Islamic influence started flowing into India more than thirteen hundred years ago. Muslim chieftains and adventurers came intermittently in northern parts of the country. Perhaps attracted by its salubrious climate or by the bountiful natural resources, some of them also settled down over there. For nearly seven centuries, different parts of the country had been ruled by Muslim emperors, kings, nawabs or rajahs. In between, there had been scores of saints, sufis and auliyas who worked among and with the people to improve their living condition. This led to a prolonged and intense cultural interchange between Muslims and other population groups in India. Besides, over the years, the Muslim community made a significant contribution. It may be divided into two broad groups.
(a) Social Services: Indeed, services like road, hospital and schools are critically important. These provide people with a progressive basis to change and develop and to improve their quality of life. Quite a few Muslim rulers and potentates have devoted attention and resources to infrastructural development in the land.
In this connection, one name that readily comes to mind is that of Sher Shah Suri (1472-1545) who ruled a large part of north India. He was a visionary ruler and introduced many military, civil and social reforms. He coined and introduced terms like rupayya (rupee coin), pargana (district or subdivision) and munsif or magistrate. These terms are in currency even now. In his empire, he built a network of roads, with sarais (inns) at regular intervals where wayfarers and their steed could rest and recoup. Some of these facilities survive even to this day.
Several rulers also paid attention to health-care. Sher Shah Suri is reported to have posted hakims (practitioners of unani medicine) at many sarais to provide health-care for wayfarers as well as for general public. Allauddin Khilji, early in the 14th century exercised social control over essential commodities, regulating supply and prices – a measure which greatly helped lower and lower-middle class people. Emperor Firoz Tughlak (1309-1388) organised Diwane-e-Khairat which also supported facilities for the treatment of the sick and the afflicted. However, a more substantial contribution to health-care and treatment of diseases came from hakims engaged in private practice. While they were patronised and recompensed by kings, nawabs and rajas, they would treat ailing public free of cost. Emperor Akbar and several other rulers are reported to have given land-grants to hakims.
Although the concept of mass-based schooling and education was not there in the medieval period, a chain of maktabs and madrasas had come into existence. Often attached with mosques, these madrasas imparted instruction (mostly to boys) on Qur’an, Sunnah, and elementary subjects. Most of these madrasas used to enjoy the support of the ruler in the form of land grants. To this day, the practice of mosques having attached madrasas has continued, though it is unclear that these have sufficiently updated themselves in approach and educational technology.
(b) Welfare Services: Rendering help to the less fortunate and to the under-privileged has been an essential feature of Islam. This is evident from the elaborate system of khairat, fitrah and zakat which all believers are required to take out and pass on to the needy and indigent. At times, the needy would comprise not only beggars and mendicants but also middle class persons facing financial stringency. Diwane-e-Khairat set up by Emperor Firoz Tughlak granted financial assistance to deserving persons for getting their daughter married out. Such persons were (and are) also eligible to receive fitrah so that they and their family could, for example, celebrate and enjoy the festival of Eid.
Emperor Akbar had set up a fund, Madad-i-Maash. Among other things, the fund provided famine relief and ‘food for work’. In Lucknow, Bara Imambara, a large imposing complex, completed around 1783, is supposed to have been built through ‘food for work’ programme during a prolonged and devastating famine in the region. Some accounts show that even middle class persons facing stringency due to famine participated in the ‘lowly’ construction-work and availed benefits from the ‘food for work’ programme.
Although, in medieval India, begging hardly existed as a significant social problem, there would be persons, perhaps victims of calamities or circumstance, needing succour or relief. Firoz Tughlak is reported to have allotted 1,00,000 maunds (about 40,000 quintals) of wheat and rice for this purpose. Similarly, at one point of time, Sher Shah Suri organised ‘free kitchens’ at various drought-stricken places in his empire, and spent 500 Asharfis (gold coin usually weighing about 10 grams each) on them daily.
ISLAMIC INSTITUTION
Over the years, several Islamic institutions have come up which may be briefly described. As mentioned earlier, Unani system of medicine has been vastly popular among Muslims. They also have had, among them, several famous hakims who, from time to time, set up matabs or clinics. Usually located in cities and towns, these matabs would cater to the health needs of the people in the area. Further, these would render services to the low-income persons free of charge. A few among these matabs also paid attention to institutionalise their system and managed to create a niche for themselves. The example that could be readily cited is of the Hamdard (Wakf) Laboratories, Delhi, which is regarded as the largest producer of unani medicine in the world. Apart from this, there are tibia (unani medical) colleges which offer educational programmes leading to a graduate degree in unani medicine and surgery (e.g. Tibbia College, a constituent college of Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh). These colleges provide consultation as hospital services at no or nominal charges.
In the field of education, the role of maktabs and madrasas has already been underlined. Apart from this, quite a few Islamic institutions have come up in response to changing social and political conditions which need to be mentioned. In 1875, Mohammedan Anglo Oriental College was set up at Aligarh with a view to promoting learning and education among Muslims with an English or Western approach. Converted into Aligarh Muslim University, in 1920, this institution has, over the years, made a notable contribution to the educational and cultural development in the country. Yet another institution is Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, which was set up, in 1920, as a nationalist institution, in the wake of freedom struggle, and in response to the call for indigenising education in the country. Subsequently, in 1988, it was made a ‘central university’ through an act of Parliament. As at present, it caters to the educational needs and aspirations of young and talented people regardless of their colour, caste or creed. The contribution of this institution in promoting generic as well as professional education in the country is highly regarded.
India has yet another unique Islamic institution, namely, wakfs. For long, well-meaning citizens have bequeathed immovable properties (land, residential house, commercial shops, etc.) to ‘trusts’ – Sunni Wakf Board or Shia Wakf Board – in town and cities almost all over the country. Between them, these Wakf Boards control properties worth thousands of crores of rupees. These provide financial support for the maintenance of mosques and madrasas. A few also have organised vocational training centres for imparting technical skills and generating self-employment among young people. Subsequently, in 1964, Government of India has set up Central Wakf Council to facilitate the development of wakf properties in cities and towns into revenue-generating assets, and to extend loan to minor development projects conceived by non-governmental organisations. Doubtless, these Wakf Boards have an immense potential for doing welfare and development work for the Muslim community as well as the country.
As is well-known, Islam prohibits usury. It implies that the lender must not levy any charge on cash or kind borrowed by persons for their personal or family use. In view of this injunction, several Muslim countries have evolved interest-free banking. In India, too, several regional non-banking financial institutions have come up which pay to their depositors dividend instead of fixed interest, and accept share in profit from their borrower. In southern and western India, quite few self-help groups have come up which extend interest-free micro-credit facilities to the members. Indeed, these self-help groups need to be further popularised.
At this juncture, a mention may be made of yatimkhanas or orphanages, mostly located in areas having a concentration of Muslim population. Having been on the social scene for centuries, these provide shelter, food and clothing for parentless children, who are mostly victims of nature-made or man-made calamities. Some of these institutions also impart instructions to resident-children in religious learning. Usually, these yatimkhanas are managed through donations, sadqua (alms in the name of loved ones), and zakat specified share in the savings of a Muslim). Some of them also have the wakf support to themselves. It might be added that the yatimkhanas provide a useful social service, although the services they render could be further improved and standardised.
This is abundantly clear when we turn to Islam. Social work considers every individual to be endowed with worth and dignity, as well as having physical and psychosocial needs. Further, social work aims to enable individuals to overcome their sufferings or limitations. Islam, too, views man almost from a similar standpoint: All individuals possess human dignity and human rights; but they are not predestined or expected to pass an aimless life. Many among them would require guidance and help.
As we know, social work recognises that, in making a person into a socialised individual, group process and community living have a critical role. Likewise, there are specific pronouncements in Islam stressing on collective living. This is evident from modes of worship and rituals. It emphasises on happy and cordial neighbourly relations. Equity, fraternity and justice are a prerequisite for and a driving force behind group process and community living. Indeed, these happen to be the recurring themes in Islamic philosophy.
Contemporary social work practice pays attention to welfare needs as well as to developmental needs of individuals and groups. On the other hand, Islam urges upon individuals and groups to make effort, but it recognises that there would be several among them who cannot do this unaided. It has also devised a ‘public assistance’ programme. Similarly, it has identified certain issues which are key concerns in the present day social work practice.
Over the years, the Muslim community has substantially contributed to such social services in India as roads, sarais, health care and education. It has provided succour for the indigent and for the victims of famine and drought. As at present, several Muslim institutions have come up in the fields of health, education, micro-credit and care of orphans which have catered to the needs not only of Muslims but of other communities as well.
Thus, the commonalities between Social Work and Islam are many and varied – and which could be gainfully exploited to have a better and more effective social work practice, and to improve the quality of life of the people.