IS ISLAM RESPONSIBLE FOR THE UNDER-DEVELOPMENT OF THE MUSLIM

WORLD A RESPONSE TO THE WEBERS CONTENTION

Muhammad Arsalan Aqeeq
Durham University Durham Centre of Islamic Economic & Finance
arswasti@yahoo.com

Islam hinders Growth the discriminately pervasive & inconsistently articulated,

nevertheless frequently tested contention of Max Weber, a leading thinker in the
western religious anthropology. A nonchalant review warrants contextualization of
Webers work, his claim in the backdrop of his articulation of Islamic and growth before labelling it as essentialist or orientalist or Eurocentric or wrapping him
under Weberism. It was his famous work The Protestant Ethics (PE) and Spirit of
Capitalism in 1905, where he asserted on the movement of protestants, their
puritanism, ascetic morals setting the foundation of the rational capitalism. As J.S
Komo puts it, that the central question that Weber pursued his whole life was, as to
why anywhere outside the occident, no path of rationalization was followed in
art, science or economic development. So, perhaps he was more of Eurocentric
essentialist wherein his verdicts on Islam is just one of the many societies under
his lens, lying outside the occident, and the Growth as he see it, is essentially an
yield of rational capitalism. His bent toward the rational capitalism, was due to its
inherent moral spirit of money making act and an ethical duty resting on selfdiscipline, hard work and self-accountability.
An interesting glitch here is that, out of the two parts of equation i.e. Islam and
growth (presumably rationally capitalistic), the former has been amassing scrutiny,
despite of having revealed ontology, in contrast to the growth which is taken as
immutable (Tripp, 2006). Sociologist in the second half of the twentieth century like
that of French Marxist Rodinson, Bryan Turner and Kuran tested Webers thesis and
attempted to respond to it.

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Rodinson (1966)
The French orientalist Maxim Rodinsons Islam et Capitalisme (1966) work was in
emergent perhaps radical effort to liberate orientalism from the tunnelled view of
Weberism and did reasonably well in achieving it. He criticized western monopoly on
rationality and modernity. His central argument was to establish the bent of Quran
towards rationality.
Bryan Turners Weber and Islam (1974)
Turner took a systematic approach to dismiss three out of four thesis of Weber
except for patrimonialism. However, notwithstanding the fact that his refutation for
Weber thesis on Islams hedonism, lack of freedom of markets and labor, rational
law, bourgeois and fragmented economic character are all born and nourished in
the womb of patrimonialism to which he had to surrender. Even Webers
criticism on Islam turning in to an accommodating religion from a transformational
one, owes its origin to patrimonialism.

Timur Kuran
Though principally discontented with Islamic legal constructs being inimical of
modernity and rationalism (Kuran 2012), however in his work Islam and Mammon
refuted the idea of Islam being deleterious to growth, by witnessing the golden era of
Islamic society in the pre-medieval time (8th to 12th century). However under the
same grain of thought, he related the static worldview of Islam, that contributed to
Islam loosing grounds to the west in trade and commerce which eventually led to
colonialism.

The Rush for the Ceteris Paribus

A critical synthesis of the thesis produced by Weber and its rebuttal from Rodinson,
Turner, Kuran or Saids Orientalism (1978) reveals that, they substantiated their
arguments citing evidences around two axis either on the instances from Islam
as practiced by a certain muslim society in an specific time space (Weber, Turner,
Rodinson) or on the dimension driven from the Islamic doctrine, its ontological
sources, its epistemological schism (Rodinson) or a combination of both. This
methodological approach in all its interactionism tends to yield internally
inconsistent and isomorphic generalization. Citing quran and Sunnah as
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Rodinson did, or the pro-commerce Macca in the prophets era, or its transformation
from tribalism to a state can be a valid response but cannot be a comprehensive
rejoinder. This leaves gaps for the thinkers for a consistent consolidation across
both the axis referred earlier i.e.
i). the Islamic doctrine and its encapsulation of rationality, growth and
development and
ii) A systemic contemplation of the Muslim society (in all its heterodoxy) to
rationalize the reality which is often quoted by the critiques to criticize Islam itself. A
holistic account on the above, would consummate the response, as there is no
ceteris paribus clause to this complex social reality.

Been there done that!

Weber was more insistent on the ability of PE to form a set of function that defined
economic rationality. But the debate of Reason Versus Revelation, which
enlightened the west in post medieval era, remained pervasive in the Muslim world
as early as six centuries prior to the western enlightenment as evident in the
significant work of muslim scholars like Ghazali, Ibn-e Rushd, Ibn-e Tayimiyah, Ibne- Khaldun (Chapra 1999). It was this awareness that was yielding Muslims
scientific contribution to philosophy, astrology, chemistry, medicine and so forth
which was curbed to conservatism again by none other than the patrimonial and
intrusive nature of the polity.

What went wrong?

In the wake of above synthesis, it would not an arms chair speculation, if
patrimonialism is blamed for its moral degeneration, departure from rationality and
thus an economic downturn. The basic factors of the much ostentatious ethics of
capitalism are addressed by subset of axioms i.e. ikhtiyar (free will), fard
(responsibility), haqq (right), amanah (trust) islah (reform), equilibrated by Adal walihsan, optimized by Rububiyah and Tazkiyah and governed by Khilafah, Akhirah
under the tawhidi frame (Asutay 2007) - wherein IE with its spiritual and moral
dimensions have the ability to address Webers own discomfort on PE ethics
orientation towards jungle capitalism (Weber 1978: 614).

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Even muslim scholar like Ibn-e-Khaldun back in the fifteenth century, have candid
theories to incorporate polity, justice in this world (Adl), Gods appraisal of it
(Al-mizan) and the role of wealth to sustain people, whose well-being derives
the legitimacy of the sovereign (Chapra, 2000: 147-148). The Khuldunian doctrine
was even cogent enough to portend the fall of a civilization being dependent on the
social well-being of the society perhaps partly rationalizes the Muslim loosing
grounds in commerce in the medieval age, falling prey to colonialism.

But is this superstructure independently formed by religion, or due to its

reciprocal interplay with social formation and modes of production (Ayubi,
2004). The modes of production, to shape in a capitalistic superstructure has to be
industrialized with large scale output which was not been the case in the precolonial or medieval Muslim society. Hence, neither the base, nor the religion
(political influenced) were able to shape in a social formation to eradicate
patrimonialism vis--vis enter the western contour of rational capitalism.
Economic Development - Is it a One-Size-Fit-All?
A keen analysis of diversified economies, governments and societies provide us
valuable insights and evidences, though fragmented, but are enough for the thinkers
to think otherwise:

We cannot expect that all nations will adopt like systems- for conformity is the
jailor of freedom and enemy of growth.
John F. Kennedy

Webers essentialism has already failed in his pessimism for China and
Japan.

We find that development states can be authoritarian with the examples of

China, Singapore, South Korea, UAE and even Vietnam and Cambodia.

Whereas for the Muslim world, numerous exceptions can be witnessed. For
example indigenous formation of capitalistic markets in Egypt by the local
merchants without any influence of the west (Gran et. al 1982).

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Muslims are stereotyped to cause fatalism in to societies, but at the same

time J.S Komos account on advent of Muslim traders in the peasant society
of Malayas offers an altogether contrasting shade of Islam.

Even in the present day postcolonial Muslim world, countries from the fareast, (Malaysia and Indonesia) subcontinent (Pakistan and Bangladesh) and
the European Union candidate i.e. Turkey which have taken the democratic
development route.

The undemocratic Middleastern thawra and thawri states, still based on

tribalism, kinship and rentierism, though Industrialized through the advent of
oil, are still in their reconciliatory phase, wherein the modes of production
along with social formats and religion are redefining the superstructure as
well as the governance as witnessed in the ongoing arab spring, and the
revolution in Tunisia and Cairo.

Essentialist approaches, neither in the days of imperialism, nor in the present

world carved a positive impact. We see the examples of Afghanistan and
Iraq which despite of being a military success, ended in to political failure. The
self-interested Sykes- Picot Treaty to divide the Ottoman Asia back in
early 20th century forms the flashpoint of the extremists ISIS resentment
(CNBC, July 2014).
To conclude, I would quote Rodinson Islam has served as a means and
justification of both liberation as well as oppression thus to say, Islam isnt
identifiable with any economic system or political tendency, and can allow for
varying forms (Rodinson,1966). Thus to assert that, it should be left to the
organic reconciliatory process of internal factors, mean of coercion,
worldview and the aspiration of the society to tailor their superstructure.
Totally accepting or denying the sceptics or doing it partly is not the purpose.
It is about recognizing and corroborating the socially constructed reality to
achieve the socio-economic well-being of the mankind.

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