Interactions of the concepts of "Islamic Ummah" and "Social Takaful" with the Quranic approach
The title is an article by Mustafa Kazemi Najafabadi and Seyed Reza Hosseini in “Islam and Social Sciences”, Fall and Winter 2017 - Vol 18, pp. 5 to 27. The following is an excerpt of the article’s abstract.[1]
Stability of life systems
Life systems in each society take shape to meet the needs corresponding the belief principles and cultural values of that society. The success and stability of these systems is dependent, more than anything, on the compatibility of their foundations with the rules and realities of the cosmos, especially the human world.
Livelihood in different schools
Livelihood is among the main needs that pursuit for satisfaction of which has led to the emergence of various socialist, liberalist, and other schools. Undoubtedly, among the principles of these schools is their view toward the reality of individuals and societies as well as their interactions.
Thesis of the article
The present article claims that Holy Quran has introduced the concept of “ummah” to denote the human world in distinction from the prevalence of concepts such as the individual and the state. The concept is of profound consequential rules especially for the human livelihood. “Social takaful” is one of such Qur’anic and Islamic concepts introduced in this relation and as a major principle in the system of social welfare that addresses the issues of livelihood and maintenance.
Objective of the article
The aim of this article is to explain the sub-concepts, foundations, characteristics, and interactions between the two concepts i.e. the Islamic ummah and the social takaful with regard to the problem of social welfare in the Islamic approach. Considering the purpose, the method applied is fundamental-theoretical, and concerning the methodology, it is descriptive-analytical.
Findings
The findings show that in the Qur’anic framework, the Islamic ummah is introduced as a unitary organism in which the relationship among the members is defined in terms of camaraderie and assistance; thus, social takaful is a characteristic of the Islamic ummah, in the absence of which no mechanism would afford solving the livelihood problems constantly and successfully.