SOCIAL WELFARE IN ISLAM

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