In recent decades there has been an increasing attempt by Muslim intellectuals to reflect on the provision of social welfare in Muslim societies in Africa. One reason for this is the few, if not non-existent, possibilities of the states to provide for the basic needs of their subjects, a situation that has become painfully evident in most African states not only the Muslim ones. However, public as well as private provision of social welfare is not a new phenomenon in the Muslim world.
"This book deals with a most important and previously largely overlooked theme. In the current situation, when economically weak African states have great problems providing social amenities for their people, the welfare activities of Islamic -- and other -- non-governmental organizations have become especially important. This book provides a number of theoretically and, in particular, empirically interesting and valuable discussions on various kinds of Muslim social welfare in a number of African countries." -- David Westerlund, Associate Professor, Faculty of Theology, Uppsala University, Sweden