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What is Welfare State?
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Islamic Concept of Welfare State
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Functions of Islamic Welfare
State
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Islamic Welfare State Under the Prophet and His Successors
I- What is a Welfare State?
The idea of welfare
state has become very popular in recent times so much so that
every state now likes to call itself welfare state. Although
welfare as a purpose of government is not an invention of this
century, yet the term ‘welfare state’ came into wide spread use
only after the Second World War.
The term ‘welfare
state’ has not been clearly and exactly defined with the result
that welfare programmes almost differ from country to country and
place to place. However, generally understood meanings of this
term are that it is a state in which the government assumes
responsibility for minimum standards of living for every citizen.
The term is broadly used to describe a society which possesses all
or some of the following features:
1.
Provision of social security for all against
accident, sickness, unemployment, old age and disability.
2.
Social justice or fair and equitable distribution
of income and wealth among all citizens by minimising the gulf
between the rich and the poor through effective use of taxation
and public expenditure.
3.
Provision of free or heavily-subsidised services by
the state in education and medical aid.
4.
The maintenance of full employment for the working
force of the nation by making the state fully responsible for
providing jobs to all able-bodied workers.
5.
Public ownership of utility services so that the
same may be provided to low income groups at subsidised rates.
Modern states have
taken several measures in order to achieve their goals of national
welfare. The principles of mutual insurance have been adopted and
schemes of social insurance have been introduced. The state has
become an agency of administering social services and a helper of
social welfare activities. The social welfare programmes generally
provide family allowances, marriage grants, food rebates, school
meals, grants or soft loans for purchasing houses, cars and
household goods, medical aid, holiday allowances, free vacation,
recreational allowances, special welfare schemes for women and
children, etc.
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II- Islamic Concept of Welfare State
As stated earlier,
the concept of welfare state is gaining ground rapidly in the
modern world and over last few decades many states of the world
have started one or the other type of welfare programmes and like
to call themselves welfare states. However, their concept of
welfare state is based either on the Marxian philosophy or on the
principles of welfare economics of Professor Pigou. In both cases
the emphasis is given on the material welfare of the people to the
neglect of spiritual and moral one. But the Islamic concept of
welfare state differs fundamentally from the prevailing notions.
Because its concept is so comprehensive in nature that the Welfare
State in Islam aims at achieving the total welfare of mankind of
which economic welfare is merely a part. Equal stress on Zakat and
Salat in the Qur’an is quite significant for proper understanding
of the true nature of the Welfare State in Islam. The dynamic
interplay of these spiritual and secular institutions in the
Islamic society is symbolic of inner unity of Religion and
Economics. Its social and economic effects are wholesome and the
social pattern that emerges is free from the hideous tyrannies of
capitalism and the coercive standardisation of the communistic
society. It was this all-pervading social harmony that led H.G.
Wells to remark : “Islam has created a society more free from
widespread cruelty and social oppression than any society had ever
been in the world before.” As a matter of fact, the Islamic
concept of the Welfare State is based not only on the
manifestation of economic values but also on moral and spiritual,
social and political values of Islam.
Islam, as universal
religion of humanity, believes in the well-being of mankind in
this world as well as in the next world. It aims at material as
well as the spiritual welfare of its followers. The Quran, in one
of its very popular prayers, teaches its believers to ask God :
“Our Lord ! Give unto us in the world that which is good and in
the Hereafter that which is good……..” (2 : 201). The primary
objective of an Islamic state is, therefore, to establish an ideal
society based on justice, equity and virtue. The Islamic state not
only establishes the system of Allah’s worship (i.e., Salat or
Prayer) but also establishes system of Zakat. Thus, both the
spiritual and material well-being of the individuals is aimed at
by the Islamic state. In other words, the Islamic state is a
welfare state which performs a number of functions, in addition to
the traditional functions of a state, for the socio-economic
welfare of its citizens in this world and for their religio-spiritual
welfare in the Hereafter. Its functions aimed at material welfare
of its people include provision of basic necessities of life for
all, ensuring of a comprehensive social security system,
establishment of social justice, etc., whereas its functions for
the spiritual well-being of its people include establishment of
Islamic system of life for the Muslims and full religious freedom
for the non-Muslims.
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III- Functions of Islamic Welfare State
For welfare of the
people the Islamic Welfare State performs the following duties :-
1.
The duties of the Islamic state towards the poor
and the needy and their share out of the revenues of the state is
highlighted by the following verses of the Qur’an :
(i) And know
that whatever ye take as spoils of war, Lo! A fifth thereof is
for Allah, and for the Messenger and for the kinsman (who hath
need) and orphans and the needy and the wayfarer…..
-(8 : 41)
(ii) The alms (Zakat)
are only for the poor and the needy and those who collect them,
and those whose hearts are to be reconciled and to free the
captives and the debtors, and for the cause of Allah, and for
the wayfarers;
-(9 : 60)
(iii) That which
Allah giveth as spoils unto His Messenger from the people of the
townships, it is for Allah and His Messenger, and for the near
of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer, that it
become not a commodity between the rich among you………
-(59 : 7)
The duties of the
Islamic state towards the poor and the needy and its status as
their guardian has been further clarified by the Prophet of
Islam as under :
(i)
Allah has made Zakat obligatory upon the Muslims.
It is to be collected from the wealthy among you and distributed
among the needy ones.
-(Muslim)
(ii)
The government is the guardian of anyone who has
no other guardian.
-(Abu Daud, Tirmizi)
(iii) When
anyone dies in debt or leaves behind dependants unprovided for,
the latter should come to me because I am their guardian (as
head of state).
-(Bukhari, Muslim)
(iv) If anybody dies while he owes a debt and does not
leave behind any property for its payment then the
responsibility for its payment is mine (as head of the state).
But if anyone leaves any property behind, it is for his heirs.
-(Bukhari, Muslim)
(v) If anyone leaves behind property, it will go to his
heirs, but if anyone leaves behind some liabilities (instead),
the burden of their responsibility falls on us (i.e., the State)
:
-(Bukhari,
Muslim)
The above mentioned
verses of the Qur’an and sayings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
establish beyond any doubt that the responsibility of providing
basic needs to its citizens lies on the Islamic state. In this
matter, Islam has made no distinction between the Muslims and
non-Muslims. Caliph Umar once found a Zimmi begging alms. He
granted him pension and absolved him from payment of Jizyah.
Khalid, the famous general of Islam, concluded a treaty with the
non-Muslims of Hira which made a provision for financial
assistance to the poor and destitutes of non-Muslims.
2.
The Holy Qur’an has referred to the basic human needs in these
words : “There is therein (enough provision) for thee not to go
hungry nor to go naked; nor to suffer from thirst, nor from the
sun’s heat” (20 : 118-119). Thus basic human needs are :
protection from hunger and thirst, protection from nakedness, and
protection from sun’s heat which means shelter. In other words,
food, clothing and house are the basic human needs which are the
minimum requirement of a human being to lead his life in this
world. The Prophet of Islam has also defined the minimum
necessities of life in one of his oft-quoted traditions. He is
reported to have said: “The son of man has no better right than
that he would have a house wherein he may live, and a piece of
cloth whereby he may hide his nakedness, and a piece of bread and
some water”-(Tirmizi). From this tradition of the Prophet also,
the barest necessities of human life include food and water,
clothes and a house.
Every person living
in the Islamic state is entitled to these basic needs, but if he
is unable to procure them for himself or for his family then the
Islamic state is duty bound to provide him the same. Many Muslim
jurists have held that Islamic state is responsible to provide
minimum standard of living, in the form of basic necessities of
life, to all those persons who being poor, needy, sick, disabled,
old or unemployed, are somehow unable to achieve the same. God has
guaranteed sustenance to all His creatures on earth and the
Islamic state being viceroy of God has its foremost duty to
provide barest necessities of life to all of its citizens. Some of
the very eminent jurists of Islam have held that the allegiance of
the citizens to Islamic state depends upon the condition that the
state would guarantee them basic necessities of life. But if the
state fails to do so, then the state, according to them, forefeits
its right to their allegiance.
Following persons are especially entitled to financial assistance
from the state:
(1)
All poor persons who need help to pull on.
(2)
Incapacitated or physically disabled individuals
who cannot earn.
(3)
Helpless persons like orphans, widows, old and
unemployed.
(4)
Refugees or fugitives who are forced to leave their
homeland and their belongings under oppression or persecution.
(5)
Students, teachers, preachers, etc. who have
dedicated their lives for the cause of learning and propagation of
Islam and thus have no time or means to earn for their
subsistence.
(6)
Persons who are overtaken by some calamity like
flood, earthquake, epidemic, war, cyclone, storm, etc.
(7)
All other helpless, destitute, distressed and needy
persons, who are forced to begging in order to eat and cover their
bodies.
An Islamic welfare
state establishes an all-embracing social security system in its
land for the deserving persons without any discrimination on any
bias like religion, colour, language, race, place of birth, sex or
blood-ties. This system of social security provides : maintenance
allowances, family allowances, invalid allowances, widows
allowances, orphans allowances, old age pensions, unemployment
allowances, medical aid, etc. It also provides financial aid to
the debtors in discharging their debt liability. It helps the
prisoners and captives in provision of food and clothing. The
social security scheme helps the travellers in the form of
boarding and lodging facilities. The scheme is supposed to help
the guarantors also who stand as surety for a debtor.
3. The economic
philosophy of an Islamic state is based on the concept of social
justice. Allah has placed in the earth sustenance and provisions
for all to cater their need. However, due to various reasons, the
distribution of these provisions does not remain fair among all
the human beings, thus making some fortunate people very rich who
possess wealth more than their needs and making many others very
poor who possess nothing or too little to meet their very basic
necessities of life. An Islamic state provides equal opportunities
to all its citizens to earn their livelihood. In order to achieve
social justice, Islam takes two major steps: Firstly it
discourages rather condemns concentration of wealth in few hands;
secondly it ensures fair and equitable distribution of wealth
through effective measures.
The Qur’an, the
revealed book of Islam, condemns hoarding of gold and silver in
very strong words in its verses 34 and 35 of its chapter 9, while
concentration of wealth among the rich segment of society has been
discouraged in verse No. 7 of Chapter 59 of the Holy book. To
check concentration of wealth in few hands, unlawful and unfair
means of acquiring wealth like interest, games of chance, bribery,
business malpractices (such as short measuring, short weighing,
etc). hoarding, embezzlement, theft and robbery, etc, have been
strictly prohibited. Fair and equitable distribution of wealth has
been ensured by Islam through Zakat and Sadaqat, through taxes and
compulsory contributions levied by the Islamic state, and last of
all through the laws of inheritance and will.
Thus, Islam,
through its attack on concentration of wealth and through its
measures taken for equitable distribution of wealth, has paved the
way for establishment of socio-economic justice in an Islamic
state. The gulf between the rich and the poor is narrowed and
economic disparities are removed.
Muhammad Asad,
while discussing the duties of the Islamic state with regard to
economic security of its citizens, writes, : “It follows,
therefore, that a state in order to be truly Islamic must arrange
the affairs of the community in such a way that every individual,
man and woman, shall enjoy that minimum of material well-being
without which there can be no human dignity, no real freedom and,
in the last resort, no spiritual progress. This, of course, does
not mean that the state should, or ever could, ensure easy and
carefree living to its citizens : it only means that in an Islamic
state there shall be no soul-grinding poverty side by side with
affluence; secondly, that all the resources of the state must be
harnessed to the task of providing adequate means of livelihood
for all its citizens; and, thirdly, that all the opportunities in
this respect should be open to all citizens equally, and that no
person should enjoy a high standard of living at the expense of
other.”
Dilating on this
theme further, he says: “But if the available resources of a
community are so unevenly distributed that certain groups within
it live in affluence while the majority of the people are forced
to use up all their energies in search of their daily bread,
poverty becomes the most dangerous enemy of spiritual progress,
and occasionally drives whole community away from
God-consciousness and into the arms of soul-destroying
materialism. It is undoubtedly this that the prophet had in mind
when he uttered the warning words: “Poverty may sometimes turn
into disbelief (kufr).”
4. In order to
achieve its ideal of socio-economic justice, Islam imposes social
rights over individual wealth such as rights of the poor relatives
for financial support, rights of the needy neighbors for
assistance, rights of the slaves and servants for help, rights of
the wayfarers, friends and general Muslims who need financial aid.
The Holy Qur’an
says: “They ask thee, (O Muhammad), what they shall spend. Say :
That which ye spend for good (must go) to parents and near kindred
and orphans and the needy and the wayfarer. And whatsoever good ye
do, Lo! Allah is aware of it”- (2 : 215).
Since the above
mentioned social rights of others are to be fulfilled and payment
of Zakat may not be sufficient for the same, the Prophet of Islam
is reported to have said: “In one’s wealth there are other rights
to besides Zakat”. Ali, the fourth caliph, said: “Allah has
ordained that the rich are to pay out of their wealth to that
extent which is sufficient for the needs of the poor; so that if
they do not find food or clothing or struggle (unsuccessfully for
their living), it would be because the rich are not doing their
duty, and Allah will take them to task on the Day of Judgement and
will punish them.”
Thus the followers
of Islam are required to fulfil the needs of the poor and if Zakat
revenues are insufficient, the Islamic welfare state can ask them
to contribute more so that the needs of the poor can be met. Ibn
Hazm, however, goes further to say: “It is obligatory on the
wealthy of every city to provide for the needy and if the income
from Zakat is not sufficient for this purpose, the Sultan can
force them.”
The view of Abu
Dhar Ghaffari, who was a very close companion of the Prophet, is
that the rich should surrender all of their surplus wealth to the
Muslim community or the state so that needs of the poor should be
satisfied. According to him, no Muslim is entitled to keep wealth
more than his needs when even a single Muslim remains hungry or
naked in the country.
It would be of
great academic interest if we reproduce an extract from
Afzal-ur-Rahman’s book ‘Economic Doctrines of Islam’ in order to
know the views of a great jurist like Ibn Hazm.
“As to the
prohibition of keeping surpluses while fellow citizens are in dire
need, Ibn Hazm quotes another saying of the Prophet related
by “Whoever has an extra camel, let him give it to him who has it
not and needs it; whoever has surplus food, let him give it to him
who is without it.” The Prophet went on talking about parting with
surpluses of various kinds until we came to believe that we are
being taught that no one has any right to any surplus.”
“Ibn Hazm
then proceeds to deal with the question of the power of the state
exercised in spreading out of the national wealth. He first deals
with the right of the needy individual against another who has a
surplus. He says that if a person is dying of thirst or hunger and
the person possessing water and food refuses to help him, the
hungry or the thirsty man has a right to take it by force. Most
jurists before Ibn Hazm had mentioned only extreme thirst
as a justification for individual violence. He criticises them and
says that if thirst justifies it, why not starvation or lack of
covering which might prove equally fatal.”
“Abu Bakr,
the first Caliph, fought war to crush those who would not pay
Zakat meant for the poor. Ibn Hazm thinks that it
justifies violence against those who withhold surpluses while
poverty and misery still exists.”
5. Islamic
welfare state is also duty-bound to protect the weak against the
strong. Abu Bakr the first caliph of Islamic state is reported to
have said : “He that is weak among you is strong before me, in as
much as I shall restore unto him his due, if it please God; and he
that is strong among you is weak before me, in as much as I shall
take that which is due from him, if it please God.”
So it is the
responsibility of Islamic welfare state to protect the poor and
the helpless from the economic exploitation of the rich and the
strong. For this purpose many steps have been taken by Islam.
Usury which is a strong instrument of human exploitation has been
totally abolished. Unfair means to acquiring wealth and exploiting
the weak such as bribery, usurping the wealth of orphans,
gambling, speculative business, embezzlement, spurious weights and
measures, fraudulent business practices have been banned in the
Islamic state. Rights of the weak like orphans, women, slaves and
servants, labourers and workers, tenants, consumers, etc., are
also protected in the Islamic welfare state from the onslaught of
the usurpers, oppressors, capitalists, feudal lords,
industrialists, etc., as discussed in the previous chapter.
6. Education and
health play very vital role in the welfare of the individuals as
well as in the development of a nation. So a welfare state in
order to achieve its socio-economic goals cannot ignore these two
sectors. Therefore, to provide education and healthcare to all of
its citizens free or at heavily subsidized rates is one of the
foremost duties of the Islamic welfare state. Islam’s emphasis on
education can be understood from the very fact that the first
verses of the Holy Qur’an which were revealed to Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH) laid stress on reading (Al-Quran 96 : 1-5). The Qur’an, in
one of its very popular prayers, enjoins upon the Prophet of Islam
to always pray to God thus : My Lord ! Increase me in knowledge”
(20 : 114). The Prophet of Islam has made it obligatory upon every
Muslim, whether male or female, to acquire education and
knowledge. With this stress on education, the Prophet of Islam, as
first head of the Islamic community and state, started educating
and training his followers. Soon after his migration to Madinah,
the Prophet ordered reservation of a part of his mosque for
educational purposes. The place was called al-Suffah where
elementary education in al-Quran was imported along with teaching
the students how to read and write. After the Prophet, his
successors known in history as right-guided caliphs, continued
discharging this duty of the state to educate the people. Thus it
has become one of the very important duties of the Islamic state
to provide education to all its citizens.
The state is bound
to impart education of the Qur’an and Hadith besides humanities,
sciences and other technical subjects. It would establish schools,
college, universities, etc., to provide free education to all of
its citizens, male or female.
Islam also lays
much stress on health and the Prophet of Islam has enjoined upon
his followers to look after the sick. Providing healthcare and
medical aid to the sick is thus another ownerous duty of the
Islamic welfare state.
7. The last, but
not the least, important duty of the Islamic welfare state is to
look after the spiritual welfare of its citizens. To discharge
this duty, the Islam welfare state establishes the Islamic system
of government as contained in the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Muslim
citizens are enabled to lead their lives in accordance with the
teachings of Islam; whereas non-Muslim citizens are provided with
full religious freedom so that they may perform their religious
practices in their places of worship without any restriction. The
Islamic state is obliged to work for the spread of Islam because
the salvation of humanity ultimately lies in Islam. But this is
done through preaching and persuation and not through coercive
measures or exercise of pressure as forcible conversion has been
strictly prohibited by Islam.
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IV- Islamic Welfare State under the Prophet
and His Successors
1.
The Prophet of Islam, Hadrat Muhammad (May Allah’s
peace be upon him) migrated from Makkah and settled at Madinah in
the year 622 A.D. Soon after he concluded a three-party pact
comprising Muhajirin (Muslims who had migrated with him), Ansar
(Muslims of Madinah who had welcomed him) and Jews of Madinah.
This pact came to be known in history as Charter of Madinah which
laid down the foundations of a small Islamic state at Madinah
headed by the Prophet himself. The income of public treasury of
this tiny state was too small to undertake work of social security
and public relief at a large scale. Moreover the state was always
engaged in warfare as its security was constantly in danger due to
frequent invasions of Quresh of Makkah and intrigues of Jews of
Madinah.
Initially the
only source of income of the state was Zakat. Later on spoils of
war augmented the government resources, as four-fifth of it was
distributed among the fighting soldiers and one-fifth was taken
for the public treasury for the cause of the poor. Out of these
available revenues, the Holy Prophet always provided financial
assistance to the needy
and the poor, and monetary help to those who were sick, invalid
and hence unable to earn. He also helped those who were unemployed
either in the shape of monetary assistance or in getting
employment. When the position of public revenue improved during
later part of his reign, he started paying off the debts of those
poor Muslims who were unable to repay the same or who died leaving
behind no property to clear their debts. Thus the Holy Prophet
established a sort of social security system whereby the Islamic
state could provide at least basic human needs to all those
members of the community who were otherwise unable to provide the
same for themselves and for their families.
2.
Abu Baker, who succeeded the Prophet of Islam,
strictly followed the policy initiated by the Prophet regarding
financial assistance to the poor and the needy. He declared war on
those who had refused to pay Zakat, because the Zakat was the
share of the poor and the destitute in the wealth of the rich and
well-to-do. In the distribution of funds among the eligible
persons, Abu Bakr followed in the footsteps of the Holy Prophet
and gave equal share to each without making any distinction. When
some companions insisted that the earliest Muslims should be given
preference and paid higher allowances than the later converts, Abu
Bakr rejected their plea saying : “I am fully conscious of the
superiority and excellence of the people you have mentioned; but
it is a thing which will be rewarded by God. But here is a matter
of livelihood, where equality is better than the principle of
preference”. During his reign a regular Bait-ul-Mal on permanent
footing was established and its income increased considerably due
to accession of some conquered countries to the Islamic state. So
the state assistance to the poor and the needy also substantially
increased.
3.
Umar the second caliph of Islam, who succeeded Abu
Bakr, established a full-fledged and an all-embracing system of
social security and public maintenance as the revenues of the
Bait-ul-Mal substantially increased due to conquest of many rich
countries of Iranian and Roman empires like Iraq, Syria, Iran,
Egypt, Palestine, etc. So it was during his time that an ideal
welfare state of Islam with large scale system of public
maintenance and social justice was established which guaranteed
fair and equitable distribution of wealth and minimum but
reasonable standard of living for all citizens. Different
departments were created for distribution of grants and allowances
among the people and registers were maintained for this purpose.
Imam Abu Yusuf, in
his book Kitab-ul-Kharaj, gives a detailed account of grants and
allowances given by Caliph Umar to various
classes of
persons.
He states :
“When God
extended the conquests during the Caliphate of Umar, and
the Persians and the Romans were defeated, he called, the Advisory
Council of the companions of the Holy Prophet
and said, “I
have decided to keep wealth in Bait-ul-Mal (the state
treasury), for it will be useful for paying annual grants to the
people, I want to know your opinion. The companions replied, “Do
as you think proper for the hand of God is with you”. Then Umar
fixed grants for various categories of people and called for the
preparation of registers to make the necessary entries therein.
Then Umar enquired whose names should be written first in
the register. Abdur Rahman bin Auf replied, “Start with
your own name”. Umar said, “By God ! I can do this but I
will start with Banu Hashim, the family of the Holy
Prophet”.
Further elaborating
this system of grants
and allowances, Abu Yusaf writes that Zaid reported from
his father who heard Umar bin Khattab saying that : “I
swear by God without Whom there is no god, that there is not a
single individual who has not got a right in this wealth (received
from people) even though in practice he may get it or not. And no
individual has more right in it than any other except a slave. My
position in this respect is like anyone of you, and our grades
will be determined in the light of the Book of God and association
with the Holy Prophet. All the trials through which a person has
gone and the lead he has taken in accepting Islam will be taken
into account. By God ! If I live even a shepherd in the hills of
Sana will get his share from this wealth at his own place.”
“He fixed an
allowance of 5,000 dirhams per
annum for
any one who had fought in the battle of Badr, and for all
others whose Islam was of the same degree as those who had fought
at Badr, e.g., who had migrated to Abyssinia, or fought at
the battle of Uhad were given 4,000 dirhams per annum;
children of those who had fought at Badr received 1,000
dirhams, but Hassan and Hussain for their
relation with the Holy Prophet received the same amount of
allowance as their fathers, i.e., 5,000 dirhams each. Every
one who had migrated before the conquest of Mecca was given an
annual allowance of 3,000 dirhams; and those who embraced
Islam at the conquest of Mecca were given 2,000 dirhams
each and young children of Muhajirin and Ansar also
received the same amount of allowance”.
“In the
determination of allowances
for common people, he took into account their position, knowledge
of the Holy Quran and struggle in the Way of Gad (Jehad).
All others were placed on equal footing; grants of 2,100, 1,000,
900, 500 and 300 dirhams were fixed for the people of Yemen but no
one received less than 300 dirhams per annum. Umar
also said that if more wealth was received, he would increase the
allowances and fixed 4,000 dirhams for everyone, 1,000 for his
journey, 1,000 for arms, 1,000 for his family expenses and 1,000
for his horse or pony”.
Every Muhajir
on the average was paid 5,000 dirhams, every Ansar
3000 dirhams and wives of the Holy Prophet at the rate of 12,000
dirhams each per annum. But Umar did not always follow very
strictly the
rules which he had laid down in determining the allowances. In
certain cases it was not considered essential to follow those
rules and some individuals were given higher allowances than other
people of the same status. Umar Ibn Abi Salma, who was the
son of Ummul Mumineen, Um-e-Salma, was given 4,000
dirhams. When Muhammad bin Abdullah Ibn Jahsh objected,
Umar replied that he was giving him more because of the
place in which he was held by the Holy Prophet, and the one who
was objecting should bring a mother like Um-e-Salma and
then he would accept it. He also fixed 4000 dirhams for Ussama
bin Zaid, at this Abdullah bin Umar said that he had
fixed 3000 dirhams for him and 4,000 dirhams for Ussama,
even though he had fought in many battles in which Ussama
could not participate. Umar replied that he had given him
more for he was dearer to the Holy Prophet than him and his father
was also dearer to him than his father.
Umar
fixed 1,000 dirhams for Asma bint Umais, wife of
Abu Bakr, Um-e-Kulsum bint Uqbah and the
mother of
Abdullah bin Masuad.”
The Islamic state
under Umar also supported the poor and needy from its non-Muslim
citizens in providing their basic needs and remitted their taxes
like Jizyah, We have already mentioned how caliph Umar remitted
Jizyah and gave financial assistance to a blind old non-Muslim
whom he found begging. The great caliph by exercise of Ijtihad,
included poor non-Muslims among the ‘Masakin’ who are entitled to
Sadaqat as prescribed
in verse 60 of chapter 9 of the Holy Qur’an. He thereafter issued
a standing order to the concerned departments to provide regular
allowances out of Bait-ul-Mal to those non-Muslim citizens who
were needy and destitutes. Collection of Jizyah from such persons
was also strictly forbidden.
Besides providing
the above mentioned grants and allowances, Umar made it sure that
no one was left hungry,
naked or shelterless in the Islamic state.
He made necessary arrangements that every needy, invalid, sick,
old, orphan, widow, and unemployed was provided adequate
subsistence from the Bait-ul-Mal. Allowances for new-born babies
were fixed and families of the Mujahideen (Muslim warriors) were
properly looked after. Travellers were assisted, they were
provided free food and lodging and guest houses were built for
them at various places.
4.
Usman, the third caliph of Islam, who succeeded
Umar, continued the system of public maintenance established by
his great predecessor-in-office. Ali, the fourth caliph, reversed
the principle of preference in the matter of grants and adopted
Abu Bakr’s principle of equality. On the whole the Islamic Welfare
state under these two caliphs maintained its welfare activities
and continued providing regular grants and allowances to various
classes of recepients.
With the death
of Ali, the pious caliphate came to an end and so did the welfare
state, except its revival for a shorter period under Umar-bin-Abdul
Aziz.
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