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Social Concept of 'Community'

Overview

Social refers to human society or its organization. Although the term is a crucial category in social science and often used in public discourse, its meaning is at times vague. Furthermore, social attributes or relationships may not be directly observable and visible, and must be inferred by abstract thought.

The term "social" is used in many different senses, referring among other things to:-

• attitudes, orientations or behaviours which take the interests, intentions or needs of other people into account (in contrast to anti-social behaviour);
• common characteristics of people or descriptions of collectivities (social facts);
• relations between people (social relations) generally, or particular associations among people;
• interactions between people (social action);
• membership of a group of people or inclusion or belonging to a community of people e.g. Muslim and Islam;
• co-operation or co-operative characteristics between people;
  relations of (mutual) dependence;
• the public sector ("social sector") or the need for governance for the good of all, contrasted with the private sector;
• in existentialist and postmodernist thought, relationships between the Self and the Other;
• interactive systems in communities of animal or insect populations, or any living organisms.

In one broad meaning, "social" refers only to society as "a system of common life", but in another sense it contrasts specifically with "individual" and individualist theories of society. This is reflected for instance in the different perspectives of liberalism and socialism on society and public affairs.

The adjective "social" implies that the verb or noun to which it is applied is somehow more communicative, cooperative, and moderated by contact with human beings, than if it were omitted. That is, it implies that larger society has played some role in defining the idea or the principle. For instance terms like social realism, social justice, social constructivism, social psychology and social capital imply that there is some social process involved or considered, a process that is not there in regular, "non-social", realism, justice, constructivism, psychology, or capital.

The adjective "social" is also used often in political discourse, although its meaning in such a context depends heavily on who is using it.

Community/Society in Islam

The social life of the true Muslim is based upon supreme principles on designed to secure happiness with prosperity for the individual as well as for the society. Class welfare, social castes and domination of the individual over society or vice versa are alien to the social life of Islam. Nowhere in the Quran or in the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) can one find any mention of the superiority on account of class or origin or wealth. On the contrary, there are many verses of the Quran and sayings of Muhammad (PBUH) to remind mankind of the vital facts of life, facts which serve at the same time as principles of the social structure of the Islamic life.

According to Islam, the final goal of humanity is God. From Him we come, for Him we live and to Him we shall all return. In fact, the sole purpose of creation as described by the Quran is to worship God and to serve His cause, the cause of truth and justice, of love and mercy, of brotherhood and morality (Surah 51:56-58).

The individual is responsible for the common welfare and for the prosperity of his society. This responsibility is not only to the society but also to God. In this way the individual works with a sound social mindedness and a genuine feeling of inescapable responsibility. It is his rule to do the utmost for his society and to contribute to its common welfare. On the other hand, the society is also responsible to God for the welfare of the individual. When the individual is able he is the contributor and society is the beneficiary. In return he is entitled to security and care, should he become disabled. In this case he is the beneficiary and society is the contributor. So duties and rights correspond harmoniously. Responsibility and concern are mutual. There is no state to dominate the individual and abrogate his personal entity. Likewise, there is no individual or class of individuals to exploit the society and corrupt the state. There is harmony with peace and mutual security. There is a constructive interaction between the individual and the society.

The structure of social life in Islam is very lofty, sound and comprehensive.

Among the substantial elements of the structure are :-

• the sincere love for one's fellow human beings
• mercy for the young
• respect for the elders
• comfort and consolation for the distressed
• visiting the sick
• relieving the grieved
• genuine feelings of brotherhood and social solidarity
• respect for the rights of other people to life, property and honour
• mutual responsibility between the individual and society

It is a common thing to come across prophetic statements like these:

• "Whoever relieves a human being from a grief of this world, God will relieve him from a grief on the Day of Judgement."  
• "Anyone who has no mercy on the juniors and respect for the seniors is not one of us Muslims"  
• "None of you is a true believer of Islam until and unless he loves for his fellow man what he loves for his own self."  
• "Whoever invites others to good is like the doer of good and will be rewarded accordingly, and whoever instigates evil is like the doer of evil and will be punished accordingly."

In the Quran, on the other hand, one finds numerous divine instructions like these:

• "Oh you who believe! Fulfil all obligations. . . and help you one another in righteousness and piety, but help you not one another in sin and rancour...." (Surah Al-Maidah 5:123)
   
   
  

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