The development of Islamic economics has been profound over the last twenty years. The excellent survey of Muslim Economic Thinking by Mohammad Nejatullah Siddiqi (Ahmad 1980) demonstrates the progress that has been made in every avenue of economic thought; the recent work by M. Khan and A. Mirakhor on Islamic Banking in Pakistan and Iran represents the first major study to quantify the effectiveness of an Islamic monetary system. The book by Dr. Umer Chapra, Towards a Just Monetary System, which is the subject matter of this review article, is an attempt, or so we are told by Khurshid Ahmad in the preface, to provide a "comprehensive and interpretative study of the Islamic monetary system" (P. 12), to "integrate theory and practice" and to "give a vigorous analysis of some key concepts" (P.13) in Islamic monetary economics. The reader is therefore given very high expectations of the book as the beginning of the fourth phase of Islamic economies - "a more integrative as well as more critical approach to the entire theory and practice of money and banking in Islam" (P.11). If these expectations are fulfilled Chapra has claim to pioneering work in Islamic macroeconomics but is this the case?
The book by Dr. Umer Chapra, Towards a Just Monetary System, which is the subject matter of this review article, is an attempt, or so we are told by Khurshid Ahmad in the preface, to provide a "comprehensive and interpretative study of the ...
When originally published this was the first reference book to address itself to Islamic banking and finance and it offers comprehensive information on all major institutions which have commercial or banking interests in this field. It includes analysis of the principles behind interest-free banking and indicates its relationship with financial institutions in both Islamic countries and Western ones. It also lists the laws governing interest-free banking in countries where it is extensively in operation and provides essential information for all international financial institutions. The Directory lists all banks and financial institutions by country, giving details of their specific role and areas of operation.
When originally published this was the first reference book to address itself to Islamic banking and finance and it offers comprehensive information on all major institutions which have commercial or banking interests in this field.
This book reviews the Islamic opposition to interest and assesses the feasibility of a non-interest financial system in the light of current economic theory. The Islamic critique of interest is set against a discussion of the methodology of Islamic economics and the opposition to interest within the Judeo-Christian tradition. The range of Islamic non-interest financial contracts is then detailed along with a review of the performance of Islamic banks to date; a model of the allocation of finance within a non-interest system is then presented. Assessment of the issues raised is made within the context of economic literature concerning debt versus equity finance; this includes an examination of banking instability and the business cycle, the determinants of levels of saving and the implications for public finance. The conclusions outline the advantages and disadvantages of a theoretical case for the prohibition of interest, and draws practical lessons for contemporary Western economies.
Given the propensity of the world financial system to crisis, this book explores the radical alternative put forward by Islamic (and Western) theories of non-interest banking.
