Economic development in an Islamic framework

Ahmad's overall argument is that Muslims need to seek to construct an economy that fits Islam and its ideals in all respects--ideologically, politically, and economically. Muslims should not conform to the standards of Western nations in order to achieve parity with them; rather Muslims should seek to conform to Islam and its approach to the world. The problems plaguing the Muslim world are, amongst others, underdevelopment and conscious or unconscious acceptance of a 'catching-up' mentality. Islam encourages growth, and demands social justice. Thus, development strategies cannot be value neutral, cannot rely on imitation, and cannot think that the models of the industrialized world are more valuable than they actually are. Pragmatism is essential and values must be explicit and drawn from al-Qur'an and the sunna . Islam sees humanity's place as God's Khalifah (viceregent) in the world, and the religion holds economic growth as one component of total human development. Islam f