Islam encompasses each and every aspect of human life irrespective of its nature but the rules that must be followed while running a state are the cornerstone of Islamic teachings. The reason for giving so much importance to this aspect of human life is the collective effect of governance on all the subjects of a state.

Here we are going to discuss some of the very important pillars of Islamic guidance that make a state a welfare state in the true sense.

Laws of the Islamic Sharia are very clear on the subject of providing legal justice. The Holy Quran, Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w), and the traditions of the rightly guided Caliphs make it compulsory for the state to dispense legal justice at all costs without taking care of the ramifications or backlash from the wealthy or influential people.  It was during the time of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) that a woman named, Fatima, was found guilty of stealing. The woman belonged to the influential tribe of Bani Makhzum and her tribesmen presented Hazrat Usama bin Zaid ( son of the adopted child of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w)) as an intercession for the Woman to be spared. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) rejected it by saying that “people before you were destroyed because if an influential would steal, he would be forgiven and if a poor would commit such act, the legal punishment would be inflicted upon him”.  The Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) then said, “ By God, even if she was the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w), she would not have been spared”.

The Rashidun Caliphs followed the tradition of the  Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) and the precedents set by them became a standard not only for the Ummah but for the whole world to follow. The Second Pious Caliph Hazrat Umar (r.a) was once ordered to appear in court for some matter. When he entered the court, the judge stood up in honor of the Caliph. When the Caliph saw the Judge behaving like this, he dismissed him from the post by saying that all members of the state are legally equal irrespective of their positions and how can such a judge dispense justice when he cannot withstand the presence of the Caliph inside the courtroom.

The Fourth Caliph, Imam Ali (r.a), once filed a case against a man in the court for stealing his armor. The Caliph presented his son and slave as evidence against the man. However, the judge rejected both of them by saying that both are too close to the Caliph to be accepted as evidence. The man who was Jew impressed so much by the justice of the judge that he accepted Islam and returned the Caliph his armor.

The Quran also ordered quite clearly each and every one of us to dispense justice in our control. The Allah Almighty says in the Holy Quran,” No Doubt, Allah orders justice and good conduct” ( Surah Al-Nahl). Similarly, Allah says,” If you judge them, judge between them with justice” ( Surah Al- Maidah).

Moral Justice is also an important part of Islam. As per the rules set by Islam, no one is allowed to abuse anyone or the personalities he reveres, no one is allowed to violate the honor of women in the society and no is allowed to spread false rumors about others Nor one is allowed to backbite against others. Islam even forbids Muslims from using bad words against the sacred personalities of other religions as it can lead to hatred and voilence.

Islam clearly lays down some laws according to which a person committing such things will be brought into the court of law. If a person blamed another person for committing adultery or other such things and he did prove it in the court of law then according to the Islamic teachings he will be given the same punishment as that of the accused. This strict punishment is for the purpose to make it a deterrent against any false blames.

Similarly, if any person was blamed for any moral corruption without any evidence, he can pursue his legal rights in the court of law. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w) termed backbiting as the eating of the flesh of a dead brother.

As Islam is a complete guide for all the aspects of human life so Islam definitely deals with the economic needs of a man. Islam orders the head of the state and other officials to take care of their subjects and provide them with every kind of economic assistance in case if they are poor. Islam has introduced a moderate system in the economics in which every person who has the means to earn to a certain level of income will have to give 2.5 percent of his wealth in the way of Allah ( the way through which the poor will be supported by the state). Apart from Zakat other sources of income for the Islamic state are Maal-e-Ghanimat (War booty), Maal-e-Fay (Booty obtained without any war), Jaziya (tax from non-Muslims etc.

 Allah says in the Quran,” Those who believe in the unseen, establish prayer and spend out of what we have given them” (Surah Al-Baqara). The Quran instructs Muslims by saying” You shall observe the prayers and give the obligatory charity” ( Surah Al-Baqarah).

The lives of the Prophet Muhammad and that of Rashidun Caliphs are a practical manifestation of the Holy Quran and serves as a guiding light for all of us. It was the norm for the Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) to give all of what he had to the poor and would spend his life even without eating for several days. Once Hazrat Umar (r.a) visited the Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) and started crying upon seeing him sleeping on a coarse matress. Hazrat said that the rulers of Roman and Persian Empires are living luxurious lives and the Prophet of Allah is leading a very simple. The Prophet of Islam replied that he would happily lead  a simple life and would get his return from Allah in the herafter.  During his Caliphate, Hazrat Umar (r.a) would move around in the cities to get an idea of the security, safety, and needs of the citizens. One day the Caliph was passing through a street when he heard some children crying. The Caliph inquired their mother why they are crying. The mother said that they had nothing to eat tonight. The Caliph went back to Baitul mal and brought a sack full of flour for them. This was the level of justice of the Great Rashidun Caliph.

The second Caliph of Islam, Hazrat Umar (r.a), conquered Jerusalem during his Caliphate. The Christian clergy offered him to pray at their Cathedral but the Caliph of Islam turned down their offer by saying that if I prayed here the Muslims may consider it a place of Worship of Islam in the future. The caliph did not want to create even a minute difficulty for the non-Muslim residents of the state. Islam has termed the killing of one person as the killing of the whole humanity.

The Islamic State is not only responsible to strictly enforce the rule of law but also to work for the welfare of the people. Hazrat Usman (r.a) on the direction of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) bought half of  Well of Bair-e-Roma from a Medinite and spared it for the public use irrespective of religion.

The Second Caliph of Islam, Hazrat Umar (r.a), formed a separate department called Bait-Ul-Mal to transparently distribute Zakat and other funds among the poor class. The second Caliph also introduced the department of Police to maintain peace in the society and this department serves as a model for all nations of the world. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) and his rightly guided Caliphs would serve the same life which the common people of the state would live. Once Hazrat Abu Bakar (r.a) was asked to increase salary for himself but he refused by saying that if the poor can live on a daily wage I m getting how can I increase for myself.

Islam introduced the concept of Zakat to take care of the needs of the poor sections of the society.