Social Capital and Economic Development; a Study about Social Participation from Islamic Perspective

The applicability of the theory of Social Capital will always be deficient if due consideration is not given to the environment, different dimensions and conditions of its application. In order to explain the role of Social Capital in economic development, review of the concept and detailed understanding of its elements, keeping in view the national and religious culture, is compulsory. Due to the fact that the understanding and exploration of indicators of Social Capital is mentioned in Islam as a starting point, this research, while explaining the factor of social partnership in religious thought, aims to study its role in the concept of economic development. This research uses the method of explaining and analyzing narrated matter. The results of this research show that the special role of the “institution of mosque” in social lives of Islamic societies, a unique role of the “institution of enjoining others to do good and forbidding evil (amr bay ma’roof wa nahy az munkar)” in establishing the “collective monitoring” system and also the informed participation of Muslims in Jehad (war against the enemy) in the way of Allah, have contributed in the way of creating, establishing and strengthening the social cooperation; presenting a clear boundary between the popular view and the view of Social Capital from Islamic perspective. Similarly, social participation derived fromreligious teachings, by developing security, productivity of the government and themarket, reduction of poverty and unemployment, plays a fundamental role ineconomic development. Therefore, the hypothesis that “if the social participationfrom Islamic perspective is established, an adequate ground will be laid foreconomic development from the aforementioned methods”, has been accepted.