Book reference: p.125 — "What are the essential features of the Social System of Islam?"

Essential Features

• Family as the basic unit
  • Nikah as a strongly recommended, protective contract.
  • Clear rights and duties between spouses, parents and children.
• Kinship ties (Silat-ur-Rahim)
  • Obligatory maintenance of relations with relatives; severing ties is a major sin.
• Brotherhood and equality
  • 49:10 (believers are brothers), 49:13 (equality across race/tribe).
• Mutual social responsibility
  • Zakah, Sadaqah, and the Farz Kifayah system (see Theme I) build a cooperative social fabric.
• Neighbourliness
  • Strong emphasis on the rights of neighbours regardless of religion.
• Protection of vulnerable groups
  • Orphans, widows, the elderly and the poor receive specific legislated protections.
• Social etiquette (Adab)
  • Greetings (Salam), seeking permission before entering homes (24:27), modesty in interactions.

Qur'anic Evidence

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إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌ

اردو: مومن آپس میں بھائی بھائی ہیں۔

English: "The believers are but brothers."

— Surah Al-Hujurat 49:10

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Hadith Evidence

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مَا زَالَ جِبْرِيلُ يُوصِينِي بِالْجَارِ حَتَّىٰ ظَنَنْتُ أَنَّهُ سَيُوَرِّثُهُ

اردو: جبرائیل مجھے ہمسایہ کے بارے میں وصیت کرتے رہے، یہاں تک کہ میں نے سمجھا کہ شاید اسے وارث ہی بنا دیں گے۔

English: "Jibril kept advising me about the neighbour until I thought he would make him an heir."

— Sahih al-Bukhari 6014; Sahih Muslim 2624

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CSS Exam Tips

• What are the essential features of the Social System of Islam?
• Give specific, named textual evidence for each feature listed — examiners reward breadth here.
• Cross-reference: Salient Features of the Islamic System of Life, Dignity of Men and Women in Islam (Theme III).

20-Mark Enrichment — Analytical Material

Core Argument