Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Endowments (Awqaf) and Islamic Affairs, represented by its Department of Islamic Research and Studies, has published the 15th book in the series of the Sheikh Ali bin Abdullah Al Thani International Endowment Award for Peer-Reviewed Research, titled “Social Solidarity and Its Role in Achieving Community Security” by researcher Ismail Nid Al Haj.
Director of the Department of Islamic Research and Studies, Sheikh Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Ghanem Al Thani said the book, which is the award-winning research, presents a rigorous and systematic academic study of social solidarity. It combines sound Islamic legal foundations with practical contemporary application, highlighting the vital role of effective social solidarity in achieving community security, which he described as one of the objectives of Islamic law and one of its overarching higher purposes.
He stressed the significance and value of the Sheikh Ali bin Abdullah Al Thani International Endowment Award for Peer-Reviewed Research, noting that it is the first academic award in the fields of Islamic jurisprudence and Islamic thought to be launched by the State of Qatar. He said the award has earned a distinguished reputation in the fields of culture, intellectual thought, and scientific research, as well as a high standing among academics and researchers. This is due to its focus on innovative and relevant topics that address the challenges facing the Muslim community and seek to provide solutions from an Islamic perspective, in addition to its rigorous and impartial evaluation standards.
He added that the award represents a qualitative contribution by the Ministry of Endowments to enriching Islamic and global libraries, promoting intellectual and cultural awareness, reviving the spirit of scholarly research and dialogue, and strengthening the nation’s scientific, cultural, and intellectual role.
The book derives its importance from the significance of the issues it explores. It makes a substantial effort to define the features of social solidarity and demonstrate its value as a system firmly rooted in the primary sources of Islamic legislation. It also presents evidence that such a system can be established in every society and serves as a broad framework for both obligatory and voluntary charitable work, reflecting people’s desire to do good, fulfill their responsibilities, and cooperate with others.
The study emphasises that social solidarity is one of the systems established by Islam to ensure human well-being and enable people to contribute to the development of the earth. It notes that Islam provides a range of mechanisms and tools for achieving this goal through numerous religious texts, which scholars have interpreted and expanded upon to ensure their applicability across different times and places, ultimately contributing to community security.
The book also highlights the importance of community security as a great blessing upon which the well-being of individuals and societies depends. It stresses the need to build a cohesive society based on respect for both individuals and the community, while safeguarding their individual and collective rights to protect public security.
In addition to affirming that social solidarity is a system founded on Islamic legal principles, the book underscores its humanitarian dimensions and its effectiveness in promoting community security. It explains that this is reinforced through its integration with Islamic social and economic systems to achieve security across multiple dimensions.
The study also notes that numerous zakat institutions, endowments, charitable organisations, scholarly councils, and international agreements have sought to revive the concept of social solidarity, demonstrate its impact both theoretically and practically, and strengthen its implementation.
The book concludes with a number of academic recommendations aimed at encouraging further research on the subject, alongside practical proposals such as increasing support for vulnerable groups and low-income communities, allocating a percentage of public and private funds to finance solidarity initiatives and combat ignorance, poverty, and disease, and investing in talent development and human potential.
It also proposes a comprehensive framework for establishing an integrated social solidarity system based on clearly defined procedural steps, outlining its institutional structures and responsibilities to ensure continuous evaluation, refinement, sustainability, and development.
