The Islamic system of sponsorship or Takaful is also a comprehensive system in which, without any specialization or discrimination, every individual in society is provided with the means of livelihood in one form or another, without which no human being can live comfortably, nor can he fulfill his related duties and rights.
Under this system, the scope of circulation of national and civil wealth should not be limited to a few rich and wealthy people, leaving others in need of their mercy and generosity.
In this case, Islam teaches with even greater specificity that those members of society who are poor, needy and destitute and are disabled due to some physical reason, due to which they are not fit to do any economic work and earn their own livelihood, or the situation has become such due to not finding suitable employment, then the “financial support” of such needy individuals is among the first responsibilities of the government and similarly, those who are dear and close to them will be responsible for their support and other wealthy people of society will arrange for the support of such individuals through obligatory and voluntary charity and donations. It should also be clear here that:
The economic equality that Islam wants to create among the members of society is not that all members of society should have the same wealth and possessions that all members should have the same amount of wealth and possessions, because such equality can happen in the imaginary world;
But it cannot happen in the real world. The equality that Islam wants is that, along with the increase and decrease of wealth and possessions, the standard of living and economic performance of the members of society should be as high as possible; therefore, Islam commands the rich to spend their surplus wealth in the way of God, seeking the pleasure of God Almighty, spiritual greatness, and moral superiority.
The type of sponsorship system that Islam offers prioritizes ensuring that no person in the Islamic state is deprived of the basic necessities of life. In this system, the rich are encouraged and taught, through fear of the Hereafter, to provide the necessities of life to the poor and deprived. A person who does not provide for the needs of the poor and needy is not a complete Muslim.
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Limits and methods of Islamic Takaful system
Public welfare is basically the responsibility of the Islamic state, under this, it is now necessary to consider whether this system will be for only Muslims living in the state or will non-Muslims also be able to benefit from this system and then what kind of needs should be met under this system? Every human being has some needs that are related to the welfare and well-being of humanity, such as education, health, marriage, welfare of newborn children, care of disabled people, payment of debts of debtors, etc.
After this, it is also important to know, is the entire burden of the welfare system the responsibility of the government state or are the members of society also involved in it; thus, it is clear that the members of the Ummah also have various types of responsibilities, some of which are legal and some are moral. Legal responsibilities can be defined as “obligatory charity” (e.g., Zakat, Ushr, Sadaqah al-Fitr, expiation, and vows, etc.) and moral responsibilities can be defined as “spending” (e.g., voluntary charity, good loan, gift, loan, will, trust, endowment, inheritance, and expenses, etc.).
How useful is the Islamic system of guardianship for individuals?
Since the residents of an Islamic state are not only Muslims; they are also non-Muslims, the guardianship of every Muslim and non-Muslim resident in the state is part of this system. During the blessed era of Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (RA), when “Hirah” was conquered, a treaty was written on that occasion, which mentions general guardianship for both Muslims and non-Muslims, see:
The meaning of this is that Hazrat Siddiq Akbar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “I decree that if any of the Dhimmis is weak, unable to work, or if a calamity from heaven or earth befalls him, or if one of their wealthy people becomes needy and his followers start giving him charity, then all such people are exempt from paying Jizya, and they and their families will be supported from the Baitul Mal, as long as they are residing in Darul Hijrah and Darul Islam.”
Which needs will be fulfilled?
Human needs are of two types: First, those needs on which human life depends, and second, those needs that cause improvement in human life:
Needs of the first type
This type of needs basically includes food, clothing, shelter, and basic and necessary medical care. The Islamic government will fulfill all the aforementioned needs. Maulana Hifz-ur-Rehman Siwaharvi writes:
“It is necessary for the head of the Islamic government to provide every individual, whether rich or poor, male or female, with all kinds of facilities to achieve these three basic needs according to his ability and condition. Those three things are: (1) the facility of eating and drinking, because it is the source of life for every individual, and without it, life is unimaginable.
(2) The need for clothing, whether it be cotton or linen (a precious fabric) or wool.
(3) The convenience of married life, because it is necessary for the survival of the human race. (The Economic System of Islam, p. 153, Nadwat al-Musnafiin).
Second type of needs
This type includes those needs that strengthen a person morally and socially, including education and upbringing, health and other hardships, sponsorship of unmarried and married people, payment of debts of debtors, and the welfare of newborn children, sponsorship of disabled and disabled people, construction of houses, sponsorship of women in Islam, etc. (Detailed rulings on all these cases can be found in Kitab al-Amwal by Abu Ubaid, Kitab al-Kharaj by Lihaya bin Adam al-Qurashi, Sirah Umar bin Abdul Aziz by Ibn Abdul Hakim, Sirah Umar bin Abdul Aziz by Ibn al-Jawzi, Sirah Umar bin al-Khattab by Ibn al-Jawzi, Tarikh al-Khulafa by Suyuti, Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra by Ibn Saad)
To what extent should sponsorship be granted?
What are the limits of the general sponsorship system in Islam? So, it should be known that as the Islamic state expands and its resources increase, the scope of sponsorship will continue to expand; therefore, to assess the scope, comprehensiveness, perfection, and limits of the Islamic system of Takaful and public sponsorship, we have before us the example of Hazrat Umar bin Abdul Aziz (may Allah have mercy on him), who was recognized as the Rightly Guided Caliph:
The summary of the tradition is: “Hazrat Umar bin Abdul Aziz (may Allah have mercy on him) wrote to his governor asking him to pay the people’s gifts to him. The governor replied, ‘I have paid the people’s gifts to him.’” But the money of the treasury remained (what should I do with it?) So you wrote that you should search for debtors who had taken loans without any acts of ignorance or wastefulness, and pay their debts.
The governor wrote that I had paid the debts of all such (debtors), yet there was money left in the treasury of the Muslims. You wrote that you should search for every single person who had no money but wanted to get married, get him married, and pay his dowry. The governor wrote that I had married off anyone I found, but still there was money left in the treasury. You wrote that you should search for every dhimmi (person) who was subject to jizya and was unable to cultivate his land (due to poverty), and give him a loan so that he could do the work of cultivating his land. “Let it be so, because we do not want to keep them (the slaves) for just one or two years (but rather we want a long relationship of good conduct with them).”
Summary
This is the end of the Islamic system of public security. Turning a blind eye to this fact, establishing and popularizing the systems established by the West, especially the “insurance system”, in opposition to this perfect system of Islam, is not injustice, what else is it? A system created by man may satisfy the whims of the legislator; but it is impossible for it to be useful and helpful for every human being. Only divine law can prove to be effective in fulfilling this universal need, and no one else.
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