SOCIAL WELFARE IN ISLAM
ALL human beings, according to Islam, have been created by
one and the same God; and for this reason, they belong
to one great brotherhood. All being descendants of the
same progenitors, they should naturally be each other’s
well-wishers and should willingly come to one another’s assistance,
like members of the same large family. Charity, an important way of
bringing justice to society, has been preached by every religion of
the world. And justice being the essence of religion, Islam has made
charity obligatory and binding upon all those who embrace the
faith, laying the greatest emphasis on the support of the needy and
destitute members of society. It is thus a sacred duty of the affluent
to give part of their wealth to fulfil the needs of deprived members
of the community.
Charity is an important way of bringing justice to society.
A society can flourish only when its members do not spend all their
wealth on the satisfaction of their own desires, but reserve a portion
of it for parents, relatives, neighbours, the poor and the needy. As the
saying goes: Charity begins at home. A true believer, after meeting
the needs of his family, is thus always prepared to assist other people
in need of his help.
Charity, in its broadest sense, has been called Sadaqa in Islam. Such
great importance is attached to charity that the month of Ramazan
has been fixed for individuals to be trained in the practice of charity.
It has therefore been made into an institution in order to give it
permanence and regularity. The law of Zakat, i.e. to take from the
wealthy and give to the poor, rotates wealth in such a way as to balance
social inequality.
There are two forms of charity in Islam—obligatory and voluntary,
which are respectively called Zakat and Sadaqa. Zakat, from the verb
Zakat, which signifies 'to thrive'; 'to be wholesome'; 'to be pure'; means
purification. Giving up a portion of one’s wealth, which is in excess of
what one needs for one’s own sustenance, is a purifying process which
legitimizes the use of the remainder by the donor.
Deducting Zakat from one’s earning is a material acknowledgment
of the fact that the actual giver is God. And since the giver is God,
the recipient is duty-bound to spend it in His cause. In spirit, Zakat
is an act of worship, while in its external form, it is the carrying out
of a social service. Zakat is thus not just the payment of a tax, but is
of great religious significance. Its importance is underscored by the
fact that the Quran treats it on par with Salat (prayer).
There are many Hadith that stress the importance of giving Sadaqa in
the holy month of Ramazan. Therefore, in this month of fasting, almost
all those who can afford it, help poor people in one way or another.
The Quran frequently enjoins believers ‘to perform the worship and
pay the Zakat', and even goes to the extent of saying that 'one cannot
attain righteousness unless one spends out of one’s wealth for the love
of God'. It also says:
“By no means shall you attain righteousness
unless you give of that which you love.”
THE QURAN 3: 92
Since charity is purely for the sake of God, it has value only if something
good and valuable is given. It should be lawfully earned or acquired
by the giver. It should include such things as are of use and value to
others. So the test of charity lies in giving away not just things that we
have discarded, but things that we greatly value. What God demands
is unselfishness. It may be in any form—personal efforts, talents,
skills, learning, property or possessions. Charity is, in the words of the
Prophet, 'to place a thing in the palm of God'. It is therefore obvious
that placing worthless things in the hand of God is a dishonour to Him.
The law of Zakat (to take from the wealthy and
give to the poor) rotates wealth in such a way
as to balance social inequality.
But the demand of Islam that all its followers should spend their wealth
freely for the common good of society cannot be met solely by the
payment of the obligatory levy of Zakat. There must also be additional
almsgiving on a voluntary basis. This is referred to in Islamic literature
as sadaqat-al-tatawwu (the alms of spontaneity). The only difference
between Sadaqa and Zakat is that the former is voluntary, while the
latter is obligatory, and collected by the government as a compulsory levy. The rate and exemption limit (Nisab) for Zakat are fixed, while
the amount of other, Sadaqat, is entirely dependent upon the will of
the giver. The term Sadaqat, as applied to alms, is an indication of the
sincerity of the almsgiver’s religious belief.
The term Sadaqat is also, in certain cases, used in a very broad sense
to cover all kinds of charity, and should be interpreted according to
the context. From the root Sadaqa, 'to speak the truth; to be true',
it literally means righteousness. Ibn Arabi explains it as a 'voluntary
act of worship, a choice made by one’s own free will. If this is not the
case, then it is not voluntary Sadaqa. For man makes it obligatory upon
himself as God makes mercy obligatory upon Himself towards those
who repent.'
Giving up a portion of one’s wealth is a purifying process
which legitimizes the use of the remainder by the donor.
The scope of charity as defined in the Quran is so vast that even a poor
person who has nothing tangible to give can offer Sadaqa in the form of
a smile, or by offering a glass of water to a thirsty person, or by uttering
a kindly word. Good conduct is frequently referred to in the Hadith as
Sadaqa. Even planting something from which a human being, a bird
or an animal may later eat also counts as Sadaqa. In this extended
sense, acts of loving kindness and even greeting one another with a
cheerful expression are regarded as Sadaqa. In short, every good deed
is Sadaqa.
According to a Hadith, the Prophet observed: “In one’s wealth there is
a due (to God and His men) besides Zakat". Ali, the fourth Caliph, has
explained this Hadith thus: “God has ordained that the rich are to pay
out of their wealth to an extent sufficient for the needs of the poor, so
that if they do not find food and clothing, or any other need remains
to be fulfilled, it would be because the rich are not doing their duty,
and for this God will take them to task on the Day of Judgement." And,
according to Abdullah ibn Umar, the great religious scholar of the first
phase of Islam, “If the Zakat levy is insufficient to meet the needs of
the poor, then it is the duty of the rich of every town to put the poor
on their feet.”
The Quran, in fact, refers to the haq, i.e. the right of the poor to be
given assistance; so that what the wealthy man is asked to give is not just charity, but that which, as a matter of right, should come back to
the poor who, by their labour, are creators of the national wealth.
There are many verses in the Quran, and many traditions of the
Prophet, which make it quite clear that there is a due besides
Zakat, and that even when the wealthy have paid this tax, they have
still not fully discharged their duties. Abu Zar Ghifari, one of the
Prophet’s companions, reported that the Prophet said that losers are
those who, having an excess of riches, just squander their wealth,
heedless of the fact that they can be saved only if they spend
generously for a good cause (Bukhari and Muslim).
Charity is a material acknowledgement of the fact that
the actual giver is God.
Since Zakat and Sadaqa are not only moral obligations to society, but
acts performed by believers to seek God’s pleasure, a high standard is
set for the manner of their accomplishment. Abdullah Yousuf Ali writes
of charity in his commentary of the Quran: 'It must be in the way of God.
No reward must be expected for it in this world. It must not be followed
by references to, or reminders of, the acts of charity. Still less should
any annoyance or injury be caused to the recipient, e.g. by boasting
that the giver brought relief to the person in his hour of need.' Thus the
spirit of kindness and well-wishing is the essence of charity. The giver is
not to expect any reward from the recipient, as there awaits for him an
abundant reward from God—material, moral and spiritual—whatever
God thinks is best to confer upon His servant.
The Quran admonishes us not to spend “to be seen of men” (THE QURAN
2: 264 ). This is false charity. Spending with this motive is worse than
not spending at all. In the next verse, God gives us a beautiful parable
to illustrate what true charity is like. It is like a field with good soil in
an elevated position. It catches good showers of rain and the moisture
penetrates the soil. With these favourable conditions, its output
increases enormously. Similarly, a man of true charity is spiritually
healthy. He is best placed to attract God’s bounties. The Quran goes
on to give four parables (THE QURAN 2: 261-266) which explain the truly
spiritual nature of charity and how it bears on the whole of our lives.
Yet, there are some people who think that acts of charity would ruin them.
Abdullah Yusuf Ali comments on such doubts: “No kind or generous act ever ruined anyone.” And we have never heard of anyone who, due to
his generosity to good causes, has been impoverished. This is because
the generous alms-giver has God’s promise that He will shower him
with greater bounties (THE QURAN 2: 268). On the other hand, false
generosity, that is, extravagant expenditure for show or selfindulgence
can and does lead people to ruin. The Quran makes the
point that publicity should never be the motive for an act of charity
(THE QURAN 2: 271). We must remember that we can seek God’s
pleasure only if our motives are pure.
The test of charity lies in giving away not just things that
we have discarded, but things that we greatly value.
The Quran states, “Charity is for those in need”(THE QURAN 2: 273). This
is a general condition to help people in need; whether they are good
or bad, on the right path or not, Muslims or non-Muslims. We are not
supposed to sit in judgement on these matters. It is worth reiterating
here that the chief motive in charity should be God’s pleasure and
our own spiritual good. This verse was revealed in the first instance in
Medina, but is of general application. The concept of charity in Islam
is thus linked with justice, and is not limited to the redressal of
grievances. It implies, apart from the removal of handicaps, the
recognition of the right that every human being has to attain the
fullness of life.
Inspired by the traditions of the Prophet, the spirit of helping others to
earn God’s pleasure has been best reflected in Muslim society in the
field of education. Following the dictum: “The greatest charity is for a
Muslim to learn something and then teach it to others” (Ahmad), Muslims
in large numbers have devoted themselves to the enlightenment of
others in the field of education, generation after generation. They did
this individually and also by establishing primary schools and colleges.
These educational institutions, set up in the house of the teacher or in
separate buildings, generally levied no charges for instruction. Wealthy
people helped in the running of these madrasas, not only through Zakat
but also by making them endowments (wakf) of their properties, the
income from which met the needs of these schools. Orphans and poor
people were given stipends in addition to board and lodging.
Wakf is a permanent form of charity which is called sadaqa jaria. It
covers, in addition to giving an education to the needy, such good works as helping someone to recover from some disease by monetary
assistance; looking after orphans and the destitute, and giving
scholarships to students. This being an institution is the reason for so
many centres of social welfare having continued to exist among the
Muslim community. However, there are no statistical records of the
work of individuals in this field.
The chief motive in charity should be God’s pleasure
and our own spiritual good.
Inspired by the verses of the Quran and the traditions and practices
of the Prophet and his companions, the giving of Sadaqa to individuals
or institutions remains a widespread practice among Muslims. The
Prophet, the most generous of men, used to give with his own hand.
When asked for anything, he never refused. If he had nothing to give,
he would borrow from one of his companions and repay him later.
The Prophet’s wives were also renowned for their almsgiving. Of them,
Zaynab-bin-Jahsh was the most generous. The Prophet used to call her
“the longest in arm”. She was also known, on account of her almsgiving,
as the “mother of the poor.” Whenever anyone uttered any words of
blessing for her, she would return the blessing along with some alms.
Then we have the shining examples of generosity set by the pious
Caliphs. Once when the Prophet urged them to give Sadaqa, Umar bin
al Khattab brought the half of what he owned, only to discover that he
had once again been outdone by Abu Bakr who had given away all that
he possessed.
There is a very interesting example of the generosity of Usman, the
third Caliph. During the Caliphate of Abu Bakr, people were in great
distress due to a drought. The Caliph told them to remain patient, for
God would soon relieve them. Before long, Usman’s caravan arrived
with its merchandise from Syria. There were one-thousand camels,
all of them loaded with wheat and foodstuffs from Syria. When the
news got around, all the great traders of Medina rapidly converged on
Usman’s house. When he emerged to meet them, they expressed their
urgent desire to purchase the foodstuffs, so that they could pass them
to those who needed them in Medina.
Ushering them inside, he asked them how much profit they were
prepared to give him on this merchandise. “Twelve dirhams on every ten dirhams worth.” They replied. “But I can get a better price.” Said
Usman. “Then we’ll give you fourteen.” Usman again said that he could
get a better price, whereupon they put their price up to fifteen dirhams.
But Usman stood firm. Bewildered by his attitude, they asked him
who could give him a better price, considering that all the merchants
of Medina were already assembled there. “I can get ten dirhams for
every dirham worth,” he told them, then asked if any one of them
could give a better price than that. No one spoke up. Then, Usman
recited the verse of the Quran which says that those who do good
will be rewarded ten-fold (THE QURAN 6: 60). He explained to them
that he intended to give away all the wheat and other foodstuffs to
the needy people of Medina.
The constant giving of little is said to please God
more than the occasional giving of much.
According to the teachings of Islam, the giving of Sadaqa serves a
number of functions. Sadaqa, first and foremost, acts as expiation
for sins. Believers are asked to give Sadaqa immediately following
any transgression. Voluntary almsgiving can also compensate for any
shortcoming in the past payment of Zakat. Sadaqa also gives protection
against all kinds of evils, wards off affliction in this world, questioning
in the grave, and punishment on Judgement Day.
It is, therefore, recommended to give Sadaqa, by night and by day,
in secret and in public to seek God’s pleasure (THE QURAN 2: 274). The
constant giving of little is said to please God more than the occasional
giving of much. Sadaqa is also a means of moral edification. It purifies
the soul of the evil of avarice, and is a reflection of the generosity of
God, the All-giving.
We conclude with a Hadith, which sums up the essence of charity:
“Every good act is charity. Your smiling to your brother is charity; an
exhortation of your fellowmen to virtuous deeds is equal to almsgiving;
your putting a wanderer on the right road is charity; your assisting
the blind is charity; your removing stones, and thorns, and other
obstructions from the road is charity; your giving water to the thirsty
is charity. A man’s true wealth as regards the Hereafter is the good
he does in this world to his fellowmen. When he dies, people will
ask, “What property has he left behind him?” But the angels will ask,
“What good deeds has he sent before him?”
