Taha Omar

Islamic Management of Poverty. the Management Created in the Early Days of Islam Taha Omar

Research Paper from the year 2011 in the subject Orientalism / Sinology - Islamic Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia, course: SOCIAL SCIENCE, language: English, abstract: This paper intends to determine the impact and understand the Islamic perspectives in poverty management. It also attempts to find the accurate role of poverty-managementbased on Islamic scholars' views around the world. Islamic scholars all over the world have studied and explored the issue continuously. Unlike the Western poverty management, Islamic poverty management places spiritual poverty into account. Although in Islam, improving the economy is a priority, the spiritual attributes of the 'people' such as the economists and key development playersneed to be built up too. As proven during the early periods of Islam the spirituality of Prophet Muhammad's companions enlightens theirinner ability to cope with poverty. Such as the 'people of the platform' (ahlus-suffah) and other companions, the key theme emerging from the Prophet's companions' stories is that their relationship with God is as servants and vicegerents. This allows them to take an active and positive stance in viewing and interpreting the circumstances of their lives. Without the accurate guidelines, can Islam step up to the challenges of poverty or is Islam itself suffering from poverty because of the lack of spiritual enrichment? These are the questions dealt in this review paper.