3.2.4 - Social relevance and liberationist approaches
Can Islam answer secularisation by acting publicly against poverty and oppression? Tawhid, zakah and Qur'anic justice give liberationist approaches a religious foundation rather than mere social usefulness. Ali Shariati's appeal to Karbala and resistance, Farid Esack's anti-apartheid reading, and British Muslim charity work illustrate different forms of action, while raising the danger that faith could be reduced to politics.
Islam and social relevance
AQA places this lesson inside Islam and the challenge of secularisation. That matters. The issue is not simply "Muslims do charity"; it is whether Islam can still shape public life when secularisation pushes religion into the private sphere, treats non-religious moral reasoning as the main public language, and sometimes presents religion as irrational or socially harmful.
Social Relevance
Social relevance is the claim that Islam still matters for real social problems: poverty, exclusion, racism, displacement, exploitation, inequality and the treatment of vulnerable people. In this lesson it is mainly shown through action for oppressed people and people living in poverty.
Liberationist Approaches
Liberationist approaches interpret Islam as a force for freeing people from unjust conditions. They do not only comfort the poor spiritually; they ask what Islamic belief, worship and community obligation require Muslims to do about poverty and oppression.
The phrase liberationist must not be confused with liberal. A liberal Muslim approach may emphasise individual freedom, reform or compatibility with modern values. A liberationist Muslim approach focuses on liberation from oppression: economic hardship, political domination, racism, patriarchy, colonial power or social exclusion. The two may overlap, but they are not the same target.
The central AO1 point is that liberationist Islam is rooted in Islamic sources and practices, not simply borrowed from Christian liberation theology. The central AO2 issue is whether this public justice work genuinely answers secularisation by showing Islam's continuing relevance, or whether it risks reducing religion to social activism.
Islamic Foundations For Justice
An Islamic liberationist approach begins with tawhid, the oneness and sovereignty of God. If God is the ultimate owner and judge, then wealth, status and political power are not absolute possessions. They are trusts for which human beings are accountable. That gives a theological reason to challenge hoarding, exploitation and indifference to suffering.
Several Islamic concepts are especially important:
| Concept or source | AO1 explanation | Link to social relevance |
|---|---|---|
| Qur'an 4:135 | Believers are commanded to stand firmly for justice, even against their own interests and whether the person involved is rich or poor. | Justice is not private sentiment; it becomes a public duty that can challenge class privilege and corruption. |
| Qur'an 9:60 | Zakat is directed to groups including the poor, the needy, those in debt, freeing captives and travellers in need. | Poverty relief is built into worship and community finance, not left as optional kindness. |
| Qur'an 2:177 | Righteousness includes belief, prayer, keeping promises, patience and giving wealth to vulnerable groups. | Piety is measured partly by concrete social care, not only ritual correctness. |
| Qur'an 49:13 | Human diversity is presented as part of creation, with honour measured by righteousness rather than tribe or ethnicity. | This can support anti-racist readings of Islam and critique ethnic superiority within or outside Muslim communities. |
| Ummah | The worldwide Muslim community, and also local Muslim belonging, creates obligations of solidarity. | Oppression and poverty are not merely individual misfortunes; they are community concerns. |
| Jihad as struggle | Beyond armed meanings in some contexts, jihad can refer to moral and spiritual struggle against evil and wrongdoing. | Liberationist Muslims may frame resistance to injustice as a disciplined struggle under God, not as mere anger or party politics. |
The Five Pillars also matter. Zakat is often the clearest bridge between worship and public welfare: it turns economic life into obedience to God. Sadaqah, voluntary charity, extends the same concern beyond the minimum obligation. A liberationist reading then asks whether charity alone is enough. If the same people remain poor because of unfair housing, racism, exploitative labour or war, the Muslim duty may include campaigning, public service, legal advocacy and community organising.
This is why Islamic liberationist approaches can be stronger than a thin "religion is useful because it makes people kind" argument. They claim that social justice follows from core doctrine: God is just, humans are accountable, wealth is a trust, and the poor have a claim on the community.
Liberationist Muslim Thinkers
AQA does not prescribe a named scholar for this point, but recent AQA indicative content uses Ali Shariati as a valid example. Shariati was an Iranian Muslim thinker whose work connected Islam, anti-imperialism and resistance to unjust power. He argued that authentic religion should awaken oppressed people rather than keep them passive. In his thought, tawhid is not only a statement about God; it has social implications because the oneness of God undermines false idols such as wealth, tyranny, class domination and imperial power.
Scholar/source card: Ali Shariati
| Element | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Main claim | Islam should be a force of resistance against oppression, not a tool used by rulers or elites to preserve the status quo. |
| Islamic basis | Shariati uses Qur'anic and Shi'a symbols, especially the oppressed and the memory of Husayn at Karbala, to present Islam as a call to struggle for justice. |
| Application | A Muslim answer could use Shariati to explain why liberationist approaches may inspire protest, anti-imperial politics and solidarity with exploited groups. |
| Caution | Shariati is not the only Muslim voice. Some Muslims criticise revolutionary religion for politicising Islam or for producing unstable political consequences. |
Other Muslim liberationist and justice-focused thinkers help show the range of the approach. Farid Esack, writing from South African anti-apartheid experience, connects Qur'anic interpretation with solidarity against oppression across religious lines. This is useful because it shows that liberationist Islam can be anti-racist and interfaith, not narrowly communal. Asghar Ali Engineer, Amina Wadud and Asma Barlas are often discussed in scholarship on Qur'anic readings against poverty, patriarchy, racism and communal violence. Gender justice is relevant when it is presented as part of a wider liberationist concern with oppression, alongside the core focus on poverty and oppressed people.
This also explains the difference from Christian liberation theology. There are comparisons: both can say that faith must be judged by its response to the poor and oppressed. But Islamic foundations are distinctive. Muslim liberationist approaches usually appeal to tawhid, zakat, ummah, Qur'anic justice, prophetic example and submission to God. They do not need to copy Christian ideas about Christ, Church, sin or salvation.
British And Public Applications
AQA allows the secularisation topic to be studied with reference to Britain. In that context, the social relevance of Islam can be shown through public service, charity, anti-racism, gender justice and community resilience.
Continue this lesson.
You’re previewing NovaLearn without an account. Create a free account to read the rest.
Create free account