ECONOMIC PRINCIPLES IN ISLAM: SOME METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES

This paper examines the nature of economic principles in Islam. Two types of economic principles are identified. The first type refers to the economic laws derived from revelation-based sources namely the Quran, Sunnah, Ijtihad and Ijma. The second type refers to economic lwas derived from reasoning and experience. The former is the economic system and the latter is economic theory. Both forms of economic laws are in harmony and have no basis for compartmentalization as there is no conflict between revelation and science in Islam. in theory building, it is shown that Quran based assumptions act as the linking mechanism in harmonizing revelation and science. As revelation is superior to reason and experience. Modification of economic models for empirical verification must not involve changes in Quranic based assumptions. Only the observed or tabi' based assumptions are subjec to modifications.