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1. Introduction
- Islam has laid down principles and laws for a person's individual, family and social life.
- For a person to live as a human being, duties must be fulfilled and rights must be received.
- As Allah's most honoured creation, all human beings are equal – whatever their time, surroundings, country, race, or political, social, economic or educational position.
- Allah alone is able to give them common, balanced and unbiased duties and rights.
- So Islam takes human rights from the Quran and the Sunnah.
Rights given by Allah = birthrights
- No one can deny, take away or misuse them.
- Those who do so are great traitors and deserve Allah's punishment.
2. Why are rights made by human beings weak?
| Rights made by human beings | Rights given by Islam |
|---|---|
| They differ with time and place | They are permanent |
| They are taken away just as they are given | No one can take them away |
| They exist on paper only; they do not work in practice | They work continuously |
| They are denied by those in power; they expire | They suit human nature |
| Human equality suffers | Denying them is not only illegal but a sin and punishable |
3. Historical charters
| Charter | Time | Details |
|---|---|---|
| The Charter of Madinah | At the start of the Prophet's ﷺ hijrah to Madinah | An agreement made with the people living there – Islam proclaimed human rights six centuries before the West thought of them |
| The Magna Carta (the Great Charter) | 1215 – six centuries later | An agreement in England between King John and the people; many changes were made to it over time |
The Tamil textbook calls the king "John II" (irandam Jon). The king who agreed to the Magna Carta in 1215 is usually known simply as King John of England – confirm with the teacher.
Dr C. G. Weeramantry
- A former judge (Justice). Book: "Islamic Jurisprudence: An International Perspective."
- His view: if, without considering any of today's international charters, one studied only Islamic legal literature, collected the human rights in it and drew up an "International Islamic Declaration of Human Rights", it would be comparable to today's human rights charter.
The Tamil textbook gives his initials as "C. V."; the author of this book is generally known as C. G. Weeramantry – confirm with the teacher.
4. Human rights given by Islam (7)
(1) The right to life
- Human life is sacred and must be protected.
- (6:151) – meaning: Do not kill a soul that Allah has made sacred, except by due process of law.
- (5:32) – meaning: Whoever kills a soul unjustly, it is as if he has killed all mankind; and whoever saves a life, it is as if he has saved all mankind.
(2) The right to equality
- All people are equal before the law; they cannot be treated differently because of race, place, colour or appearance.
- Hadith (Bayhaqi) – meaning: Your Lord is One; an Arab is not better than a non-Arab, nor a white person better than a black person; you are ranked higher only through God-consciousness (taqwa).
(3) The right to individual freedom
- Hadith (Bukhari) – meaning: I will be the opponent of three kinds of people on the Day of Judgement; one of them is a person who enslaves a free person, sells him and eats from the price.
- So Islam encourages freeing slaves and forbids the slave trade.
- Freedom of religion – (2:256) – meaning: "There is no compulsion in religion; right guidance has become clear from error."
(4) The right to justice
- Everyone has the right to stand equally before the law and to receive equal justice.
- (5:8) – meaning: Stand firm for Allah as just witnesses; do not let hatred of a people lead you to be unjust to them; justice is closest to God-consciousness.
- The Prophet ﷺ (meaning): "Even if my daughter Fatimah stole, I would not hesitate to cut off her hand."
(5) The right to protection of dignity
- Protection from actions that damage one's reputation and dignity, and from groundless accusations.
- (49:12) – meaning: Avoid much suspicion; some suspicion is sin; do not spy; and do not backbite one another.
(6) The right to protection of property
- The right to obtain the basic needs of life.
- (4:32) – meaning: Men have a share of what they earn, and women have a share of what they earn.
(7) The right to protection of religious feelings
- (6:108) – meaning: Do not insult those they call upon besides Allah, lest they insult Allah in hostility, without knowledge. Thus We have made the deeds of every people seem fair to them.
| Right | Evidence |
|---|---|
| Life | 6:151, 5:32 |
| Equality | Hadith in Bayhaqi |
| Individual freedom | Hadith in Bukhari, 2:256 |
| Justice | 5:8, the Fatimah hadith |
| Dignity | 49:12 |
| Property | 4:32 |
| Religious feelings | 6:108 |
Quick revision
- Only Allah has the right to lay down rights; rights in Islam = birthrights, permanent.
- Rights made by human beings: change with time, can be taken away, exist only on paper.
- The Charter of Madinah (start of the hijrah) → six centuries later the Magna Carta (1215, King John, England).
- Dr C. G. Weeramantry – "Islamic Jurisprudence: An International Perspective".
- 7 rights: life, equality, freedom, justice, dignity, property, religious feelings.