Guest Editors’ Introduction: In Pursuit of Islamic akhlaq of Business and Development

Abstract

This special issue (globalization, development and Islamic business ethics) is a collection of peer-reviewed papers on Islamic ethics of business and development in the global economy; a topic that is becoming increasingly important and relevant not only for multinational and local organizations in Muslim majority countries and communities but also for governments and organizations employing or dealing with Muslim diaspora in the West. In Islamic theology and philosophy, akhlaq, an Arabic term, is generally used to refer to noble character, morality and ethical conduct. Islam places great emphasis on embodying akhlaq. The Prophet Muhammad said ‘I was sent to perfect the ethical conduct’ (Malik, n.d., Book 047, Section 08, Hadith Number 610). Akhlaq is a key criterion by which success is judged. The Prophet said ‘The best among you are those who have the best manners and character’ (Bukhari, n.d., Vol 008, Book 073, Hadith Number 056B). In another similar tradition, the great Muslim scholar, Imam Jafar al-Sadiq (702–765 C.E.) narrates ‘Anyone who is devoid of knowledge (ilm) and ethics (akhlaq) is like an orphan who has lost both his parents’. (An Naseeha 2009, para. 2). According to Islamic philosophy, the disposition towards akhlaq may appear because of one of the following reasons: (a) fitrah, i.e. the original or natural state in which humans are created by God; (b) aadah, i.e. the habit formed by continual repetition of certain acts that creates a certain disposition; and, (c) mumarisah, i.e. practice and conscious effort which will eventually produce a disposition (Cowan 1994; Esposito 2005). Clearly, the topic of business ethics falls under the purview of the third type of Islamic ethical disposition, i.e. practice and effort. Research on Islamic business ethics is important given the fact that with a population exceeding 1.6 billion people, the Islamic world represents more than $8 trillion in GDP, and some of the fastest-growing global economies that stretch from Indonesia in the east to Turkey in the west with the petrodollar rich Middle East at their centre. Islamic influences stretch beyond Muslim majority countries as more than 350 million Muslims reside as minorities in many nations, with many affluent ones living in the west and large populations residing in the emerging economies of India, China, and Russia (Thomson Reuters and DinarStandard 2013). Globally, this fast growing and relatively young population of Muslims is increasingly asserting its Islamic identity and sensitivities in areas as diverse as economy, education, politics, media and philosophy. However, there is limited scholarship on Islamic ethics and business in the global economy, especially work that draws on a range of knowledge domains including management, development and religious writings—barring a few studies, e.g. Ali and Al-Owaihan, 2008; Beekun and Badawi 2005; Rice 1999; Syed 2009. This is an important knowledge gap given the resurgence of Islam of late, and concerns that globalization has heightened the ‘clash of civilizations’ thesis, and significantly that Islamlization through politicized regimes may prevent barriers to economic and social progress (Ahmed and Donnan 1994; Platteau 2010). This view is all the more important in the aftermath of the Arab Spring, theUS invasion of Iraq, 9/11 and the ongoing IsraeliPalestinian conflict. J. Syed (&) Business School, University of Huddersfield, Huddresfield, West Yorkshire, UK e-mail: j.syed@kent.ac.uk