Human Rights in Islam by Shaykh ‘Abdul-’Azeez aalush-Shaykh
Human Rights in Islam – The Grand Muftee of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – Shaykh ‘Abdul-’Azeez Ibn ‘Abdullaah aalush-Shaykh – expounds upon human rights as guaranteed to mankind by Allaah in Islaam. These include, the right to life, women’s rights, rights of the family and others. He explains the grave dangers of oppressing people and killing unjustly. In conclusion, he clarifies the state of those who claim to support human rights, but oppress others in the process – oppression and transgression in the name of human rights!
Issues Covered in this Article:
On Human Rights in Islam:
“He produced from this human race Prophets and Messengers who were sent for the guidance and success of mankind in their worldly lives and in their Hereafter. Indeed, Islām is concerned with the human being with a fully sanctioned concern. So the prescribed laws (Sharī’ah) of Allāh have come to purify the servant (i.e. the human being) and they have come for his success in his worldly life and in his Hereafter. So what are the acts of worship, except a refinement for the soul, purification for it and an education for it upon correct manners and higher ideals?”
Islam has Emancipated Mankind from the Worst Form of Slavery:
“So the greatest blessing from Allāh upon him is that Islām has liberated man from the slavery, the disgrace and the degradation of Shirk.”
On Equality in Islam:
“O people! Indeed, your Lord is one and your father (i.e. Ādam) is one. A non-Arab is no better than an Arab, nor is an Arab any better than a non-Arab. And there is no excellence for a black person over a white one, nor is there any excellence for a white person over a black one, except due to taqwā (righteousness). The Religion of Islām has preserved human rights in truth; it has preserved them in all aspects of life.”
The Right to Life in Islam:
“And from Islām’s concern for mankind is that it has made aggression unlawful upon him. So Islām affirms his right to life and it affirms that life is a right for him. No one is allowed to take a life, except for the One who granted it (i.e. Allāh), and He is capable of all things.”
On Women’s Rights in Islam:
“It has liberated her from those who seek to oppress her, whether they do it by depriving her of her rights, or by trying to deprive her of her Religion and sense of honour. Islām has safeguarded her honour and protected her nobility. So Islām respects the woman as a mother, a wife, a daughter and a sister.”
On Rights of the Family:
“So it gave the parents their rights, and the wife her rights and the husband his rights and to the children their rights. And in Islām the neighbours have rights. And Islām has concern for the neighbours, concern for the relatives and the close companions.”
True Human Rights are in Islam:
“The rights are not a favour granted by human beings. Rather, they are from the favour of Allāh. There are rights within Islām that mankind in general deserves, rights with regards to politics, economics, education and societal rights. These rights have been affirmed by Islām and they do not change, because they have been issued by the Sharī’ah of Islām.”
“And if the Muslims were to ponder carefully upon the Book of Allāh and the Sunnah of His Prophet, they would surely see that the truth and justice is within these two – always and forever.”
