Society and Social Welfare in Islam

A society can be judged by how it treats those who cannot repay it: the poor, orphans, widows, strangers, the sick and the weak. Islam does not treat their care as optional kindness. It writes it into worship, law and the institutions of society, so that mercy does not depend on the mood of the moment.

One body

The Prophet ﷺ described the community he wanted to build:

Narrated An-Nu`man bin Bashir: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "You see the believers as regards their being merciful among themselves and showing love among themselves and being kind, resembling one body, so that, if any part of the body is not well then the whole body shares the sleeplessness (insomnia) and fever with it

The Qur’an turns this into a principle of public life: people are to cooperate in good and in protecting one another, never in wrongdoing:

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تُحِلُّوا۟ شَعَٰٓئِرَ ٱللَّهِ وَلَا ٱلشَّهْرَ ٱلْحَرَامَ وَلَا ٱلْهَدْىَ وَلَا ٱلْقَلَٰٓئِدَ وَلَآ ءَآمِّينَ ٱلْبَيْتَ ٱلْحَرَامَ يَبْتَغُونَ فَضْلًۭا مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَرِضْوَٰنًۭا ۚ وَإِذَا حَلَلْتُمْ فَٱصْطَادُوا۟ ۚ وَلَا يَجْرِمَنَّكُمْ شَنَـَٔانُ قَوْمٍ أَن صَدُّوكُمْ عَنِ ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ أَن تَعْتَدُوا۟ ۘ وَتَعَاوَنُوا۟ عَلَى ٱلْبِرِّ وَٱلتَّقْوَىٰ ۖ وَلَا تَعَاوَنُوا۟ عَلَى ٱلْإِثْمِ وَٱلْعُدْوَٰنِ ۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۖ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ شَدِيدُ ٱلْعِقَابِ ﴿٢﴾

O you who have believed, do not violate the rites of Allah or [the sanctity of] the sacred month or [neglect the marking of] the sacrificial animals and garlanding [them] or [violate the safety of] those coming to the Sacred House seeking bounty from their Lord and [His] approval. But when you come out of ihram, then [you may] hunt. And do not let the hatred of a people for having obstructed you from al-Masjid al-Haram lead you to transgress. And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty.

Zakat: the right of the poor

Zakat is one of the five pillars of Islam, as basic as prayer. Every Muslim whose savings, trade goods, crops or livestock reach a set minimum gives a fixed share each year — for money, one fortieth (2.5%). It is not a favour: the Qur’an treats it as a fixed and recognised claim of the needy on the wealth of those who have more (Qur’an 51:19 and 70:24–25). Its recipients are named by God Himself:

۞ إِنَّمَا ٱلصَّدَقَٰتُ لِلْفُقَرَآءِ وَٱلْمَسَٰكِينِ وَٱلْعَٰمِلِينَ عَلَيْهَا وَٱلْمُؤَلَّفَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَفِى ٱلرِّقَابِ وَٱلْغَٰرِمِينَ وَفِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَٱبْنِ ٱلسَّبِيلِ ۖ فَرِيضَةًۭ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌۭ ﴿٦٠﴾

Zakah expenditures are only for the poor and for the needy and for those employed to collect [zakah] and for bringing hearts together [for Islam] and for freeing captives [or slaves] and for those in debt and for the cause of Allah and for the [stranded] traveler - an obligation [imposed] by Allah. And Allah is Knowing and Wise.

Historically, zakat was collected and distributed by the state; today many Muslims pay it through trusted institutions or directly. Alongside it come zakat al-fitr at the end of Ramadan, expiations that require feeding the poor, and endless voluntary charity (sadaqah). The Prophet ﷺ taught that charity is not only money: judging justly between two people, helping someone load their animal, a good word and removing something harmful from the road are all charity (Bukhari 2989). Read more in Zakat: the right of the poor.

Who has a claim on society

The Qur’an defines righteousness not only as belief but as spending on those in need:

۞ لَّيْسَ ٱلْبِرَّ أَن تُوَلُّوا۟ وُجُوهَكُمْ قِبَلَ ٱلْمَشْرِقِ وَٱلْمَغْرِبِ وَلَٰكِنَّ ٱلْبِرَّ مَنْ ءَامَنَ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْءَاخِرِ وَٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةِ وَٱلْكِتَٰبِ وَٱلنَّبِيِّۦنَ وَءَاتَى ٱلْمَالَ عَلَىٰ حُبِّهِۦ ذَوِى ٱلْقُرْبَىٰ وَٱلْيَتَٰمَىٰ وَٱلْمَسَٰكِينَ وَٱبْنَ ٱلسَّبِيلِ وَٱلسَّآئِلِينَ وَفِى ٱلرِّقَابِ وَأَقَامَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتَى ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَٱلْمُوفُونَ بِعَهْدِهِمْ إِذَا عَٰهَدُوا۟ ۖ وَٱلصَّٰبِرِينَ فِى ٱلْبَأْسَآءِ وَٱلضَّرَّآءِ وَحِينَ ٱلْبَأْسِ ۗ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا۟ ۖ وَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُتَّقُونَ ﴿١٧٧﴾

Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east or the west, but [true] righteousness is [in] one who believes in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets and gives wealth, in spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveler, those who ask [for help], and for freeing slaves; [and who] establishes prayer and gives zakah; [those who] fulfill their promise when they promise; and [those who] are patient in poverty and hardship and during battle. Those are the ones who have been true, and it is those who are the righteous.

It even describes neglect of the weak as a sign of denying the faith itself:

أَرَءَيْتَ ٱلَّذِى يُكَذِّبُ بِٱلدِّينِ ﴿١﴾ فَذَٰلِكَ ٱلَّذِى يَدُعُّ ٱلْيَتِيمَ ﴿٢﴾ وَلَا يَحُضُّ عَلَىٰ طَعَامِ ٱلْمِسْكِينِ ﴿٣﴾

¹Have you seen the one who denies the Recompense? ²For that is the one who drives away the orphan ³And does not encourage the feeding of the poor.

Orphans hold a special place. Their property must be protected and never consumed unjustly (Qur’an 4:10), and the reward for looking after them is closeness to the Prophet ﷺ himself:

Narrated Sahl: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "I and the one who looks after an orphan will be like this in Paradise," showing his middle and index fingers and separating them

Neighbours, whether relatives or strangers, have rights too (Qur’an 4:36). The traveller cut off from home, the debtor who cannot pay, the captive and the beggar are all named in the Qur’an. See Orphans in Islam and Neighbours in Islam.

The waqf: charity that lasts

One of the most important welfare institutions in Muslim history began with a question. Umar asked the Prophet ﷺ what to do with a valuable piece of land:

Narrated Ibn `Umar: Umar bin Al-Khattab got some land in Khaibar and he went to the Prophet (ﷺ) to consult him about it saying, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) I got some land in Khaibar better than which I have never had, what do you suggest that I do with it?" The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "If you like you can give the land as endowment and give its fruits in charity." So `Umar gave it in charity as an endowment on the condition that it would not be sold nor given to anybody as a present and not to be inherited, but its yield would be given in charity to the poor people, to the Kith and kin, for freeing slaves, for Allah's Cause, to the travelers and guests; and that there would be no harm if the guardian of the endowment ate from it according to his need with good intention, and fed others without storing it for the future

This is the waqf: an asset set aside permanently, whose income goes to good causes. Over the centuries, across many Muslim lands, endowments funded mosques, schools and universities, hospitals, public fountains and wells, inns for travellers, and support for widows, the poor and students. Historical sources also mention more unusual endowments, such as funds for treating sick animals, though such details vary by place and era. Muslim cities also had the muhtasib, a market inspector responsible for fair weights, honest trade and public order. The forms changed with time, but the principle remained: private wealth can be turned into public good.

Public good, the weak and animals

In Islam, small acts in public space are worship:

Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "While a man was on the way, he found a thorny branch of a tree there on the way and removed it. Allah thanked him for that deed and forgave him

Mercy reaches animals too. The Prophet ﷺ told of a man forgiven for giving water to a thirsty dog, and said there is reward for serving any living being (Bukhari 2466), and of a woman punished for locking up a cat until it starved (Bukhari 2365). Islam also encourages people to work and support themselves rather than live from begging, while making sure those who truly cannot work are cared for. See Poverty and charity in Islam.

Common misunderstandings

• “Charity is humiliating for the poor.” In Islam, the giver is warned not to follow charity with reminders or hurt (Qur’an 2:264), and zakat is the poor person’s right, not the rich person’s gift.
• “Islam is against private wealth.” No. Islam respects ownership and trade, but it insists that wealth must circulate and must not stay only among the rich (Qur’an 59:7).
• “Welfare is only the state’s job.” The state has duties, but so does every Muslim: family, neighbours, mosque and community all share the load.

A society built on these teachings is one in which nobody should go hungry while their neighbour has plenty.