Human Rights From the Viewpoint of Islam

The following article taken from the famous book entitled Risalat al-Hoqouq or the Treatise of Human Rights as dictated to one of his disciples by Imam Zain al-Abedin (PBUH), the 4th Infallible Successor of Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny).
The term ‘Rights' is the plural of right, which when used in singular form has a different meaning. ‘Rights' is a way of behaviour that defines one's respect for fellow humans that others are also duty bound to observe. The most important characteristic of human rights is that it is a must and not the outcome of others' favors. Every one of us has rights, and even our own bodily parts have rights of their own, which we ought to observe. According to Imam Zain al-Abedin (PBUH) the rights that the All-Merciful God has granted us bestows covers our entire life, for whatever we possess is from the Wise and Omnipotent Creator. If we can move, talk, see, hear or associate with others, these are all divine favors and for each of these blessings we have a right that should be observed. Each right, however, insignificant in the eyes of the individual, has its own important status. The 4th Imam says the right of the Almighty upon, His humble creatures, is the most important one. Accordingly, whenever a right of a fellow human is violated, one has to ask the forgiveness of God, in addition to request from pardon from the person wronged. For instance, one who accuses another for no fault or speaks ill of him, has to apologize to that person since his right of respect has been violated. This does not mean that if the wronged person forgives, the matter is resolved. No, we should simultaneously beseech God for forgiveness as well, since we had disobeyed God by wronging a fellow human. Imam Zain al-Abedin (PBUH) defines in a beautiful and rational manner that the ignoring of the rights of a person is tantamount to violation of the rights of God, Who is the source of all good, and Who so wisely defined our respective rights.
The point worth noting is that without proper cognizance and consciousness of God, Who is nearer to us than our jugular vein, one cannot have a proper understanding of fellow humans and cannot claim to have found the path of perfection. In this regard, verse 16 of Surah Qaaf, reads: "We are nearer to him than his life-vein." And in part of verse 24 of Surah Anfaal, God assures man, saying: "And know that Allah intervenes between man and his heart." The All-Merciful God is fully aware of the needs of His creatures. In view of this fact, He has defined to us the paths leading to perfection as well as the pitfalls that plunge us into the abyss of doom and self-destruction.
It is rather unfortunate that in many cases, human beings ignore God and the wisdom of religious teachings by hopelessly resigning themselves to the fluctuations of life on the presumption of fate and fortune. However, this immersion in worldly fails to satisfy the spirit of man or his own efforts since this sort of attitude to life is actually against innate human nature. The state of affairs of the modern world, with all its scientific and technological progress and the comforts and amenities of life, is testimony to the fact that the soul of the man remains restless and without attaining his quest for tranquility. Decades of Godless capitalism, as well as socialism, communism, and secularism, have failed to salvage human societies. These facts are making the modern man realize that in order to stop his further straying from the truth, he has to turn to morals, religious teachings, and most important of all, the words of Divine Revelation, as preached by Prophets and saints, especially the Last and Greatest of all Divine Messengers, Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny).
In this regard, we find in the Risalat al-Hoqouq or the Treatise on Human rights, how beautifully the Prophet's 4th Infallible Successor turns the attention of man to the rights of God upon human beings, which also includes the rights of our own bodily parts upon ourselves. For instance, the head, the eyes, the ears, the limbs, and all other organs, have their own respective rights upon ourselves, which we are duty bound to observe. In other words, if we ignore or violate the rights of our own bodily parts, we cannot claim to have observed the rights of others, or the rights of God, since by misusing these organs, we are not just harming others, but destroying our own self. Imam Zain al-Abedin (PBUH) also lists the rights that a person is obliged to observe in regards to his parents, family members, neighbors, relatives, leaders, and the other people of the society, in order to attain tranquility of heart and salvation of the self.
In the Treatise on Human Rights, we come across this passage of the Imam, which reads:
"Therefore happy is he whom God aids in the rights which He has made incumbent upon him and whom He gives success therein and points in the proper direction."
As we said last week and the week before, in Islam, human rights and social issues are not unconnected from all other rights, and neither are they mere codes without practical purposes. As a matter of fact, unlike the charters and constitutions of international bodies that are either misused or remain impractical because of control by vested interests, the laws of Islam and the rights defined by God are rational, practical and easy to observe. This is because, in Islam a human being is dignified, and his greatness does not depend on the number of rights, but in his sense of duty in accepting responsibilities and fulfilling his commitments. For, whenever responsibility is in proportion to a person's capabilities and talents, it plays a great role in his growth and perfection.
Unfortunately, in the modern world, sociologists and legislators go to great lengths in discussing laws and what they call human rights, but their greatest flaw is negligence of spiritual aspects of human rights and the growth and development of the innate humanitarian spirit. Man has been created by God as a multisided being, whose powers of intellect and speech make him capable of not just mastering science, technology and other fields, but also of developing and perfecting his spiritual qualities and the innate humanitarian soul. In this regard, we read in Risalat al-Hoqouq or the Treatise on Human Rights of the Prophet's 4th Infallible Successor, Imam Zain al-Abedin (PBUH):
"The greatest right of God upon you is that you worship Him without associating anything with Him. When you do that with sincerity, He has made it binding upon Himself to give you sufficiency in the affair of this world and the next."
Thus the Imam considers some of the rights of God to be superior to other rights, and the greatest right of God upon man is to obey the laws of the All-Wise Creator. In other words, polytheism is mere conjecture and nothing but the wild imagination of a warped mind in view of the fact that God is One and Only without having any associates or partners. This means those who worship other than God are actually relying on unrealities and trying to build their faith on flimsy foundations. A beautiful definition is given in this regard by verse 31 of Surah Hajj of the Holy Qur'an, which says:
"Being upright for Allah, not associating aught with Him, and whoever associates (others) with Allah, it is as though he had fallen from on high, then the birds snatch him away or the wind carried him off to a far-distant place."
Thus the disbeliever is doomed, and it is only monotheism or turning to the One and Only God with a purified and sincere heart for observing His commandments that salvages both the human body and the human soul.
The true believer is sure that God the Omnipresent, is Unique, Incomparable, without any resemblance to anything, and without any form, shape or place. God is also needless of His creatures, while we human beings, as well as all other creatures, are in need of each other, and in need of him. God is aware of everything including thoughts that flash across our mind. Thus we have to turn to Him, the All-Merciful, the All-Loving, and the All-Wise, Who defined for us our rights and Who is the source of virtue and perfection. It now becomes clear to us why the Prophets focused on the Oneness of God as the fundamental article of faith, since it is only monotheism that instills in human beings and human societies humanitarian aspects and regard for human rights. On the other hands, polytheism, agnosticism, doubt, disbelief, and any other form of deviation, whatever the claim to charters, codes, and constitutions, leads to trampling and violation of human rights and self-destruction. Imam Zain al-Abedin (PBUH) reminds us in this regard that once a person gains the proper cognizance and consciousness of God and submits to Him with all his heart, the Almighty saves him from evil and all that is harmful to his soul and salvation.
It is worth recalling that Martyr Ayatollah Morteza Motahharri has written in one of his works that whenever a human being focuses solely on his material life and is engrossed in the adornment of his body, he has in fact completely forgotten himself.
According to the famous Persian poet, Jalaleddin Mohammad Mowlavi-Roumi, an unmindful person could be likened to the one who, without realizing, is building a house on a land that does not belong to him, and once he plans to move into this house, he suddenly he realizes that he had built this house on a plot not belonging to him while his own piece of land is lying barren and in a state of ruin.
Now we take up the topic of self-awareness or self-cognizance, which is essential for man to discover his/her own potential in order to distinguish right from wrong, and accordingly develop positive characteristics by overcoming negative tendencies.
Modern psychology has been able to confirm the Islamic viewpoint that man himself is not aware of the major part of his characteristics, and this results in self-contradictory or negative behaviour. For instance, when faced with a social problem, he sometimes resorts to an evil behavior, which he had not thought of before. The point is that if he was better cognizant of his own self, he would not have responded in such a negative way. Thus, self-awareness means the maximum cognizance of one's own self and innate characteristics by suppressing evil desires. In other words, a faithful person acts according to the famous hadith that says whoever knows himself, knows God. Hence, the human being, who is made up of body and spirit, ought to be fully aware of his innate characteristics. This is possible by keeping both the body and mind purified, which is essential is developing the intellect to distinguish the right from the wrong. To be more precise, real prosperity and access to the path of perfection depend on self-purification, because the bodily organs, in most cases, follow what the self desires. For example, our eyes follow the dictates of our mind and heart, and see things that we crave for. Thus, in view of these facts, we should try to abstain from sins and negative behaviour by keeping our thoughts and desires purified in order to save ourselves from psychological diseases. In this regard, the Prophet's first infallible successor, Imam Ali (PBUH), says psychological diseases are cured only through self-awareness. He means to say that it is essential for a believer to become better cognizant of his own self through knowledge of ethics and moralities, which strengthens the faith and saves the soul from impurities. Such a person ought to be mindful of both the benefits and the dangers, and make notes of these realities in order to take serious action in purifying his soul.
Generally whoever knows his weak points and deficiencies he or she will be successful in removing them and strengthening the faith. When a person realizes that being evil and corrupt are not in harmony with lofty human values, and that a free person is responsible for his own destiny, then such an aware and self-cognizant person will direct the soul towards moral perfection. Moreover, human dignity does not allow us to consider ourselves as worthless by trampling the rights of other fellow humans, in view of the fact that we have not been created in vain by Almighty God. Thus with self-recognition, human life becomes meaningful and ground is paved for cultivating moral virtues. In the Holy Qur'an, God emphasizes the point that the human being has been created good and purified from sins, and it is only its tendency towards evil that pollutes him. Yet, with the God-given powers of intellect and conscience, the human being is able to purify himself in order to attain salvation.
Self-recognition and purification have different ways. The most important of them is pondering. Sometimes, it is essential for us to evaluate our acts and their consequences. In this relation, psychiatrists recommend undisturbed solitude so that physical temptations do not cloud the mind. Thus, through proper evaluation of our daily actions, we can change for good our personality and life. By creating positive factors in oneself, one can adopt new values and new goals for life. Once, when Imam Zain al-Abedin (PBUH), the 4th Infallible Successor of Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny) was asked who was the most important of all, he replied: The one who does not view the entire world equal to himself. That is, he is aware of human dignity and acts properly.
In the previous article, we talked about the characteristics of the self and how human nature is capable of achieving faith and self-content by overcoming despondency and misery. Whoever protects himself from the pitfalls of carnal desires he has realized truth, and in such a case has overcome such negative tendencies as jealousy, hatred and the other moral and spiritual diseases. We also said that if one becomes indifferent towards his internal characteristics he would go astray because of spiritual disorders. In other words, the salvation of mankind is impossible without purity of character and balanced behaviour in our daily affairs. Thus, whenever, we feel the symptoms of such negative tendencies such as greed, anger, jealousy and other uncontrolled desires, we should take prompt steps to overcome these desires by purifying ourselves.
Imam Zain al-Abedin (PBUH), the 4th Infallible Successor of Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny) in his famous epistle dictated to one of his disciples and titled Risalat al-Hoqouq or The Treatise on Human Rights, considers purifying the self to be the prime duty of a Muslim. After mentioning the right of God upon man, he outlines our own rights upon ourselves as the second important set of rights, He says:
"The right of your self (nafs) against you is that you employ it in obeying God; then you deliver to your tongue its right, to your hearing its right and you seek help from God in all that."
In other words, temptations are an alien and unnatural feeling that drives mankind towards self-destruction. The more mankind surrenders to carnal desires, the more he or she becomes weak and loose, since self control has been ceded to an external power, a power that drives him or her towards destruction. On the other hand, control of the self prevents such foreign and unnatural tendencies from infiltrating our self and manifests our true human personality. When a person takes control of himself with his firm will he protects himself from dangers. Self-control is among the main objectives of religious teachings, particularly in Islam. Imam Zain al-Abedin (PBUH) cites self-building and self-reform as a right that makes human dignity flourish.
We need to know the reality of our own self and traverse the straight and unwavering path of righteousness in order to achieve high goal in life, that being with obedience to God and His commandments. This realization is the key to human prosperity. In verse 56 of Surah Zariyaat of the holy Qur'an, God Almighty says:
"And I have not created the jinn and mankind, except that they should serve Me."
In view of these facts, Imam Zain al-Abedin (PBUH) considers the greatest right of one's self as obedience to God, and this goal should not be forgotten. The modern man who is surrounded by dangerous intellectual, cultural and social storms, can only save himself and humanity by adhering to the laws of God. The Imam makes it clear that whoever realizes the goal of creation and obeys the commandments of the One and Only God, has observed his right upon himself. In other words, if someone gives priority to servitude of other than God, he has trampled humanitarian principles. Pride in posts and worldly ranks, greediness and dependence on big powers are symptoms of straying away from the path and commandments of God Almighty. If mankind turns to other than God, he has actually trampled his own right.
It is evident that mankind, in order to observe his rights is in need of tools to help him smoothly traverse the straight and unwavering path. Out own bodily organs are among these devices. God Almighty, by granting us hands, legs, tongue, eyes and ears, as well as the power of the intellect and speech, has raised the human being to the pedestal of self-esteem that ought to make us better cognizant of the purpose of creation and our own rights.
We know that in human nature the ground is paved for both happiness and misery. Whoever preserves himself from dangers and carnal desires; he has paved the way of sublimity for himself and realizes truth. Wherever truth exists, there will be no jealousy, enmity and the other moral and spiritual diseases. A man who is eager to reach the truth will never be calm unless he knows himself and move in the right path.
But if mankind becomes indifferent towards his internal characteristics, he will be led astray. For, most of all mankind is hurt by his spiritual disorders. So, the salvation of mankind is impossible without purity and balance in carnal desires. Wherever, human self is manifested in the form of greed, anger, jealousy and other uncontrolled desires, it should be purified. Imam Sajjad (PBUH) in The Treatise on Human Rights considers purifying human self to be his duty and after the right of God, expresses the right of mankind over himself as the second right and says:
"The right of your self (nafs) against you is that you employ it in obeying God; then you deliver to your tongue its right, to your hearing its right and you seek help from God in all that."
Attractions create a type of link between mankind and a foreign center and drives mankind towards it. The more mankind surrenders to his carnal desires, the more he becomes weak and loose, for, he has ceded his fate to an external power, a power which drags him this way and that way. But instead, domination over human self grows and flourishes the real personality of mankind. When a person takes the control of himself with his firm will, he can control and rid himself from dangers. Human domination over himself is among the main objectives of education in religions, particularly Islam. Imam Sajjad (PBUH) cites self-building as a right and duty so that in the daily life, the numerous gifts of the world do not absorb mankind and hurt his dignity. Therefore it is a must that a man gains his glory and thinks about it.
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A man requires knowing the reality of his own self and stepping in a right path to achieve the high goal for which he has been created. The goal is worship and obedience of God. In Verse 56 of Sourah Zariat of the holy Quran we read:
"And I have not created the jinn and the men except that they should serve Me."
Imam Sajjad considers the greatest right of oneself is obedience of God and this goal should not be forgotten, especially that the passage of the present turbulent life does not let mankind to think of the goal of creation. He has been surrounded by dangerous intellectual, cultural and social storms and we always witness new incidents which are created by the so-called civilized man. Imam Sajjad (PBUH) believes that whoever pursues the main goal of creation and worships the Great and One God, has observed his right upon himself. For, mankind gains greatness and becomes superior over the other creatures through understanding the glory of God. But if someone, regardless of this high objective, gives priority to servitude of other than God, he has trampled the truth of his humanity. Dependence on post and rank, greediness and reliance on big powers are among the proofs of worshipping other than God.
If mankind turns to other than God, he has actually ruined his own right.
It is evident that mankind, in order to observe his rights is in need of tools to help him in this path. The body members of human being are among these devices. God Almighty has wished by creating hand, leg, tongue and eyes to raise mankind to high esteem and rid himself from the world attachments.
Reference: al-shia.org