Zakat, Infaq, and Socıal Justıce in Islamıc Polıtıcal Thought: An Analytıcal Normatıve Framework for Foreıgn Polıcy Ethıcs
Keywords:
Islamic Political Thought; Zakat; Infaq; Social Justice; Foreign Policy Ethics; Normative International RelationsAbstract
This study demonstrates at a conceptual level that the fundamental principles of Islamic political thought—zakat, infaq, and social justice—constitute an authentic normative framework for foreign policy ethics. The research argues that states should guide their international behavior not only through calculations of power and interest but also through principles of moral responsibility and distributive justice. The central problematic of the study concerns how the principles of zakat, infaq, and social justice in Islamic political thought form the normative foundation of states' foreign policy behaviors, and what theoretical and practical contributions these principles can offer to the construction of a distributive justice-centered foreign policy ethics model in the contemporary international system. Through qualitative research methodology, the study systematically examines classical Islamic sources and contemporary normative international relations literature, conducting data-concept-theory analysis. Findings reveal that Islamic political thought presents a three-layered normative structure extending from individual taqwa consciousness at the micro level to a global justice order at the macro level. It has been determined that zakat constitutes an institutional model for international solidarity and resource sharing, infaq strengthens foreign policy behaviors based on voluntary responsibility consciousness, and social justice ensures internal-external policy coherence through moral consistency. The study demonstrates that states' establishment of social justice internally directly affects their acquisition of normative credibility and legitimacy externally. Administrators' possession of beautiful character, taqwa, and ihsan enables the establishment of strong bonds with the populace, and this bond multiplies the state's success in foreign policy. The research makes an original contribution to international relations literature by building conceptual bridges between Islamic political thought and contemporary normative international relations theories, carrying the potential to develop alternative solutions to global problems. The theoretical contribution of the study lies in making visible the normative richness of different civilizational traditions beyond Western-centered theories.
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