Life and Teachings of the Prophet Muhammad
10. The Concept of Social Welfare in Islam
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10. THE CONCEPT OF SOCIAL
WELFARE IN ISLAM
A
LL
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 the 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 fulfill the needs of the 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, relatives, neighbours, the poor and the needy. As
the saying goes: Charity begins at home. A true believer is thus
always prepared, after meeting the needs of his family, to assist
other people in need of his help.
Charity in its broadest sense has been called
sadaqah
in Islam.
Such great importance is attached to charity that the month of
Ramadan has been fixed for individuals to be trained in the practice
of charity. It has therefore been made into an institution in order to
