Dr. Asad Zaman presented on Islamic approaches to sustainable development. He argued that the root cause of the current environmental crisis is the transformation to a consumer society driven by endless economic growth following the Industrial Revolution. This required changing minds to pursue wealth and consume excessively. Islam teaches living in harmony with nature and seeing property as a trust for society, not an absolute right. The solution is spiritual transformation - changing our goals from wealth and pleasure to spiritual growth. This involves cultivating contentment, excellence, community, and service to others and the planet.

1. Paper presented by Dr. Asad Zaman
University of Lahore, Dept of Econ,
1st National Conference on
Challenges and Opportunities for
Sustainable Economic Development
23-24 May 2022
These Slides: http://bit.ly/SSusDev
PDF Slides: http://bit.ly/ScSusDev
Writeup: http://bit.ly/AZSusDev

2. Islamic Approaches
to Sustainable
Development
Authors: Asad Zaman & Junaid Qadir
Chapter 3 of ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE FOR SUSTAINABLE FINANCIAL
SYSTEM, Editors: Mehmet Saraç, Prof. Dr. Istanbul University, Faculty
of Economics, Istanbul, Turkey and M. Kabir Hassan, Prof. Dr.
University of New Orleans,, USA, Published by Istanbul University
Press in December 2020
http://nek.istanbul.edu.tr:4444/ekos/KITAP/ekt0000034.pdf#page=61

3. Islamic Perspective: DIG DEEPER
Land, Earth, Sea are facing levels pollution never before seen in the
history of mankind.
Sustainable Development: How to continue economic growth in a way
that pollution does not destroy the planet (as habitation for humans)?
This is the WRONG QUESTION.
Right Question:
What are the root causes of this climate catastrophe?
What are the fundamental changes we need to make to prevent it?

5. Root Cause: The Great Transformation
Pre-Industrial Revolution Life:
“consumption” is only to take care of our needs.
Human lives are infinitely precious.
Life is about developing our capabilities for excellence
Humans have potential in diverse dimensions – Literature, Philosophy,
Spirituality, Athletics, Art, Sports, etc. etc. etc.
Life is NOT about buying, selling, money – in fact, money and trade was
peripheral in traditional societies. Basic needs of everyone were met
WITHOUT markets.

6. The Industrial Revolution
• Created capabilities for production of massive amounts of surplus.
• Production at level FAR MORE than needed by society.
• PROBLEM: How to market this surplus?
• Societies driven by concept of self-sufficiency as an ideal.
• SOLUTION: Requires MULTIPLE changes in many different dimensions
For a more detailed discussion of the Great Transformation, see:
The Great Transformation in European Thought: http://bit.ly/AZGTET

7. Creation of a Consumer Society
• Motivate people to want more and more (useless) goods.
• Reject self-sufficiency and minimal standards as an ideal (Islamic)
• Make increasing standards of living appear desirable, and define
standards of living by consumption of luxuries.
• Make pursuit of wealth desirable

8. Make Pursuit of Wealth desirable
• Bible: Love of wealth is the root of all evil.
Creating demand for consumer goods allows SALE of goods.
MONEY will be acquired by producers.
The money will be used to pay for factors of production, and LABOR
Money must be made desirable for all. It should hold value over time,
and be able to purchase everything desirable. The Market Economy:
EVERYTHING is for sale – including human lives.

9. Create a LABOR market: Buy & Sell Humans
Mass production in industrial society requires a labor market.
Human lives for sale, in return for money: Human RESOURCES.
People must be trained to think that their lives are CHEAP, for sale in
return for money.
Higher visions and goals for life must be ERASED from minds, by a
mechanical and dull educational system.
See: “Learn Who You Are!” http://bit.do/azwya

10. Consequences of Great Transformation
Creation of mindset to pursue wealth, without any concern for others.
“All is fair in love and war”: Pursue pleasure, power, profits, without
any ethical constraints.
Surplus Production requires markets (and also enables production of
weapons on a large scale).
Global conquest and colonization: By early 20th Century, 90% of globe
colonized by Europeans.
SHAPING of minds by colonization – Belief in superiority of West, and
inferiority of East created by Western education.

11. Capitalist System: Designed to exploit all
resources, and pursue creation of wealth
• Blind pursuit of wealth without regard of consequences.
• Perpetual growth on a limited planet is IMPOSSIBLE.
• Planetary resources are near exhaustion, but capitalism REQUIRES
growth to survive as an economic system.
• Radical Solutions are based on DE-GROWTH.
Jason Hickel: Less is More: How Degrowth will save the world
Herman Daly: Steady-State Economics
Kate Raworth: Doughnut Economics

12. Three Pillars of Sustainable Growth
1. inter-generational sustainability: ensuring that the current
generation’s developmental efforts do not compromise the abilities
of future generations to meet their own needs;
2. environmental/ecological sustainability: preventing irreparable
damage to the Earth and the natural resources by human actions;
3. sustainability through social inclusion: the need for an equitable
redistribution of wealth the society and the elimination of extreme
poverty.

13. Eyewash, with business as usual
• Intergenerational sustainability is not possible in a model where
MBA’s are trained to maximize profits, and countries strive to
maximize growth.
• Environmental Sustainability is not possible in narrowly framed
business models which focus only on profits and not on total social
impace.
• Social inclusion is not possible in a capitalistic system designed to
concentrate wealth in the hands of the rich.

14. Islam is the deen of nature
• West rejected Christianity as deen, and reduced its scope to system of
personal beliefs. New deen was created to replace it: secular
modernity.
• This is the deen of war of all against all. Fierce competition for
survival of the fittest. Life as a jungle.
• Islam teaches us to live in harmony and peace with all of the creation
of God – other human beings, animals, and plants.

15. Transformation in Property Rights
ISLAM: Property as stewardship and trust: temporary ownership with
limited rights, and necessity to use property for public good only.
West: Property as ABSOLUTE right. Owner can do whatever he pleases,
even if it causes social harm.
11:87 Said they: "O Shu'ayb! Does thy [religion] compel thee to demand of us
that we give up all that our forefathers were wont to worship, or that we refrain
from doing whatever we please with our possessions?

16. Islamic Alternative
Climate Change is created by bad (evil) behavior of human beings –
exploiting fellow human beings and the planet without any
consideration for others.
Verily Allah does not change a people's condition unless they change their inner
selves.
The KEY to change is to start with a spiritual transformation
For more details, see: “Islamic Economics: A Survey of the Literature”
https://ssrn.com/abstract=1282786

17. First Step: Change our GOALS
The worth of actions is according to intentions.
Those who sell themselves for money make themselves cheap.
Those who sell their lives for earning the pleasure of Allah, earn the
greatest possible reward.

18. Transforming our inner selves
• Nafse-Ammara = homo economicus
• Nafse-Lawwama = self-blaming soul – higher spiritual level
• Nafse-Mutmai’nna = the contented soul
See: Islam’s Gift: The Economy of Spiritual Growth –
http://bit.ly/AZgift
Switching goals from maximizing pleasure from consumption of goods
and services, to the pursuit of spiritual growth.

19. Learning Contentment and Gratitude
“True wealth is to be content with what one has, and when to use it to
strive for the ever-lasting reward of the hereafter”;
“Richness is not in the quantity of possessions (that one has); rather,
true richness is the richness of one's inner self (or contentment).”

20. Doing the BEST of Deeds
Striving for excellence in conduct
67:2 [He] who created death and life to test you [as to] which of you is best in
deed
Identifying and doing the best of deeds.
Circle of Concern and Circle of Influence: Do what is possible for you
and leave the rest to Allah. He is all powerful and wise.
Do not try to give advice to Allah, and do not concern yourself with
what you cannot affect by your own actions.

21. Service to the creation of God:
Prophet Muhammad (ṢAʿAWS) said: “All creatures are dependents of
Allah. The dearest of His creatures to Allah is he who treats His
dependents kindly.” (Al-Tabrizi, Mishkāt al-Maṣābih, Vol. 4, 4998 &
4999).

22. Building Communities
• Families: Sila Rahmy
• Neighborhoods: 40 houses to left and right
• Masjid: Five times daily get together
• Juma: get together of multiple communities.
• Eidain: even larger
• Hajj: Whole Ummah

23. Concluding Advice
“Reh Gyi Rasm-e-Azan, Rooh-e-Bilali Na Rahi
Falsafa Reh Gya, Talqeen-e-Ghazali Na Rahi
Azan yet sounds, but never now Like Bilal’s,
soulfully;
Philosophy, conviction-less, Now mourns its
Ghazzali”
See: The Ghazalian Webinars:
http://bit.ly/AZwebinars
For URDU podcast, see: https://anchor.fm/asad-
zaman2

24. Biggest Problem of Ummah:
Inferiority Complex created by Western education
RECOGNIZE the enormous value of the final message of God to
mankind, complete and perfect, which gave man knowledge that he did
not have.
RECOGNIZE that the treasure we have been given is far greater than
ANYTHING that the West has gathered.
LEARN to appreciate and implement the wisdom of the QURAN in our
personal and social lives.
See: The Modern Mu’tazila: http://bit.do/aztmm

25. Surah Noor:
Allāh is the Light1 of the heavens and the earth. The example of
His light2 is like a niche within which is a lamp;3 the lamp is within
glass, the glass as if it were a pearly [white] star lit from [the oil
of] a blessed olive tree, neither of the east nor of the west, whose
oil would almost glow even if untouched by fire. Light upon light.
Allāh guides to His light whom He wills. And Allāh presents
examples for the people, and Allāh is Knowing of all things.

26. Ending Dua O Allah, place light in my heart, and
on my tongue light, and in my ears
light and in my sight light, and above
me light, and below me light, and to
my right light, and to my left light,
and before me light and behind me
light. Place in my soul light. Magnify
for me light, and amplify for me
light. Make for me light, and make
me light. O Allaah, grant me light,
and place light in my nerves, and in
my body light and in my blood light
and in my hair light and in my skin
light.
O Allaah, make for me a light in my
grave… and a light in my bones.
Increase me in light, increase me in
light, increase me in light.Grant me
light upon light

27. Links to Resources in Lecture
The Ghazalian Webinars:
http://bit.ly/AZwebinars
For URDU podcast, see:
https://anchor.fm/asad-
zaman2