The Islamic point of view in regard to the sources of wealth is expressed in the Holy Quran:1

That is, everything that is found in the world has been created by Allah for the benefit of mankind.

Mountains, rivers, mineral wealth and other means of human progress are mankind’s collective property, and we all have a share in this collective wealth. All these natural resources provide electricity, gold, silver, and other precious metals as well as drugs and chemicals that are used to treat illnesses. There is limitless variety of produced goods, some for personal consumption, some for industry as raw materials, and some are traded internationally.

God reminds us that everything has been created for the benefit of mankind. No individual can lay exclusive claim upon these resources, whether it is a Pharaoh, a Hitler, a Churchill or a Roosevelt. Everything that has been created is for the benefit of the entire human race, including the rulers and the ruled, the high and the low, the superior and the subservient. No one may claim that God has created these things only for his own personal use. The Quran tells us that ‘I have created this for you’ and that we are all collective claimants of His creation.