Part One: SEERAH (Biographical Sketch) CHAPTER

C:\Users\Admin\Dropbox\The Message - Material of Maulana\16. Books and Review\Apa's Books\Life And 88 CHAPTER 10 The Concept of 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 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 fulfil 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 give it permanence and regularity. The law of zakah, i.e. to take from the wealthy and give to the poor, rotates wealth in such a way as to balance social inequality. The required annual contribution to public welfare amounts to two and a half percent of one’s income. The rate of zakah on other types of wealth, such as agricultural produce and jewellery is higher. Islamic law empowers the Islamic State or Community to collect the zakah, and to keep a separate account of it. Zakah funds must be spent on the eight categories specified in the Qur’an (2:177) namely, the poor and the destitute, the bankrupt, captives, collectors of zakah and in the cause of God. The last category allows these funds to be