Islam, Welfare Social Services and Human Dignity
A Maqasid Approach
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52100/jcms.v3i2.142Keywords:
Islam, human dignity, maqasid, welfareAbstract
Over the last few decades, Muslim humanitarian NGOs and grassroots social work organizations have emerged worldwide, in both Muslim-majority and non-Muslim-majority societies. Unlike the 'traditional' welfare mechanisms provided by ancient Muslim institutions, these new organizations took the form of secular welfare NGOs and civil society associations, adding an 'Islamic' label to highlight their specific identity. They claim to act according to Islamic guidelines, their Muslim identity, or their faith. Although many of these Muslim organizations offer valuable and useful social services and humanitarian aid to those in need, it is common to observe practices within these organizations that contradict Islamic teachings. Based on the observation that numerous Muslim organizations inadvertently deviate from basic Islamic principles in their projects and policies, this article aims to initiate a discussion on the ways to align social work and humanitarian aid with Islamic principles. It will present examples of so-called 'Islamic-based' social services, drawn from previous sociological studies, to highlight the current situation before attempting to identify normative guidelines based on a Maqasid approach to the Islamic scriptures.
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