Voice of British Muslim Women

Maria Sadaf, Islamabad

Poverty is often thought as the absence of income. But existentially it is much deeper: the deprivation of opportunities, of voice, of access to basic services, of the chance to live with dignity and hope. It is about a mother skipping meals so her children can eat, or a family choosing between medicine and rent. These are not isolated tragedies – they are symptoms of systems that have yet to make compassion a priority. 

According to the United Nations, over 700 million people still live on less than $2.15 a day, struggling to access food, education, and health care.  And poverty is not static – conflicts, climate disasters, inequality, weak institutions, and exclusion all push more people into vulnerability.  

Eradicating poverty is a question of human development and stability. Economists point out that societies with wide wealth gaps experience lower productivity, higher crime rates, and weaker social cohesion. When millions are left behind, innovation and progress suffer. Investing in poverty eradication – through education, health care, fair wages, and sustainable development – is not charity; it is an investment in human potential.  

Yet beyond policies and numbers lies the moral dimension – one that faith traditions have illuminated for centuries. In Islam, helping the poor is not an act of generosity; it is a divine command and a civic duty. The Holy Qur’an establishes that wealth is a trust, and society bears collective responsibility for its fair distribution. “The alms are only for the poor and needy…” (9:60). Through the institution of Zakat – a mandatory wealth tax – The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) transformed private charity into a state level mechanism for social welfare. His model in Medinah created one of the world’s earliest welfare systems, ensuring that orphans, widows, and travellers received public support through the state treasury.   

That principle continued with his successors. Hazrat Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allay be pleased with him), the second Caliph, expanded the welfare system into a structured state policy. He created a public register to ensure stipends for every citizen – including infants – and personally monitored food distribution during famine. He was always mindful of the verse of The Holy Qur’an: “Verily, Allah commands you to make over the trusts to those entitled to them...” (4:59). This is a philosophy of governance grounded in moral accountability – where poverty is viewed as a failure of leadership, not an accident of fate. 

Within the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the principle of service to humanity is central. During his address to Humanity First International Conference in 2021, His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad (may Allah be his Helper), Worldwide Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, said,  “Never let any opportunity to serve those who are mired in poverty or subjected to hardship slip through your fingers and never, God forbid, allow even a trace of pride to enter your mind thinking that you are doing such people a favour. Rather, it is they who are doing you a favour because they are providing you with an opportunity to gain the pleasure of God and to reap His blessings in both this world and the next.”  

But eradicating poverty is not solely a religious aspiration – it is a human one. every hungry child represents lost potential, every jobless parent a missed opportunity for progress. In our globalized world, where one person’s suffering affects the security and well-being of others, compassion must evolve into policy. Governments, businesses, and civil societies all have a role to play; fair trade, ethical consumption, living wages all connect to the same goal – giving people a fair chance at life. 

Imagine society as a vast tree. The leaves, blossoms, and branches are what we see; prosperity, innovation, stability. But the roots – buried deep – feed and anchor the tree. If those roots are impoverished, diseased, or choked out, the entire tree weakens. 

Poverty is like a rot in the root system. you can try to paint over it (with occasional aid, palliatives, social programs), but unless you heal and nourish the roots – change institutions, shift power, reform trade, give voice – the tree will wither. Every October 17, on International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, we are called not just to water the leaves, but to dig deep, to prune away injustice, and plant resilient roots. 

References: 

The Holy Qur’an with English Translation by Maulawi Sher Ali, Chapter 9, Verse 60 

The Holy Qur’an with English Translation by Maulawi Sher Ali, Chapter 4 Verse 59 

Kawachi, I., & Kennedy, B. P. (1997). Health and social cohesion: why care about income inequality?. BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 314(7086), 1037–1040. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.314.7086.1037 

The Economic System. By Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad, second head of the Worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. Available at URL: https://new.alislam.org/library/books/economic-system-islam/info 

Humanity First International Conference. Available at URL: https://www.pressahmadiyya.com/press-releases/2021/11/head-of-ahmadiyya-muslim-community-addresses-humanity-first-international-conference-2/