Department of Urban & Regional Planning, KAED, IIUM

Principles of Urban and Regional Planning

BAUP 1112
Sem 1, 2021/2022

ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE IN RELATION TO TOWN

PLANNING

ASST. PROF. Dr. SYAKIR AMIR HJ. AB. RAHMAN

syakiramir@iium.edu.my
+603 6196400 (ext. 3788)
Office: Level 4, KAED (Near Lift)
 Introduction
• Development ideologist
i. Socialist
ii. Nationalist
iii. Capitalist
• Islamic Development principles
 Introduction…intro
Capitalist model, which is based on ‘free’, markets
emphasises growth maximization by increased
productivity, particularly in agriculture. This ideology
stresses on private ownership through large private and
corporate farms, plantations, latifundia, and various
tenancy systems.
The radical model or socialist model rejects the idea of
private property in the mean production. It is believe
that those ideas of property are the cause of division of
society that causes inequalities of wealth and wage.
Harmonious societies only appear by collective
ownership and management.
 Introduction…intro
• The reformist model or organizational model
is compromised between two models.
• This ideology has introduced by the West to
LDCs because in their opinion, development
could only occur by following the same path
as the West has practised. This thinking is
based on ideas proposed by Auguste
Comte(1798), Karl Marx (1818-83) and Lewis
Morgan (1818-81).
 Introduction…intro

• According to them, human development is

based on three essential points; that progress
has the same substance (or nature) as history;
all nations travel the same road; all do not
advance at the same speed as Western society
(Rist, pp. 40)
Nationalist
 Nationalist…Intro
• Nationalism as a principal was the child of the French
Revolution and the Napoleonic wars. During the
Reign of Terror, the Republic's leaders appealed to
the people as Frenchmen to repel the foreign armies
which hoped to overthrow the republic and re-
establish the Ancien Regime. During Napoleon's
invasions, nationalist sentiments throughout Europe
consolidated opposition to his military campaigns
 Nationalist…Intro
• Nationalism was a radical ideology, as was liberalism
after the final defeat of Napoleon. It evolved from a
real or imagined cultural identity, which is
represented by a common language, common
history, and common territory. Nationalists
traditionally attempt to turn this cultural identity into
a political identity, whereby political boundaries
coincide with cultural unity*for example, "France" is
composed of French speaking people who consider
themselves French.
 Nationalist…Intro
• The preceding example may seem overly simplistic;
but when one considers the large number of ethnic
groups forced to live under a government comprised
of another ethnic group, such as in Russia, or
nineteenth century Austria, the problem becomes
more apparent. The overlapping and intermingling of
groups, each seeking to establish its own identity, can
easily become an explosive situation. 
 Nationalist
• ‘The individual must forget his own ego and
feel himself a member of the whole; he must
recognise what a nothing his life is in
comparison with the general welfare. The
individual must sacrifice himself for a higher
community of which he is a member; but the
state is itself the highest in the external
community of men’ (Guibernau, 1996: 8)
Socialist
 Socialist
• Socialism was a radical doctrine with roots in France.
Almost all socialist thinkers were French. They saw
the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution
in England as the beginning of a dramatic
transformation in society, but were troubled by what
they saw as it’s the end result of that transformation,
such as capitalism and political competition for votes.
They argued that these developments caused selfish
individualism and divided society up into competing
factions. Individual French thinkers went in different
directions, yet all envisioned a utopian concept.
 Socialist…cont
• Early French socialists advocated economic planning,
perhaps inspired by the emergency measures in late
eighteenth century France. They argued that the
government should organize the economy and not
depend on competition to do so, as competition was
ultimately destructive. They also had a passionate
desire to protect the poor from exploitation by the
rich; arguing that rich and poor should be
economically equal. They also argued that private
property should be regulated by the government, or
abolished altogether and replaced by community
ownership
Socialism is above all concerned with the relationship
between the individual, state, and society. For the
socialist, the individual is never alone and thus must
always define himself or herself in relation to others.
Socialists believe that a well-ordered society cannot
exist without a state apparatus, not least because the
state is seen as the most effective vehicle for
coordinating and administering to the needs of all.
socialism arose largely in response to the economic
and social consequences of the Industrial Revolution.
There is an abundance of literature that attests to
the dramatic way in which the industrialization of
Europe affected the daily lives of individuals,
particularly the working classes.
 Unionism/Revisionism
• Nationalism vs. Socialism
• Euro socialism = less radical & more
moderate – worked toward gradual
change & steady improvement because:
a.) workers gained vote & focused on
elections vs. revolution b.) many
workers responded positively to
nationalism & aggressive foreign policy
c.) workers not unified social group d.)
worker’s standard of living rose 1850-
1906 (labor unions helped defuse
militant approach)
• 1846 – Marx = key role in establishing
First International of Socialists
• Revisionism = attempt by socialist to Revisionists
update Marxian doctrines to reflect
realities of times
• Edward Bernstein wrote Evolutionary
Socialism (1899,) proved many of Marx’s
predictions false
• Germany = most industrialized, socialized,
& unionized country by1914;
• 3 out of 8 million workers belonged to Edward Bernstein
unions
• German labor unions worked increasingly
towards bread n butter issues vs.
changing society
 Socialists
• Russian Socialists in Austro/Hungarian Empire
= most radical
• French Socialists – talked revolution & tried to
practice w/ Paris Commune British Socialists
(non-Marxist) – Labour Party reflected union
movement - gradual reform
• Spain/Italy – Marxian Socialism = weak
• Socialist policies varied from country to
country; Socialism itself was “nationalized”
behind façade of international unity.
(nationalist impulse stronger)
Capitalism
 Capitalism
• From hunting & gathering to domesticated
agriculture (animals and crops)
• Slave-based empires (e.g. Roman) and their
feudal successors (ca. 5th Century)
• A form of economic and social relations that
extended in Europe to ca. 15th century
• Settlement in North America did not succeed
feudalism, but was capitalist in character from
the outset
 Capitalism…cont
• Tradition shaped life and work
• In Europe the church was the dominant political and
ideological institution
• Aristocratic land-owners formed the ruling class, who
extracted rents from tenant farmers (often serfs) in
low productivity agriculture
• Feudal cities – often fortified – with guilds – markets,
where universities were established
• A hierarchy of feudal towns, mostly small trading
centers, with negligible interregional trade
 Capitalism…cont

Agricultural innovations; bubonic plague; the European Renaissance

 Capitalism…cont
• Finance: replacing barter with money, and
institutions to handle and regulate money
• Uneven development as an inevitable outcome,
historically persistent, at scales ranging from local to
global
• Long-distance trade – fueled by transport innovation
– allowing regional specialization based on principle
of comparative advantage
• Ideological change – printing/reading, religion,
science, the Enlightenment – “a worldview that
stressed secularism, individualism, rationality,
progress, and democracy.”
 Early Capitalism, Continued
• Feudal empires (e.g. Holy Roman Empire, Figure
2.11) with multiple nation-states
• Replaced feudal monarchies with nation-states
• Nation states supporting development of capitalism
through regulations, public investment and programs
(e.g. education, defense, trade protectionism…
• BUT: these institutions do not preclude transnational
capitalist development, evident in this era of
globalization
Capitalism…the Industrial Revolution

• Industrialization as a process with multiple

transformations in inputs, output, and
technologies. Driven by:
– Harnessing inanimate sources of energy
(Figure 2.12), wood-coal-petroleum & gas
– Technological innovation (Table 2.1)
– Rising Productivity (Figure 2.14)
• Spatial diffusion of the Industrial Revolution
Spread of the Industrial Revolution
Global Diffusion of the Industrial
Revolution
Cycles of Industrialization –
Kondratiev Long Waves

The Fifth
Wave – IT
& producer
Services
 Consequences of the Industrial
Revolution
• Creation of an Industrial Working Class
– Rise of organized labor
• Urbanization – industry as “city forming”
activity
• Population Effects: Malthus’ warning vs.
productivity increases, health improvements,
lowered birth rates
• Growth of Global Markets & International Trade
– transport improvement, international finance,
timing of development
ISLAMIC CONCEPT OF
DEVELOPMENT
 Islamic Concept of Development
• According to Khurshid Ahmad (1981), there are 4
philosophic foundations
1. Tawhid (God’d unity and sovereignty). This lays the
rules of God-man and man-man relationship
2. Rububiyyah (divine arrangements for nourishment,
sustenance and directing things towards their
perfection). This is fundemental law of the universe
which throws light on the divine model for the
useful development of resources and their mutual
support and sharing. It is in the context of this
divine arrangement that human take place.
 Islamic Concept of Development..cont
3. Khilafah (man’s role as …concept of man’s
God vicegerent on trusteeship, moral,
earth). This defines political and economic,
man’s status and role, and the principles of social
specifying the organisation.
responsibilities of man
as such, of a Muslim,
and of the Muslim
ummah as the
repository of this
Khilafah. From this
follow the unique
Islamic…..cont
 Islamic Concept of Development..cont
4. Tazkiyah (purification
plus growth). The
mission of all prophets
of God was to perform
the tazkiyah of man in
all his relationships-
with God, with man,
with the natural
environment, and with
society and the state.
 Features
1. Comprehensive  Development includes
spiritual, moral and
physical
 The spiritual and
physical are
inseparateable
 Development
becomes a goal and
value oriented activity
 Features
2. Man focus of Development of man and his
development physical and socio-cultural
development.
Contemporary approach:
physical environment ( natural
and institutional) that provides
the real area of operation
development activities.
Islam insists area of operation
relates to man within and
without.
 Features
2. Cont…..Man  ‘ God does not change the
focus of condition of a people unless
development they first change that which
is in themselves”. (al-Quran,
13:11).
 Eg – maximum participation
of the people at all levels of
decision making and plan
implementation.
 Features
3. Changes on  Quantitative - justified and
qualitative and necessary in its own right,
quantitative has fortunately led to the
neglect of the qualitative
aspects of development in
particular and of life in
general. Islam would try to
rectify this imbalance
 Features
4. Utilisation,  Optimal utlisation of natural
equitable and and physical environment
distribution  Equitable use and distribution
and promotion of all human
relationships on the basis
Right and Justice
GOAL OF ISLAMIC DEVELOPMENT
CONCEPT (GIDC)
 Goal GIDC
1. Human  Should be first priority
resource  Through inculcation of
development correct attitudes and
aspirations, ducation,
research and training
 Involve in decision making at
all levels
 Sharing the fruits of
development
 Goal GIDC
2. Expansion of  Abundant production and
useful production supply of food and basic
necessary ( house, road and
etc)
 Defense requirement
 Self sufficiency in the
production of basic capital
goods
 Goal GIDC
3. Improvement  Employment creation
the quality of  Promoting zakat, waqf and
life charity
 Equitable distribution of
income wealth -
 Goal GIDC
4. Balanced  Harmonious development of
development different regions within a
country
 Application of new
5. New
technology in making
technology decision making,
construction, monitoring and
evaluation.
MALAYSIAN TOWN PLANNING – AN ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE
THANK YOU