Charity in Islamic Societies: Reflection on a Research Subject

Amy Singer

The author of this article contends that the methodological-historiographic claim which appears in her book Charity in Islamic Societies (2008) is not a new one with respect to European or American societies. This claim states that historical research about charity - as a religious command, a moral value, and a social practice with economic and political implications - affords new insights into the period, place and society under study. This article discusses issues raised by research into charity in Islamic societies, and its contemporary importance, based on the studies that have appeared in the past decade. Since the first workshop on poverty and charity in Middle Eastern contexts took place in the year 2000, an impressive number of works have appeared on these topics and related ones, such as social activism, the nature of civil society and the development of the third sector in the Muslim world, Islamic economics and the implications of its principles. An increasing world-wide interest in issues connected to modern social welfare, coupled with the flourishing of modern philanthropy in Islamic societies, have inspired extensive academic and popular discussions. These studies make it possible to examine more closely the points of difference and distinction between societies as regards philanthropy, as well as the intersections of shared experiences.