Text Box: Text Box: M.A.L.I.Muslim American Logic Institute
Text Box: ENGINEERING OUR ECONOMY (Part 7) By Mubaashir Uqdah In part 6 of this series, we described the following natural pattern in creation: Observe how the earth generates living creatures (plant and animal) that use each other in the circular chain of life. One creature eats another so that it may grow strong and perpetuate its life to the next generation. That same creature also becomes the nourishment for another, so that the other creature can thrive and perpetuate its growth. Eventually everything returns to the earth to feed the earth and become nourishment for plants and the cycle continues. We stated how there were signs in the above pattern that provide valuable economic guidance for us. We stated that there are a minimum of nine economic principles at work. They are: creation, production, marketing, distribution, consumption, growth, recycling, reuse, and reciprocity. The economic system of the earth is that everything gets nourishment from something else and everything becomes nourishment for something else. There is a give and take by all, for the benefit of all. This is the principle of Tawheed. It is love to see how beautifully Allah has architected His creation and how practical is its guidance. In the previous article we discussed creation, production, marketing and distribution. In this article, we will continue describing some of the guidance that we find in this single natural pattern in creation. We will discuss Consumption, Growth, Recycling, Reuse, and Reciprocity. Consumption is readily seen in creation; one creature feeds on another to obtain its nourishment. This nourishment gives it the nutrients it needs to become strong to survive and prosperously live its life according to its nature. Each creature consumes what is natural for it to consume. If it consumes what is unnatural for it, weakness, sickness and even death will overtake it. The community of Imam W. Deen Mohammed is a new creature on this earth. This creature has new consumption requirements. If the members of this community are not consuming the nourishment that is natural to us, then we will see signs of sickness, weakness, and even death amongst us. Followers of Imam W. Deen Mohammed are obligated to consume the products created for us by those who produce what we need to achieve our new vision. If we do not consume these products, we are jeopardizing our future; we are endangering the life of our community. We must be smart consumers and willing participants in our own economic system; our own economic development. The leaders and Imams in this community must become more sensitive to the urgent need to support and help cultivate those producing the products we need to consume. These products are the nourishment for the life of the body upon which they sit as the head. If the body dies, so does the head. When creatures get proper nourishment from proper consumption, growth occurs. Growth is the next critical principle. When any life form eats well and is nourished thoroughly, it grows. It grows in size, capacity and capability. Its productivity increases and the life form becomes more intricate, complex, sophisticated and powerful. All of us that want to see our community flourish must make sure that we are creating, distributing, and consuming the materials made by us and for us. Growth is usually measurable, especially in economic terms. If our economists see an increase in the number of products created, the number of places those products are distributed to, and in the amount of products that are being consumed (purchased), they can reliably predict that the community will grow in its vitality, viability, and productivity. Sister Salimah Omar, co-founder and mother of the United Muslim Musicians & Recording Artists (UMMRA), has been promoting the vision of what she calls the Cultural Caravan. In essence, it is a tour route throughout the cities of America that showcase the creative talent built upon the thinking in the community of Imam W. Deen Mohammed. If this tour route began with 4 cities, grew to 6 cities and then to 8 cities, our economists would know that our economic system is growing. I met a brother, Mikail Hasan, this past weekend in the Newark NJ area who has been on the road for the past 6 months, traveling all the way from California by car. He stopped at all of the Masjids in our association along the way with the goal of placing a rack display (holds CDs of music artists) at each location. His goal is to create a national distribution network. Each year, brother Mikail would be able to compare the growth in the number of distribution outlets and determine if that number is increasing. He will also be able to determine if the number of purchases through his square-foot merchandising operation is increasing or decreasing. His efforts could not only contribute to an increase in economic activity in our Ummah, but it could also become another economic indicator of our economy’s growth. Similarly, the statistics of support for CPC provide tools for economic forecasting. As CPC grows, the opportunities for investors, both capital and distributor, increase. Its growth means that more people are purchasing, thus benefiting, and the investors are increasing economically. The more times the dollars circulate between our producers, distributors, and consumers, the more we are feeding from our own wealth. When the dollars finally leave our community it means our wealth leaves our community. The more successful CPC, the more economic opportunities it will provide for us. There are many ways to track our community’s growth. We can track by the number of Masjids that open and close, the number of various types of businesses we have, the attendance at Jumah and Ta’aleem, the number of Clara Muhammad schools and the number of students, the circulation of the Muslim Journal, and many more. All of these factors can be reasonably measured and tracked over time. Such information becomes useful data for economic planning. But, more importantly, these indicators should signal our leadership to rally, organize, and mobilize the Ummah behind an intelligent strategy to boost the numbers. Eventually, all living things die and return to the earth. They are transformed into other materials that can be used once again to feed the living process. We call this process recycling. Recycling in creation is the principle of taking completed forms that have died and breaking them down into base elements so that they can fertilize the creation, production, and growth of new life forms. Man also recycles by collecting what has already been used and processing it so that it can be used again in the same way or in a different way. Allah shows us in this sign that we should get the maximum use out of the material that is in our possession or under our authority. We know that Allah frowns on those who waste. Imam Mohammed once spoke of how the Native American who kills the buffalo for food did not waste the rest of the animal. He explained how they used the various parts; the bone, the tail, the oil, the hoof to make various other tools and items. Nothing was wasted. Are we going to waste the good business efforts of our leader and the other businesspersons in our community? Are we going to waste the money we earn by spending most of it in other economies other than our own? Are we going to give away the properties that we own, lose the great projects in our possession, let our noble economic efforts erode into the sands of history? While we pursue…what? Muslims are not gamblers and the more we leave our economic results to chance, the more likely we will waste our economic blessings. The idea of recycling is the idea of preservation. Allah, the Preserver (Al-Hafeez), breaks things down into their base elements and preserves them for reuse. These base elements are then put back into service to create something anew or the same thing again. Yes, the hafeez that memorizes the Qur'an preserves each element down to the pronunciation of the letter. He then reassembles it in the form of recitation for us. We businesspersons, who have wealth, where is our wealth? Who is it working for? Is it building the economy of the society we belong to? Is it working hardest for our world or for the world of our opponent? The concept of spending our dollars in our community is the concept of preserving our wealth as long as possible within the womb of our economy so that we can use it over and over again to get the maximum progress from it. We want that single dollar to play a role in financing 8 different economic permutations. This concept is not just an economic one. Too often, we are exposed to products, information, or any number of things that we find extremely beneficial and helpful. Yet, we do not think or act to preserve or recycle what we have benefited from so that we can pass it to others for their benefit. This is true with Imam W. Deen Mohammed’s commentary, with the businesses we build, and many other excellent things we produce and discover. In sociological terms, this idea is called socialization. Socialization is the training that enables us to pass on the traditions and learning from present and past generations to the next and future generations. We are not doing this enough with our leader’s teachings. The next principle is Reuse. In our sign from the Mother Book, we reuse materials in many different ways. All living things gather existing, recycled materials and fashion it into tools to accomplish its tasks. Are we searching for and gathering all of the potential economic resources at our disposal to strengthen our economy? All creatures reuse the same tools and techniques that have proven successful for them for generations. What about us? We have proven that we can successfully run Steak-N-Take type restaurants in our communities. Why don’t we take our most successful models and simply reproduce a chain of restaurants across the country. This would be reuse of the successful model. Let’s not stop here though. Take Mikail’s product display racks, fill them with Halal and CPC products, music and khutbah CDs, Muslim Journals and set the displays in the restaurants throughout the country. This is reuse of the distribution network. Another example of reuse can be seen in the bird that uses the tree as a home, a playground, and a protection. The spider’s web is a home, a weapon, and a storage and food preparation area. Similarly, we have resources that can be put to multiple uses to accomplish our needs and goals. Reciprocity is the last principle that we will briefly comment upon. To reciprocate means that there is a mutual giving back and forth between entities. Reciprocation contains the idea of complementarity; the idea that the various parts of a thing are arranged in ways where each part helps complete or improve the working of the whole system. The parts do not have to be the same, they can even be in competition with one another, but their function and arrangement make the entire system work harmoniously or at least effectively. I am out of space, more on this at another time. Continue Part 8 (conclusion)

M.A.L.I. Magazine:

Applying Teachings of Imam W.D. Mohammed

By Mubaashir Uqdah