Consumption and Morality: Principles and Behavioral Framework in Islamic Economics

Abstract. Consumption in Islamic economics is viewed as a positive action that would contribute to human wellbeing. Islam sees consumption as having a moral agenda and noble goals rather than viewing it as a mere wants-fulfillment enterprise in a personal self-pleasure agenda. The goal of consumption in an Islamic framework is not to gain personal wants satisfaction per se, as such effort would be a waste of time and meaningless. The goal instead, is to direct the consumption in achieving the individual and social wellbeing (maṣlaḥah) and the higher purpose of achieving God’s pleasure. With that perspective, the Qur’ān and Sunnah have laid down the guiding principles in consumption that would form the framework for consumption behavior in an Islamic economic perspective. The Islamic economic agents are expected to adopt the Islamic morality principles in their actual consumption. The orientation of the paper is normative in nature with the aim of conceptualizing the principles and behavioral framework of moral consumption in an Islamic perspective and elaborating the goals and guiding principles of consumption in an Islamic economic framework.