Islam and Agriculture Gearing for the Future
Paper presented to the Asean Conference, on Agriculture in the Year 2000, held at Kuala Lumpur in August 1984. Refutes the view that the Islamic law of inheritance is growth-retarding by fragmentation of land-holdings. Islam makes a distinction between ownership and operatorship. Fragmentation of land into units can be arrested by devising such policies as would keep single operatorship for multiple ownerships. Zakah is not a regressive tax as alleged by critics of Islam. Proper collection and distribution of zakah can alleviate poverty. A non-rigorous exposition. Based on secondary sources. Undocumented.