Let us first address the issue of earning a living: The meticulous care that Islam takes in distinguishing between lawful and unlawful earnings cannot be found in any existing law in the world. It is considered illicit earnings any means by which a person earns a living by undermining the interests of others, or the interests of society as a whole, whether from a moral or material perspective. Islamic law absolutely prohibits the manufacture and trade of alcohol and other intoxicants, just as it prohibits adultery, professional dancing, gambling, speculation, and various types of lotteries.

It also prohibits fictitious and fraudulent deals, deals that inherently carry the germs of conflict between their parties, and transactions in which profit is guaranteed for one party while the other party is swayed by the wind, lacking trust, reassurance, and security. Islamic law also prohibits price manipulation by refraining from selling the necessities of life, and other such characteristics that harm the group's interests. Suppose you look closely at this aspect of Islamic economic laws. In that case, you will come across a long list of means that Islam has prohibited, most of which, if they had a place, would have provided many with the opportunity to grow up to be millions under the current capitalism. However, Islam prohibits all of these means in its law and guarantees freedom of earning within the limits of honorable means only through which the individual can provide the group with a real and beneficial service, and then he can demand fair and correct compensation for it. 

While Islam grants the individual the right to own the wealth he earned lawfully, it does not limit these established rights. It calls on the individual to spend his lawful money lawfully and legitimately. It has placed restrictions on spending that prevent a person from squandering his wealth on luxury pleasures while living a decent life. Showing status and self-esteem are matters that a person should not exceed the limits to establish himself as a god above humans. Some forms of spending have been clearly and explicitly forbidden, while others, while not explicitly forbidden, the Islamic state has been granted the authority to prevent people from spending wealth on forbidden things.

 In the first case, he must pay zakat on the money he accumulates that exceeds the prescribed minimum amount each year at a rate of a quarter of a tenth - 2.5 percent. However, if he wishes to invest his wealth in a facility, he may do so, but within the limits of permissible legitimate work. It is permissible for a person to undertake a legitimate business on his own, or to share in the profit and loss with others in return for providing his capital, which may be in the form of money or real estate, or in the form of tools and characteristics necessary for a profession. Within these limits, there is no blame on a person in Islam if his work reaches the peak of wealth, and this is even more likely to be considered a great favor from God. However, Islam here stipulates two things for the individual for the sake of the interests of the group as a unit: The first is to pay zakat on his commercial goods and a tenth of his agricultural production. The second is to oblige him to be fair in dealing with his partners in trade, industry, or agriculture, and with those who work under him. If an individual does not adhere to the duty of justice on his own, the Islamic State will force him to do so.

After these legal limits on the resources and expenditures of money, Islam does not leave the wealth accumulated after implementing these teachings to be concentrated in one hand for a long time. Through its law on inheritance, Islam scatters this wealth from generation to generation. The direction of Islam in this regard is contrary to the direction of other laws in the world.

All other laws work to keep the wealth that was accumulated one day concentrated generation after generation. As for Islam, it formulates its law in the complete opposite way. According to this law, it is obligatory for the wealth that a person accumulates during his life to be distributed among his closest relatives immediately after his death. If these are not present, it is the turn of the relatives to inherit according to what the law has decided for each one of them a prescribed share. If we also lack these, the right of inheritance is transferred to the entire Muslim community. It is unlikely that under this legislation, or that the owner of large sums of money or vast estates will escape from it. This last tax is sufficient to overthrow what may have passed despite the previous restrictions of the disadvantages of accumulation and concentration of wealth.

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the Worlds.

Islam has formulated some rules and established certain limits with the intention of the economic life of the individual on the path of truth and justice so that the system of production and the movement of wealth as a whole can proceed according to the limits drawn for it. Islam does not devote its concern to the methods of producing wealth and the forms of its movement and distribution, for such methods develop with every age and change with the progress of civilization and culture and are automatically established according to human necessities and circumstances. But what Islam aims at is that whatever the form that human economic affairs take in different ages and circumstances, the principles that Islam spreads should occupy their eternal place in it, and all the limits that it has established must be adopted and observed.

The earth Created for mankind

Allah created the earth and all that is in it for mankind - this is what the Islamic point of view says - and therefore - the right of birth - grants every individual the right to strive to earn his livelihood from this land to which he came, and all people share in this right equally, and it is not permissible to deprive one person of this right, nor is it permissible to favor one person over another in it. Islamic law tends to not allow the erection of any obstacle in the way of an individual, race or class that would deprive some people of their right to benefit from certain means of living or close the doors of any profession in their faces. The law also does not approve of any discrimination that would enable a particular class, race, or lineage to monopolize a means of living. It is the right of all people equally to toil and seek whatever means they can of earning a living that Allah has made available to His servants on His earth, and opportunities should remain open and equal for every individual in this struggle.

 The Lawgiver, Glory be to Him, has permitted people to benefit from everything in nature, provided that no effort or energy has been spent in preparing it or making it ready for use. Every individual is authorized to benefit from such things to the extent required by his needs. River and spring water, forest wood, fruits of native trees, natural grass, and fodder, air and water, animals in the thickets, and mines on the surface of the earth, all of that and what is similar to it cannot be monopolized by an individual, just as it is not permissible to place any obstacles that prevent people from meeting their needs without paying anything. However, it is natural that those who seek to benefit from these things on a large scale for trade are required to pay a tax on that to the state.

No Monopoly in Islam

It is not right to have things created by Allah for the benefit of all people come into the possession of some people and then remain as they are without benefit. Either a person benefits from them himself, or he leaves them for the benefit of others. Based on this principle, Islamic law stipulates that no one can take possession of land without cultivating it for more than three years. If he does not use it for agriculture or construction or benefit from it in any other way, then this land is treated after three years as abandoned land. Anyone who uses it is safe from being exposed to legal objections in the future, and the Islamic government has no right to hand it over to anyone else.

Anyone who takes possession of any of the treasures of nature directly and makes it suitable for use acquires the rights of ownership. If there is uncultivated land, for example, that no one owns and someone else takes possession of it and begins to exploit it for a lawful purpose, then this land cannot be taken away from him. The rights of ownership are created in this manner according to the Islamic theory. When human beings first appeared on this earth, everything was within the reach of every human being. Whoever possessed something lawfully and prepared it for use in any way became its owner, in other words, he obtained the right to use it specifically for his own benefit and the right to collect compensation from others for using it if they wished.

Natural basis of the economic affairs

This is the natural basis of economic affairs related to human beings and this basis should be preserved soundly. The rights of ownership that every individual can obtain in this world through a lawful project are rights worthy of respect in any case. However, controversy may arise regarding whether ownership in a particular case is legally sound or not. If ownership is not valid from this point of view, it must be put to an end without dispute. However, the state or its legislative authority may not go beyond that to legally valid properties, stripping their owners of them or interfering in their legitimate rights. It is not permissible for a system to be established that overthrows the rights guaranteed by the Shari’a under the pretext of working for the public good of the masses. It is unjust to reduce the limits by which the Shari’a has preserved the rights of individual ownership for the sake of the public good of the group, just as it would be unjust to increase these limits and restrictions. The Islamic state must protect the legitimate rights of individuals and monitor their performance of the obligations imposed on them by the Shari’a. - To be continued