Basic
Human Rights
1. The Right To Life
The first and foremost basic right is the right to life. The Holy
Qur'an lays down: "Whosoever kills a human being (without any reason
like) man- slaughter, or corruption on earth, it is though he had
killed all mankind." (5:32) The propriety of taking life in
retaliation for murder or for spreading corruption can be decided
only by a competent court of law. During a war it can be decided
only by a properly established government. In any event, no
individual has the right to decide such questions by himself. As the
Holy Qur'an makes clear: "Do not kill a soul which Allah has made
sacred except through the
due process of
law." (6:151)
Homicide is thus distinguished from destruction of life carried out
in the pursuit of justice. The Prophet, blessings of Allah and peace
be upon him, has declared homicide as the greatest sin after
polytheism. A Tradition of the Prophet reads: "The greatest sins are
to associate something with God and to kill human beings."
In all these verses of the Qur'an and the Traditions of the Prophet
the word 'soul' (nafs) has been used in general terms without
any indication that citizens belonging to one's own nation or the
people of a particular race or religion should not be killed. The
injunction applies to all human beings.
The 'Right to Life' has been given to man as a whole only by Islam.
You will observe that reference to human rights in constitutions or
declarations in many countries clearly implies that these rights are
applicable only to the citizens of that country or
2. The Right To The Safety Of Life :
Immediately after the verse .in the Holy Qur'an which has
been mentioned In connection with the right to life, God says: ,.
And whoever saves a life it is as though he had saved the lives of
all mankind”(532)
There can be several forms of saving man from death. If a
man is ill or wounded it is your duty to get him medical help. If he
is dying of starvation, it is your duty to feed him. If he is
drowning, it is your duty to rescue him. We regard it as our duty to
save every human life, because it is thus that we have been enjoined
in the Holy Qur'an.
The third important element in the Charter of Human Rights granted
by Islam is that a woman's chastity must be respected and protected
at all times, whether she belongs to one's own nation or to the
nation of an enemy, whether we find her in a remote forest or in a
conquered city,
The words of the Holy Qur'an in this respect are: "Do not
approach (the bounds) of adultery" (17:32). Heavy punishment has
been prescribed for this crime, and no mitigating circumstances are
indicated. Since the violation of the chastity of a woman is
forbidden in Islam, a Muslim who perpetrates this crime cannot
escape punishment -whether he receives it in this world or In the
Hereafter.
This concept of the sanctity of chastity and the protection
of women can be found nowhere else except in Islam. From the point
of view of Islam, not only the woman but also the man possesses
chastity. A man who perpetrates rape or adultery spoils not only the
chastity of the woman. but his own as well.
Speaking about economic rights, the Holy Qur'an enjoins its
followers:
"
And in their wealth there is acknowledged right for the needy and
destitute." (51:12)
The wording of this
injunction shows that it is categorical and unqualified.
Furthermore, this injunction was given in Makkah where there was no
Muslim society in existence and where the Muslims came in contact
mostly with disbelievers.
The clear meaning of this verse is that anyone who asks for
help and anyone who is suffering from deprivation has a right to
share in the property and wealth of a Muslim; irrespective of
whether he belongs to this or to that nation, to this or to that
country, to this or to that race. If one is in I a position to help
and a needy person asks for help or if one comes to know that he is
in need, then it is one's duty to help him.
5. The Individual's Right To Freedom:
Islam has categorically forbidden the primitive practice of
capturing a free man to make him a slave or to sell him into
slavery. On this point the unequivocal words of the Prophet
(blessings of Allah and peace be upon him) are as follows: "There
are three categories of people against whom I shall myself be a
plaintiff on the Day of Judgement. Of these three, one is he who
enslaves a free man, then sells him and eats this money" (Bukhari
and Ibn Maja).
The words of this Tradition of the Prophet have not been qualified
or restricted to a particular nation or race, or to followers of a
particular religion.
The
Position Of Slavery In Islam
Islam tried to solve the problem of
the slaves that were already in Arabia by encouraging people to set
them free. Muslims were told that freeing slaves would mean the
expiation of some of their sins. Freeing a slave of one's own free
will was declared to be an act of such great merit that the limbs of
the man who manumitted a slave would be protected from hell- fire-
one for each limb of the slave freed.
The result of this policy was that, by the time the period of the
Rightly- Guided Caliphs was reached, all the old slaves of Arabia
had been liberated. The Prophet {blessings of Allah and peace be
upon him) alone liberated as many as 63 slaves. The number of slaves
freed by. A'isha was 67; Abbas liberated 70; , Abd Allah bin 'Umar
liberated one thousand; and 'Abd al-Ral.tman purchased thirty
thousand and set them free. Other Companions of the Prophet
liberated a large number of slaves, the details of which are given
in the Traditions and books of history of that period.
The problem of the slaves of Arabia was thus solved in under 40
years. After this the only slaves left in Islamic society were
prisoners of war captured on the battlefield. These were kept by the
Muslim government in question until their own government agreed to
receive them back in exchange for Muslim soldiers captured by them
or arranged the payment of ransom on their behalf. If the soldiers
they captured were not exchanged for Muslim prisoners of war, or
their people did not pay their ransom money to purchase their
liberty, the Muslim government distributed them among the soldiers
of the army which had captured them.
This was a more humane way of disposing of them than penning them
like cattle in concentration camps and taking forced labour from
them and, if their womenfolk were also captured, setting them aside
for prostitution. Islam preferred to spread them through the
population and thus bring them in contact with individual human
beings. Their guardians, in addition, were ordered to treat them
well.
The result of this policy was that most of the men who were captured
on foreign battlefields and brought to the Muslim countries as
slaves
6. The Right To Justice:
This is a very important and valuable right which Islam has given to
man. The Holy Qur'an has laid down: "Do not let your hatred of a
people incite you to aggression" (5:3). " And do not let ill-will
towards any folk incite you so that you swerve from dealing justly.
Be just; that is nearest to heedfulness" (5:8). Stressing this point
the Qur'an again says: "You who believe stand steadfast before God
as witness for (truth and) fair play" ( 4: 135).
The point is thus made clear that Muslims have to be just not
only to 1 their friends but also their enemies. In other words, the
justice to which Islam invites her followers is not limited to the
citizens of one's own country, or the people of one's own tribe,
nation or race, or the Muslim community as a whole; it is meant for
all human beings.
7. The Equality Of Human Beings:
Islam not only recognizes the principle of absolute equality between
men irrespective of colour, race or nationality, it makes it an
important reality. Almighty God has laid down in the Holy Qur'an: "O
mankind, we have created you from a male and female." In other
words, all human beings are brothers. They all are the descendants
from one father and one mother. " And we set you up as nations and
tribes so that you may be able to recognize each other" (49: 13).
This means that the division of human beings into nations, races,
groups and tribes is for the sake of distinction, so that people of
one race or tribe may meet and be acquainted with people belonging
to another race or tribe and co-operate with one another .
This division of the human race is neither meant for one nation to
take pride in its superiority over others nor for one nation to
treat another with contempt. "Indeed, the noblest among you before
God are the most heedful of you " ( 49: 13). That is, the
superiority of one man over another is
only on the basis of
God-consciousness, purity of character and high morals, and not
colour, race, language or nationality. People are therefore not
justified in assuming airs of superiority over other human beings.
Nor do the righteous have any special privileges over others.
This has been thus exemplified by the Prophet (blessings of Allah
and peace be upon him) in one of his sayings: '.No Arab has any
superiority over a non-Arab, nor does a non-Arab have any
superiority over a black man, or the black man any superiority over
the white man. You are all the children of Adam, and Adam was
created from clay." (Bayhaqi and Bazzaz). In this manner Islam
established the principle of equality of the entire human race and
struck at the very root of all distinctions based on colour, race,
language or nationality.
According to Islam, God has given man this right of equality as a
birthright. No man should therefore be discriminated against on the
grounds of the colour of his skin, his place of birth, the race or
the nation in which he was born.
Islam has prescribed a general principle of
paramount importance and universal application. The Holy Qur'an
says: "Co-operate with one another for virtue and heedfulness and do
not co-operate with one another for the purpose of vice and
aggression" (5:2). This means that the man who undertakes noble and
righteous work, irrespective of whether he is living at the North
Pole or the South Pole, has the right to expect support and active
co-operation from Muslims. But he who practises vice and aggression,
even if he is our closest relation or neighbour, does not have the
right to our support and help in the name of race, country, language
or nationality, nor should he expect Muslims to co-operate with him.
The wicked and vicious person may be our own brother, but he is not
of us, and he can have no help or support from us as long as he does
not repent of his ways. On the other hand, the man who is doing
deeds of virtue and righteousness may have no kinship with Muslims,
but Muslims will be his companions and supporters, or at least his
well-wishers.
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