Life and Teachings of the Prophet Muhammad
9. Human Rights in Islam
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9. HUMAN RIGHTS IN ISLAM
“O people! Behold, we have created you from a male
and a female; and we have made you into tribes and
sub-tribes, so that you may recognise one another. The
most honourable among you, in the sight of God, is he
who is the most righteous among you. God is
All-Knowing, All-Aware. (49:13)
R
IGHTS
in Islam are divided into two categories. One concerns
divine rights (
Huququllah
) and the other, human rights (
Huququl
Ibad
). Though divine rights are superior to human rights, this
difference is a matter of belief or doctrine and not a matter of
action or practice.
In the practical sense, both the rights: divine and human are so
interrelated that sometimes it becomes impossible to separate one
from the other.
In fact, it is the observance of divine right that paves the way
for the observance of human rights in the true sense of the word.
For instance, the first and foremost divine right is Tawhid, that is,
to declare the oneness of God, without associating anything with
Him, as the Quran says:
Say, “He is God, the One.
He is self-sufficient
He begets not, nor was He begotten.”
(112:1-3)
