Distributive principles of economic justice: an Islamic perspective

Poverty and impoverishment in the world currently continue to increase as a result of distributive justice systems and its principles that became the basis of contemporary economics did not succeed in allocating and distributing resources justly. Based on this problem, this study aimed at describing the Islamic response to the problem of distributive injustice, and how necessarily the state played a role in upholding distributive justice. Through the thematic-induction method and the synthetic analysis, the study finds out several findings as follows. Firstly, Islam formulated three principles of distributive justice as follows: 1) the Distribution of natural and the environmental resources was in the framework of participation; 2) the Redistribution of the wealth and the income were joint responsibility of ascertaining social security, the increase in the capacity and the authority for them who were disadvantage; and 3) the Role of the state was certainty that was complementary for the ethical market in order to guarantees the sense of justice and the achievement of public welfare. Secondly, according to Islam, the process of the redistribution of the wealth and the income aimed at giving social security on the fulfillment of basic needs for the poor; strove for the increase in the capacity through education and skills; and increased the poor’s bargaining position through their participation in decision making that was linked with their interests and the control on its implementation. Thirdly, the intention of establishing justice was to gain both individual and public welfare and the happiness (al-falah).