A Historical Critique of Arab Trade in the BookEarly Islam and the birth of Capitalism

Document Type : Research

Author

Associate Professor, Department of History, Faculty of Literature, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract
The book “Early Islam and the birth of Capitalism” is significant for the author's historical approach, which attributes the origins of capitalism not to the West, but to the economic and commercial structures of Arab society before and after Islam. However, the historical data, arguments, premises, and conclusions presented in the book are insufficient to support such a hypothesis and reflect a lack of historical knowledge on the part of the author. This article focuses on the concept of trade—which, according to the author, is the most significant link to the emergence of capitalism—and offers a critical analysis of the book, aiming to assess the extent to which its arguments align with historical realities. The findings of this study indicate that the author's analysis of the connection between Arab trade and the rise of capitalism lacks historical accuracy and coherence, due to insufficient attention to the social and cultural context of pre-Islamic Arab society, Islamic economic traditions and values, and the broader history of global trade among other civilizations such as Greece and Rome. As a result, the author's conclusions prove to be unsuccessful.

Keywords

Subjects

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  • Receive Date 19 April 2025
  • Revise Date 04 June 2025
  • Accept Date 21 July 2025