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Evaluation of Human Rights In Islam By Review 3/7/2001 1:03 am Tue |
Primer for Islamic principles
http://www.submission.org/rights.html
Review of an article We ran accross a nice article about Human Rights in
Islam that was written by Dr. Fathi Osman. It is
comprehensive and well explained. The major points
in the article are selected here for the reader to
enjoy. Since it is common Quranic knowledge, we hope
that all our readers take this chance
to review some of these important verses in the Quran.
According to the Quran, dignity of the children of
Adam is a divine bestowal which is to be secured by
all means, including the law and the state
authorities, and is to be defended by all forces:
We have conferred dignity on the children of Adam, and
borne them over land and sea, and provided for them
sustenance out of the good things of life, and favored
them far above most of our Creations. (17:70)
As a demonstration of this privileged position, God
ordered the angels to prostrate themselves before
Adam, the first human being. What distinguishes humans
from other creatures is mainly their intellect and
their free will to choose between doing good and doing
evil. To fulfill a human potential, all obstacles and
pressures must be removed from the way, and all means
should be secured to maintain and develop our
humanity. The dignity bestowed on humans in the Quran
must be defended. It is the individual, social and
universal responsibility of Muslims to guard human
rights because oppression is an obstruction of God's
will in His creation: We reserve the abode of the Hereafter for those who do
not seek exaltation on earth, nor corruption. The
ultimate victory belongs to the righteous. (28:83)
As for the responsibility of the individual, Dr Osman
continue by saying; It is the individual, social, and universal
responsibility of Muslims, according to their faith,
to protect the human merits and virtues of all the
children of Adam, whatever their differences may be.
Defending the human rights of any human being is a
religious duty for a Muslim, who believes that any
oppression is an obstruction of God's will and plan in
His creation. Moreover, a Muslim believes that God has
created all mankind equal as human beings, and no one
can claim superiority in this respect, whatever
his/her ethnicity, family, wealth or gender may be.
Dr. Osman then quote verse one of sura 4 and verse 13
of sura 49; O people, observe your Lord; the One who created you
from one being, and created from it its mate, then
spread from the two many men and women. You shall
regard GOD, by whom you swear, and regard the parents.
GOD is watching over you.(4:1) O people, we created you from the same male and
female, and rendered you distinct peoples and tribes,
that you may recognize one another. The best among you
in the sight of GOD is the most righteous. GOD is
Omniscient, Cognizant. (49:13) The only One who is above all humans is their
Creator and Lord: "None equals Him." (112:4) Dr. Osman continues; At the inception of the belief in one God is the
belief in the equality of all human beings, since
those who believe in one God believe that all human
beings are created by the one Creator. Thus, deeply
rooted in the conscience of believers is the duty to
maintain human rights and to practice equality in the
process. Any discrimination against any individual or
group about their basic rights as members of humanity
is a challenge to the faith of believers, since for
any human to claim superiority based on origin or
power is contradictory to the belief in the One
Ultimate Supreme Being: ...Glory be to GOD; the Lord with absolute authority.
HHe is high above their claims. He is never to be asked
about anything He does, while all others are
questioned. (21:22-23) A tyrant is against human rights and the One Ultimate
Supreme Being as well: Pharaoh turned into a tyrant on earth, and
discriminated against some people. He persecuted a
helpless group of them, slaughtering their sons, while
sparing their daughters. He was indeed wicked. (28:4)
In the same chapter, the Quran states that those who
will attain to happiness in the life to come, as it
has been mentioned before, are those who don't seek to
exalt themselves on earth, nor yet to spread
malevolence; for the future belongs to the
God-conscious (7:157). Thus, the Quran repeatedly
emphasizes human rights and justice, and condemns
injustice, aggression and oppression. It highlights
the message of the Prophet Muhammad: ... He exhorts them to be righteous, enjoins them from
eevil, allows for them all good food, and prohibits
that which is bad, and unloads the burdens and the
shackles imposed upon them. Those who believe in him,
respect him, support him, and follow the light that
came with him are the successful ones. (7:157)
Justice can be concisely and precisely defined as the
maintenance of human rights and equality:
Their Lord responded to them: "I never fail to reward
any worker among you for any work you do, be you
male or female - you are equal to one another.
...(3:195) Any discrimination between men and women in rights or
responsibilities is forbidden according to the divine
justice- the same as any other discrimination:
The believing men and women are allies of one another.
They advocate righteousness and forbid evil, they
observe the Contact Prayers (Salat) and give the
obligatory charity (Zakat), and they obey GOD and His
messenger. These will be showered by GOD's mercy. GOD
is Almighty, Most Wise.. (9:71) Divine justice can never be for Muslims only. It
secures the rights of all human beings, whatever their
beliefs may be. It is especially protective of the
rights of belief and practicing one's belief, "not any
coercion should be in matters of faith" (2:256).
Defending all houses of worship is legitimate and
urged: ... If it were not for GOD's supporting of some people
against others, monasteries, churches, synagogues, and
masjids - where the name of GOD is commemorated
frequently - would have been destroyed. Absolutely,
GOD supports those who support Him. GOD is Powerful,
Almighty.....(22:40) Muslims are taught by the Quran to build their
relations with others on kindness, while the minimum
obligation which should be strictly observed is
justice (60:8). They should always have in mind that
no hostility stays permanently, and that if they
follow God's guidance, their behavior may turn an
enemy into a close friend: GOD may change the animosity between you and them into
love. GOD is Omnipotent. GOD is Forgiver, Most
Merciful. (60:7) Not equal is the good response and the bad response.
You shall resort to the nicest possible response.
Thus, the one who used to be your enemy, may become
your best friend. None can attain this except those
who steadfastly persevere. None can attain this except
those who are extremely fortunate.(41:34-35)
Islam secures the human rights even for those who may
violate the human rights of others, since two wrongs
do not make one right. A violation should be stopped
instantly, but the rights of the violator as a human
being should be secured. Islamic law aims to fight the
crime in its origin, not just to inflict punishment.
Islamic penal law is enforced in order to prevent the
sources of violation and transgression without social
justice and public education for all. It is required
that every possible effort be made to educate and
rehabilitate an offender, not to destroy him/her.
We do definitely agree with Dr. Osman on these points.
The Quranic verses are very strong supporting the view
he had taken. He continues; Islamic civil and commercial law prohibits
illegitimate and exploitative gains while protecting
the principle which has been earned legitimately and
legally before usurious additions: ... Those who charge usury are in the same position as
those controlled by the devil's influence. This is
because they claim that usury is the same as commerce.
However, GOD permits commerce, and prohibits usury.
Thus, whoever heeds this commandment from his Lord,
and refrains from usury, he may keep his past
earnings, and his judgment rests with GOD. As for
those who persist in usury, they incur Hell, wherein
they abide forever. (2:275) Dr. Osman then discusses the Islamic laws during the
war. The Islamic law of war requires an open
declaration of the start of military operations,and
limits fighting to the combatants only. As soon as the
aggression itself is stopped and the aggressor submits
to justice, justice should be maintained in relation
to both parties equally. ....If two groups of believers fought with each other,
you shall reconcile them. If one group aggresses
against the other, you shall fightthe aggressing group
until they submit to God's command. Once they submit, you
shall reconcile the two groups equitably. You shall
maintain justice; GOD loves those who are just.(49:9)
Any of the enemy's army who asks for protection or
shelter should be granted it, and may be returned to
his camp if he so requests: If one of the idol worshipers sought safe passage with
you, you shall grant him safe passage, so that he can
hear the word of GOD, then send him back to his place
of security. That is because they are people who do
not know. (9:6) The wounded and deserters from the enemy's army should
not be attacked, but should be cared for until they
are cured or repatriated. It is clear from the article by Dr. Osman that Quran
protected the human rights of all individuals. The
Muslim jurists actually condensed Islamic law, as
mentioned before, into the securing and developing
human personality in five main areas: life, family,
mind, faith, and property. The human rights covered by
these five areas include the collective rights of
groups and peoples as well as the rights of
individuals; political and social rights have their
place side by side. A collective effort to defend the
powerless and the oppressed against a powerful
oppressor is an essential Islamic obligation. Every
right is considered a responsibility and an
obligation. In addition to human rights being
considered a collective responsibility of the umma
(the Muslim people as a group) and the authorities,
every holder of a right must also struggle for him/her
self to obtain, maintain and enjoy this right.
As Dr. Osman affirms an accurate balance has to be
maintained between basic spiritual and moral
development and education on one side, and the
protection of values by the law and the state on the
other. A balance should be maintained as well between
rights and duties: "We sent our messengers supported by clear proofs, and
we sent down to them the scripture and the law, that
the people may uphold justice. And we sent down the
iron, wherein there is strength, and many benefits for
the people. All this in order for GOD to distinguish
those who would support Him and His messengers, on
faith. GOD is Powerful, Almighty.(57:25)
Based on faith in God, the Islamic perspective on
human rights is comprehensive and deep. Quran
repeatedly confirmed and assured the equality of all
individuals and guaranteed their rights to live in
peace, free of oppression or fear. Dr. Osman concludes, "This was the message of Islam in
early times: a universal liberation and establishment
of justice and maintenance of human rights. It is thus
to maintain, develop and spread such an understanding
of the divine message in our times." |