A Comparison between Islamic Economic Lifestyle and Western Lifestyle (aims and basics)

Islamic lifestyle is enormously different from Western lifestyle in aims, worldviews and anthropological basics. These differences can directly affect economic life and individuals’ behaviour in a way that two widely different approaches of production, business and consumption are established. Being affected by capitalism, Western lifestyle is founded upon individuals’ financial rights based on which people’s aim of market economy is making the optimal profit in consumption and the highest return on production and investment. While, in Islamic lifestyle, human beings try to achieve the highest celestial aim which is closeness to God resulting from optional spiritual improvements. The current study mentioned some basic rules to achieve the final aim of closeness to God in the direction of financial and economic activities in a way that do not refuse each other. Considering the worldviews and anthropological basics of capitalism which is structured upon deism, naturalism and humanism, Western lifestyle can be affected by the aforementioned systems of belief which regard human wisdom superior than revelation, believe in a God who made the world but has no influence on human lives, try to solve human problems through science rather than religion, believe in economic liberalism, leave all constraints, accept secularism and the view that religious considerations should be excluded from civil affairs. But, according to Islam, the relationship between God and human beings is an owner-owned relationship which asserts the sovereignty of God over human beings to govern their social and economic lifestyle. Based on this belief, human being is the successor of God on the earth, and is purposeful, responsible and having a sense of social and individual identity. It is obvious that these two worldviews can bring about two widely different lifestyles. The present article placed emphasis on Quranic verses and took advantage of associated studies to compare two Islamic and Western lifestyles focusing on economic aims and basics.