This document discusses social relationships in Islam. It identifies four elements that constitute Islamic society: individuals, the universe, activities/relationships, and Sharia law. It notes that individuals are essential to society and that Islam views all individuals as equal regardless of attributes. It also discusses that the universe was given to humanity to develop its resources in accordance with divine will. Islamic law considers both individuals and society as a whole, establishing laws for communities rather than single individuals.

1. ISLAM AND SOCIAL WORK

2. CHAPTER THREE: SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS IN
ISLAM
Introduction
 Society: is defined as “a group of interacting people in a
defined territory and shared culture
 Theorists defined: as a number of population that shares
the same territory and is bound together by economic and
political ties”.
 Based on the above definition, we have chosen four
elements that constitute/form the Islamic society.
Elements of Islamic society
1. Individual
2. Universe/Life/space/World
3. Activities and Relationships
4. Sharea and Law

3.  The first element is people or individuals, they are essential
for the existence of a society. If there were no individuals,
society would not exist. When we say individuals, we mean all
people without regards to their cultural and physical
differences, status, races, ethnicities, and their sex.
“O mankind, indeed we have created you from male an d
female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know
one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah
is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and
Acquainted” (49:13).
Abu Hurairah (R.A) reported that the Prophet said:
Allāh looks not to your figures, nor to your wealth, but He
looks to your hearts and deeds. (Muslim).
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4. “Indeed this, your religion, is one religion, and I am
your Lord, so worship Me” (21:92).
ْ‫ع‬‫ا‬َ‫ف‬ ْ‫م‬ُ‫ك‬ُّ‫ب‬ َ‫ر‬ ‫َا‬‫ن‬َ‫أ‬ َ‫و‬ ً‫ة‬َ‫د‬ ِ‫اح‬ َ‫و‬ ً‫ة‬َّ‫م‬ُ‫أ‬ ْ‫م‬ُ‫ك‬ُ‫ت‬َّ‫م‬ُ‫أ‬ ِ‫ه‬ِ‫ذ‬ََٰ‫ه‬ َّ‫ن‬ِ‫إ‬
ِ‫ُون‬‫د‬ُ‫ب‬
 This shows that the Islamic society is a universal society.
It is found at every place, in East and West, in south and
north, and found at all time (Al-Faruqi, 1998). the Islamic
society has existed from the first day human beings
appeared on Earth and it will last until the end of life in
this world. Allāh said:
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5.  “O mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul
and created from it its mate and dispersed/Isolated from
both of them many men and women. And fear Allah,
through whom you ask one another, and the wombs. Indeed
Allah is ever, over you, an Observer” (4:1).
َ‫ل‬َ‫خ‬ ‫ي‬ِ‫ذ‬َّ‫ال‬ ُ‫م‬ُ‫ك‬َّ‫ب‬َ‫ر‬ ‫وا‬ُ‫ق‬َّ‫ت‬‫ا‬ ُ‫اس‬َّ‫ن‬‫ال‬ ‫ا‬َ‫ه‬ُّ‫ي‬َ‫أ‬ ‫ا‬َ‫ي‬
َ‫ق‬َ‫ل‬َ‫خ‬ َ‫و‬ ٍ‫ة‬َ‫د‬ ِ‫اح‬ َ‫و‬ ٍ
‫س‬ْ‫ف‬َّ‫ن‬ ‫ن‬ِ‫م‬ ‫م‬ُ‫ك‬َ‫ق‬
‫ا‬َ‫ه‬ْ‫ن‬ِ‫م‬
َ‫س‬ِ‫ن‬ َ‫و‬ ‫ا‬ً‫ير‬ِ‫ث‬َ‫ك‬ ً
‫اًل‬َ‫ج‬ ِ
‫ر‬ ‫ا‬َ‫م‬ُ‫ه‬ْ‫ن‬ِ‫م‬ َّ‫ث‬َ‫ب‬ َ‫و‬ ‫ا‬َ‫ه‬َ‫ج‬ ْ‫و‬َ‫ز‬
َ‫ء‬‫ا‬َ‫س‬َ‫ت‬ ‫ي‬ِ‫ذ‬َّ‫ال‬ َ َّ
‫اَّلل‬ ‫وا‬ُ‫ق‬َّ‫ت‬‫ا‬ َ‫و‬ ً‫ء‬‫ا‬
َ‫ون‬ُ‫ل‬
ِ‫ق‬َ‫ر‬ ْ‫م‬ُ‫ك‬ْ‫ي‬َ‫ل‬َ‫ع‬ َ‫ان‬َ‫ك‬ َ َّ
‫اَّلل‬ َّ‫ن‬ِ‫إ‬ َ‫ام‬َ‫ح‬ ْ‫ر‬َ ْ
‫اْل‬ َ‫و‬ ِ‫ه‬ِ‫ب‬
ًً‫ي‬
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6.  The second component is universe. This universe,
including earth, heavens and what are within them and
between them, is gift for all human beings. Allāh says:
ِ‫ت‬‫ا‬ َ‫او‬َ‫م‬َّ‫س‬‫ال‬ ‫ي‬ِ‫ف‬ ‫ا‬َّ‫م‬ ‫م‬ُ‫ك‬َ‫ل‬ َ‫ر‬َّ‫خ‬َ‫س‬ َ َّ
‫اَّلل‬ َّ‫ن‬َ‫أ‬ ‫ا‬ ْ‫و‬ َ‫ر‬َ‫ت‬ ْ‫م‬َ‫ل‬َ‫أ‬
ُ‫ك‬ْ‫ي‬َ‫ل‬َ‫ع‬ َ‫غ‬َ‫ب‬ْ‫س‬َ‫أ‬ َ‫و‬ ِ
‫ض‬ ْ‫ر‬َ ْ
‫اْل‬ ‫ي‬ِ‫ف‬ ‫ا‬َ‫م‬ َ‫و‬
ُ‫ه‬َ‫م‬َ‫ع‬ِ‫ن‬ ْ‫م‬
ِ َّ
‫اَّلل‬ ‫ي‬ِ‫ف‬ ُ‫ل‬ِ‫د‬‫ا‬َ‫ج‬ُ‫ي‬ ‫ن‬َ‫م‬ ِ
‫اس‬َّ‫ن‬‫ال‬ َ‫ن‬ِ‫م‬ َ‫و‬ ً‫ة‬َ‫ن‬ِ‫اط‬َ‫ب‬ َ‫و‬ ً‫ة‬ َ‫ر‬ِ‫ه‬‫ا‬َ‫ظ‬
َ‫ت‬ِ‫ك‬ َ
‫ًل‬ َ‫و‬ ‫ًى‬‫د‬ُ‫ه‬ َ
‫ًل‬ َ‫و‬ ٍ‫م‬ْ‫ل‬ِ‫ع‬ ِ
‫ْر‬‫ي‬َ‫غ‬ِ‫ب‬
ًٍ‫ا‬
ٍ
‫ير‬ِ‫ن‬ُّ‫م‬
“Do you not see that Alla Book [from Him].h has made
subject to you whatever is in the heavens and whatever
is in the earth and amply bestowed upon you His favors,
[both] apparent and unapparent? But of the people is he
who disputes about Allah without knowledge or
guidance or an enlightening.

7. They have been given to all human beings so that
they will develop the universe and benefit from its
natural resources by using its productive power given
by Allāh. More than that, they were given this
universe to fulfil and realize the divine will by using
their capacity and limited freedom.
Islam's Respect for the Individual and Society
In educating human beings and guiding them
towards true happiness, Islam has paid close
attention to individuals and society as whole, that
man is a single unique being for whom laws have
been enactd/endorsed. Islam has never established
laws for a single individual.
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8. “And for every nation there is a doom,” (Al-’Aaraaf,
7:34).
َ‫ت‬ْ‫س‬َ‫ي‬ َ
‫ًل‬ ْ‫م‬ُ‫ه‬ُ‫ل‬َ‫ج‬َ‫أ‬ َ‫ء‬‫ا‬َ‫ج‬ ‫ا‬َ‫ذ‬ِ‫إ‬َ‫ف‬ ٌ‫ل‬َ‫ج‬َ‫أ‬ ٍ‫ة‬َّ‫م‬ُ‫أ‬ ِ‫ل‬ُ‫ك‬ِ‫ل‬ َ‫و‬
َ‫ون‬ُ‫م‬ِ‫د‬ْ‫ق‬َ‫ت‬ْ‫س‬َ‫ي‬ َ
‫ًل‬ َ‫و‬ ً‫ة‬َ‫ع‬‫ا‬َ‫س‬ َ‫ون‬ُ‫ر‬ ِ‫خ‬ْ‫ْأ‬
And if they had kept up the Taurat and the Injeel and
that which was revealed to them from their Lord,
they would certainly have eaten from above them
and from beneath their feet there is a party of them
keeping to the moderate course, and (as for) most of
them, evil is that which they do (Al-Maaida, 5:66).
‫ن‬ُ‫أ‬ ‫ا‬َ‫م‬ َ‫و‬ َ‫ل‬‫ي‬ ِ‫نج‬ِ ْ
‫اْل‬ َ‫و‬ َ‫ة‬‫ا‬َ‫ر‬ ْ‫و‬َّ‫ت‬‫ال‬ ‫وا‬ُ‫م‬‫ا‬َ‫ق‬َ‫أ‬ ْ‫م‬ُ‫ه‬َّ‫ن‬َ‫أ‬ ْ‫و‬َ‫ل‬ َ‫و‬
‫و‬ُ‫ل‬َ‫ك‬َ َ
‫ْل‬ ْ‫م‬ِ‫ه‬ِ‫ب‬َّ‫ر‬ ‫ن‬ِ‫م‬ ‫م‬ِ‫ه‬ْ‫ي‬َ‫ل‬ِ‫إ‬ َ‫ل‬ ِ
‫ز‬
‫ن‬ِ‫م‬ ‫ا‬
ُّ‫م‬ ٌ‫ة‬َّ‫م‬ُ‫أ‬ ْ‫م‬ُ‫ه‬ْ‫ن‬ِ‫م‬ ‫م‬ِ‫ه‬ِ‫ل‬ُ‫ج‬ ْ‫ر‬َ‫أ‬ ِ‫ت‬ْ‫ح‬َ‫ت‬ ‫ن‬ِ‫م‬ َ‫و‬ ْ‫م‬ِ‫ه‬ِ‫ق‬ ْ‫و‬َ‫ف‬
َ‫م‬ َ‫ء‬‫ا‬َ‫س‬ ْ‫م‬ُ‫ه‬ْ‫ن‬ِ‫م‬ ٌ‫ير‬ِ‫ث‬َ‫ك‬ َ‫و‬ ٌ‫ة‬َ‫د‬ ِ
‫ص‬َ‫ت‬ْ‫ق‬
‫ا‬
َ‫ون‬ُ‫ل‬َ‫م‬ْ‫ع‬َ‫ي‬
Continue……

9.  And every nation had a messenger; so when their
messenger came, the matter was decided between them
with justice and they shall not be dealt with unjustly.
(Yunus
َ‫ب‬ َ‫ي‬ ِ
‫ض‬ُ‫ق‬ ْ‫م‬ُ‫ه‬ُ‫ل‬‫و‬ُ‫س‬ َ‫ر‬ َ‫ء‬‫ا‬َ‫ج‬ ‫ا‬َ‫ذ‬ِ‫إ‬َ‫ف‬ ٌ‫ل‬‫و‬ُ‫س‬َّ‫ر‬ ٍ‫ة‬َّ‫م‬ُ‫أ‬ ِ‫ل‬ُ‫ك‬ِ‫ل‬ َ‫و‬
َ‫ون‬ُ‫م‬َ‫ل‬ْ‫ظ‬ُ‫ي‬ َ
‫ًل‬ ْ‫م‬ُ‫ه‬ َ‫و‬ ِ‫ط‬ْ‫س‬ِ‫ق‬ْ‫ال‬ِ‫ب‬ ‫م‬ُ‫ه‬َ‫ن‬ْ‫ي‬
 Indeed there was a sign for you in the two hosts (which) met
together in encounter; one party fighting in the way of Allah
and the other unbelieving, whom they saw twice as many as
themselves with the sight of the eye and Allah strengthens
with His aid whom He pleases; most surely there is a lesson in
this for those who have sight. (Aal-‘Imraan, 3:13)
َ‫ق‬ُ‫ت‬ ٌ‫ة‬َ‫ئ‬ِ‫ف‬ ‫ا‬َ‫ت‬َ‫ق‬َ‫ت‬ْ‫ال‬ ِ‫ْن‬‫ي‬َ‫ت‬َ‫ئ‬ِ‫ف‬ ‫ي‬ِ‫ف‬ ٌ‫ة‬َ‫ي‬‫آ‬ ْ‫م‬ُ‫ك‬َ‫ل‬ َ‫ان‬َ‫ك‬ ْ‫د‬َ‫ق‬
َ‫ي‬ ٌ‫ة‬ َ‫ر‬ِ‫ف‬‫ا‬َ‫ك‬ َٰ
‫ى‬ َ‫ر‬ْ‫خ‬ُ‫أ‬ َ‫و‬ ِ َّ
‫اَّلل‬ ِ‫ل‬‫ي‬ِ‫ب‬َ‫س‬ ‫ي‬ِ‫ف‬ ُ‫ل‬ِ‫ت‬‫ا‬
ْ‫ي‬َ‫ل‬ْ‫ث‬ِ‫م‬ ‫م‬ُ‫ه‬َ‫ن‬ ْ‫و‬ َ‫ر‬
ْ‫م‬ِ‫ه‬
َّ‫ن‬ِ‫إ‬ ُ‫ء‬‫َا‬‫ش‬َ‫ي‬ ‫ن‬َ‫م‬ ِ‫ه‬ ِ
‫ر‬ْ‫ص‬َ‫ن‬ِ‫ب‬ ُ‫د‬ِ‫ي‬َ‫ؤ‬ُ‫ي‬ ُ َّ
‫اَّلل‬ َ‫و‬ ِ‫ْن‬‫ي‬َ‫ع‬ْ‫ال‬ َ‫ي‬ْ‫أ‬ َ‫ر‬
َ‫ص‬ْ‫ب‬َ ْ
‫اْل‬ ‫ي‬ِ‫ل‬‫و‬ُ ِ
‫ْل‬ ً‫ة‬ َ‫ْر‬‫ب‬ِ‫ع‬َ‫ل‬ ََِ‫ل‬ََٰ‫ذ‬ ‫ي‬ِ‫ف‬
ِ
‫ار‬
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10. The Qur'an proclaimed its invitation in two ways:
1. A call on the principle of social life and unity. Citing
from the Holy Qur’an:
 َ‫س‬ْ‫ح‬َ‫أ‬ َ‫ي‬ِ‫ه‬ ‫ي‬ِ‫ت‬َّ‫ال‬ِ‫ب‬ َّ
‫ًل‬ِ‫إ‬ ِ‫يم‬ِ‫ت‬َ‫ي‬ْ‫ال‬ َ‫ل‬‫ا‬َ‫م‬ ‫وا‬ُ‫ب‬ َ‫ر‬ْ‫ق‬َ‫ت‬ َ
‫ًل‬ َ‫و‬
ُ‫ف‬ ْ‫و‬َ‫أ‬ َ‫و‬ ُ‫ه‬َّ‫د‬ُ‫ش‬َ‫أ‬ َ‫غ‬ُ‫ل‬ْ‫ب‬َ‫ي‬ َٰ
‫ى‬َّ‫ت‬َ‫ح‬ ُ‫ن‬
َ‫ل‬ْ‫ي‬َ‫ك‬ْ‫ال‬ ‫وا‬
ْ‫س‬ ُ‫و‬ َّ
‫ًل‬ِ‫إ‬ ‫ا‬ً‫س‬ْ‫ف‬َ‫ن‬ ُ‫ف‬ِ‫ل‬َ‫ك‬ُ‫ن‬ َ
‫ًل‬ ِ‫ط‬ْ‫س‬ِ‫ق‬ْ‫ال‬ِ‫ب‬ َ‫ان‬َ‫يز‬ِ‫م‬ْ‫ال‬ َ‫و‬
َ‫ك‬ ْ‫و‬َ‫ل‬ َ‫و‬ ‫وا‬ُ‫ل‬ِ‫د‬ْ‫ع‬‫ا‬َ‫ف‬ ْ‫م‬ُ‫ت‬ْ‫ل‬ُ‫ق‬ ‫ا‬َ‫ذ‬ِ‫إ‬ َ‫و‬ ‫ا‬َ‫ه‬َ‫ع‬
‫ا‬َ‫ذ‬ َ‫ان‬
ِ‫ب‬ ‫م‬ُ‫ك‬‫ا‬َّ‫ص‬ َ‫و‬ ْ‫م‬ُ‫ك‬ِ‫ل‬ََٰ‫ذ‬ ‫وا‬ُ‫ف‬ ْ‫و‬َ‫أ‬ ِ َّ
‫اَّلل‬ ِ‫د‬ْ‫ه‬َ‫ع‬ِ‫ب‬ َ‫و‬ َٰ
‫ى‬َ‫ب‬ ْ‫ر‬ُ‫ق‬
َ‫ون‬ُ‫ر‬َّ‫ك‬َ‫ذ‬َ‫ت‬ ْ‫م‬ُ‫ك‬َّ‫ل‬َ‫ع‬َ‫ل‬ ِ‫ه‬
 And do not approach the property of the orphan except
in the best manner until he attains his maturity, and give
full measure and weight with justice-- We do not impose
on any soul a duty except to the extent of its ability; and
when you speak, then be just though it be (against) a
relative, and fulfill Allah's covenant; this He has enjoined
you with that you may be mindful. (Al An’aam, 6: 152).
Continue……

11. The Five Basic Rights of a Muslim in a Muslim Society
 In order to make sure that the members of the society work
for the betterment of each other, Islam applies upon them
certain obligations and duties. Every individual in an Islamic
society has some rights, which are then obligatory upon the
other concerned individual to fulfill.
Hadith:
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said in a hadith:
 “The rights of one Muslim over another are five: returning the
greeting of Salaam, visiting the sick, attending funerals,
accepting invitations, and saying yarhamuk Allah (may Allah
have mercy on you) to one who sneezes.” (Bukhari).
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12. 1. Returning Greeting of Salam: The returning of Salam
greeting to a fellow Muslim might seem trivial but it is one
of the most important rights that people in a Muslim society
have towards each other.
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said in a hadith:
 “You will not enter Paradise until you believe, and you will
not believe until you love one another. Shall I not tell you
about something which, if you do it, you will love one
another? Spread Salaam amongs yourselves.” (Muslim)
 From the hadith it is clear that although saying Salaam to
someone or responding to it might seem unimportant thing,
however, it represents the love between the people in a
Muslim community and this love is what then assists in
believing and that believing then leads to entering paradise.
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13. 2. Visiting the Sick: The second right that Muslims have
over other Muslims is for them to be visited whenever
they are sick.
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said in one of His Hadiths:
 There is no Muslim who visits a (sick) Muslim early in
the morning but seventy thousand angels send
blessings upon him until evening comes, and if he visits
him in the evening, seventy thousand angels send
blessings upon him until morning comes, and he will
have a garden in Paradise.” (Tirmidhi)
Continue……

14. 3. Attending a Funeral: Attending the funeral of a Muslim brother is
another obligation that rests upon the Muslims in a society.
Funeral is the saddest time in the life of a the people who are
closer to the deceased , therefore, visiting them at the funeral
consoling them in addition to praying for the deceased is one of
the important occasions where a Muslim should make his or her
presence sure for another Muslim.
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said In a hadith:
“A believer who accompanies the funeral procession of a Muslim out
of sincere faith and hoping to attain Allah’s reward and remains
with it till the funeral prayer is offered and the burial ceremonies
are over, he will return with a reward of tow Qirats. Each Qirat is
like the size of the Mount Uhud. He who offers the funeral prayer
only and returns before the burial, will return with the reward of
one Qirat only.” (Bukhari)
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15. 4. Accepting Invitation: The fourth kind of right, which
Muslims in a society have, other Muslims is for their
invitation getting accepted.
 A Muslim might call another Muslim for dinner or any kind
of legitimate hangout where they could share and spend
quality time with each other, then it is mandatory upon
the other Muslim to comply to the invitation and respond
to it in the best manner.
The accepting of invitation shows that a Muslims
values spending time with the other Muslim and whatever
reason of hangout he or she has for the other, the latter
accepts it and acknowledges its importance for the one who is
requesting invitation.
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16. 5. Say YarhamukAllah:
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said in a hadith:
 “Allah likes the act of sneezing and dislikes the act of
yawning, so if anyone of you sneezes and praises Allah
(says Alhamdulillah), it is a duty on every Muslim who
hears him to say to him YarhamukAllah.” (Bukhari).
Conclusion: In a nutshell, the aforementioned five rights
are the basic human rights of a Muslim over the other
Muslims in the society.
Continue……

17. The role of the Mosque in the Muslim Society
 The Prophet Muhammad’s mosque-centred social services were
essentially divided into the following categories:
 communal social work
 meeting basic human needs
 education
 enabling participation;
 motivation
 Comforting
 financing of social services.
Community social workers
Help communities Function some work directly with
 Individuals
 conducting needs assessments
and making referrals to resources in the community. Others assess
needs on a larger scale. They may plan and administer programs.
Continue……

18. Providing for Basic Human Needs
As stated above, people in need had access
To shelter in the mosque.
They were also provided with food.
Their diet mostly consisted of dates. However,
additional meals were sometimes brought to them and
often wealthy people from the tribe Qurayš donated
food. They were often invited by the people from
Medina or by Prophet Muhammad to share a meal.
Regularly, after night prayers, the Prophet Muhammad
would divide the People of the Veranda among the
companions of the Prophet and would feed any.
Continue……

19. EDUCATION
 The People of the Veranda also received both
 general and religious education within the mosque (Abu-
Dawud, n.d.).
It is reported that some of them were taught
writing skills by a companion of the Prophet,
They were also specifically encouraged to acquire religious
knowledge . Indeed some of the companions of the
Prophet who had found refuge in the Prophet’s Mosque
later achieved fame as religious scholars. Among them is
Abū Hurayra,
 Who reported more teachings of the Prophet
Muhammad than any other Companion of the Prophet.
Continue……

20. Participation in Social Life with Family Character
 The People of the Veranda were not only provided with
shelter, food and Education, but they could also participate in
 social life within the greater Community and enjoy some sort
of family life through organized invitations to Have meals with
families. It is reported that the Prophet Muhammad
personally Organized this communal social work by arranging
dinners at which the rich would host the poor as guests in
their homes.
 Sometimes the Prophet would feed the poor at his own house
and was even known to apologize to his guests if the food was
not very good. He also invited people in need to sleep in
his house. These types of gestures illustrate the Prophet’s
dignified treatment of the poor in contrast to casting them
aside or ignoring their needs.
Continue……

21. Communal Social Work
 The mosque-centred social work was not performed single-
handedly by the Prophet Muhammad; instead he included
society as a whole, and the people within the society took the
initiative. In addition to the already-mentioned aspects of
communal social worker, such as allowing sick bed visits, the
provision of meals to guests, the construction of the
mosque’s roofing as shelter and the provision of educational
services, the following event warrant mention:
 A group of around 70 people of Medina, who were called
“the readers” 10 because of their practice of studying
and reciting the Quran each night, always made sure that
the People of the Veranda in the mosque were provided
with water. They also used their profits from trading
firewood to feed the People of the Veranda.
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22. Motivation
 The services provided were not only of a material
nature, as the Prophet Muhammad would also comfort
the People of the Veranda during hardship by advising
them to stay patient in their misery. He preached
asceticism and promised the people transcendent
rewards from God.
Moreover, the Prophet Muhammad personally visited the
sick and asked about the general well-being of the
People of the Veranda. These activities are particularly
interesting with regard to a study showing that
motivation in counseling is one of most distinctive tasks
of a social worker.
Continue……

23. • End of Chapter 3
• Questions and Comments.