✿ Summary
❶ Every system of life in the world is based on an ideal concept, whose purpose is to lead society towards an ideal state.
❷ The perfectly competitive system of economics is also an ideal, just like the concept of Khayr al-Qurūn in Islam.
❸ The changes in the modern world are taking place not through democracy but under a specific epistemic discourse.
❹ The Islamic ideal is Khayr al-Qurūn, and returning to it is necessary so that the Islamic way of life can be adopted.
❺ Those who reject Khayr al-Qurūn on the grounds that it is not possible should, on the same grounds, also reject the perfectly competitive system of economics.
❖ The Concept of the Ideal System (Ideal-Type) in Economics
In economics, the concept of Perfect Competition is an example of such an ideal or desired system. Its assumption is that if all people pursue their self-interest, and all social and economic agents act with complete information and freedom, a system will come into being in which the maximum growth of capital becomes possible.
This system apparently represents an ideal state which can never be fully attained in reality, but it provides a benchmark for making economic policies.
This concept has three basic purposes:
➊ Providing a standard benchmark: so that current conditions can be compared to see how far from or close to the desired ideal they are.
➋ Setting the direction of strategy: so that it can be decided in which direction society is to be changed.
➌ Identifying practical steps: so that it can be understood which steps need to be taken to reach the desired ideal.
❖ The Role and Significance of the Ideal
The purpose of an ideal is not that it be fully attained; rather, it provides guidance as to which direction society should move in. Just as perfect competition is an ideal state in economics, in Islam Khayr al-Qurūn (the best era), that is, the era of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the period of the Companions after it, is viewed as an ideal era. Returning to this ideal, that is, adopting this way of life, should be the goal of social and political reform on the basis of Islam.
❖ The Modern World and the Ideal of Islam
❖ The Purpose of the Present Change
The changes taking place in the modern world are not happening without reason; rather, behind them is a specific epistemic discourse that works on the basis of the capitalist system. Likewise, the ideal of Islam is Khayr al-Qurūn, and the purpose of returning to it is to adopt the Islamic way of life.
❖ Democratic Process or Epistemic Discourse?
In the modern world, the democratic process is apparently based on public opinion, but in reality it is shaped under the influence of a specific epistemic discourse. This discourse plays an important role not only in policy-making but also in forming people’s opinions.
❖ The Ideal of Islam
The ideal of Islam is the very one the Prophet ﷺ described as Khayr al-Qurūn. This ideal is not merely a thing of the past; rather, it is a benchmark that provides guidance in every era.
❖ The Similarity Between Perfect Competition and Khayr al-Qurūn
If someone rejects Khayr al-Qurūn on the grounds that it is not possible, then they should also reject the economic theory of perfect competition, because it too is a theoretical concept that can never be fully found in reality.
❖ Policy-Making and the Ideal
Policy-making is always based on some ideal. If a worldview is cut off from its ideal, it loses its identity and seeks its survival in other ideologies, as some modern Muslim thinkers tried to attach Islam to democracy or socialism.
❖ The Real Purpose of the Social Sciences
Social sciences such as economics are not positive sciences but normative sciences, whose purpose is to plan the shaping of the world under the capitalist order; and, like any ideal system, they make policies to achieve their goals.
