Human Rights in Islam - II

Some rights are explained briefly here:

Right to life and wealth

Every human being has the right to lead his/her life and nobody else has the right to even endanger life in any way. In the same way, protection of wealth is also necessary to live, so that one may transfer money at will and fulfill one’s needs. For this it is necessary to give the right of wealth. It is not allowed for anybody to touch other’s wealth without that person’s wish. These rights are in the light of these words of the Holy Prophet:

O People, indeed your lives, your properties and your honor are sacred and inviolable to you

The wisdom in Islam’s economic system:

All the sections of the society can progress only when wealth and money are not concentrated in the hands of a few people and/or a particular section of the society, but freely circulate through all sections of the society. It should not be that the wealthy keep on increasing their wealth and the poor people perish in their poverty. With this objective, in Islam interest (Usury) is prohibited in Islam and is a grave sin. Zakaat is obligatory (Fardh) on wealthy and they are encouraged to give other charity also. For some sins, omissions and mistakes, expiation (Kaffara) is Wajib (compulsory) and even in war booty, the fifth part has been reserved, so that wealth circulates freely through all sections of the society.

In this connection, these words of the Holy Prophet are the guide for us:

Lo! All interest-based transactions of the days of ignorance (before Islam) are declared null and void. But your principal amount belongs to you.

Right of equality:

A society in which there are divisions based on family, tribe, caste, nationality, race, that society easily falls prey to clashing and discord and decays very soon. The best society is the one in which there is no concept of high and low based on such things and everybody’s rights are equal. Here these words of the Holy Prophet are our guide:

An Arab does not have any superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab over an Arab; neither a white man over a black man nor a black man over a white man

With these guiding words, dividing men into classes is prohibited, arrogance has been checked and universal equality has been declared.

Rights of women:

In the days of ignorance, women were meted out inhuman treatment. Boys were preferred over girls. Even in inheritance, only boys would have a share and girls would be deprived of it. In their menses, women were treated like animals. Even eating along with her was considered prohibited. Men would divorce a woman as many times as he wanted to and again take her back. In every aspect of life, women were oppressed.

The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) declared all those rights of women which were their due and gave such a high place to women that no other religion or philosophy of life had even approached it.

The following is the concise command of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) about women:

O people, your women have certain rights on you………… Hence be conscious of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala) about them

Watch this space for the third and final part of this series.