Introduction: The late Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Husayni Tehrani, although more renowned for a particular school in philosophy and mysticism (‘irfan), also possessed unique foundations in other Islamic and human sciences. One of these foundations pertains to the issue of economics. The late Tehrani, who was known for his uncompromising adherence to the sacred texts and not deviating from them, continued on this same path in economics. According to one of his students, he would by no means compromise on the economic principles set forth in the Quran and the Sunnah. In this exclusive interview, Hujjat al-Islam Mohammad Reza Karimi speaks about the economic dimensions of the late Tehrani’s theories.

Fiqh-e Mo’aser: Did the late Allamah Tehrani believe in the existence of an Islamic economic system in opposition to other economic systems?

Karimi: Although Allamah Tehrani had a more philosophical, mystical (‘irfani), and Quranic disposition, it should not be overlooked that he was, at the same time, a comprehensive figure with mastery over multiple sciences and arts. It is a reality that Islamic scholars, due to the serious connection they have with scholarly texts and their drawing from the inexhaustible divine source, may not have explicitly entered into specialized academic fields like economics, politics, sociology, psychology, management, and so on, but the truth is what they have stated. In fact, what I mean is that he was officially an expert in many sciences, even if it was not explicitly stated. The reason for this is that very connection to the ocean of the Greater Weight (the Quran) and the Lesser Weight (the Ahl al-Bayt), which is the aspiration of all human beings, to be able to sit at the fount of knowledge and drink from it.

But specifically, regarding the science of economics, most of the Allamah’s views are seen in a few particular books and writings, which include:

1. The book Risalah Nikahiyyah (The Treatise on Marriage), also famously known as “Population Reduction, A Devastating Blow to the Body of Islam,” in which his insight and the maturity of his opinion have astounded Muslim nations for a century.

2. A letter he penned critiquing and amending the draft of the Constitution in the early days of the glorious Islamic Revolution.

3. The book Risalah Badi’iyyah, which was written in 1403 AH as a commentary on the noble verse “Men are the protectors and maintainers of women…“

There are sentences on this topic in his other books as well, but the concentration of his economic views is mostly in these works.

However, the answer to the above question has two aspects: First, did he approve of non-Islamic economic systems or not? The answer to this part is completely clear: No, he would by no means submit to the views of the disbelievers and the West. In a part of his writing, he explicitly states that he considers the four-year term for the presidency to be Western, mentioning that this criterion was taken from the West.

But the other part is whether he accepted a system called the Islamic economic system or not. In response, it must be said: Although it is not explicitly stated that he subscribed to an Islamic economic system or that he authored a work on this subject, it does not seem unlikely. This is because he was a contemporary of Martyr Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr, the author of the valuable book Iqtisaduna, and during that period when the issue of economics within an Islamic system was being discussed, most scholars shared his view and would not countenance the economic system of disbelief. Therefore, he, like other Islamic scholars, considered economics merely a tool. And as has been stated in the “Second Phase of the Revolution” statement, economics is not the goal of an Islamic society, but it is a means without which goals cannot be reached. (Cf. The “Second Phase” statement). Therefore, perhaps it can be said that Allamah Tehrani certainly did not subscribe to a non-Islamic economic system but was likely inclined toward an Islamic economic system.

Fiqh-e Mo’aser: What were the most important presuppositions and foundations that he envisioned for the Islamic economic system?

Karimi: Regarding his presuppositions and foundations for an economy derived from Islam, one can refer to his writings. In a letter, he proposed a critique and amendment of the original draft of the Constitution, a few passages of which are noteworthy. For example, he says: Any transaction that leads to the exploitation of money, such as usurious transactions, is invalid. He explicitly states in his writing that:

“Yes, as general Islamic principles, rulings can be derived from the Quran and the Sunnah, such as the principle of legitimate ownership, the principle of the prohibition of usury (riba) and usurious banking systems, the principle of legitimate freedoms, and the principle of the impermissibility of transgressing individual and social rights, and the like. These can be codified as general Islamic principles that are used in all affairs and matters and are not exclusive to any one case, just as the Principles of Jurisprudence (Usul al-Fiqh), which jurists, due to their generality and universality, have separated and categorized and placed in the introduction to fiqh.”

In general, he considers the authentic Islamic foundations found in the Quran and the Sunnah to be the unchangeable presuppositions and basis of his blessed theory. Like other Islamic scholars, he would not countenance anything outside of these two divine sources. Therefore, it can be said that his foundations are derived from the Book and the Sunnah, the details of which have been enumerated by professors of Islamic economics in numerous books and articles.

Fiqh-e Mo’aser: What were his specific views regarding Islamic economics and economic jurisprudence?

Karimi: Regarding his specific views, as was mentioned earlier, because he does not have a separate writing on economics, if there were any specific views, they have unfortunately not been recorded. Therefore, a specific theory cannot be attributed to him. Of course, according to the principle that “the absence of a finding does not prove the absence of existence” (adam al-wijdān lā yadullu ‘alā ‘adam al-wujūd), what has not been found does not indicate that it does not exist. Thus, there may be individuals who are aware of and informed about the Allamah’s specific views. Nevertheless, regarding the issue of population, on which he has an independent book, a specific view of his is on record. This point is predicated on the audience of economics accepting that a human being, as a labor force, possesses an economic and higher value. This is because the issue of population is raised in economics from three aspects: one, births; another, mortality; and the third sphere, migration. The venerable Allamah, in his book Risalah Nikahiyyah, discusses the matter from the perspective of increasing progeny. As mentioned before, he insisted on Quranic and narrative principles and would not compromise in any way. Based on this, he considered increasing progeny, preserving children, and not killing one’s child to be religiously forbidden (haram), to the point that he states: “These are all verses that indicate the prohibition of killing a child, whether the child is grown or small, whether a boy or a girl, whether malformed and underdeveloped or fully formed and complete. Neither the father, nor the mother, nor the state, nor the ruler, nor a medical committee, nor anyone else has the right to kill and eliminate this child, whether by means of a lethal instrument, or by injecting a poisonous drug, or by any other means that may be discovered later.” (Cf. Risalah Nikahiyyah, p. 23)

Regarding the social value of a human being, he does not suffice with the economic productivity of a person, which is a Western criterion. Rather, he explicitly states that if a woman, instead of working in industries, bears, raises, and delivers a child to society, she has elevated the services of her existence to the highest degree, multiplied by the number of her children.

Another of Allamah Tehrani’s specific theories is his strong opposition to the Malthusian hypothesis on population, which he addresses in several sections of the book Risalah Nikahiyyah. Of course, this opposition was more seriously directed at the political and economic objectives of colonialism in Islamic countries, and he stood firmly on this ground, providing arguments. (Cf. Risalah Nikahiyyah, p. 96). Here I note that the Malthusian hypothesis regarding population control had serious opponents from the very beginning, but among the scholars, few have challenged it. Therefore, Allamah Tehrani is among the few scholars who confronted this hypothesis with reasoned arguments.