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06th March 2010
Islam and Human Rights
(Cont’d from last Weekend VOICE)

Article 3 of the UN Declaration:
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
What the Qu’ran says:
Islam says that the first and foremost basic right for all mankind is the right to life. It is said in the Qu’ran, “Whosoever kills a human being (without any reason like man-slaughter, or corruption on earth) it is as though he has killed all mankind.” (5:33). The Holy Prophet (saw) stated “The greatest sins are to associate something with God and to kill human beings.” Security of person in Islam is shown in the Qu’ran and proven through the examples of the Holy Prophet (saw). Hinduism, Judaism and Christianity never perished in Muslim states, but actually flourished as protected minority communities. We know the importance of the right to life when we hear “And Whosoever saves a life it is as though he saved the lives of all mankind.” (5:33). Those living in a Muslim state, regardless of religion have the right to life, prosperity, security and honor because in Islam there in no compulsion in religion. As the Holy Prophet (saw) said when it came to protecting non-Muslims in a Muslim state “one who kills a man under covenant will not even smell the fragrance of paradise.” Declarations in many countries say the right to life is only for citizens of that country, whereas in Islam this right has been given to mankind as a whole.
Article 4 of the UN Declaration:
No one shall be held in slavery; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms
What the Qu’ran says:
The issue of slavery is one of the most important topics because it is something that this country was raised on. Holding anyone against their will without a purpose is against the teachings of Islam. Islam discussed this issue of slavery and tried to solve this problem in Arabia by encouraging people to set slaves free and being expiated from some of their sins. If you freed a slave on your own will, it was an act of such great value that the limbs of the man who freed the slave would be protected from hell fire, one for each limb of the slave freed. In 40 years at the time of the rightly guided Caliphs, slavery in Arabia was no more and slaves had been liberated. After this the only slaves were those who were captured on the battlefield and they were all held until their own government agreed to receive them back in exchange for Muslim soldiers or paying a ransom. As we hear in stories told of the Holy Prophet (saw), He would give up his own food and not eat to feed someone who was captured in war. His great examples, the humane way he treated others, even those who fought against Him was the main reason many of these people eventually embraced Islam, not because they were forced by the sword as some are often misled to believe. So, although slavery was abolished in Arabia and in Islam, eventually it became an essential part of this country’s growth and history; and went on for hundreds of years.
 
 
So how is this the UN declaration when it has already been set out in the Qu’ran?
These are just three of the things discussed in the UN declaration and I could review each one and show how the Qu’ran has already stated these human rights. When I was reading the rest of the declaration, I thought to myself this isn’t created by the UN, this is the Qu’ran. The only difference is that the Qu’ran had so many more things that were on human rights that need to be introduced to the world. The right to a basic standard of life would eliminate homelessness and poverty but I saw this in the Qu’ran but did not see this mentioned in the Declaration by the UN. The Qu’ran says “And in their wealth there is acknowledged right for the needy and destitute.” The obvious meaning of this is that anyone who asks for help or anyone who is suffering has a right to share in the property and wealth of a Muslim. If one is in a position to help and a needy person asks for help, or we know one is in need, it is our duty to help him. This is the beauty of Islam, it is our obligation as Muslims to help those in need. So while we have people who can’t afford a meal, we also have those who spend their wealth only on material things, not in the interest of those who need help.
As Muslims we need to present ourselves in a manner taught in the Qu’ran and by the examples of The Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw). Unfortunately, there are some Muslims in the world who are not following the teachings of the Qu’ran and are killing people in the name of Islam. This is what we see on television and today we live in a society where people are more inclined to learn about Islam from what they see on the news and television, rather than to learn about the truth for themselves. The good thing about this is that regardless of what they see on television, they can’t deny the truth about Islam when they see the way we as Muslims model true Islam by the way we carry ourselves everyday. So despite the false things we hear, we know Islam is not about terrorism or oppression because we know the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) said “God has no mercy on one who shows no mercy to others.” But we do know Islam is about peace, prosperity and human rights.

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