The Muamalat Newsletter Vol.1 2023

FEM Newsletter | June 2023 28 (being success in the life and hereafter), one of its essential parameters is al-‘adl (justice). Al-‘adl refers to a matter firmly entrenched in the mind and soul as just or upright, as opposed to injustice or unfairness (Al-Ghazzali, 2002; Chapra, 2007). However, it is crucial to highlight that the concept of justice in Islam is also often seen as putting things in their appropriate position as opposed to tyranny ( zulm ). The concept of Al-‘Adl and development of appropriate technology Remarkably, the characteristics of appropriate technology which are highly adaptable, manageable, and affordable and befitting to the targeted users, are all in line with the concept of a l- ’adl – in which in this context could be defined as putting the appropriate technology in the hands of the most appropriate users. This article discusses the concept of al-‘adl in appropriate technology development and transfer. For this purpose, we conducted case studies on appropriate technologies that are developed by Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI), the national agrifood public research institution in Malaysia. MARDI is mandated to develop and transfer technologies to smallholders. The aim is to help their farm works and ultimately to increase their income (MARDI, 2023). The smallholders within the Malaysian agrifood industry are resource-constrained community with 60 percent of smallholders obtain a monthly household income of RM2,000 on average, which is below the national poverty line (Hamid et al., 2019; E. Lee, 2020). This community need appropriate tools and technologies to empower them to achieve greater productivity and higher income. ThetechnologytransferprocessinvolvedMARDI research officers (also being called as technology generator), with the technology being transferred to the users, who are smallholders. MARDI is the transferor and smallholders are the transferee. The technologies that are being transferred include consumable products processing technology, fish processing technology, pest management technology, and planting technology. The study revealed that appropriate technology development and transfer process happens in stages, and is characterized by certain attributes that transform the technology concept to become appropriate. The process of appropriate technology development and transfer is a complex process involving many people and activities, intergenerational in nature, and time- consuming. The main stages in the process are: (i) research; (ii) development; (iii) deployment, with intensive appropriation strategies; and (iv) adoption. Throughout these stages, appropriation strategies were implemented. In the research