Reading Time: 3 Minutes
Al-Takāful Al-Ijtimā‘ī (التكافل الاجتماعي) is one of the fundamental principles upon which society in Islam is built. It ensures happiness, stability, affection, security, unity, and peace within the community.
Linguistically, Al-Takāful (التكافل) means joining one responsibility to another to strengthen both through this union. In simple terms, every capable individual in society is required to assist their needy brother, ensuring at least a minimum standard of a dignified life. It guarantees the availability of basic needs for all members of society without discrimination.
Al-Takāful (التكافل) does not only imply sympathy and stopping at that point; rather, it must be accompanied by positive action.
Scholars have affirmed that Al-Takāful Al-Ijtimā‘ī (التكافل الاجتماعي) is divided into two types: Māddī (مادي) (material) and Ma‘nawī (معنوي) (spiritual).
Al-Takāful Al-Māddī (التكافل المادي) refers to financial assistance, such as giving money to lift the needy from poverty to self-sufficiency or wealth. As Sayyidunā ‘Umar ibn Al-Khaṭṭāb (سيدنا عمر بن الخطاب) (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "If you give, make them rich." Likewise, Sayyidunā ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib (سيدنا علي بن أبي طالب) (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Allah has made it obligatory for the wealthy to provide for the poor according to what suffices them."
Al-Takāful Al-Ma‘nawī (التكافل المعنوي) manifests in various forms beyond financial aid, as human needs are not limited to material resources. It includes aspects like advice, friendship, kindness, education, emotional support, and other forms of giving.
Scholars have also highlighted a difference between Al-Takāful Al-Ijtimā‘ī (التكافل الاجتماعي) and Al-Ḍamān Al-Ijtimā‘ī (الضمان الاجتماعي), despite their similarities:
- Al-Ḍamān Al-Ijtimā‘ī (الضمان الاجتماعي) refers to the ruler’s obligation toward his people, or in modern terms, the government's duty toward its citizens. The authorities must ensure a minimum standard of living and provide aid to those in need.
Islam teaches that the wealth given by Allah to His servants is not their personal property but rather belongs to Allah. This means that a Muslim should not spend their wealth as their desires dictate, but in accordance with divine instructions. Islam emphasizes that the entire universe, including all within it, belongs to Allah. As Allah states:
"To Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth." (Mafhoom of Surah Aal ‘Imran: 189)
Since wealth belongs to Allah, it is an Amānah (أمانة) (trust) in the hands of humans, and they will be questioned about it on the Day of Judgment. One of the fundamental principles that Allah has emphasized in all His messages is spending in His cause. As Allah says:
"Here you are—those invited to spend in the way of Allah—but among you are those who withhold. And whoever withholds only withholds from himself. And Allah is Free of Need, while you are the needy. And if you turn away, He will replace you with another people, and they will not be like you." (Mafhoom of Surah Muhammad: 38)
And Allah also says:
"And let not those who are stingy with what Allah has given them of His bounty think that it is good for them. Rather, it is bad for them. They will be made to wear what they hoarded, like a collar, on the Day of Judgment." (Mafhoom of Surah Aal ‘Imran: 180)
Islam obligates Muslims to provide for their needy brothers to such an extent that if Zakāh (الزكاة) (mandatory almsgiving) and Ṣadaqāt (الصدقات) (voluntary charity) are insufficient, then the community as a whole must participate in Al-Kafāf (الكفاف) (basic sustenance). Allah states:
"So that wealth does not merely circulate among the rich among you." (Mafhoom of Surah Al-Hashr: 7)
The Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ (صلى الله عليه وسلّم) said:
"He is not a believer who sleeps full while his neighbor is hungry beside him, and he is aware of it."
And he also said:
"If any group of people wakes up and finds among them a hungry person, then they are no longer under Allah's protection and that of His Messenger."
Sayyidunā ‘Umar ibn Al-Khaṭṭāb (سيدنا عمر بن الخطاب) (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
"I strive to fulfill every need as long as we have the means, and if we run out, we will share equally in whatever little we have until we are all at the level of basic sufficiency."
Islam has established various means to achieve Al-Takāful Al-Ijtimā‘ī (التكافل الاجتماعي), including Zakāh (الزكاة), Ṣadaqāt (الصدقات), Al-Waqf (الوقف) (endowments, considered ongoing charity), Al-Diyyāt (الديات) (blood money), Al-Kaffārāt (الكفّارات) (expiations), and Al-Nudhūr (النذور) (vows).
Zakāh (الزكاة) plays a crucial role in achieving Al-Takāful, as many scholars have described it as an institution of social security because it is obligatory and has defined recipients and amounts.
The caliphs ‘Umar ibn Al-Khaṭṭāb (عمر بن الخطاب) and ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd Al-‘Azīz (عمر بن عبدالعزيز), may Allah be pleased with them, set remarkable examples of how a just ruler can achieve fairness and prosperity for their people through honesty and exceptional justice in distributing the nation’s wealth.
Written by the Chief Judge of the Sunni Sharia Court - Lebanon