Economy Between the Fifth Caliph and the Fifth Column   Capt Mohamed Hassan Al-Tahir  

Date: May 26, 2026

The economy is not merely numbers and equations; it is a reflection of social justice and the strength of institutions. Yet, this has not always materialized in reality—perhaps because the fifth column has accumulated experience, becoming sharper and more cunning than the countless files of economists since William James’ theories and The Wealth of Nations until today. Here emerges the model of the Fifth Caliph, Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz, who embodied an economy built on determination and leniency, contrasted with the fifth column that infiltrates the body of the nation to weaken it. Between them lies a continuous struggle between idealism and reality, between decay and attempts at reform.

Among the most important economic theories is the theory of distributive equality, which is based on how resources are divided among individuals mathematically and geometrically:

– Arithmetic equality means everyone receives an equal share.

– Geometric equality considers differences in needs and capacities.

True justice lies in balancing the two—avoiding mere formal equality that lacks ethics, especially under the shadow of “death of the author” economic theories and the “economic hitman” paradigm.

Here stands Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz’s model, which combined:

– Determination (strict application of justice), starting with himself and his wife.

– Leniency (making life easier for people) through the public treasury.

This model succeeded because it was rooted in the moral principle that wealth belongs to God and people are partners in it. This was not just a slogan but a lived reality. It is said that poverty disappeared to the point where no one needed to take zakat, and even birds were fed from the abundance—echoed in Sudanese poetry that recorded the ethics of yesterday, which Sudan’s economy failed to inherit.

This raises the natural question:

– Why did Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz’s model succeed, while economic thought failed to sustain it?

Perhaps because the success of the Fifth Caliph’s model was tied to sincere leadership and a genuine will for reform. Later failures may be attributed to:

– The infiltration of the fifth column weakening institutions.

– Private interests outweighing public good.

– Fragile economic structures vulnerable to greed.

– The fifth column outsmarting economists, who remained trapped between capitalism, democratic capitalism, and socialism, from Marx to Abu Dharr al-Ghifari—leaving economies fragile despite the cheerfulness of peoples.

Some argue the economy is fragile because it rests on human expectations, and humans are fickle. Any political or social crisis can destabilize it, leading to ideological rigidity and lack of dynamic decision-making. Thus, the economy remains prone to collapse unless fortified with justice and transparency—or inverted, with the fifth column rising to power instead of Marx, whose writings failed to resolve today’s dilemmas.

The difference lies between those who:

– Read equations with calibration in mind.

– Interpret reality with divergence in mind.

The result is the loss of people’s rights in the struggle between an awaited ideal and a paralyzed reality, leaving isolated individuals. Reform requires both tactical immediacy and strategic long-term planning. It demands combining theory with practice:

– Strong institutions.

– Just leadership.

– Public awareness rejecting corruption.

Today, Muslim economies oscillate between:

– Greed, where individual interests dominate.

– Certainty, where the Islamic ideal remains a dream, unfulfilled since the death of the righteous Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz.

The challenge is how to move from ideal to reality—specifically, a reality inspired by history and Umar’s thought, embodied in the Fifth Caliph’s model (without being swallowed by the fifth column).

Conclusion:

Studying the economy between the Fifth Caliph and the Fifth Column is not just a historical comparison, but a call to rethink our place on the map of economic justice. Either we draw inspiration from Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz and build a resilient economy, or we allow the fifth column to toy with the nation’s destiny—leading to an outcome reminiscent of George Orwell’s Animal Farm, where “in every living soul lies a reward.”