Islamic economics, which is a discipline for studying economic behaviour from an Islamic perspective, advocates comprehensive human development defined by advancement and progress in multiple dimensions beyond GDP, income, or standard of living. Not only should socio-economic progress be in all dimensions but it should also have a higher purpose. A society is considered economically and socially developed if adequate protections are provided for faith, life, intellect, progeny, and wealth. This concept of balanced progress itself is an important idea recognized by the sociologists....

In Islam, philanthropy is a spectrum of activity, and these activities differ in their purpose and in the principles on which they operate. To fully understand philanthropy, it is vital to examine not only its purpose but its motive and outcomes. This book identifies three types of philanthropy within this spectrum: Philanthropy as relief (zakat), which seeks to alleviate human suffering; philanthropy as an improvement (waqf), which seeks to maximize individual human potential and is energized by a principle that seeks to progress individuals and their society; and philanthropy as reform...

This book discusses the need for a paradigm shift from Islamic economics universe of discourse to Iqtisād, a socio-economic system that is entirely independent from other economic doctrines and systems of thought. It provides an overview of critiques of the science and dogma of mainstream, orthodox, neoclassical, or simply Economics, with its axioms of rationality, scarcity, and unlimited wants. There is also a critical analysis of Islamic economics, and its failures to set its own policy agenda and development objectives. Our contention in this book is...