Islam's concern for the poor
By Dr Abdul Karim
Poverty alleviation has, of late, become a matter of increasing concern both at the international and national level. Islam can be rightly described as a religion of and for the poor, meeting their essential requirements with dignity and self- respect so that they may make full use of God-given faculties.
The Holy Prophet (PBUH) said, "If you want my pleasure, look after the poor. You will deserve Allah's help and His provision, if you look after the poor." "Look for me among the weak, for you are helped and provided for because of the weak among you" (Abu Daud).
"These people of ours are helped because of their weakness, their callings, their prayers, and their sincerity" (Muslim). "Certainly Allah will not bless a people who do not give the rights of their weak." "Those people will not be purified whose weak cannot get their right without much difficulty" (Ibn Maja).
Islam is perhaps the first religion which gives the poor a right of share in the wealth of the rich and establishes an institutional mechanism to make financial assistance available to them to cater to their basic needs. The Quran says: "And in their wealth was a share for the one who asked for help and for one who could not." (51:20).
The share of the poor is, however, not to be asserted by their own fancy or that of their leaders through collective bargaining via militant trade unions, which can create discord and class conflict.
It must be determined in accordance with the guidance provided by Allah in the most even-handed manner, every one being equally dear to Him as His creation. Islam makes the rights of the poor the obligation of the rich for which they are made answerable to Allah.
For this, a complete and very effective institutional framework has been provided which combines both compulsory and voluntary action on the part of the individual.
According to the Quran, the ideal society is the one in which, "it is provided for thee that thou wilt not hunger therein, nor wilt thou be naked. And thou wilt not thirst therein, nor wilt thou be exposed to the sun" (20:119-20).
The Holy Prophet said, "a son of Adam is entitled only to three things; dwelling to live in, a garment to cover his nakedness and a piece of bread and water." The scope of the Islamic concept of basic needs is wider than the current western one which is restricted to roti (food) kapra (clothes) and makan (house).
Allah has also included water, which is so vital for life and whose neglect is causing serious health and environment problems, particularly in developing countries.
A very important feature of the Islamic system is that, unlike the western concept of the modern welfare state providing the social safety net, it makes this the joint responsibility of the state and the individual.
While the state is bound by the elaborate system of zakat, the individuals are urged to supplement it with voluntary charity the scope of which is practically unlimited - the constraint being the means available and the desire to do good seeking Allah's pleasure. Allah has promised a corresponding reward for this supererogatory act of virtue.
It is in the Quran: "As to the men that give alms and the women that give alms, and those who lend to Allah a goodly loan it will increase manifold for them and there will also be an honourable reward" (57:19).
"Never shall you attain to righteousness unless you spend out of that which you love; and whatever you spend Allah surely knows it well" (3:93). "And they ask thee what they should spend. Say, 'What you can spare.' Thus Allah makes His commandments clear to you that you may reflect upon this world and the next" (2:220).
According to a hadith in Muslim, the Holy Prophet pointed out so many specific things to spare for charity that the companions felt that they had no right over anything they had in surplus.
Muslims are urged in the Quran to "eat ye thereof and feed the distressed, the needy" (22:29), "and feed him who is needy but contented and him who supplicates" (22:37). Muslims are expected not only to help the poor themselves, but also urge others to do so.
"He is not a believer who eats to the fill when his neighbour is hungry" (Mishkat). "A town in which a person spends a night on an empty stomach forfeits Allah's protection."
It is for the Muslims to devise a system in which compulsory levy for the poor and voluntary charity are dovetailed to form an integrated system avoiding duplication, ensuring that nothing is amiss and that there is no room to pass the buck. This presupposes understanding, harmony and trust between the government and public.
According to the Quran, "Surely all believers are brothers" (49:11). The Holy Prophet said, "On the Day of Judgment, Allah, the Exalted, will call: Where are those who loved each other to My glory? Today I shall give them shelter in the shade of My mercy.
Today there is no shade besides My shade." "By Him in Whose hand is my life, you will not enter Paradise unless you believe, and you will not truly believe unless you love one another" (Muslim).
It is unfortunate, rather tragic, that the prevailing culture in Muslim countries is not of mutual trust between the government and the public but alienation to the point of active confrontation. This is characterized by the government not hesitating to play tricks with the public and the public, in return, doing its best to cheat the government.
The government and the public in Muslim societies ignore Islamic teachings in their mutual relationship. The Holy Prophet said, "Each one of you is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock. The man who rules over the people is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock."
"Any man whom Allah has given the authority of ruling some people and he does not look after them in an honest manner, will not have even the smell of Paradise." "There is no governor who rules Muslims and dies, having played false with them, but Allah will forbid him Paradise." (Bukhari).