A Comparative Analysis of Multidimensional Poverty Index in Islam and Conventional Economics

Since human beings are confronted with diverse needs، their not being satisfied leads to the multidimensional poverty. The economists، therefore، have recently paid attention to the necessity of multidimensional approach to poverty measurement، have specified some criteria in regard to the phenomenon and have enumerated three approaches of income (welfare)، capability and social participation. Examining the concept of poverty in Islamic jurisprudence and teachings also reveals that Islam adopts a more comprehensive approach to this issue، and that some of the poverty kinds and dimensions that have been pointed out in Islam are not found in the conventional economics at all، which is due to the difference between their principles and foundations. The author also compares the multidimensional poverty approaches in Islam and the conventional economics، and concludes that Islam doesn''t adopt the income approach and doesn''t determine a unique poverty line، but the jurisprudential criteria of poverty consider relative rather than absolute poverty، and that by emphasizing on relative poverty، Islam aims at eliminating inequality and bringing the different social classes closer to each other. Such cases as the Fourteen Innocent Ones'' providing the poor with production instruments rather than with direct financial aids and their not making people to perform non-professional and non-favorite jobs resemble the capability approach، and the introduction of the concept of «status» into the jurisprudence resembles the social participation approach in conventional economics. This makes the Islamic poverty line criteria different from the relative poverty in conventional economics. Indeed، observing one''s status and merit is a more specific criterion in order to decrease the difference between the economic standards of livening of the persons inhabitant in any class.