Lessons learn from Speech’s Prof. Tariq Ramadhan for improving Islamic economics development

Prof. Tariq Ramadhan has made a speech very interesting on renewal and transformation of Islam. In our dynamic economy of today that we try to extract some lessons from his speech that it’s might improve Islamic development.

Firstly, as Muslims we believe Islam is a universe religion and the way of life for human mankind. Islam guides us to the happiness in the world and hereafter. The key concept is tawhid as the principle of Islam. Islam recognizes the diversity based on unity of aqidah but is not uniformity. The important note that tawhid is soul of Islamic economic. The rule of value-oriented in economics theories and practice are to seek the Allah pleasure as our commitments.  By this principle we are reliable that some principles are not changeable but there are immutable. In modern economic man had been derived by self-interest motive, is the production of the largest possible social product of economy. Self-interest has been necessary for industrialization and development. As a result self-interest tends toward selfishness.

Secondly, we need to renew our understanding of Islam through renew our understanding of the texts of Qur’an and Hadist (Islamic tradition) to reform our community and society. Islam is a comprehensive system of life does not need to reform, but we need to reform ourselves to be available with Islam. How? Theare are three main concepts, namely the Irfan. I’lm (knowledge) and Fiqh (deep understanding) in such a way, it can implement the knowledge into practice. From the principles go to the norm and from the norms go to the law. We need a fresh realisation of the truth that understanding man and the world of nature are essential not only for the realisation of the value, but also for a proper understanding and that our backwardness in economic. We need for renewing and changing of tradition but it has a limitation. We cannot change everything by the name of reformation. For example, we cannot change the number of raka’ah of shalat from 4 to 3 or 2 for efficiency reasons. The principles is universe which unchangeable. But we can reform of the culture which called “culture creativity” as a model in terms of business, architecture and clear on Islamic principle. Islam has the economic model which is historically that we can improve and reform suit of space and times.   

Thirdly, our economic model must be generated from Quran and Alhadist as main source of economic problem solving.  Alhadist is explanation of the Quran.  Here the Quran and Sunnah as texts that we need to understand, simultaneously we have to know the context then we can develop the model how to change the world to be better.   Insya Allah!