Islamic Economics Between Doctrine and Science:

Reassessing Akram Khan’s Dilemmas

Nahlah Nahlah

Muhammad Iqbal

Irwan Misbach

 

Abstract: The status of Islamic economics as either doctrine or science remains one of the field’s most enduring methodological debates. This article revisits that debate through a critical reassessment of Muhammad Akram Khan’s Dilemmas of Islamic Economics. Focusing on five central dilemmas, the article employs a critical literature review to evaluate Khan’s call for Islamic economics to develop primarily as a positive social science. It argues that while Khan accurately identifies several weaknesses in the field, including conceptual fragmentation, weak methodological coherence, and limited empirical grounding, his proposed resolution remains incomplete. Islamic economics cannot be adequately understood either as a purely doctrinal enterprise or as a value-neutral empirical science, because its epistemological foundations are rooted in the interaction of revelation, reason, ethics, and social reality. The article, therefore, proposes an integrative view of Islamic economics as a discipline situated between doctrine and science, in which normative commitments and empirical investigation are mutually reinforcing rather than contradictory. By reframing the normative–positive debate in this way, the article contributes to ongoing discussions on the identity, methodology, and future direction of Islamic economics.