“In the wealth of a rich person, there is a portion which belongs to the poor…” (Quran 51:19)
“O Prophet, take out charity from the believer’s wealth so that their money and their souls are purified…” (Quran 9:103)
“O Prophet, take out charity from the believer’s wealth so that their money and their souls are purified…” (Quran 9:103)
Islam in its origin is a spiritual and social idea. The Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) was born in a tribal, nomadic society where sociopolitical order did not exist. So the development of religion (scripture, prayers etc.) and the development of sociopolitical order (law, authority and citizenship) went hand in hand in the life and teachings of the Prophet.
Astride the caravan route between Byzantium and India, Makkah of the 6th century was a prosperous, commercial town. Makkans were merchants by profession, as Prophet Mohammed himself practiced trade before his call to messengership. Makkans enjoyed a measure of wealth and prosperity but there existed also in Makkah acute problems common to all rich societies; the presence of disenfranchised segments such as slaves, orphans and the underground world of prostitution. The religious problem of Makkans was “polytheism”. They believed that one God, Allah, the ultimate God, cannot be approached directly; hence they needed a number of gods and goddesses to mediate. In the Ka’bah, which later became the house of one God for Muslims, there were hundreds of gods approached and invoked by Makkans for all kinds of needs. Interestingly, Makkan Arabs had no concept of life after death. They believed that major events in human life such as birth, marriage, sustenance and death were all caused by a blind fate called the "Dahr". Islam replaced this idea of blind fate with a powerful, merciful God who acts in human life with purpose. When Prophet Muhammed began to receive divine revelation, now contained in the Muslim holy book, the Quran, it was not limited to spiritual themes. We see that early passages of the Quran incorporate the themes of socioeconomic justice along with the demand that Muslims must believe in one God and human accountability on the Day of Judgment. One very early chapter within the Quran, often recited in Muslim daily prayer, states:
“Have you thought of him that denies the Last Judgment? It is he who turns away the orphan and has no urge to feed the destitute. Woe to those who pray but are heedless in their prayer; who make a show of piety and forbid all misgiving” (Quran 107:1-7).
In other words, a person’s prayer is useless if he is insensitive to the needs of fellow human beings. One particular Hadith (Prophet’s saying), states that “a person cannot be a believer who eats full and has a good night’s sleep while his neighbor is hungry.” In another divine saying, the Prophet quotes God as saying:
“On the Day of Judgment, God will ask a person, ‘Oh my servant, I was hungry but you did not give me food.’ The servant will say, ‘Oh my Lord, how can I feed You, You are the One who feeds the whole of mankind’. God will say, ‘Didn’t you know such a servant of mine in your neighborhood was hungry. If you had served him food, you would have found me there.’ Then God will ask, ‘Oh my servant, I had no clothes but you did not clothe me.’ The servant will answer, ‘Oh my Lord, how can I clothe you, you provide clothes to everyone.’ God will say, ‘Didn’t you know my such and such servant needed clothes? If you had provided his clothing you would have found me there.’ Then God will say, “Oh my servant, I was sick but you did not come to see me. ’The servant will say, “Oh my Lord, how can You be sick, You cure every sick person.” God will say, ‘Such and such person in your neighborhood was sick, if you had paid a visit to him, you would have found me there…’”
Here the Prophet is teaching us that true spirituality can be experienced only in sharing God's bounty with fellow human beings. In another Hadith, the Prophet stated:
“Whoever removes a worldly grief from a believer, God will remove from him one of the grieves on the Day of Resurrection. And whoever alleviates the need of a needy person; God will alleviate his needs in this world and the in Hereafter. Whoever shields [or hides the misdeeds of] a brother, God will shield him in this world and the Hereafter. And God will aid His slave so long as he aids his brother. And whoever follows a path to seek knowledge therein, God will make easy for him a path to Paradise. No people gather together in one of the Houses of God, reciting the Book of God and studying it among themselves, except that sakeenah (tranquility) descends upon them, and mercy envelops them, and the angels surround them, and God mentions them amongst those who are with Him.”
Religion and Polity
As Islam evolved into polity and the Prophet established first Muslim state in the city of Madinah, social justice became its defining element. God is Just and He does not accept injustice from his servants as He says:
“O’ My servants! I have forbidden oppression for Myself and have made it forbidden amongst you, so do not oppress one another. O’ My servants! All of you are astray except for those whom I have guided, so seek guidance from Me and I shall guide you. O My servants! All of you are hungry except for those whom I have fed, so seek food from Me and I shall feed you. O My servants! All of you are naked except for those whom I have clothed, so seek clothing from Me and I shall clothe you. O My servants! You commit sins by night and day, and I forgive all sins, so seek forgiveness from Me and I shall forgive you […] O My servants! Were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to gather in one place and make a request of Me, and I were to give everyone what he requested, it would not decrease what I have any more than a needle decreases the sea when put into it. O My servants! It is only your deeds that I charge you with and then recompense you for. So whoever finds good then let him praise God. Whoever finds other than that, should blame no one but himself…”
Before he left this world, the Prophet delivered a farewell sermon to his community in which he summarized his struggle for the establishment of a just society:
“O People, lend me an attentive ear, for I don't know whether, after this year, I shall ever be amongst you again. Therefore, listen carefully to what I tell you and take these words to those who could not be present here today.
O People, just as you regard this month, this day, this city as Sacred, so regard the life and property of every brother as a sacred trust. Return the goods entrusted to you to their rightful owners. Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you. Remember that you will indeed meet your Lord, and that He will indeed reckon your deeds. God has forbidden you to take usury (excessive interest of lending money); therefore all interest obligations shall henceforth be waived.
Beware of Satan, for your safety of your religion. He has lost all hope that he will ever be able to lead you astray in big things, so beware of following him in small things.
O People, it is true that you have certain rights with regard to your women, but they also have right over you. If they abide by your right then to them belongs the right to be fed and clothed in kindness. Do treat your women well and be kind to them for they are your partners and committed helpers. And it is your right that they do not make friends with any one of whom you do not approve, as well as never to commit adultery.
O People, listen to me in earnest, worship God, say your five daily prayers (Salah), fast during the month of Ramadan, and give your wealth in charity (Zakat). Perform the pilgrimage (Hajj) if you can afford to. You know that every believer is the brother of another believer. You are all equal. Nobody has superiority over other except by piety and good action.
Remember, one day you will appear before God and answer for your deeds. So beware, do not astray from the path of righteousness after I am gone.”
O People, just as you regard this month, this day, this city as Sacred, so regard the life and property of every brother as a sacred trust. Return the goods entrusted to you to their rightful owners. Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you. Remember that you will indeed meet your Lord, and that He will indeed reckon your deeds. God has forbidden you to take usury (excessive interest of lending money); therefore all interest obligations shall henceforth be waived.
Beware of Satan, for your safety of your religion. He has lost all hope that he will ever be able to lead you astray in big things, so beware of following him in small things.
O People, it is true that you have certain rights with regard to your women, but they also have right over you. If they abide by your right then to them belongs the right to be fed and clothed in kindness. Do treat your women well and be kind to them for they are your partners and committed helpers. And it is your right that they do not make friends with any one of whom you do not approve, as well as never to commit adultery.
O People, listen to me in earnest, worship God, say your five daily prayers (Salah), fast during the month of Ramadan, and give your wealth in charity (Zakat). Perform the pilgrimage (Hajj) if you can afford to. You know that every believer is the brother of another believer. You are all equal. Nobody has superiority over other except by piety and good action.
Remember, one day you will appear before God and answer for your deeds. So beware, do not astray from the path of righteousness after I am gone.”
In addition to faith, belief in God, prophecy, revelation and life after death, a Muslim must commit to other the obligatory demands of religion. These include the declaration of faith, daily prayers, fasting, pilgrimage and zakat. Zakat, a compulsory charity, needs to be collected from people's wealth. Zakat has to be levied on all valuable assets a person owns, such as money, gold, silver, livestock and, in modern times, stocks, bonds, retirement funds and other financial products. It is calculated meticulously ranging 2.5%-10% of assets depending on the situation. A believer must voluntarily pay this amount which belongs to poor. However, if he refuses to pay, the state has the right to forcibly collect it just like IRS collects taxes in the US. However it is believed that Zakat may not be enough to respond to the social needs of society. The believer is strongly encouraged to be generous beyond Zakat with wealth which is God's bounty to him and voluntarily share it. This aspect of charity is called Sadaqah, voluntary charity. While Zakat and Sadaqa, (compulsory and voluntary charity) takes care of destitute elements of society, Islam also lifted other disenfranchised segments such as women and slaves.
Within the field of women's rights, the reform that Islam brought 1400 years ago in the context of Arab culture was huge for its time. Islam imposed severe restrictions on polygamy, gave women rights of property, offered them limited right of divorce, opened the door of education and civic participation for them. The Quran declared their complete religious and spiritual equality with men in the eyes of God. Another sensitive area of reform was in the status of slaves and giving them respect and dignity. The Prophet taught excellent treatment of slaves, giving them the same food and clothing which one himself wears and spending one's wealth to purchase their freedom. To liberate a slave was a means of atonement of sins and compensation for missing a religious obligation prescribed by Islamic law. When the Prophet established the first Mosque, he appointed a black slave from Ethiopia as the first caller of prayers. An Arab chieftain remarked “Don't we have a better person than a black slave?”, the Prophet was angry and later the following verse of Quran was revealed specifically in this context.
“O mankind, We have created you from a pair of male and female, and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. The noblest of you in the sight of God is the most righteous of you. Indeed, God is All-Knowing and Wise.” (Quran 49:13)
Though slavery as an institution continued to exist in Islam, it must not be equated with the “chattel slavery” of European nations in the 19th century. In fact many slave dynasties ruled the Muslim empire for a long time, such as:
Khwarazmian dynasty in Persian (1077-1231)
Mamluk Sultanate (Delhi) (1206-1290)
Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo) (1250-1517)
Mamluk dynasty of Iraq (1704-1831)
Indeed, they were slaves who became kings and ruled vast areas of Muslim empires.
Khwarazmian dynasty in Persian (1077-1231)
Mamluk Sultanate (Delhi) (1206-1290)
Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo) (1250-1517)
Mamluk dynasty of Iraq (1704-1831)
Indeed, they were slaves who became kings and ruled vast areas of Muslim empires.
Contemporary Issues
American Muslims who migrated to the United States in the past three decades along with the Native American Muslim community are also in the process of building social help institutions. Many Muslim organizations are now running soup kitchens, free health clinics, homeless shelters, shelters for battered women, education and rehab centers for freed prisoners etc. US Muslims are also heavily engaged in charity work around the globe. Organizations such as Zakat Foundation, Islamic Relief USA, Human Development Foundation and Helping Hands are globally active while other organizations such as Zakat Chicago are focused on working at the local level.
Wars, civil wars, famine and natural catastrophes along with globalization and its dislocations have created an enormous human deficit in parts of the world. The global Muslim community along with other religious communities will continue to respond to these challenges, as it is a test of our humanity and our responsibility to God.
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