Islamic teachings on humanity and human welfare have been codified in its central religious book known as the

Quran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , s ...

, which the Muslims believe was revealed by

God In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...

for the mankind. These teachings have often been exemplified by Islamic prophet

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mo ...

as displayed in his

sayings A saying is any concisely written or spoken expression that is especially memorable because of its meaning or style. Sayings are categorized as follows: * Aphorism: a general, observational truth; "a pithy expression of wisdom or truth". ** Adag ...

and practices. To the Muslims, Islam is what the Quran has instructed to do and how Muhammad has put them into practice. Thus, the understanding of any Islamic topic generally rely on these two.

Social welfare in Islam

In Islamic tradition, the idea of social

welfare Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifical ...

has been presented as one of its principal values, and the practice of social service at its various forms has been instructed and encouraged. A Muslim's

religious life Consecrated life (also known as religious life) is a state of life in the Catholic Church lived by those faithful who are called to follow Jesus Christ in a more exacting way. It includes those in institutes of consecrated life (religious and se ...

remains incomplete if not attended by service to humanity. The following verse of the Quran is often cited to encapsulate the Islamic idea of social welfare: Similarly, duties to

parent A parent is a caregiver of the offspring in their own species. In humans, a parent is the caretaker of a child (where "child" refers to offspring, not necessarily age). A ''biological parent'' is a person whose gamete resulted in a child, a male t ...

s, neighbors, relatives, sick people, the old, and the

minority group The term 'minority group' has different usages depending on the context. According to its common usage, a minority group can simply be understood in terms of demographic sizes within a population: i.e. a group in society with the least number o ...

have been defined in Islam. In a long

hadith Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approva ...

recorded in Hadith Qudsi (sacred hadith), it is said that God, on the

Day of Judgment The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Reckoning, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, Doomsday, Day of Resurrection or The Day of the Lord (; ar, یوم القيامة, translit=Yawm al-Qiyāmah or ar, یوم الدین, translit=Yawm ad-Dīn, ...

, will be displeased with those who do not care for the sick people, and who do not give food to those who ask. God will interrogate them and demand explanation from them. This hadith is seen as a reminder of human beings’ obligation to respond to the needs of others. The individual, the family, the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

, and the

Non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from g ...

s and the government — all are responsible for the performance of social responsibilities, and for the promotion of social welfare. The Quran tells that the believers have been sent for the betterment of mankind, that they will promote what is good, and prevent what is wrong (). However, this is to be carried out in the best possible manner: no individuals honor should be injured, and no harm should arise out of it. In Islamic tradition, the family has a greater role to play in properly educating its members and providing them with moral schooling so as to make them good members of society. The state has the responsibility to preserve the

human rights Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...

of its citizens while various non-government institutions in a

civil society Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.charitable works.

Rights of various groups in Islam

Rights of the parents and relatives

In Islam, special importance has been attached to the service and rights of

s. Respecting and obeying one's parents has been made a religious obligation, and ill-treatment to them is forbidden in Islamic jurisprudence and Islamic tradition. With regard to the rights of parents, the Quranic injunction is to behave well with them , to take care of them especially in their old age, not to be rude to them, and to show highest respect to them.The

says in this regard: "Your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, and do good to parents. If any one of them or both of them reach old age, do not say to them a word of contempt and do not scold them, and address them with respectful words, and submit yourself before them in humility out of compassion, and say, "My Lord, be merciful to them as they have brought me up in my childhood"" (). This injunction is to be applied regardless of parents' religious identity, that is, a Muslim person is to respect and serve their parents whether they be Muslim or non-Muslim. Hadith literature provides plenty of instances where Muhammad has commanded his companions to be good and kind to their parents and to serve them in the best possible manner. Insulting or misbehaving with one's parents has been declared a major sin. Mother, however, has been given priority over father in terms of receiving respect and service from children. The high status of mother in Islam is best exemplified by the saying of Muhammad that "paradise is at the feet of your mothers". Similarly, importance has also been attached to the rights of relatives. A two-fold approach is generally prescribed with regard to the duties to the relatives: keeping good relation with them, and offering financial help if necessary. Maintaining good relation with one's relatives has been emphasized, and severing ties with them has been admonished. It is said in the

, "The person who severs the bond of kinship will not enter Paradise."

Rights of the neighbors

Islam's most sacred book, the Qur'an, describes true followers of its prophet as "hard against disbelievers and merciful among themselves" (Qur'an 48:29). However, as seen in modern discuss, Muslims believe that regardless of a neighbor's religious identity, Islam tells the Muslims to treat their neighboring people in the best possible manners and not to cause any difficulty to them. The Quran tells the Muslims to stand by their neighbors in the latter's everyday needs. Muhammad is reported as saying, "A man is not a believer who fills his stomach while his neighbor is hungry." One typical

on neighbors reads as follows: Narrated Abu Shuraih: The Prophet said, "By Allah, he does not believe! By Allah, he does not believe! By Allah, he does not believe!" It was said, "Who is that, O Allah's Apostle?" He said, "That person whose neighbor does not feel safe from his evil."

Rights of children

Islamic law Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the ...

and the traditions of Muhammad have laid out the rights of children in Islam. Children have the rights to be fed, clothed, and protected until reaching adulthood; rights to be treated equally among the

sibling A sibling is a relative that shares at least one parent with the subject. A male sibling is a brother and a female sibling is a sister. A person with no siblings is an only child. While some circumstances can cause siblings to be raised separa ...

s; rights not to be forced by its step parents or its birth parents; and rights to education. Parents are also responsible for teaching their children basic Islamic beliefs, religious duties and good moral qualities like proper mannerism,

honesty Honesty or truthfulness is a facet of moral character that connotes positive and virtuous attributes such as integrity, truthfulness, straightforwardness, including straightforwardness of conduct, along with the absence of lying, cheating, theft ...

truth Truth is the property of being in accord with fact or reality.Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionarytruth 2005 In everyday language, truth is typically ascribed to things that aim to represent reality or otherwise correspond to it, such as belie ...

fulness, modesty, and generosity. The Quran forbids harsh and oppressive treatment of orphaned children while urging kindness and

justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

towards them. It also condemns those who do not honor and feed the orphaned children (Quran ). Muhammad has been described as being very fond of children in general. In one Islamic tradition, Muhammad ran after

Hussein Hussein, Hussain, Hossein, Hossain, Huseyn, Husayn, Husein or Husain (; ar, حُسَيْن ), coming from the triconsonantal root Ḥ-S-i-N ( ar, ح س ی ن, link=no), is an Arabic name which is the diminutive of Hassan, meaning "good", " ...

, his grandson, in a game until he caught him. He comforted a child whose pet nightingale had died. Muhammad played many games with children, joked with them and befriended them. Muhammad also showed love to children of other religions. Once he visited his Jewish neighbor's son when the child was sick.

Rights of the minorities

Today, minority rights in several Muslim countries are severely curtailed. As taught in the Qur'an (At-Taubah 9:29), Jews and Christians who are called "people of the book" are to be fought until they pay Jizya and "feel themselves subdued" where Islam has the upper hand.

Historically History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

, however, non-Muslim minorities have frequently enjoyed greater freedom in Muslim lands. This is evident from its

early beginnings Early may refer to: History * The beginning or oldest part of a defined historical period, as opposed to middle or late periods, e.g.: ** Early Christianity ** Early modern Europe Places in the United States * Early, Iowa * Early, Texas * Early ...

through later

caliphates A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...

, included the Ottoman and

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

s. These freedoms were enjoyed by the

people of the Book People of the Book or Ahl al-kitāb ( ar, أهل الكتاب) is an Islamic term referring to those religions which Muslims regard as having been guided by previous revelations, generally in the form of a scripture. In the Quran they are ident ...

, as well as by other non-Muslim peoples, many of whom still live in these lands today after over 1300 years of Muslim rule. The protection of minority rights is regarded as imperative under Islamic law which is in harmony with other international laws for the minority.

Repudiation of racial discrimination

In human history,

racial discrimination Racial discrimination is any discrimination against any individual on the basis of their skin color, race or ethnic origin.Individuals can discriminate by refusing to do business with, socialize with, or share resources with people of a certain g ...

has long been a cause of injustice. One important aspect of Islam is that it regards human beings as ''equal children of Adam''. As a religion, Islam does not recognize the racial discrimination among people. In his

Farewell Sermon The Farewell Sermon ( ar, خطبة الوداع, ''Khuṭbatu l-Widāʿ'' ) also known as Muhammad's Final Sermon or the Last Sermon, is a religious speech, delivered by the Islamic prophet Muhammad on Friday the 9th of Dhu al-Hijjah, 10 AH ( ...

, Muhammad repudiated the discrimination based on

race Race, RACE or "The Race" may refer to: * Race (biology), an informal taxonomic classification within a species, generally within a sub-species * Race (human categorization), classification of humans into groups based on physical traits, and/or s ...

and color. Islam recognizes no distinction among human beings based on color, language or

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confli ...

. All are considered equal in receiving human rights and in discharge duties. According to Islamic teaching, no privileged or chosen class exists except those having piety or moral excellence.Hashmi (2009), p. 62 A Quranic injunction forbids the Muslims to underestimate others. Assuming that there will be natural differences in social status and income among individuals which is the natural outcome due to the differences in personal talents and efforts, a sense of brotherhood towards fellow Muslims and a general sense of humanity towards every human being have been suggested to be cultured to further establish equality in society.

Economic welfare

Zakat

In Islam, zakat is a form of compulsory alms-giving, and a religious obligation for those Muslims who are financially affluent.Yusuf al-Qaradawi (1999), Monzer Kahf (transl.), Fiqh az-Zakat, Dar al Taqwa, London, Volume 1, , page XIX They are required to pay one-fortieth (2.5%) of their total income or money each year to those Muslims who are poor and helpless. The Quran says: 'And woe to those who join gods with Allah, who practice not regular charity, and who deny the Hereafter' (). Zakat is considered by Muslims to be an act of piety through which one expresses concern for the well-being of fellow Muslims, as well as preserving social harmony between the wealthy and the poor. Zakat promotes a more equitable redistribution of wealth and fosters a sense of solidarity amongst members of the Ummah.

Sadaqah

Sadaqah means voluntary charity which is given out of compassion, love, friendship (fraternity), religious duty, or generosity. Both the Quran and the hadith have put much emphasis on spending money for the welfare of needy people. The Quran says: 'Spend something (in charity) out of the substance which We have bestowed on you, before Death should come to any of you' (). One of the early teachings of Muhammad was that

expects men to be generous with their wealth and not to be miserly (Quran ). Accumulating wealth without spending them to address the needs of the poor is generally prohibited and admonished.

Moral behavior

Islamic tradition holds that moral qualities and good actions elevate the status of a man. The Quran and the hadith serve as the primary source of moral and ethical guidance in Islamic theology. Both the Quran and the hadith often speak in emphatic manners to instruct the Muslims to adopt a morally good character. In particular, respecting parents and elders, having love for the younger, greeting people in correct manner, showing kindness to fellow people, caring for the sick, asking permission before entering into others' house, speaking the truth, and avoiding rude and false speech have been emphasized. The typical Islamic teaching is that imposing a penalty on an offender in proportion to their offense is permissible and just; but forgiving the offender is better. To go one step further by offering a favor to the offender is regarded the highest excellence. Muhammad said, ''"The best among you are those who have the best manners and character"''. To the Muslims, the examples of moral virtues set by Muhammad and his companions serve as guidance both practically and theologically.

The Cairo Declaration on human rights

Adopted in

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the Capital city, capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, List of ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

, in 1990,Brems, E (2001). "Islamic Declarations of Human Rights"
Human rights: universality and diversity: Volume 66 of International studies in human rights
Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. pp. 241–84. . the

Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam The Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam (CDHRI) is a declaration of the member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) first adopted in Cairo, Egypt, on 5 August 1990, (Conference of Foreign Ministers, 9–14 Muharram 14 ...

provides an overview on the Islamic perspective on human rights, and affirms Islamic sharia as its sole source. It declares its purpose to be "general guidance for Member States of the OIC in the field of human rights". The Declaration starts by saying "All men are equal in terms of basic human

dignity Dignity is the right of a person to be valued and respected for their own sake, and to be treated ethically. It is of significance in morality, ethics, law and politics as an extension of the Enlightenment-era concepts of inherent, inalienable ...

" (but not equal "human rights") and it forbids "discrimination on the basis of

colour Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are assoc ...

language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of ...

belief A belief is an attitude that something is the case, or that some proposition is true. In epistemology, philosophers use the term "belief" to refer to attitudes about the world which can be either true or false. To believe something is to take ...

gender Gender is the range of characteristics pertaining to femininity and masculinity and differentiating between them. Depending on the context, this may include sex-based social structures (i.e. gender roles) and gender identity. Most cultures ...

religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...

political affiliation A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or pol ...

, social status or other considerations". The Declaration especially emphasizes on issues like "preservation of human life", "

right to privacy The right to privacy is an element of various legal traditions that intends to restrain governmental and private actions that threaten the privacy of individuals. Over 150 national constitutions mention the right to privacy. On 10 December 194 ...

", "right to marriage", prohibition of forceful conversion, protection against

arbitrary arrest Arbitrary arrest and arbitrary detention are the arrest or detention of an individual in a case in which there is no likelihood or evidence that they committed a crime against legal statute, or in which there has been no proper due process of ...

and

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogational torture, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. definitions of tortur ...

. It also guarantees

presumption of innocence The presumption of innocence is a legal principle that every person accused of any crime is considered innocent until proven guilty. Under the presumption of innocence, the legal burden of proof is thus on the prosecution, which must presen ...

until proven guilty, "full right to freedom and self-determination", and freedom of expression.

Notes

References

{{Reflist, 3 Human rights in Islam