Aesthetics And Ethics of Islamic Giving – Religious Moral Economy
22/11/2024
Published in: Journal of Muslim Philanthropy and Civil Society Vol 8:1
Publication Date: Spring 2024
Author: Dr Ala Rabiha Alhourani, University of Cape Town
The paper explores the aesthetics and ethics of Islamic giving.
Giving is one of the five obligatory pillars that form the foundations of the Islamic faith, which includes religious compulsory duty (zakah) and recommended voluntary giving (sadaqah, waqf). It is an institutionalized tradition with long-lasting social and economic impact.
This cultural study focuses on the Mustadafin Foundation’s preparation, cooking, and distribution of akhni (local meat and rice dish) to poor families in various neighbourhoods in the broader Cape Town area. The Mustadafin Foundation is an Islamic philanthropic organisation that provides a range of social services for Muslim and non-Muslim people in Cape Town (South Africa).
The discussion unpacks how the ethics of Mustadafin giving is an embodied piety toward God, driven by its caring about the other, a sense of active citizenship, and social commitment. There are different views on which of these dominate and motivate the act of giving.
The paper argues that the various ethical inclinations toward God, others, and the social are all bound up in Mustadafin’s ethics of giving. However, emphasis is also given to the aesthetic experience (which encompasses sensory elements such as sights and sounds) to reinforce these values.
The author’s personal experience and observations as a volunteer in this program, provide relatable context to the theoretical discussion. The author describes their briefing on arrival, an introduction to Mustadafin’s work, and a reminder of the social and the religious value (and reward) of their volunteering. As they prepare the food, Quranic recitations are playing in the background. This creates a religious aura. The South African flag is on the wall, promoting a sense of citizenship, and images of poor people evoke human rights and care for others. This provides an insight into the embodied piety, embedded with caring about others and sense of citizenship, which are all part of the ethics of Islamic giving.
Mustadafin’s ethics of giving are inspired by a combination of religious values and social obligations, with a long-lasting social and political impact. The integration of religious ethics and social commitment demonstrate Mustafidin as a religious moral economy of donation and distribution grounded on norms, values, obligations, emotion, and moral sentiments. This is not limited to Mustadafin but applies to other Islamic organisations in South Africa and elsewhere.