From the very beginning of the revelation, Allah, Subhanahu wa Ta’ala, incorporated guidance about social justice, poverty, and about business. This is something from the core of our Deen.
Surat-al-Mutaffifeen, for example, was not revealed in Madinah, but in Makkah. Allah reprimands those who cheat in business – whether they are Muslims or Kuffar, and whether they are cheating Muslims or Kuffar. This is a regulation on transparency in business…among the first legal principles to be revealed.
Surat-al-Ma’un was not revealed in Madinah either. Allah sharply criticizes those who are unkind to the poor and to orphans, and who refuse to cooperate with the people to meet their daily needs.
Remember, the audience for these Surahs was the Quraysh; the thriving, prosperous society in Makkah. From the very beginning, the Da’awah dealt with social issues, with issues of poverty, abuse of power, issues of unaccountable businessmen who cheat and exploit the public.
Islam, from the very start of the Message, was concerned with conditions in the society, the practical misconduct of people, and the suffering that this misconduct caused. Da’awah in Makkah directly criticized, not only the beliefs of the Quraysh, but also their practices, their injustices, their unfairness, their corruption, and how all of this impacted the society.
This is not something we have to inject into the Deen, it is not something that requires us to craft a “Leftist” interpretation of the Qur’an…this is something that was at the core of the Message of Islam from the very beginning.