Fundamental rights of human beings

The first thing that we find in Islam in this connection is that it lays down some rights for man as a human being. In other words it means that every man whether he belongs to this country or that, whether he is a believer or unbeliever, whether he lives in some forest or is found in some desert, whatever be the case, he has some basic human rights simply because he is a human being, which should be recognized by every Muslim. In fact it will be his duty to fulfill these obligations.

Rights granted by kings or legislative assemblies can be withdrawn or amended as easily as they are conferred. The rights accepted and recognized by the dictators are also too temporary to be relied upon. They can confer rights when they please and withdraw them when they wish; and they can openly violate them when they so desire. But no individual and no institution on earth have the authority to withdraw or amend the rights bestowed upon by God. Secondly, being the unequivocal verdict of the Holy Quran and part and parcel of the Islamic faith, these rights excel in every respect and from every angle all the charters and the proclamations and the resolutions of the United Nations. Thirdly, Islam does not seek to restrict human rights or privileges to the geographical limits of its own state but applies to humanity as a whole and these are to be observed and respected under all circumstances for all persons residing within or outside the territory of the Islamic state. O Believers! If you fear Allah He will grant you a standard (by which you may judge between right and wrong), to remove you from all evils that may afflict you and forgive you. For Allah is the possessor of unbounded grace. (surah Al-Anfal:29) Human beings are the creations of Allah and loved by Him. Therefore there are certain rights which should be shared by whole humanity, whether the person are Muslim or not. For example all human beings have the right to be fed, clothed, educated and cared for the society. Every society contains people whose disabilities prevent them from working , or who are too sick or too weak to earn sufficient wages to secure decent life. There are children who lost parents, wives who have lost their husbands. Any society with least respect for human dignity would not allow such people to be left neglected and uncared for. Islam makes it obligatory for wealthy and able-bodied to support these less fortunate. Man has a different value from the other beings. That value increases through belief in Allah and obedience to His commands. Thus, man becomes the most honorable

guest in the universe. Man gets the value of humanity by his birth, in fact by the beginning of his formation in the uterus and he bears that value throughout his life. The value of being a human surrounds everyone. Woman-man, elder-younger, black-white, weak-strong, poor-rich, no matter from what religion and nationality, race or color; the shadow of that compassion encompasses all. Thus, Islam protects the blood of every person from being shed illegally, his chastity from being violated, his property from usurpation, his dwelling from being violated, his lineage from being deteriorated, and his conscience from being under constraint. Islam assures the honor and dignity of humanity.

The Right to Life:

Life is sacred and is considered by the Muslims as to be a divine gift which we meant to preserve, enjoy and put to its fullest use. Life should never be ended without justification. The first and the foremost basic right is the right to live and respect human life. The Holy Quran lays down: Whosoever kills a human being without (any reason like) man slaughter, or corruption on earth, it is as though he had killed all mankind ... (5:32) As far as the question of taking life in retaliation for murder or the question of punishment for spreading corruption on this earth is concerned, it can be decided only by a proper and competent court of law. If there is any war with any nation or country, it can be decided only by a properly established government. In any case, no human being has any right by himself to take human life in retaliation or for causing mischief on this earth. Therefore it is incumbent on every human being that under no circumstances should he be guilty of taking a human life. If anyone has murdered a human being, it is as if he has slain the entire human race. These instructions have been repeated in the Holy Quran in another place saying: Do not kill a soul which Allah has made sacred except through the due process of law ... (6:151) The Prophet, may God's blessings be on him, has declared homicide as the greatest sin only next to polytheism. The 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 Quran and the Traditions of the Prophet the word 'soul' (nafs) has been used in general terms without any distinction or particularization which might have lent itself to the elucidation that the persons belonging to one's nation, the citizens of one's country, the people of a particular race or religion should not be killed. The injunction applies to all human beings and the destruction of human life in itself has been prohibited. Immediately after the verse of the Holy Quran which has been mentioned in connection with the right to life, God has said: "And whoever saves a life it is as though he had saved the lives of all mankind" (5:32). There can be several forms of saving man from death. A man may be ill or wounded, irrespective of his nationality, race or color. If you know that he is in need of your help, then it is your duty that you should arrange for his treatment for disease or wound. If he is dying of starvation, then it is your duty to feed him so

that he can ward off death. If he is drowning or his life is at stake, then it is your duty to save him. We regard it as our duty to save every human life, because it is thus that we have been enjoined in the Holy Quran. On the other hand, if they regard it necessary to save the life of a human being.

The Right to Merit:

Allah commands you to deliver trusts to those worthy of them; and when you judge between people, to judge with justice. Excellent is the admonition Allah gives you. Allah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing. (4:58) Here the Muslims are forewarned against the evils which had afflicted the Israelites. One of the fundamental mistakes committed by the Israelites was that in the time of their degeneration they had handed over positions of trust (i.e. religious and political leadership) to incompetent, mean, immoral, dishonest and corrupt people. The result was that corruption spread throughout the nation. The Muslims are directed to take heed of this, and to entrust positions of responsibility only to those who are capable of shouldering the burdens of such positions. The other major weakness of the Israelites was that they completely lost their sense of justice. In their pursuit of either personal or national interests, honesty and good faith were often sacrificed. The Muslims, in the time of the Prophet (peace be on him), were themselves subjected to gross injustice at their hands. On the one side were the Prophet (peace be on him) and his followers, to whose purity of life and conduct the Jews were themselves witnesses. On the other side were those who worshipped idols, buried their daughters alive, married their step-mothers and circumambulated the Ka'bah naked. Despite this, these so-called People of the Book felt no shame in declaring that the latter were closer to righteousness than the Muslims. After informing the Muslims of the iniquity of the Jews, God now warns them against committing similar injustices. They should rather declare what is right in the face of friend and foe alike, and judge between people with equity and justice.

Favoritism is the word most representative and comprehensive situation where talent is ignored, deserving people are pushed back and justice is denied. A just society sets rules for judging the capabilities of its members for particular job or assignment. Allah and His prophet condemn violation of merit because trust on behalf of the creator is not being made over to those who are entitled because of their intelligence, education, skill and God given capabilities.

The recognition of merit is certainly not an easy job. It could be recognized in the society which is established on the principles embodied in Islam. Holy Prophet(P.B.U.H) said, Truly the best of the servants of Allah on the Day of judgment will be a ruler, just and kind; and the worst of man in rank in the sight of Allah will be a ruler tyrannical and hard-hearted. It is about the ruler or society or country which refuses to recognize merits and God given talent.