The private ownership of the means of production precludes a conscious, collective direction of society. As *Fundamentals of Marxism-Leninism* notes, individuals act at their own risk in their own domains, while societal development proceeds spontaneously, without conscious human control. Divided into antagonistic classes, society possesses no common will to guide its development in accordance with objective laws (p. 122).

This analysis is self-evident, pinpointing the root of capitalism’s uneven and regressive social development. It compels us to consider the necessity of collective will and common purpose.

Let us examine this necessity from another vantage point.

**Holy Quran 2:2-3**

> ذَٰلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لَا رَيْبَ ۛ فِيهِ ۛ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ

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> “That is the Book! There is no doubt about it—a guide for those mindful ˹of God˺, who believe in the unseen, establish prayer, and **spend from what We have provided for them**...”

Consider the final injunction: **”وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ” (and spend from what We have provided for them).**

Here, a fundamental principle is established: God is the sole provider (*Ar-Rāziq*) of all sustenance (*rizq*). For the rest of creation, this provision flows directly, barring willful human obstruction. A river, left to its course, sustains the ecology around it. Natural disruptions may occur, but the system self-corrects. Humanity, however, possesses a unique capacity to create permanent obstructions—diverting, hoarding, or destroying the very channels of sustenance, causing cascading societal and environmental damage.

For humans, the divine principle remains unchanged: **God is the provider of all livelihood.** This is paramount. The Quran categorically rejects the capitalist notion that individuals or a specific class “create” wealth, capital, or jobs. *Rizq*—that which constitutes life’s necessities—is a trust from God, not a human creation.

What, then, is the responsibility of the *muttaqīn* (the mindful, God-conscious) to whom this guidance is addressed? It is the task of **distribution** (*infaq*). The word *yunfiqūn* (يُنفِقُونَ) derives from a root meaning “to channel through,” implying a deliberate, directed flow—like water through a conduit with a clear inlet and outlet. It is not haphazard “laissez-faire” distribution, but a conscious, purposeful passing-on of provision. There is no room for hoarding or claiming ultimate ownership, for the wealth itself is divinely provided.

The duty of those through whose hands sustenance passes—be they individuals, communities, nations, or classes—is to ensure its effective distribution so it fulfills its purpose as true livelihood. To obstruct this flow through accumulation, exploitation, or inequitable systems is not merely an economic error; it is a direct challenge to objective divine law and a violation of God’s will.

For the *muttaqīn*, this responsibility is not optional. It is a defining act of faith. To be on the path of Islam is to be actively engaged in this just circulation of God’s provision, consciously building a social order rooted in collective stewardship, not private accumulation. In this light, the Quranic vision and the critique of spontaneous, class-divided society converge on a common imperative: the necessity of a conscious, common will to justly administer the means of life for all.