Islamic Socialism Political System




A number of Muslim leaders who relate Islam and Socialism in the political system usually use the term Islamic Socialism to describe the system. They combine the principles of Socialism with the spirituality of Islam in the system. Muslim socialists consider the principles of Socialism, such as redistribution of wealth and equality, are in accordance with the teachings of Prophet Muhammad and the Holy Qur’an.

Abū Dharr al-Ghifārī, a Companion of Prophet Muḥammad, is believed as the founder of Islamic Socialism. He protested against the accumulation of wealth by the ruling class during ‘Uthmān’s caliphate and urged the equitable redistribution of wealth. A number of Orientalists also believe that there is a relationship between Islamic economics and communism, such as the idea of riba and zakat.

One of Muslim leaders who implemented the Islamic Socialism system was Zulfigar Ali Bhutto, with his Pakistani People’s Party (PPP) in Pakistan. Nowadays, under Asif Ali Zardani, PPP still uses the Islamic Socialism system as its basic principle.

Another advocate of Islamic Socialism is Moammar Gadhafi of Libya. He declared Libya an Islamic Socialism country in 1969 and outlined his principles in the Green Book.

Other proponents of Islamic Socialism include:

* Jamal al-Din Afghani, one of the founders of Islamic modernism
* Rafi Ahmed Kidwai, Indian politician and cabinet minister from 1947–1954
* Haji Misbach, Indonesian nationalist and anti-Dutch preacher of “Islamic Communism”
* Khalid Muhammad Khalid, mid-20th-century Egyptian political and social reformer
* Jalal Al-e Ahmad, Iranian social and political critic
* Gamal Abdel Nasser
* Siad Barre
* Chaudhry Rehmat Ali
* Molana Hasrat Mohani
* Yasser Arafat
* Ahmed Jibril
* Khalid ibn al-Walid
* Mohammed Iqbal
* Faiz Ahmed Faiz
* Habib Jalib
* Ibn-e-Insha
* Sadat Hassan Manto
* Hanif Ramay
* Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
* Ali Shariati