SOCIAL WELFARE IN ISLAM
Balancing Social Inequality
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.
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.
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.'
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 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.
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.
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?”
