The concept of Islamic socio-economic development in contemporary perspectives

The author offers an Islamic approach to development that stands, in his mind, quite a distance apart from the understandings of development that currently dominate the field. He asserts that the general movement towards Islamisation amongst Muslim peoples is more than merely a reaction to colonialism; it is a true desire to re-link believers with the thought system of Islam. The author presents various theories of development (including Marxist, sociological, etc.) and offers his understanding of what the divergent approaches have ultimately resulted in. After addressing the formation of Islamic socio-economic thought, he compares Islam's outlook with the modernist outlook. He sees the Islamic method as a new system that itself must be cultivated in order to become organized and ordered. An Islamic system, he asserts, will necessitate the maintenance of Islamic thought in the Muslim world. A final thought is that the Islamic worldview is itself a full system that is relevant fo