Introduction

Human rights in Islam
And common misconceptions
حقوق الإنسان في الإسلام
والتصورات الخاطئة الشائعة
From:
Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Sheha
Third edition
April 2010 AD / Rabi'a Thani 1431H
Translated by:
A group of translators
Revision of:
Ahmed Ateia

Bismillahi-Rahmani-Rahim
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful!

Introduction
All praise is due to Allah. Peace and blessings to His servant and Messenger, Muhammad (Peace be upon him).
Every society has a set of rules and principles that guarantee and secure the rights and safety of individuals in society. This allows you to develop a feeling of belonging, stability and calm. Individuals need this sense of belonging, peace and security in order to fulfill their tasks and duties in a satisfactory manner.

At present one can perceive three different directions in our global society. The first direction exaggerates the right of the individual in society by giving him complete freedom to do what he wants. This undoubtedly leads to a chaotic social situation. Because of this unlimited freedom that is granted to the individual, society as a whole suffers immensely. Crimes are increasing, materialistic goals are overwhelming. We find this trend in capitalist society.

The second direction is the opposite of the one mentioned above. It places the rights of society above those of the individual. It dictates that society has priority over ordinary masses. These latter are deprived of all individual rights. Only rights that serve the government are granted to the individuals of such a society. This trend is known as communism.

The third direction does not place the rights of society above those of the individual, nor the rights of the individual above those of society. Everyone is more likely to be granted their rights in this life. The individuals of such a society enjoy their own rights and the society also has its own rights. Both rights are regulated and controlled by strict laws and conditions. In this direction, the public interest is given priority over the interest of the individual in the event of a conflict.

In this booklet we want to explain human rights in general from the perspective of Islam. These rights are based on the Holy Book of Muslims, the Quran al-Karim and the Sunnah, sayings and deeds of the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him), the two main sources of Islamic life and jurisprudence. Allah's Messenger (Peace be upon him) used both the Qur'an al-Karim and the Sunnah to obtain ideal individual jurisprudence, which he applied in cases of conflict in his own community as well as in those of any other society in the world.

We firmly believe that the application of the social rules and principles of the third direction would actually make all of humanity happier. Furthermore, the application of these principles would enable society to achieve the highest level of peace and security. These social rights and principles are not the result of previous attempts, social ideologies, temporary and immediate needs and/or political campaigns or motives.

The essential reason for our firm belief in such social rights and principles is the fact that they have been established by the Creator of man, who knows exactly what is appropriate for His creation at all times. Allah Almighty knows best what benefits man, what harms him, what makes man happy, what saddens him, what makes man successful, what causes him to fail and so on. He (Almighty) is the omniscient. He knows best what is appropriate and He is the One Who meets all the needs of His creatures on earth and makes their lives successful, safe and happy.

The Quran al-Karim, which was revealed and revealed to Muhammad (Peace be upon him) over fourteen hundred years ago, contains a large number of such social rules. In addition, the Sunnah, the sayings and deeds of the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him), the second source of Islamic law, contains many guidelines on this. These social rules and principles were put into practice in the best possible way by Allah's Messenger (Peace be upon him) over fourteen hundred years ago. Both the Quran al-Karim and the Sunnah honored man and his individual rights in society. On the other hand, both sources of Islamic law did not overlook the needs and rights of society and the public interest.

Allah Almighty says about this in the Qur'an al-Karim in Surah Al-Isra (Night Journey) (17:70), which is translated as follows:
(And verily We have honored the children of Adam, and carried them over land and sea, and provided them with good things and distinguished them - an award above those many whom We have created.)

Such honor for people also means granting them rights that ensure the continuation, freedom and provision of their lives. So man is honored and placed above others on earth. But in order to exercise this primacy, there should be classes and categories of people so that special tasks can be done by special people. In this way, the company has a better basis and performance.

This concept is illuminated by Allah Almighty in the Qur'an al-Karim Sura An'am (The Cattle) 6:165, which is translated in meaning as follows:
(And it is He who made you successors on earth, and exalted some of you in degrees above others, to test you by what He had given you. Verily your Lord is quick to punish; and verily, He is Forgiving, Merciful.)

Here we should actually emphasize that human rights according to Islam never cease, even after the death of a person. The deceased has the right to be washed clean or bathed gently. He is also entitled to be wrapped in one or a set of three or five white, new, clean shrouds; Then he is entitled to a funeral prayer as a farewell to his body and soul in this life. Furthermore, Islam prohibits doing anything to the deceased body, cutting off an ear, gouging out the tongue, an eye, pulling out a tooth, removing the nose, cutting off a leg, or the like.

This is justified by the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him):
“Breaking a bone of a dead person is as much a sin as breaking a bone of a living person.”

In addition, after death, the deceased is honored with the following rights: the grave of a Muslim dead person may not be dug without an important and honorable reason; no one is allowed to sit on the grave of a Muslim dead person and no one has the right to walk over the grave of a Muslim dead person.

This is based on the following hadith of the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him):
“It is far better for a person to sit on burning charcoal that burns his clothes so that he feels the burning on his skin than to sit on a grave.”

Likewise, the deceased Muslim is entitled to be protected from gossip and sick memories even after his death.

This is based on the following hadith of the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him):
"...(only) mention the good things of your deceased and keep away from slander (they were known when he was alive)"

In fact, the deceased Muslim has even more rights as follows: the deceased is entitled to prayers, supplications and alms given on his behalf after his death. A deceased Muslim is entitled to the full fulfillment of his will and all the things that he promised or vowed during his lifetime but could not fulfill because of his sudden death.

This is based on the following hadith of the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him):
“A man asked the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him): “O Prophet of Allah! My parents died. Is there anything I can do to please them that will be good for them even after their death?" Allah's Messenger ((Peace be upon him)) immediately replied: "Yes. Pray for their souls. Honor their friends and be generous to them. Stay connected and in good touch with their friends and relatives and fulfill their vow of loyalty (which they themselves made while they were alive).”

Here you can see that some international human rights organizations today call for similar principles to those we quoted above. In fact, Islam prescribed these human rights over fourteen centuries ago. In contrast, the rights advocated by international organizations are characterized by weaknesses and shortcomings. These rights were not established primarily in the interests of people, but rather for the benefit of such organizations. This is evident when we see around the world how many human rights are being violated and none of the organizations are standing up to combat such abuses of human rights. The poor are not helped, the weak are not cared for.

Human rights organizations do not come to help oppressed people, because with this help they do not serve their interests. Certainly, if such organizations wanted to help, they can. Nevertheless, if this aid does not benefit their interests, they will not intervene to protect the interests of the oppressed. In such situations, such organizations utter the following battle cry: “Do not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries or peoples.” Islam, on the other hand, calls for the protection, defense and support of the the oppressed by sacrificing personal interests. Islam urges to remove all oppression from the oppressed when one is in a position to do so and there is no personal danger to the remover of the oppression or others and is assured that the rules and decrees of a Muslim leader or government not be injured.

Allah Almighty says in the Quran al-Karim Surah Nisa (Women) 4:75, the meaning of which can be translated as follows:
(And what is the matter with you, that you do not fight for the cause of Allah and for the cause of the weak - men, women and children - who say: “Our Lord, bring us out of this city whose inhabitants are unjust, and give us from You a protector, and give us from you a helper.”?)

It is important to emphasize here that the fulfillment of human rights in the Islamic countries is inextricably linked to the commitment to the application of Islamic teachings and principles. Some Islamic countries turn away from Islam completely, while others only accept what benefits their own projects and interests. There are other Islamic countries that claim to be practicing Islamic teachings and principles, but in reality they are trying to destroy or distort Islam from within. For this reason, we want to emphasize here that an objective person who wants to study Islam should do so by considering its own peculiarities as a fully developed system. This person should not be influenced by the behavior and actions of certain individuals, groups, peoples, countries or governments. As we have pointed out previously, the fulfillment of Islamic principles and Islamic laws varies depending on the practice of Islam in the first place. Accordingly, if the system is good and we notice some shortcomings and errors in the application, we need to examine the application itself and not the system. For example, if we meet a person who claims to act as a good Muslim, but when we look closer at his behavior, habits and personality we see something completely different, then we should question it.

When we find lies, fraud, breach of contract and deception in the behavior of such a person, we should not accuse the system itself, i.e. Islam, of deficiencies, but rather the person himself. We should scrupulously examine the system itself and consider its by-products. Here's a simple example: if someone needs bread, they would go to the bakery or at least to a store that sells bread like a grocery store or supermarket. If the person who needs bread were to go to the butcher or the fruit shop, he would not be able to find bread. There is a general statement in the Qur'an al-Karim that explains this case.

Allah Almighty says in the Quran al-Karim Surah An'am (The Cattle) (6:116) whose meaning can be translated as follows:
(And if you obey most of those on earth, they will lead you astray from the path of Allah. They're just guessing, and they're just guessing. )

Unfortunately, we find that today many Muslims around the world are not true representatives of Islam. Many Muslims make a lot of mistakes and have many shortcomings. This is a most unfortunate situation, but it is true. The reason for such a statement in this introduction is simply to warn in advance and to inform all those who wish to adopt Islam as a way of life. You should not be influenced or misled by the behaviors and mistakes of such Muslims.

We hope that such interested persons will not despair. On the other hand, we want to encourage Muslims to maintain the best application of their faith in every situation of life. Furthermore, we call on non-Muslims to examine Islam, try to understand its principles and try to live according to its guidelines.

I was once told about a new American Muslim who came to an Islamic country just after he had embraced Islam. He was shocked when he saw the situation of Muslims in the Islamic society. He noticed how far they were from the beautiful, perfect Islamic teachings and principles.

He said:
“I thank Allah Almighty for letting me adopt Islam as a way of life before coming to this country. If I had come to this country before accepting Islam, I would never have thought of joining Islam.”

This new Muslim made this statement because of what he saw of the wrong actions of Muslims. And this is really a very unfortunate situation.

Written by
Abdur-Rahman bin Abdul-Karim al-Shehha
Box. 59565 – Aar-Riyadh 11535 – 13/06/1421
www.islamland.com
Email:
info@islamland.com
gambaza@yahoo.com