The Origin of Scientific Theorization in Islamic Economics: An Institutional Perspective

This paper primarily seeks to prove the actual logical relationship between institutions, E'tebariat and Islamic Sharia rules and social sciences. Secondly, it attempts to demonstrate the impact of economic institutions consistent with Sharia law on the formation of economic realities commensurate with the same institutions. Accordingly, the economist can think through economic realities emanating from economic institutions which are in conformity with the Islamic Sharia law. On this basis, he/she can explain independent variables and function of these economic realities in terms of scientific theories. In this paper starting with concepts, the definition of institution by North and Searle has been investigated. North defines institutions as "humanly devised constraints that structure political, economic and social interactions". Searle introduces the concept of 'institutional fact', defined as a fact whose existence presupposes the existence of certain systems of constitutive rules called 'institutions'. Next, the nature of E'tebariat (agreed perceptions) broached by Allameh Tabatabai, its similarity with Searle's conception of the institution and the relationship between E'tebariat and the Islamic Sharia law have been examined analytically and then explored the impact of the adoption of Islamic Sharia law on the establishment of institution. These underlying discussions ground the basis of evolution in social sciences -which as an accepted approach- being influenced by fixed and variable rules of Islamic Sharia; this is due to the fact that an –actual- logical relationship emerges between institutions, E'tebariat and Islamic Sharia law and the subject matter of social sciences being recognized as social facts.