al-Mal wal-Hukm fi al-Islam
- Author died
- 1373 AH
- Editions
- al-Mukhtār al-Islāmī lil-Ṭibā‘ah wal-Nashr wal-Tawzī‘
al-Mal wal-Hukm fi al-Islam (Wealth and Governance in Islam) is a treatise on Islamic jurisprudence, political theory, and economics by the Egyptian jurist and legal scholar Abd al-Qadir Awda (d. 1374 AH / 1954 CE) . The work examines the Islamic principles governing property ownership, public finance, and political authority .
Subject and Core Themes
The work is structured around two interrelated domains of Islamic public law and ethics: economic ownership (al-mal) and political rule (al-hukm) .
In the economic sphere, Awda outlines the Islamic theory of wealth and property rights, focusing specifically on delineating the rights and obligations of governments regarding individual wealth and property, alongside the rights of individuals over their assets . He grounds this discussion in theological foundations, emphasizing that the universe and everything within it are created by God and subjugated for the benefit of humanity, while human beings are made interdependent to cooperate in society .
In the realm of political theory, the book examines sovereignty and governance under the premise that absolute authority belongs to God alone (li-llah al-hukm wal-amr), asserting that Islam constitutes an indivisible faith and socio-political order (din wa-dawla, aqida wa-nizam) . Awda articulates the Islamic conception of government as being anchored in mutual consultation (shura), arguing that the Islamic model of consultation provides an ideal framework superior to positive, man-made constitutional systems .
Publication History
The book was published in Cairo by Dar al-Kitab al-Arabi in 1951 (1370 AH) . It was later reprinted in multiple editions across the Arab world, including a fifth edition published by al-Mukhtar al-Islami in Cairo in 1397 AH (1977 CE) and an edition released in Jeddah by al-Dar al-Sa'udiyya in 1984 CE .
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