Basic Rights and Duties of Muslims

Islam is a unique religion which balances and protects both the

rights and duties of individuals and societies. It ensures the rights
of individuals without tresspassing over the rights of others. Islam
emphasizes the following basic rights:

1) Freedom of Belief
1) The Right to Security and the Duty of Self-Preservation
2) The Right to Equality
3) Protection of Honor of Individuals and families
4) Protection of Wealth and Property
5) Right to get basic Education
6) Protecting the Rights of the Week and Needy
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Freedom of Belief
According to the instructions of Islam, Muslims should not force
any human being to embrace Islam. As a matter of fact, Islam is a
religion that includes all previous religions. It is the final stage
and consummation of religions before it (Qura'an 5: 30, 3: 19, 3:
85). Previous religions are seen by Muslims as steps towards the
perfect religion. Hence, Muslims are required to believe in all
previous heavenly religions and in the books and messengers sent
by Allah to previous nations (Qura'an 2: 285). . In the Qura'an,
Allah describes previous prophets and their followers as Muslims
(3: 67). Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) describes Islam
as a completion of the previous messages. He said that his
example and the prophets before him, is like a missing stone in the
wonderful building of religion. Islam speaks of Judaism and
Christianity as religions of monotheism (Qura'an 21: 25). Islam is
the last of Allah's messages to human beings (33: 40). It is the
balanced religion which leads to Human happiness and salvation in
the Afterlife.

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The Right to Protection and Security
and the Duty of Self-Preservation
All citizens in a Muslim country have the right to protection
and security. Allah has prescribed strict penalties and punishments
on those who threaten the security of others in a Muslim country.
The famous words of Prophet Muhammad in his famous Farewell
speech are remarkable. He said: 'Your blood, honor and wealth are
absolutely unlawful to one another'.

From the Islamic point of view, life of a human being is a

sacred one. It is a gift from Allah, the Creator. To protect the
sacredness of human life, Islam has legislated punishments ranging
from capital sentence for premeditated and intentional murder to
lesser physical punishments for physically hurting others, Muslims
or non-Muslims. These penalties are meant to preserve human life
and to eradicate all kinds of crimes in a Muslim society. Though
the capital punishment may seem too harsh for non-Muslims, yet it
is necessary to protect human life. This punishment as the Qura'an
emphasizes saves lives of others (2:179). In the afterlife,
murderers will be subjects to God's wrath and for everlasting
punishment and curse in Hell (2: 179).
Islam considers the human soul and body as sacred entities put
in the custody of human beings. They will be questioned in the
afterlife about how they cared for them. Committing suicide is
considered a crime against one's own soul and body.

Islam prohibits drinking or eating any substance that hinders the

function of the brain, which is considered by Muslims the criterion
for accountability. Hence, a mad person is not countable for his
actions. Intoxicants, as the Westerners started to realize, cause lots
of problems and dangers to the intoxicated person himself and to
others. Islam prohibits all kinds of association with intoxicants
even carrying it so as to annihilate it from a Muslim society.
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The Right to Equality:

Islam defends equality of human beings. It rejects all kinds of

discrimination like those based on race, gender, color, ancestry,
class, region or language.
It is important to note that while Islam emphasizes equality, it
admits natural differences between individuals. It does not claim
that all human beings are identical. Difference, in Islam is a means
to get closer to each other. Almighty Allah says in the Qura'an:
O Mankind, indeed, We have created you from male and
female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one
another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the
most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted
(49: 13).
It is worth noting here that Allah addresses not only
Muslims, but all human beings as well. We notice that difference
adds to beauty and need to complement each other. Difference in
color adds to the beauty of a bunch of flowers.
In the same way, difference in gender is meant to
complement and complete each other in a constructive way to start
a good family as the basic unit of a good society. Man and woman
as viewed in Islam, are physically and psychologically different,
but each of them has equal obligations and rights based on these
differences. They have a win-win harmonious relationship.
Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said:
Truly, the most honorable person in the Sight of your Lord,
Almighty Allah, is the most pious among you. There is no
superiority for an Arab over a non-Arab. There is no superiority for
a non-Arab over an Arab. There is no superiority for a red-skinned
person over a white-skinned person. Likewise, there is no
superiority of a white-skinned person over a red skinned person,
except through piety and compliance to the commands of Allah".
 It is narrated that Abu-Dtharr, one of the companions of the
Prophet, once said to a black slave, "O, you, son of a black
woman". Upon hearing these words, Prophet Muhammad (Peace
be upon him turned angrily to Abu Dtharr and said:"You are
insulting this man with his mother. Truly, you still possess some
of the qualities of the era of ignorance". On hearing these words,
Abu-Dtharr felt so bad and in an attempt to discipline himself he
put his head on earth and asked the slave to put his feet over his
head.
Equality in Islam manifests itself in the way Muslims
perform their religious rites. The king prays next to the laborer
and both perform the same rites of Hajj which is a wonderful
display of equality and the absence of discrimination.
Aisha, wife of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him)
narrated that a noble woman from the tribe of Quraish of the
Makhzum clan, stole something and the prophet wanted to punish
her, according to the Islamic law. The people of the woman's clan
asked Usama Ibn Zaid, who was brought up in the house of the
Prophet, to intercede to Prophet Muhammed to pardon her with
regard to her noble status, but the Prophet got angry and
reprimanded Usama saying: "O, Usama! Do you intercede
concerning a punishment set by Allah?" Prophet Muhammad
(Peace be upon him), then, made a speech in which he said that
nations before Islam were punished because they pardoned the rich
and nobles, but they penalized the poor and weak. He then made
an oath that if Fatima, the closest daughter to his heart, stole, he
would apply the exact punishment on her.

Protection of Honor of
Individuals and families

Islam is strictly against all kinds of misdeeds which endanger

human dignity and threaten peace in an Islamic society starting
with mockery or depreciation of others. It even instructs Muslims
to avoid the mere suspicion of others if it is not based on facts.
Surah 49 teaches Muslims how to be respectful of and decent with
others. Verse 11 of the Sura instructs Muslims to avoid mocking
others, for those mocked might be, in the eyes of Omniscient
Allah, better than those who mock them. It instructs all Muslims
to avoid defaming others and calling them names. The next verse
instructs Muslims to avoid baseless suspicion and spying on others.
It also prohibits backbiting, which it likens to eating the flesh of a
dead fellow. The two verses invite those who committed such sins
to repent. Islam also protects the dignity and honor of others
through the prevention of invading the privacy of others by just an
indecent look.
Islam prohibits wearing immodest dress as a means to avoid
temptation of others and to avoid any digression against the dignity
of Muslims. Absence of such precautions will create an
atmosphere which will encourage sin and will endanger the dignity
of others.
A true Muslim is also requested to take enough precautions to
avoid all kinds of improper actions which will threaten the
wholeness of a Muslim society (17:32, 16: 151).
This protective outlook explains why such sins are strictly
prohibited in Islam. These sins threaten the stability not only of
individuals, and families, but also of the whole Islamic society at
large. The punishment of adultery reaches its highest point when
participants of the act are married. They are stoned to death.
However, Islam puts very strict rules for enacting this punishment.
The application of this punishment requires the clear and free
confession of the sinners that they have completely committed the
crime. This confession which they make in front of a Muslim
judge, should be repeated four times. This punishment will also be
applied to the sinners in the case of the presence of four
eyewitnesses who testify that they have actually seen the sexual
deed without any doubt. The judge has to make sure that these
witnesses are trustworthy and are not prejudiced against the
participants in the deed in any way. False witnesses, in such
crimes, are severely punished. They are flogged eighty lashes for
their false accusation. In the Afterlife, such false witnesses will be
severely punished for their sin (4: 112).
 From the Islamic point of view, the family system, based on
marriage is the basic unit of a wholesome society. Islam also
protects the Muslim family in different ways. It encourages
Muslims to strengthen ties with all relatives starting with close
members of the family. However, this encouragement is restricted
by the rule that visitations will be under the umbrella of Islamic
instructions. No trespassing over morality or decency should be
committed.
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Protection of Wealth and Property

Islam protects the wealth and property of all citizens who live
in a Muslim state regardless of their religion. It protects them
against all forms of aggression on property and wealth including
plundering, theft, robbery, monopoly and cheating. There are many
sayings by Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) which warn
Muslims against any kind of looting someone else's possessions.
In his last sermon, Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) warns
Muslims against all kinds of plundering others' possessions.
Islamic law put very strict retributions against those who
commit such crimes. This strictness is meant to prevent the
occurrence of such actions which endanger safety and security of
the people as well as states.
These strict punishments are supposed to be accompanied by
strict conditions. To apply these punishments, some conditions
need to exist. The stolen item should have been kept in a private
place, not in a public area. The value of the punishable stolen item
is usually set by the state, for it, understandably, differs from one
country to another. Irrefutable evidence should be available to the
judge regarding the identity of the person who committed the
crime.
These punishments are not applied to children who need
correction, rather than the application of strict punishments.
It is worth noting that these punishments are put off in times
of famine if the stolen item would save the life of the thief or any
of his close relatives. The second caliph Omar Ibn El-Khattab put
on hold these punishments during the time of famine during his
caliphate.

Even if a Muslim repents his misdeed, he has to return what

is deprived of others, otherwise, his repentance will not be
accepted. If the object or the money stolen is damaged or wasted,
he has to return its amount to the victim of his offense. These
crimes of unlawful deprivations apply not only to individuals, but
to all kinds of institutions. Islam considers these offenses as acts
of corruption which are banned in Islam. They cause the anger of
Allah in both this life and the one after.
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5) The Right to get basic Education

Islam encourages Muslims to get education and speaks of
those who have knowledge as superior to those who do not.
Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) advised Muslims to seek
knowledge wherever it is even if a person has to go to the farthest
place on earth. Islam encourages Muslims to seek knowledge, not
only in religious matters but in all aspects of human life. One of
the Hadiths of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) says that seeking
knowledge is a must for all Muslims, males and females. Seeking
knowledge is considered one of the obligations in Islam which
leads a person to paradise.
It is the duty of a knowledgeable man or woman to spread his
useful knowledge. In Islam, withholding knowledge is considered
a big sin which leads to hell in the Afterlife.
It is the duty of a Muslim state to build schools starting with
the earliest stages of education and make them accessible to all the
members of society, especially the lower classes. Muslim states
should also prepare qualified teachers to work at these schools.
They should also build higher institutions and labs to improve the
conditions of education in Muslim countreies.
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 Protecting the Rights of
the Week and Needy

Islam protects the rights of the week and needy, especially

the elders. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said that
whoever does not respect elders is not a Muslim. Orphans are
given so much care in Islam. In verse 9 of Sura 93, Allah instructs
Muslims to avoid disheartening orphans. Verse 34 of Sura 17 also
instructs Muslims to protect the property and money of orphans
until they reach the age in which they will be capable of taking
care of their riches. Allah likens those who oppress the orphans
and mistreat them to those who swallow fire and in the Afterlife
they will be doomed to Hell.

Part of the duty of a Muslim state is to protect its citizens

against poverty and need. It is required to provide jobs for those
who can and offer financial aid to those who cannot work due to
old age, disability or chronic diseases.
On the personal level, rich people are requested to give their
alms to the poor to help in stabilizing their society. Prophet
Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said that "a person is not a real
believer if he does not help feed his poor neighbor".
To protect its citizens against disease and disability, a state
should work on building hospitals and on making citizens aware of
public health programs.
Islam gives so much attention to the health of citizens in a
Muslim state. Islam bans all types of harmful drugs and
intoxicants which negatively affect brains. It also bans eating
unhealthy meats and products like carrion and swine. Islam also
bans all forms of immoral acts which cause diseases from which
some non-Muslim countries suffer.
A Muslim state should impose quarantine at times of
epidemics or pandemics. Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon
him) said: "if you know of an epidemic in a place, do not enter it
and if you are in such a place do not leave it". This is a great
responsible attitude which Muslims are requested to adopt at such
times of emergency.
Though Muslims are allowed to enjoy Allah's lawful
blessings and graces, yet, they are requested to avoid exaggeration
and going to excess. This commandment is, in fact, a very
healthful attitude (7: 31).
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