In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Social Security in the First Century

The old Christian man had worked his lifetime to make a living but did not have any savings left in the end. As he had become old and blind, he was left with no choice but to beg. He would stand by an ally and ask for people’s help. People would give him a bare minimum out of pity, which he could hardly make a living from it.

One day, Amir al-Mu’menin Ali Ibn Abitalib (PBUH) passed by the same ally and saw the old blind man. He requested an investigation on the old man’s past.

Imam Ali (PBUH) expressed his shock, saying to his companions:

“Up until he was able, you made him work; but now that he is in such a condition, you have left him? His history shows that he has worked for as long as he could have and served [the community]. Pay him a fixed amount from the treasury (Beyt al-Mal)”¹

Selection from Dastaan Raastaan by Murtadha Mutahari

1. Wasail alShia, vol. 15, pg. 66