The Holy Quran, like a pure and boundless spring, has bestowed upon humanity profound knowledge that guides living in a healthy, vibrant, and dynamic society. This divine book, with its illuminating verses, directs mankind towards a contented pleasure, profound jurisprudence, and an economy founded on abundance and justice. The present study, through reflection on the divine verses and the narrations of the Infallibles (peace be upon them), examines three fundamental axes: pleasure and prosperity, jurisprudence, and provision and economy within the framework of an Islamic society. The objective of this writing is to elucidate these concepts with a comprehensive and practical perspective to pave the way for reconstructing social and economic structures. Just as the sun enlightens the earth with its light, so too do the verses of the Holy Quran guide human society towards felicity.
The Islamic society, like a verdant garden, must be filled with freshness, dynamism, and vitality. The Holy Quran regards Satisfied Pleasure not only as a trait of Paradise but also as an ideal for worldly life. This concept, like a delightful breeze, caresses the soul of society and prevents sorrowfulness and lethargy. Emphasis on joy and prosperity is a necessity that is reflected in numerous Quranic verses.
فَهُوَ فِي عِيشَةٍ رَاضِيَةٍ * فِي جَنَّةٍ عَالِيَةٍ * قُطُوفُهَا دَانِيَةٌ * كُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا هَنِيئًا بِمَا أَسْلَفْتُمْ فِي الْأَيَّامِ الْخَالِيَةِ
Translation: So he is in a satisfied life, in a lofty Paradise, whose fruits are near at hand. Eat and drink with pleasure because of what you used to do in the past days.
Verses 21 to 24 of Surah Al-Haqqah describe satisfied pleasure as a contented life realised in a lofty Paradise, with fruits within reach. This image, like a water mark, represents the Qurans ideal for a society where joy and prosperity flow abundantly to all. Furthermore, the verse وَجَعَلْنَا النَّهَارَ مَعَاشًا (An-Naba: 11) introduces the day as a means for livelihood and prosperity, not for sorrow and hardship. This perspective contrasts with approaches that, by excessive emphasis on mourning, deprive society of vitality and balance. The verse فَكُلِي وَاشْرَبِي وَقَرِّي عَيْنًا (Maryam: 26), inviting eating, drinking, and rejoicing, also underscores the necessity of cultivating an atmosphere filled with tranquillity and contentment.
Excessive emphasis on mourning ceremonies burdens society like a heavy weight on its shoulders, depriving youth of happiness and leading them towards psychological difficulties. The Islamic society, like a ship requiring balanced sails, must regulate joy and grief in a way that avoids both excess and deficiency. Verses such as رَبَّنَا هَبْ لَنَا مِنْ أَزْوَاجِنَا وَذُرِّيَّاتِنَا قُرَّةَ أَعْيُنٍ (Al-Furqan: 74) stress the necessity of familial joy and childrens delight, indicating that a healthy society requires structures that ensure happiness and prosperity for all.
Just as a nations budget requires precise planning, so too must joy and grief in an Islamic society be regulated with wisdom and care. The Holy Quran, emphasising vitality and new creation, promotes a lively and vibrant society. Such regulation, like the heartbeat of a society, is essential to preserving its health and dynamism.
أَفَعَيِينَا بِالْخَلْقِ الْأَوَّلِ بَلْ هُمْ فِي لَبْسٍ مِنْ خَلْقٍ جَدِيدٍ
Translation: Are We weary of the first creation? Rather, they are in doubt concerning a new creation.
Verse 15 of Surah Qaf highlights new creation, emphasising dynamism and renewal in society. This vitality, like a rushing current, rescues society from stagnation and inertia. Excessive emphasis on repetitive mourning casts a heavy shadow that distances joy from society and drives youth towards regret and psychological complexes. The verse رَبَّنَا هَبْ لَنَا مِنْ أَزْوَاجِنَا وَذُرِّيَّاتِنَا قُرَّةَ أَعْيُنٍ (Al-Furqan: 74), inviting familial joy, also underscores the necessity of social structures to realise this aim.
Disproportionate and repetitive mourning, like a storm destabilising a ships balance, deprives youth of happiness and vitality. Regulating joy and grief, akin to adjusting the rhythm of music, requires meticulous planning by sociologists and religious scholars to shield society from psychological and social harm. This regulation should ensure that mourning, like a limited spring, flows at appropriate times and places, while joy, like a mighty river, irrigates the entire society.
Islamic jurisprudence, like a golden key, must unlock the locks of social problems. This science, beyond formal rulings, must pursue deep understanding of criteria and content to respond to the societys contemporary needs. Jurisprudence, like a robust tree, should root in divine knowledge and extend its branches towards resolving social and economic issues of the Ummah.
لَا يَكَادُونَ يَفْقَهُونَ حَدِيثًا
Translation: They scarcely understand any discourse.
Verse 179 of Surah Al-A'raf stresses the incapacity of disbelievers to grasp the intent of divine speech. Jurisprudence in the Quranic view is profound comprehension of criteria and content, not mere formal rulings. Imam Sadiqs narration in Usul al-Kafi (Vol. 1, Chapter on the Virtue of Knowledge, Hadith 8) confirms this perspective: I wished to strike my companions heads with a whip so their jurisprudence would open and they would understand content and criteria. This narration, like a blazing torch, emphasises the necessity of deep understanding in religious knowledge.
Religious knowledge, in some approaches, due to sole focus on formal rulings, has neglected subject and criteria recognition. This deficiency, like a tree with dried roots, deprives religious knowledge of the ability to solve societal problems. Dynamic jurisprudence, like a flowing river, must respond to social and economic needs through subject and criteria recognition and provide structures necessary for systematisation.
Islamic economy, like a gushing spring, must be established upon ease, abundance, and justice. The Holy Quran, describing divine blessings, speaks of plentiful provision and the possibility of universal benefit. This economy, like a fruitful garden, should fulfil societys needs and prevent poverty and hardship.
فَلْيَنْظُرِ الْإِنْسَانُ إِلَى طَعَامِهِ * أَنَّا صَبَبْنَا الْمَاءَ صَبًّا * ثُمَّ شَقَقْنَا الْأَرْضَ شَقًّا * فَأَنْبَتْنَا فِيهَا حَبًّا * وَعِنَبًا وَقَضْبًا * وَزَيْتُونًا وَنَخْلًا * وَحَدَائِقَ غُلْبًا * وَفَاكِهَةً وَأَبًّا * مَتَاعًا لَكُمْ وَلِأَنْعَامِكُمْ
Translation: Let man consider his food: We poured down water in torrents, then cleft the earth, caused the grain to grow therein, and grapes, and herbage, and olives, and palm trees, and gardens dense with foliage, and fruits and fodder, for you and your cattle to enjoy.
Verses 24 to 32 of Surah Abasa describe the process of provisions creation, speaking of the abundance of divine blessings. These verses, like a beautiful painting, depict an economy rich and full of blessings. The verse وَوَجَدَكَ عَائِلًا فَأَغْنَى (Ad-Duha: 8) also emphasises the societys self-sufficiency and prosperity. However, mismanagement and lack of appropriate infrastructure, like a tall wall, hinder benefiting from these blessings.
Despite enormous geographical and natural capacities, such as fertile lands and abundant resources, inefficient management, like a destructive storm, has kept these blessings out of societys reach. Islamic economy must serve as a strong bridge, meeting societal needs and preventing poverty and destitution through equitable distribution of provision.
The Islamic society, like a magnificent edifice, requires social and economic structures that realise satisfied pleasure and abundant provision. These structures, like pillars of a building, must prevent poverty, hunger, and hostility, and bring joy and prosperity to all.
إِنَّ لَكَ أَلَّا تَجُوعَ فِيهَا وَلَا تَعْرَى
