REFLECTIONS: ISLAM AND INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT

Whilst the leading Capitalist nations have managed to achieve phenomenal scientific and industrial development since the Industrial Revolution, the Muslim world has fallen far behind. The Muslim world is represented by an underdeveloped infrastructure, and little or no technological development.

At the same time, the Muslim world possesses some of the world’s largest reserves of key mineral resources – strategically important to the mass production of both industrial and consumer goods. For example, the Muslim world single handedly possesses 74% of the world’s oil reserves – the world’s most strategically important commodity. The economies of the Muslim world are characterized by imports rather than exports, in some of the most basic commodities, illustrating the failure to build up a local production capabilities to transform raw materials into finished goods. For example, Pakistan imports food staples although it produces over $30 billion in agricultural products annually.

Many Muslim nations are characterized with economies geared around single commodities therefore lacking the diversification that would lead to a wide skills base. The oil rich Middle East and the mineral rich African nations are characterized with such economies.

Muslim history and industrial development

Contrast this with Islam’s illustrious history, where the Khilafah was a leader in industrial development. The dominance of the desert and scant water resources in the Middle East led to many agricultural developments. The early industrial use of tidal power, wind power and petroleum led to the earliest large factory complexe for textile manufacturing known as “Tiraz”. Water came to be an important commodity due to the climatic conditions and this created the motive to make the best use of the few rivers and streams that straddled the Middle East.

Muslim engineers perfected the use of watermills and invented horizontal-wheeled and vertical-wheeled water mills. This led to the emergence of a variety of industrial mills including gristmills, hullers, paper mills, sawmills, shipmills, stamp mills, steel mills, sugar mills, tide mills, and windmills. By the 11^th century, every province throughout the Islamic world had these industrial mills in operation, from al-Andalus and North Africa to the Middle East and Central Asia.

Muslim engineers perfected water turbines and made an earth shattering breakthrough in the 12^th century. Al-Jazari through his works invented the crankshaft, and created rotary motion using rods and cylinders. He was the first to incorporate it into a machine. The British Empire used his inventions to utilize steam and then coal to drive pistons, eventually to generate rotary (motion) to move machines, leading to the development of industrial machinery and automobiles.

As many lands came under the fold of the Islamic civilization, urbanization led to a number of developments. The Arabian Desert had scant water springs making most of the region uninhabitable, which was overcome by Muslim engineers developing canals from the Euphrates and Tigris. The swamps around Baghdad were drained, freeing the city of malaria. Muslim engineers constructed elaborate underground water channels called “qanals”. This led to the development of advanced domestic water systems with sewers, public baths, drinking fountains, piped drinking water supplies and widespread private and public toilets and bathing facilities. Such advances made it possible for many industrial tasks that were previously driven by manual labor in the ancient Islamic world, to be mechanized and be driven by machines instead. This shows Islam is not at odds with science as presented by some. Historically Islam was the catalyst that drove Muslim interest in science.

The importance of industrial development

The development of industry is critical for a number of reasons. A manufacturing industry is critical for one’s global standing as it deters any foreign aggressor who may seek to annex that nation. For this reason, all of the world’s powers developed military industries in order to achieve such aims. A nation’s defense capability also gives global power projection capabilities. Military industries are also important because they are at the heart of technological innovation. Common items such as the Internet, Teflon, plasma TV, Radio, personal computers and airplanes were all developed from military industries.

Hence having an industrial base allows a nation to have an independent economy, as it is able to produce most of its key goods. Having an industrially driven economy does not mean having a closed economy, however industrial development allows for independent domestic development.

Industrial development provides a strong foundation for wealth creation and has a number of much wider impacts absent with other models. Industrial development allows for the development of national infrastructure, the need for roads, transport and big projects such as the creation of dams creates employment and stimulates other developments such as the construction of housing and offices, retail complexes and railways, airports, motorways and canals.

Industrial development allows for the creation of consumer industries. Technology from heavy industry generally trickles down to industries, which are considered the lower end of the industrial ladder such as textiles, plastic and food production.

Industrial development allows a nation to become self-sufficient whereby wealth is generated domestically with little or no reliance from abroad. Revenues are also generated by the export of these goods to other nations. Industrial development also funds research and development as engineers, scientists and specialists look for better and more efficient ways to refine, extract and manufacture goods. Since goods are mostly made domestically, jobs are not lost.

Islam and the motivation for industrial development

Islam obliged the ruler to take care of the affairs of the Ummah as he would be held accountable, as narrated in Bukhari that RasoulAllah (saw) said: “Each one of you is a Shepard and will be held accountable for his flock.”

Throughout numerous ayah’s of the Quran, Allah (swt) obliged the Ummah to propagate Islam to the wider world, take mankind from the darkness to the light while in other verses Allah (swt) characterized the Muslim Ummah as the best Ummah due to having such characteristics:

“This is a book which we have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], that you might bring mankind out of darkness into the light by the permission of their Lord – to the path of the Exalted in Might, the Praiseworthy” 

[TMQ 14:1]

The propagation of Islam is achieved through projecting an image of strength globally, so that those who have malicious desires about Ummah should consider the existence of its deterrent force so powerful as to render success in an attack too doubtful to be worthwhile. Further Allah (swt) mentioned in the Quran:

“And prepare for them power, and tether your horses so you may strike fear into the heart of the enemy those who are visible to you and those that are not visible…” 

[TMQ 8: 60].

All of this makes it essential for the Khilafah to field an advanced military and have a strong manufacturing base, which not only acts as a deterrent but also generates economic activity.

An industrial vision for the Muslim world

Industrial development has five common characteristics and some geographic specific characteristics:

1. Raw material: To industrialize, raw materials and minerals are necessary. It is primarily heavy industry that converts minerals into useful materials. The need to refine coke and extract the right minerals from crude oil, coal and iron leads to the development of refineries and heavy industries.

2. Refining capabilities: The refineries, complexes and plants are then needed that convert raw materials into steel and cement as well as materials that will be turned into finished products.

3. Technical expertise: Technical knowledge and the know-how is required to achieve this.

4. The motivation:Industrialization requires the drive for the masses to contribute extensively to the process; it needs to be funded and may require great sacrifice to kick-start the process.

5. Work force: A strong economy also needs a strong workforce. The Muslim world has a workforce between the age of 15-50 years old 17.23% compared to the second biggest which is China and then India who have 2.57% and 1.66% respectively.

Making Industrial Development a Reality: the Khilafah State

The Muslim world today does not lack the mineral resources necessary to industrialize; in fact, the Muslim world has been blessed with large reserves of some of the world’s most important minerals. The Muslim world today possesses: 74% of the world’s oil reserves, more than the rest of the world combined; it pumps out 42% of the world’s oil, has 54% of the world’s natural gas reserves, pumps 30% of the world’s gas and possesses the world’s largest oil and gas field.

The Muslim world does not lack talented people either. In fact, the Muslim world is full of scientists, innovators, creative and skilled labor that immigrate to the wealthy countries as their skills are not only wasted, but even demonized by the  governments in the Muslim world.

The lack of technical knowledge in Islamic World can easily be acquired, as any ideological nation would acquire. For example, German scientists (e.g. Wernher von Braun), who the US hired after World War II, drove the US NASA space and rocket programs.

Consequently, what the Muslim world lacks is the will amongst the rulers to make industrial development a reality. As our Aqeeda drives industrial development, Muslims need the political system in place to serve their very own and only own interests; a system only possible by what Allah (swt) revealed to us, the Khilafah.

Only the Khilafah is capable and worthy of deploying all needed resources to bring industrial development in the Muslim world to life. Backed by an industrial policy based on the Aqeeda of Islam, the Khilafah will mobilize the Ummah to support and contribute to industrial development. It will invest the funds needed; acquire the know-how; build the much needed research and educational institutions, develop technology, build factories and plants, construct all necessary infrastructure and most of all develop a well-treated nation and workforce that strives to contribute for the sake of Islam.

Only under the shade of Khilafah, one can expect an industrial development to serve the well-being of the people, rather than a tiny percentage of humanity accumulates wealth while the rest suffer in despair.