Maqasid dimensions of finance in a complex world: Methodological comparison between Islamic and conventional economic literature

This research reveals two purpose dimensions stemmed from the conventional economic literature: the first (teleonomy) is limited to take the results of the progress through adaptation to the prevailing environment,while the second (teleology) draws attention to the foundations of progress. the first dimension stimulates creativity to take the lead; the second perpetuates imitation and dependency. the research shows that the mimetism which is taken by the mainstream in the islamic finance industry leads to the opposite of what is intended or announced by the actors,i. e. competing conventional financial products by offering an alternative according to islamic law. a systemic approach is used in this investigation for the exploration of the epistemological roots of the two major purpose dimensions. moreover,the complex system analysis is used,through the law of unintended consequences and the fallacy of composition,to highlight the gap between what is claimed and what is applied.