Islamic economic thinking in the 12th AH/18th CE century with special reference to Shah Wali-Allah al-Dihlawi

The present study explores the state of Muslim economic thinking in the 12th century Hijrah (corresponding to the 18th century of the Christian era). During this period decaying forces in the great Muslim civilization speeded up and Western colonization of Muslim lands began. At the same time, some sort of awakening, soul-searching and efforts at renovation by Islamic thinkers was also initiated. Yet, to date, the state of Muslim economic thinking during this century has remained unexplored. To fill this lacuna, three dynamic and revolutionary personalities of the period, namely, Muhammad b. Abd al-Wahhab, Uthman dan Fodio and Shah Wali-Allah al-Dihlawi, have been selected for study. At the outset, an overview of the Muslim history of the period has been presented so as to set a proper perspective for the study. In particular, the study takes note of the religious, socio-political and intellectual renovating efforts of these three scholars. Each is discussed under the headings: Times and environment, Life and work, Economic ideas, and Impact. These scholars were born into three different regions of the Muslim world and brought about a revolution in thinking and action. While investigating the economic ideas of Muslim scholars of 12th/18th century the focus has been on the economic thought of Shah Wali-Allah al-Dihlawi; this is because he had considerably more to offer in this area. The study concludes with an evaluation and comparison of his economic ideas and those of his predecessors and contemporaries.