahman • Tafsir al-Qur'an al-karim
Jurisprudence	Al-'Urwa al-wuthqa • Iqtisaduna • Bulghat al-faqih • Mustamsik al-'Urwa • Nahj al-fiqaha • Misbah al-faqih • Ghayat al-quswa
Theology	'Abaqat al-anwar • 'Aqa'id al-imamiyya • Al-Nass wa al-ijtihad • Asl al-Shi'a wa usuluha • Misbah al-hidaya • Ilzam al-nasib • Hidaya al-umma • Nur al-afham • Naqd al-washi'a • Manar al-huda • Dala'il al-sidq • Nur al-afham • Shabha-yi Pishawur • Kashf al-astar • Al-Huda ila din al-Mustafa • Fayd al-qadir
Usul al-fiqh	Rasa'il • Kifayat al-usul • Durus fi ilm al-usul • Usul al-fiqh li-l-Muzaffar
History	Nafas al-mahmum • Lawa'ij al-ashjan • Muntaha l-amal • Sulh al-Hasan (a) • Dhakhirat al-darayn • Maqtal al-Husayn (by al-Muqarram) • Al-Anwar al-bahiyya • Sirat al-a'imma al-ithna 'ashar • Ibsar al-'ayn • Al-Kalimat al-gharra' • Fadak fi l-tarikh • Bayt al-ahzan • Tatimmat al-muntaha
Rijal	Rawdat al-jannat • A'yan al-Shi'a • Al-Rasa'il al-rijaliyya • Sama' al-maqal • Itqan al-maqal • Rijal al-Khaqani • Ma'arif al-rijal • Rayhanat al-adab • Al-Dhari'a • Al-Kuna wa l-alqab • Musaffa al-rijal • Shu'ab al-maqal • Takmilat amal al-amil
Other	Al-Najm al-thaqib • Al-Ard wa al-turbat al-Husayniyya • Al-Imam al-Husayn (a) wa ashabuh • Siyahat-i gharb • Al-Muraqabat • Al-Istishfa' • Hadiyyat al-za'irin • Fayd al-'alam • Al-Khasa'is al-Husayniyya