A Unified Model of Shariah Indices for Human Development and Prosperity

Abstract

In recent years, several attempts have been made to measure human prosperity using shariah objectives. These, however, have failed to propose a unified model that incorporates the ‘means to achieve these objectives’. This paper attempts to fill this gap by arguing that a large proportion of shariah-led prosperity measures are in line with the United Nations’ Millennium and Sustainable Development (MSD) goals to achieve global development targets and reduce poverty. This paper proposes a global unified model for a human development index that identifies existing development data that can be utilised in accordance with the objectives of shariah. The proposed model attempts to build a bridge between shariah-based Islamic development indices and MSD goals to achieve prosperity via religiosity.