Authors
1
Associate Professor, Department of Economics, Research Center for Social Sciences, Research Institute of Hawzah & University, Qom, Iran
2
PhD student in Islamic Economics, Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences, University of Qom, Qom, Iran
3
Researcher, Qasd Think Tank, Qom, Iran. Ph.D. in Jurisprudence and Fundamentals of Islamic Law
Abstract
Extended Abstract
Introduction and Objectives: One of the central components of progress in Islam-and by extension, in the Islamic economy-is addressing the livelihood (al-maʿāsh) and public welfare (al-maʿād) of the Muslim community (Ummah). To this end, Islam calls the community to fraternity, mutual assistance (taʿāwun), and solidarity, providing a comprehensive framework of mechanisms to fulfill this mission. These mechanisms are manifested as obligatory duties (farāʾiḍ), recommended acts (nawāfil), and rituals, all designed to minimize poverty, eliminate class disparities, and foster social harmony and unity within Islamic society.
Numerous aḥādīth emphasize social responsibilities and the obligation to meet the needs of believers through practices such as muwāsāt (mutual support), qarḍ al-ḥasan (benevolent loans), infāq (spending in the way of God), ṣadaqah (charity), gifts, donations (hibah), waqf (endowment), and vows (nadhr). The coexistence of obligatory duties like zakāt and khums, alongside recommended acts such as muwāsāt, ṣadaqah, nadhr, waqf, and infāq, ensures that a broad segment of the Muslim community benefits from charitable relations and wealth transfers. This integrated system reduces poverty and deprivation, thereby enhancing social resilience even under incompetent or oppressive governance.
The aim of this research is to extract, classify, and rank criteria and indicators for measuring the sufficiency and balance of public welfare. In Islamic teachings, some obligatory acts require adequate financial capability, others represent social and moral contributions, and yet others pertain to principles of individual and social justice at various levels of society, including families and rulers. Accordingly, this study organizes the criteria into three primary categories: affordability (istiṭāʿah), assistance (iʿānah), and justice (ʿadl) within the domain of livelihood and public welfare.
The primary objectives of this research are:
To derive a comprehensive set of criteria and indicators for measuring the sufficiency and balance of public welfare from canonical Islamic sources.
To categorize these indicators into a coherent hierarchical structure based on their functional roles.
3.To quantitatively prioritize these indicators using expert judgment through the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method.
Guided by Islamic teachings, the extracted indicators are organized into three primary dimensions: Affordability (Istiṭāʿat)-pertaining to obligatory financial duties; Assistance (Iʿānat)-concerning recommended social and moral contributions; and Justice (ʿAdl)-addressing equity and balance at both individual and societal levels.
Methodology: This study employs the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) technique developed by Thomas L. Saaty. The AHP method is particularly suited for this research as it effectively decomposes a complex problem into a hierarchical structure, facilitates the incorporation of expert qualitative judgments, and yields quantitative priorities for various elements.
The AHP procedure was implemented in four sequential stages:
Modeling and Hierarchy Construction: The decision problem was structured into a hierarchy with four levels: the overall goal (prioritizing welfare indicators) at the top, followed by the three main criteria (Affordability, Assistance, Justice), the sub-criteria (e.g., Zakat, Khums, Waqf, Moderation), and finally the specific sub-indicators.
Pairwise Comparison: Expert judges, comprising scholars in Islamic economics and finance, were engaged to evaluate the relative importance of elements at each level of the hierarchy using standardized pairwise comparison matrices. This involved comparing elements two at a time with respect to their parent element in the level above.
Weight Calculation: The relative local weights (priorities) for each element were computed from the pairwise comparison matrices using the eigenvector method. Consistency ratios (CR) were calculated to ensure the logical coherence of the expert judgments, with all ratios maintained below the threshold of 0.1.
Synthesis of Priorities: The local weights were aggregated through the hierarchy to produce global weights and an overall ranking for all sub-indicators, reflecting their absolute importance in achieving the primary goal.
Results and Findings:The analysis yielded a structured set of indicators categorized under three main criteria. The global weights, indicating the overall priority, are presented below for the main criteria and selected sub-indicators (see Table 1 for a complete list).
Based on the findings, the indicators for measuring livelihood and public welfare can be categorized into three broad dimensions: affordability, assistance, and justice-oriented indicators. Affordability indicators pertain to obligatory religious duties incumbent upon believers, including khums, zakāt, ḥajj, and jihād. Assistance indicators encompass recommended yet economically vital teachings such as muwāsāt (mutual support), ṣadaqah (charity), infāq (spending in God’s cause), waqf (endowment), and nadhr (vow). Justice-oriented indicators include moderation, non-discrimination, balance, prevention of kanz (hoarding wealth), and avoidance of isrāf (extravagance).
According to expert opinions analyzed through the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)-as detailed in the accompanying table-the most influential sub-indicators within each category were identified. Under Zakāt, poverty eradication, institutionalization, and growth of community livelihood were paramount. For Khums, the key factors were belief in khums, its social services, and balanced redistribution. In the context of Ḥajj and pilgrimage, the prominence of pilgrimage within the household budget and the covenant index (number of pilgrims) were most significant. Within the Jihād category, jihādī organizations and jihād dynamics emerged as central. Under Assistance, endowment (waqf) services and compassion were highly ranked. Finally, in the Justice category, balance of benefits and the degree of discrimination were the most critical.
These indicators provide a robust framework for assessing livelihood and welfare levels, as well as gauging the adherence of Muslim societies to the principles of Islamic economics.
Table 1: Final Weights and Ranking of Main and Secondary Indicators
Main Indicators
Weight
Sub-indicators
Weight in Subgroup
Final Weight
Rank
Zakat (Affordability)
0.228
Commitment to payment
0.081
0.135
25
Institutionalization
0.268
0.247
9
Growth of community income
0.155
0.187
16
Family sufficiency threshold
0.093
0.145
19
Poverty eradication
0.321
0.270
5
Growth of zakat
0.082
0.137
22
Khums (Affordability)
0.227
Commitment to payment
0.082
0.136
23
Balanced redistribution
0.236
0.231
12
Belief in khums
0.289
0.256
6
Social services of khums
0.251
0.238
10
Annual growth of khums
0.142
0.179
18
Hajj & Visitation (Affordability)
0.115
Covenant index (number of pilgrims)
0.178
0.143
20
Pilgrimage journeys
0.161
0.136
24
Pilgrimage economy volume
0.111
0.112
27
Pilgrimage in household budget
0.551
0.251
7
Jihad (Affordability)
0.196
Jihadi organizations
0.541
0.325
2
Jihadi struggle
0.100
0.140
21
Jihad services
0.167
0.180
17
Dynamism of jihad
0.192
0.193
14
Assistance (Iʿānat)
0.146
Level of charity (sadaqah)
0.061
0.094
28
Spending on infaq
0.010
0.038
30
Per capita support
0.014
0.045
29
Movasaat (mutual support)
0.243
0.188
15
Scale of food distribution
0.087
0.113
26
Waqf (endowment) services
0.370
0.232
11
Justice (‘Adl)
0.397
Family moderation
0.125
0.222
13
Degree of discrimination
0.231
0.302
3
Balance of resources
0.302
0.346
1
Wealth hoarding (kanz)
0.156
0.248
8
Threshold of extravagance (israf)
0.187
0.272
4
Discussion and Conclusions: This research examined the issue of livelihood and public welfare from an Islamic perspective and developed a set of evaluative indicators for their measurement. The criteria were derived from an analysis of both obligatory (farāʾiḍ) and recommended (nawāfil) practices in Islam, focusing on their potential to reduce poverty and enhance welfare. From these foundational practices, a suite of relevant indicators was extracted and systematically proposed.
The resulting indicators were categorized into three primary dimensions: affordability (istiṭāʿah), assistance (iʿānah), and justice (ʿadl). Sub-indicators were subsequently developed for each category.
Affordability (Istiṭāʿah): zakāt, khums, ḥajj, and jihād.
Assistance (Iʿānah): ṣadaqah, infāq, muwāsāt (mutual support), vows (nadhr), and waqf.
Justice (ʿAdl): moderation, avoidance of discrimination, balance, prevention of wealth hoarding (kanz), and avoidance of extravagance (isrāf).
Utilizing expert opinions and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method, the relative importance of each indicator and sub-indicator was rigorously assessed. The results clearly demonstrate that justice-oriented indicators were assigned the highest overall priority, surpassing those in both the affordability and assistance categories. Among the sub-indicators, those pertaining to justice-particularly balance of resources, avoidance of discrimination, and avoidance of isrāf-received the highest rankings. Within the affordability dimension, zakāt, khums, jihād, and visitation (ziyārah) emerged as the most significant. For assistance, waqf services, muwāsāt, and organized food distribution were identified as the most important.
These findings provide a structured, empirically-grounded framework for assessing welfare levels in Muslim societies and for evaluating their adherence to the principles of Islamic economics. The study underscores the centrality of justice (ʿadl) within the Islamic economic paradigm and offers a valuable tool for policymakers and researchers seeking to promote holistic and sharia-compliant socioeconomic development.
Keywords
