HDI and Universal Law of Qurban
Saeed Alrai
Dr. Ikram Azam in his article “HDI and The Muslim World” (Pakistan Observer 8 September 2002) has quite affectively analyzed the issues of Human Development Index in the Muslims World. We need not only to improve on modernization i.e. present available resources but also require futurization i.e. sustainable development). The million dollar question is how to achieve these goals? The above article of Ikram Azam is enlightening as it has at least pointed three areas which require immediate attention for sustainable human development – gleaned from the works of Hasnat Abdul Hai as enumerated below:
(a) Choice to live a long and healthy life.
(b) Choice to be educated; and a decent standard of living.
(c) Choice to have resources needed for a decent standard of living.
Interestingly there is an historic episode quoted in the Holy Quran when “Taloot” is selected as leader by a Jewish prophet to fight against the infedils. Selection of Taloot is rejected by the elders being not “wealthy enough” – i.e. wealth was their criteria for leadership. The Holy Quran says no to such criteria and dictates that “ilma and jisma (i.e. knowledge and good healthy body)” was the cause of the selection of “Taloot” as leaders (Surah Baqrah 2:247). This clearly supports our two above conditions of HDI as pinpointed by Hasnat Abdul Hai in above para… When any nation is healthy (no one is below poverty line and educated – it provides fitting material for HDI for further development of resources, further improve standard of living) i.e. the third condition of sustainable condition is thus achieved. Now, we have to see if there is any universal law which satisfies all these three criteria for sustainable HDI (i.e. education, health/food and resource development). Yes, the answer is in affirmative.
Qurbani: let me first briefly mention the law and then explain it in my essay. It is law of “Qurban (sacrifice)” which is a universal law and existed in all societies/religions/in all times – thoughts, though its significance has been lost in the scale of time. The philosophy of Qurban (sacrifice) in Islam is luckily preserved, equally viz family, relatives/friends and poor. Let me explain the above philosophy of TRIAD distribution by quoting one hadith from Sahih Muslim.
One person is wonder-struck as a voice in a cloud ordains (by name) for the rain-water to reach to a specific garden where the garden owner questions about this Divine bounty exclusively for him (i.e. rain-water reaching his garden only). The gardener replies that the annual income from the garden is parceled out in three equal parts as under: (a) 1/3 is reinvested into the system (i.e. producing medium i.e. garden in this case as private entrepreneurship); (b) 1/3 is kept as (earning) share of gardener (and other co-sharerers); (c) 1/3 is doled out as sadqa (an Islamic tax that is for greater nationalize projects which serve equalitarian purposes).
If we analyze the distribution of income form the gardener in three areas it actually is being redistributed as under:
- 1/3 share of management (real management lies with the government which fixes taxes that is share of 1/3 of income – this would be used by government for social security areas and other sectors which will augment the surrounding sectors for good development (i.e. roads, education, health, etc.).
- 1/3 share for laborer (i.e. all workers in any enterprise).
- 1/3 share for capital (i.e. garden or factory etc.) whose actual (resource production) is to be finally achieved. If 1/3 income is not reinvested in the production unit – then by gradual depreciation the production will come to grinding halt – i.e. instead of achieving “sustainable development” economy makes a nose-dive to zero level. Depreciation has to be met at each stage so that cycle of development does not take negative turn.
So the law of Qurban or “three areas suggested by Abdul Hai” are actually shares of management, capital and labor in any sustainable development project i.e. share income equally 1/3 in each sector. There are example galore in history where this law was applied as quoted below:
According to one tradition, Hazrat Salman Farsi daily used to sell mats (made from date palm leaves) for three dirhams and distribute the income as one dirham for personal use, one dirham as sadqa and one dirham was reinvested to buy raw material to make mats for the next day. The tradition says that Hazrat Salman Farsi was so particular about this mode of triangular distribution of income that he is reported to have pronounced that he will never leave this practice of triangular distribution pattern even if Hazrat Omer ordains him not to practice it.
Dr. Yusaf Alqardavi has quoted and analyzed the following tradition from Tibri (in his book on Fiqh Zakat at page-577) regarding conduct of Hazrat Abdullah bin Masud-ibn Masud did not dole out Usher or Nisaf Usher but he used to divide his income into three equal parts – one for the family members, one part for the garden as seeds etc. and the third part was paid as Sadqa as Islamic tax.
The Hindu Book (Arthra Shastra) contains the same three-pronged distributive pattern on incomes as quoted by Abu Raihan Albairuni in his book on Hindu-Dharam.
Imam Jozi has quoted in his book “Talbis Iblis” an interesting example of revenew distribution of Hindu Sun Temple (Aadad) at Multan where Caliph Abdul Malik bin Marwan ordered that revenues (Nazr’) to this temple be apportioned as under:
(i) 1/3 for city guardians and guardians of temple (labor share).
(ii) 1/3 income be reserved for maintenance of temple (capital share).
(iii) 1/3 income be sent as government taxes to Baghdad (management share).
In nutshell 1/3 income from management would be utilized to feed deprived sectors of the society. 1/3 income be reserved for all workers/cultivators/physical laborers and lastly 1/3 income from any enterprise must be reinvested in that enterprise to keep it in sustainable development form. In this way the three areas pointed out by Hasnat Abdul Hai are universally looked after and system keeps futuristically sustained for time immemorial. In the Holy Quran there is clear mention of movement towards this three pronged-shade like “strands” in Surah no. 77 ayat no. 29 to 33 further Surah Zuha (Qurban) no. 93 and “Inshara” (manifestly clear) no. 94 describe this triad very clearly which can be a subject of some further article. The three areas of material development i.e. Tamas, Rajas and Sattava are also called Gunas i.e. strands in Hindu religious philosophy.
Christian Trinity: seen in this production mode and role of management, (God’s share), capital, and labor, these symbols represent father, mother and son i.e.:
Father – represents management.
Mother – represents capital/field (Holy Quran says women are your field (Surah Baqrah 2: 223)).
Son – represents workers as laborers.
In every enterprise “Sustainable Development Project”, each would have 1/3rd share of father i.e. management (as government taxes), 1/3rd share of mother (the enterprise itself for sustained activity), and 1/3rd share of son (i.e. laborers in enterprise).
“Unity in Diversity” in “Hindu Religious Philosophy”
In ultimate Hindu philosophy of religion the “Trinity of God” (Tree-Moorti) is admitted (see Gita 9: 25 and 9: 27 and 28) – now being pronounced as “Unity in Diversity”. This was the basic teaching of Vedas as narrated in 10: 82 of 3rd part of Rig Veda.
“The Father who created us i.e. creator of all nations and universe, is only one God. He gives names to other gods and all ask (for enquiries from this only one)”.
The Holy Quran discussing creation of man carries the similar dialogue in which “Adam is taught all names” and due to this faculty all angels (Forces of nature in different areas) bow down to Adam except Iblis (Surah Baqra 2:30-34). The “attributes of God” are innumerable and in old times (when alphabets/languages were not developed), these “attributes of God were represented in Symbols/caricatures/sculptures as vehicle of language was such. Gradually these language problems created difficulties in understand and these “visual representations” of attributes of one God took shapes of different gods’ incarnation. We should try to decipher the language entangles and glean the attributes to come to real inner meaning of these pictorial messages. This attempt has been made in this article as god-Brahma (or Brahman) actually represents, “Knowledge” (Management) god-Visnu represents “Sustainable production of the capital/wealth/Garden etc. and god-Shiva represents Labor as liberator being symbol of power and strength. Gita therefore discusses not Triad of Gods but Triad of their attributes i.e. Tamas as “inactivity” Sattava as “Production of Goodness” and Rajas as “power/strength/activity”.
Reproduced from Pakistan Observer (Pakistan), 20 September, 2002
With permission of the author
