Mammonism, a Cultural Pathology from the Viewpoint of the Qur'an

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Abstract

This article is written with the aim of explaining mammonism – as a cultural pathology – from the viewpoint of the Qur'an – so as the cultural strategists may thereby undertake a study of the status quo and plan for achieving an optimal situation. After mentioning some fundamentals of cultural engineering, the writer has first touched upon the difference between "worldliness" (in the sense of rightful enjoyment of worldly gains and pleasures) and "mammonism", and then reported on worldliness and mammonism in their three levels of "attitude", "value", and "behavior" from the viewpoint of the Qur'an along with the Qur'anic indications of mammonism. The writer believes that if the mammonistic attitude develops in a society, it will often prompt the promotion of mammonistic values and eventually mammonistic behavior, which in turn will lead to deepening of mammonistic attitudes in the society.