MALAYSIA CALLS ON MUSLIMS TO RETURN TO DINAR AND DIRHAM USAGE
Jakarta, 27 Dhul hijja 1433/12 November 2012 (MINA) – Islamic Shariah economic expert from Multimedia University, Kuala Lumpur Dr. Abdul Halim Abdul Hamid bin Muslim calls for all Muslims to save their wealth in the form of dinar (gold) and dirham (silver).
“We must try as much as possible to reduce the use of paper money in the transaction and switch to dinar and dirham,” he told Mi’raj News Agency (MINA) reporter in a long distant interview ahead of the 3rd Annual World Conference on usury November 26-27 later in Kuala Lumpur
“Firstly, we must understand what is Islamic (shariah) economic system and what is the usury based economic system. The Islamic economic system has not yet been completely free from usury,” he added.
Dr. Abdul Halim has long been aware the existence of usury in the use of paper money. For many years he was promoting the use of dinar-dirham in many countries, especially in Malaysia.
Together with some world leaders such as former Malaysian Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and Shaikh Imran Hosein from Trinidad & Tobago.
By applying transaction using the dinar and dirham there are some benefits we can get such as to avoid usury, implement Islamic law in the transaction, combat injustice of capitalism, and restore the sunnah of Prophet Muhammad PBUH.
History has proven that gold and silver are the most stable medium of exchange in the world. By using both currencies in the Islamic caliphate, the world economy grew fastly.
Researchers have discovered facts that the use of silver currency has existed since the time of Joseph (Prophet Yusuf PBUH). The three researchers of dirham, M.S.M. Syaifullah, Abdullah David, and Muhammad Ghoniem in their essay entitled “Dirham in the Time of Joseph?” said that at the time of Ancient Egypt, the people had used silver as a medium of exchange.
The Islamic world adopted the use of the dinar – dirham from the Persian civilization who at that time was led by King Sasan named Yezdigird III. The Persians called the silver coins as the drachm. Muslims began to have dirham – dinar for a trade transaction since the era of Caliph Omar ibn Khattab. (T/RH/HSH)
