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_001.jpg) God has created human beings with certain dignity,
Muslims and non-Muslims alike, and has elevated their status above much of His creation.
God says in the Quran:
“We have honored the children of Adam; provided them with transport
on land and sea; given them for sustenance things good and pure; and conferred
on them special favors, above a great part of Our creation.” (Quran 17:70)
As a token of honor and to elevate his status, God commanded
the angels to prostrate out of humility before Adam, the father of humanity. God
informs us in the Quran:
“When We said to the angels, ‘Prostrate yourselves to Adam,’
they prostrated themselves, but not Satan; he refused.” (Quran 20:116)
God bestowed many favors on humanity, some of which are obvious,
while others are hidden. For instance, He subjected the heavens and earth to human
beings to honor them. He says:
“It is God who created the heavens and earth and sends down
rain from the sky, and with it brings out fruits therewith to feed you; it is
He Who has made the ships subject to you, that they may sail through the sea by
His command; and the rivers (also) He has made subject to you. And He gives
you of all that you ask for, but if you count the favors of God, never will you
be able to count them. Surely, man is given up to injustice and ingratitude.”
(Quran 14:32-34)
The God-given status of humanity forms the basis of the
principle of human dignity in Islam, whether the person is Muslim or non-Muslim.
Islam emphasizes the origin of all humanity is one; therefore all human beings
have certain rights over one another. God says:
“O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male
and female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other
(and not hate one another). Surely, the most honored of you in the sight of
God is (he who) is the most righteous of you. And God has full knowledge and
is well acquainted (with all things).” (Quran 49:13)
The Messenger of God declared in his farewell sermon,
addressing the largest gathering in Arab history till that point:
“People, hear that your Lord is One, and that your
father is one. You must know that no Arab has superiority over a non-Arab, no non-Arab
has superiority over an Arab, or a red man over a black man, or a black man
over a red, except in terms of what each person has of piety. Have I delivered
the message?”
An example of the preservation of the human dignity of
non-Muslims is the right that their feelings be respected, for example, that
they are shown good manners in speech and debate in obedience to the divine
command:
“And dispute you not with the People
of the Scripture, except in the best way, unless it be with those who do wrong,
but say, ‘We believe in the revelation which has come down to us and in that
which came down to you; our God and your God is One; and it is to Him we submit
(in Islam).’” (Quran 21:46)
Non-Muslims have the right not to have their religious
beliefs mocked. It may not be an exaggeration to state that no other religion
or sect in the world is as fair as Islam to people of other faiths. For example,
let us look at a verse from the Quran:
“Say, ‘Who gives you sustenance from
the heavens and the earth?’ Say, ‘It is God; and it is certain that either we or
you are on the right guidance or in manifest error.’” (Quran 34:24)
The verse ends with what Arabs linguists call a
rhetorical question whose answer is common knowledge to the intended audience.
The verse blends certainty with doubt: Muslims following guidance and the error
of the unbelievers is presented as something doubtful. In doing so, God emphasizes
the truth by allowing the reader to draw his own conclusion. God does not
state in this verse who is following guidance and who is not. The verse treats
the fictitious “opponent” with justice by presenting the argument and allowing
the listener to judge. Az-Zamakhshiri, a classical linguist and exegete of the
Quran, elaborates this point:
‘This is
equitable speech: whoever hears it, supporter or opponent, will tell the person
to whom the speech is directed that the speaker has treated him justly. It
draws the listener to the inevitable conclusion, after the argument has been presented,
that there is no doubt about who is following guidance and who is in error. Suggestion
of the facts, as if the question were a conundrum, provides a more cogent proof
of the truth, the opponent being gently disarmed, without resort to heated quarrelling.’
An example of the style employed by the Quran would be
someone saying in a debate, ‘God knows who is telling the truth and who is a
liar.’
God has also forbidden Muslims from speaking ill of the
gods and deities worshipped by non-Muslims so that they do not speak ill of the
One, True God. It will be difficult to find a similar example in any scripture
of the major world religions. If the polytheists were to hear Muslims speak
ill of their gods, it might lead them to speak ill of Allah (the personal and
proper Name of God). Also, if Muslims were to speak ill of pagan gods, it
might instigate the polytheists to soothe their wounded feelings by hurting the
feelings of Muslims. Such a scenario is against human dignity of both sides
and would lead to mutual rejection and hatred. God says in the Quran:
“Do not revile those whom they call upon besides God, lest
they revile God out of spite in their ignorance. Thus, We have made alluring
to each people its own doings. In the end will they return to their Lord and
He shall then tell them the truth of what they did.” (Quran 6:108)
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