Universal Islamic Declarationof Human Rights
21 Dhul Qaidah 1401 19September 1981
Contents:
ForewordThis is a declaration for mankind, a guidanceand instruction to those who fear God.
(Al Qur'an, Al-Imran 3:138)
Human rights in Islam are firmly rooted in the belief thatGod, and God alone, is the Law Giver and the Source of all human rights. Due totheir Divine origin, no ruler, government, assembly or authority can curtail orviolate in any way the human rights conferred by God, nor can they besurrendered.
Human rights in Islam are an integral part of the overallIslamic order and it is obligatory on all Muslim governments and organs ofsociety to implement them in letter and in spirit within the framework of thatorder.
It is unfortunate that human rights are being trampled uponwith impunity in many countries of the world, including some Muslim countries.Such violations are a matter of serious concern and are arousing the conscienceof more and more people throughout the world.
I sincerely hope that this Declaration of Human Rights willgive a powerful impetus to the Muslim peoples to stand firm and defendresolutely and courageously the rights conferred on them by God.
This Declaration of Human Rights is the secondfundamental document proclaimed by the Islamic Council to mark the beginning ofthe 15th Century of the Islamic era, the first being the Universal IslamicDeclaration announced at the International Conference on The ProphetMuhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Message, held in London from12 to 15 April 1980.
The Universal Islamic Declaration of Human Rights isbased on the Qur'an and the Sunnah and has been compiled by eminent Muslimscholars, jurists and representatives of Islamic movements and thought. May Godreward them all for their efforts and guide us along the right path.
Paris 21 Dhul Qaidah 1401 Salem Azzam
19th September 1981 Secretary General
O men! Behold, We have created you all out of a male and a female, and havemade you into nations and tribes, so that you might come to know one another.Verily, the noblest of you in the sight of God is the one who is most deeplyconscious of Him. Behold, God is all-knowing, all aware.
(Al Qur'an, Al-Hujurat 49:13)
WHEREAS the age-oldhuman aspiration for a just world order wherein people could live, develop andprosper in an environment free from fear, oppression, exploitation anddeprivation, remains largely unfulfilled;
WHEREAS the Divine Mercy unto mankind reflected in itshaving been endowed with super-abundant economic sustenance is being wasted, orunfairly or unjustly withheld from the inhabitants of the earth;
WHEREAS Allah (God) has given mankind through Hisrevelations in the Holy Qur'an and the Sunnah of His Blessed Prophet Muhammad anabiding legal and moral framework within which to establish and regulate humaninstitutions and relationships;
WHEREAS the human rights decreed by the Divine Law aim atconferring dignity and honour on mankind and are designed to eliminateoppression and injustice;
WHEREAS by virtue of their Divine source and sanctionthese rights can neither be curtailed, abrogated or disregarded by authorities,assemblies or other institutions, nor can they be surrendered or alienated;
Therefore we, as Muslims, who believe
a) in God, the Beneficent and Merciful, the Creator, the Sustainer, the Sovereign, the sole Guide of mankind and the Source of all Law;
b) in the Vicegerency (Khilafah) of man who has been created to fulfill the Will of God on earth;
c) in the wisdom of Divine guidance brought by the Prophets, whose mission found its culmination in the final Divine message that was conveyed by the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) to all mankind;
d) that rationality by itself without the light of revelation from God can neither be a sure guide in the affairs of mankind nor provide spiritual nourishment to the human soul, and, knowing that the teachings of Islam represent the quintessence of Divine guidance in its final and perfect form, feel duty-bound to remind man of the high status and dignity bestowed on him by God;
e) in inviting all mankind to the message of Islam;
f) that by the terms of our primeval covenant with God our duties and obligations have priority over our rights, and that each one of us is under a bounden duty to spread the teachings of Islam by word, deed, and indeed in all gentle ways, and to make them effective not only in our individual lives but also in the society around us;
g) in our obligation to establish an Islamic order:
i) wherein all human beings shall be equal and none shall enjoy a privilege or suffer a disadvantage or discrimination by reason of race, colour, sex, origin or language;
ii) wherein all human beings are born free;
iii) wherein slavery and forced labour are abhorred;
iv) wherein conditions shall be established such that the institution of family shall be preserved, protected and honoured as the basis of all social life;
v) wherein the rulers and the ruled alike are subject to, and equal before, the Law;
vi) wherein obedience shall be rendered only to those commands that are in consonance with the Law;
vii) wherein all worldly power shall be considered as a sacred trust, to be exercised within the limits prescribed by the Law and in a manner approved by it, and with due regard for the priorities fixed by it;
viii) wherein all economic resources shall be treated as Divine blessings bestowed upon mankind, to be enjoyed by all in accordance with the rules and the values set out in the Qur’an and the Sunnah;
ix) wherein all public affairs shall be determined and conducted, and the authority to administer them shall be exercised after mutual consultation (Shura) between the believers qualified to contribute to a decision which would accord well with the Law and the public good;
x) wherein everyone shall undertake obligations proportionate to his capacity and shall be held responsible pro rata for his deeds;
xi) wherein everyone shall, in case of an infringement of his rights, be assured of appropriate remedial measures in accordance with the Law;
xii) wherein no one shall be deprived of the rights assured to him by the Law except by its authority and to the extent permitted by it;
xiii) wherein every individual shall have the right to bring legal action against anyone who commits a crime against society as a whole or against any of its members;
xiv) wherein every effort shall be made to
(a) secure unto mankind deliverance from every type of exploitation, injustice and oppression,
(b) ensure to everyone security, dignity and liberty in terms set out and by methods approved and within the limits set by the Law;
Do hereby, as servants of Allah and as members of the Universal Brotherhood of Islam, at the beginning of the Fifteenth Century of the Islamic Era, affirm our commitment to uphold the following inviolable and inalienable human rights that we consider are enjoined by Islam.
a) Human life is sacred and inviolable and every effort shall be made to protect it. In particular no one shall be exposed to injury or death, except under the authority of the Law.
b) Just as in life, so also after death, the sanctity of a person's body shall be inviolable. It is the obligation of believers to see that a deceased person's body is handled with due solemnity.
II Right to Freedom
a) Man is born free. No inroads shall be made on his right to liberty except under the authority and in due process of the Law.
b) Every individual and every people has the inalienable right to freedom in all its forms¾ physical, cultural, economic and political — and shall be entitled to struggle by all available means against any infringement or abrogation of this right; and every oppressed individual or people has a legitimate claim to the support of other individuals and/or peoples in such a struggle.
III Right to Equality and Prohibition Against Impermissible Discrimination
a) All persons are equal before the Law and are entitled to equal opportunities and protection of the Law.
b) All persons shall be entitled to equal wage for equal work.
c ) No person shall be denied the opportunity to work or be discriminated against in any manner or exposed to greater physical risk by reason of religious belief, colour, race, origin, sex or language.
a) Every person has the right to be treated in accordance with the Law, and only in accordance with the Law.
b) Every person has not only the right but also the obligation to protest against injustice; to recourse to remedies provided by the Law in respect of any unwarranted personal injury or loss; to self-defence against any charges that are preferred against him and to obtain fair adjudication before an independent judicial tribunal in any dispute with public authorities or any other person.
c) It is the right and duty of every person to defend the rights of any other person and the community in general (Hisbah).
d) No person shall be discriminated against while seeking to defend private and public rights.
e) It is the right and duty of every Muslim to refuse to obey any command which is contrary to the Law, no matter by whom it may be issued.
a) No person shall be adjudged guilty of an offence and made liable to punishment except after proof of his guilt before an independent judicial tribunal.
b) No person shall be adjudged guilty except after a fair trial and after reasonable opportunity for defence has been provided to him.
c) Punishment shall be awarded in accordance with the Law, in proportion to the seriousness of the offence and with due consideration of the circumstances under which it was committed.
d) No act shall be considered a crime unless it is stipulated as such in the clear wording of the Law.
e) Every individual is responsible for his actions. Responsibility for a crime cannot be vicariously extended to other members of his family or group, who are not otherwise directly or indirectly involved in the commission of the crime in question.
Every person has the right to protection against harassmentby official agencies. He is not liable to account for himself except for makinga defence to the charges made against him or where he is found in a situationwherein a question regarding suspicion of his involvement in a crime could be reasonablyraised
No person shall be subjected to torture in mind or body, ordegraded, or threatened with injury either to himself or to anyone related to orheld dear by him, or forcibly made to confess to the commission of a crime, orforced to consent to an act which is injurious to his interests.
Every person has the right to protect his honour and reputation againstcalumnies, groundless charges or deliberate attempts at defamation and blackmail.
a) Every persecuted or oppressed person has the right to seek refuge and asylum. This right is guaranteed to every human being irrespective of race, religion, colour and sex.
b) Al Masjid Al Haram (the sacred house of Allah) in Mecca is a sanctuary for all Muslims.
a) The Qur'anic principle "There is no compulsion in religion" shall govern the religious rights of non-Muslim minorities.
b) In a Muslim country religious minorities shall have the choice to be governed in respect of their civil and personal matters by Islamic Law, or by their own laws.
XI Right and Obligation to Participate in the Conduct and Management of Public Affairs
a) Subject to the Law, every individual in the community (Ummah) is entitled to assume public office.
b) Process of free consultation (Shura) is the basis of the administrative relationship between the government and the people. People also have the right to choose and remove their rulers in accordance with this principle.
XII Right to Freedom of Belief, Thought and Speech
a) Every person has the right to express his thoughts and beliefs so long as he remains within the limits prescribed by the Law. No one, however, is entitled to disseminate falsehood or to circulate reports which may outrage public decency, or to indulge in slander, innuendo or to cast defamatory aspersions on other persons.
b) Pursuit of knowledge and search after truth is not only a right but a duty of every Muslim.
c) It is the right and duty of every Muslim to protest and strive (within the limits set out by the Law) against oppression even if it involves challenging the highest authority in the state.
d) There shall be no bar on the dissemination of information provided it does not endanger the security of the society or the state and is confined within the limits imposed by the Law.
e) No one shall hold in contempt or ridicule the religious beliefs of others or incite public hostility against them; respect for the religious feelings of others is obligatory on all Muslims.
Every person has the right to freedom of conscience and worship in accordancewith his religious beliefs.
a) Every person is entitled to participate individually and collectively in the religious, social, cultural and political life of his community and to establish institutions and agencies meant to enjoin what is right (ma'roof) and to prevent what is wrong (munkar).
b) Every person is entitled to strive for the establishment of institutions whereunder an enjoyment of these rights would be made possible. Collectively, the community is obliged to establish conditions so as to allow its members full development of their personalities.
XV The Economic Order and the Rights Evolving Therefrom
a) In their economic pursuits, all persons are entitled to the full benefits of nature and all its resources. These are blessings bestowed by God for the benefit of mankind as a whole.
b) All human beings are entitled to earn their living according to the Law.
c) Every person is entitled to own property individually or in association with others. State ownership of certain economic resources in the public interest is legitimate.
d) The poor have the right to a prescribed share in the wealth of the rich, as fixed by Zakah, levied and collected in accordance with the Law.
e) All means of production shall be utilised in the interest of the community (Ummah) as a whole, and may not be neglected or misused.
f) In order to promote the development of a balanced economy and to protect society from exploitation, Islamic Law forbids monopolies, unreasonable restrictive trade practices, usury, the use of coercion in the making of contracts and the publication of misleading advertisements.
g) All economic activities are permitted provided they are not detrimental to the interests of the community(Ummah) and do not violate Islamic laws and values.
No property may be expropriated except in the public interest and on paymentof fair and adequate compensation.
Islam honours work and the worker and enjoins Muslims not only to treat theworker justly but also generously. He is not only to be paid his earned wagespromptly, but is also entitled to adequate rest and leisure.
Every person has the right to food, shelter, clothing, education and medicalcare consistent with the resources of the community. This obligation of thecommunity extends in particular to all individuals who cannot take care ofthemselves due to some temporary or permanent disability.
XIX Right to Found a Family and Related Matters
a) Every person is entitled to marry, to found a family and to bring up children in conformity with his religion, traditions and culture. Every spouse is entitled to such rights and privileges and carries such obligations as are stipulated by the Law.
b) Each of the partners in a marriage is entitled to respect and consideration from the other.
c) Every husband is obligated to maintain his wife and children according to his means.
d) Every child has the right to be maintained and properly brought up by its parents, it being forbidden that children are made to work at an early age or that any burden is put on them which would arrest or harm their natural development.
e) If parents are for some reason unable to discharge their obligations towards a child it becomes the responsibility of the community to fulfill these obligations at public expense.
f) Every person is entitled to material support, as well as care and protection, from his family during his childhood, old age or incapacity. Parents are entitled to material support as well as care and protection from their children.
g) Motherhood is entitled to special respect, care and assistance on the part of the family and the public organs of the community (Ummah).
h) Within the family, men and women are to share in their obligations and responsibilities according to their sex, their natural endowments, talents and inclinations, bearing in mind their common responsibilities toward their progeny and their relatives.
i) No person may be married against his or her will, or lose or suffer dimunition of legal personality on account of marriage.
Every married woman is entitled to:
a) live in the house in which her husband lives;
b) receive the means necessary for maintaining a standard of living which is not inferior to that of her spouse, and, in the event of divorce, receive during the statutory period of waiting (iddah) means of maintenance commensurate with her husband's resources, for herself as well as for the children she nurses or keeps, irrespective of her own financial status, earnings, or property that she may hold in her own rights;
c) seek and obtain dissolution of marriage (Khul'a) in accordance with the terms of the Law. This right is in addition to her right to seek divorce through the courts.
d) inherit from her husband, her parents, her children and other relatives according to the Law;
e) strict confidentiality from her spouse, or ex-spouse if divorced, with regard to any information that he may have obtained about her, the disclosure of which could prove detrimental to her interests. A similar responsibility rests upon her in respect of her spouse or ex-spouse.
a) Every person is entitled to receive education in accordance with his natural capabilities.
b) Every person is entitled to a free choice of profession and career and to the opportunity for the full development of his natural endowments.
Every person is entitled to the protection of his privacy.
XXIII Right to Freedom of Movement and Residence
a) In view of the fact that the World of Islam is veritably Ummah Islamia, every Muslim shall have the right to freely move in and out of any Muslim country.
b) No one shall be forced to leave the country of his residence, or be arbitrarily deported therefrom without recourse to due process of Law.
1 In the above formulation of Human Rights, unless the context provides otherwise:
a) the term 'person' refers to both the male and female sexes.
b) the term 'Law' denotes the Shari'ah, i.e. the totality of ordinances derived from the Qur'an and the Sunnah and any other laws that are deduced from these two sources by methods considered valid in Islamic jurisprudence.
2 Each one of the Human Rights enunciated in this declaration carries a corresponding duty.
3 In the exercise and enjoyment of the rights referred to above every person shall be subject only to such limitations as are enjoined by the Law for the purpose of securing the due recognition of, and respect for, the rights and the freedom of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare of the Community (Ummah).
The Arabic text of this Declaration is the original.
ReferencesSUNNAH - The example or way of life of the Prophet (peace be upon him), embracing what he said, did or agreed to.
KHALIFAH - The vicegerency of man on earth or succession to the Prophet, transliterated into English as the Caliphate.
HISBAH- Public vigilance, an institution of the Islamic State enjoined to observe and facilitate the fulfillment of right norms of public behaviour. The "Hisbah" consists in public vigilance as well as an opportunity to private individuals to seek redress through it.
MA'ROOF - Good act.
MUNKAR - Reprehensible deed.
ZAKAH - The 'purifying' tax on wealth, one of the five pillars of Islam obligatory on Muslims.
'IDDAH - The waiting period of a widowed or divorced woman during which she is not to re-marry.
KHUL'A - Divorce a woman obtains at her own request.
UMMAH ISLAMIA - World Muslim community.
SHARI'AH - Islamic law.
Note: The Roman numerals refer to the topics in the text. TheArabic numerals refer to the Chapter and the Verse of the Qur'an, i.e. 5:32means Chapter 5, Verse 32.
I 1 Qur'an Al-Maidah 5:32
2 Hadith narratedby Muslim, Abu Daud,Tirmidhi, Nasai
3 Hadith narratedby Bukhari
II 4 Hadith narrated by Bukhari, Muslim
5 Sayings of CaliphUmar
6 Qur'an As-Shura 42:41
7 Qur'anAl-Hajj 22:41
III 8 From the Prophet's address
9 Hadith narratedby Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Daud, Tirmidhi, Nasai
10 From the addressof Caliph Abu Bakr
11 From theProphet's farewell address
12 Qur'an Al-Ahqaf 46:19
13 Hadithnarrated by Ahmad
14 Qur'an Al-Mulk 67:15
15 Qur'anAl-Zalzalah 99:7-8
IV 16 Qur'an An-Nisa4:59
17 Qur 'anAl-Maidah 5:49
18 Qur'anAn-Nisa 4:148
19 Hadithnarrated by Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi
20 Hadith narratedby Bukhari, Muslim
2l Hadith narratedby Muslim, Abu Daud, Tirmdhi, Nasai
22 Hadith narratedby Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Daud, Tirmidhi, Nasai
23 Hadith narratedby Abu Daud, Tirmidhi
24 Hadith narratedby Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Daud, Tirmidhi, Nasai
25 Hadith narratedby Bukhari
V 26 Hadith narratedby Bukhari, Muslim
27 Qur'an Al-Isra 17:15
28 Qur'anAl-Ahzab 33:5
29 Qur'anAl-Hujurat 49:6
30 Qur’an An-Najm 53:28
31 Qur’an AlBaqarah 2:229
32 Hadithnarrated by Al Baihaki, Hakim
33 Qur’an Al-Isra17:15
34 Qur’an At-Tur 52:21
35 Qur'an Yusuf12:79
VI 36 Qur'an Al Ahzab33:58
VII 37 Hadith narrated byBukhari, Muslim, Abu Daud, Tirmidhi, Nasai
38 Hadith narratedby Ibn Majah
VIII 39 From the Prophet'sfarewell address
40 Qur'anAl-Hujurat 49:12
41 Qur'anAl-Hujurat 49:11
IX 42 Qur'an At-Tawba9:6
43 Qur'anAl-Imran 3:97
44 Qur'anAl-Baqarah 2:125
45 Qur'anAl-Hajj 22:25
X 46 Qur’an Al Baqarah2:256
47 Qur'an Al-Maidah5:42
48 Qur'an Al-Maidah5:43
49 Qur'an Al-Maidah5:47
XI 50 Qur'an As-Shura42:38
51 Hadithnarated by Ahmad
52 From the addressof Caliph Abu Bakr
XII 53 Qur'an Al-Ahzab 33:60-61
54 Qur'an Saba 34:46
55 Hadith narrated byTirmidhi, Nasai
56 Qur'an An-Nisa 4:83
57 Qur'an Al-Anam 6:108
XIII 58 Qur'an Al Kafirun 109:6
XIV 59 Qur'an Yusuf 12:108
60 Qur'an Al-Imran3:104
61 Qur'an Al-Maidah5:2
62 Hadith narratedby Abu Daud, Tirmidhi,Nasai, Ibn Majah
XV 63 Qur'an Al-Maidah 5:120
64 Qur'an Al-Jathiyah 45:13
65 Qur'an Ash-Shuara 26:183
66 Qur'an Al-Isra 17:20
67 Qur'an Hud 11:6
68 Qur'an Al-Mulk 67:15
69 Qur'an An-Najm 53:48
70 Qur'an Al-Hashr 59:9
71 Qur'an Al-Maarij 70:24-25
72 Sayings of Caliph Abu Bakr
73 Hadith narrated by Bukhari, Muslim
74 Hadith narrated by Muslim
75 Hadith narrated by Muslim, AbuDaud,Tirmidhi, Nasai
76 Hadith narratedby Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Daud, Tirmidhi, Nasai
77 Qur'anAl-Mutaffifin 83:1-3
78 Hadith narrated by Muslim
79 Qur'anAl-Baqarah 2:275
80 Hadith narratedby Bukhari, Muslim,Abu Daud, Tirmidhi, Nasai
XVI 81 Qur'an Al Baqarah 2:188
82 Hadith narratedby Bukhari
83 Hadith narratedby Muslim
84 Hadith narratedby Muslim, Tirmidhi
XVII 85 Qur'an At-Tawbah 9:105
86 Hadith narratedby Abu Yala¾ Majma Al Zawaid
87 Hadith narratedby Ibn Majah
88 Qur'an Al-Ahqaf46:19
89 Qur'an At-Tawbah 9:105
90 Hadith narratedby Tabarani¾ Majma Al Zawaid
91 Hadithnarrated by Bukhari
XVIII 92 Qur'an Al-Ahzab 33:6
XIX 93 Qur'an An-Nisa 4:1
94 Qur'anAl-Baqarah 2:228
95 Hadith narratedby Bukhari, Muslim,Abu Daud, Tirmidhi, Nasai
96 Qur'an Ar-Rum30:21
97 Qur'an At-Talaq 65:7
98 Qur'an Al-Isra 17:24
99 Hadith narrated by Bukhari, Muslim,AbuDaud, Tirmidhi
100 Hadith narratedby Abu Daud
101 Hadith narratedby Bukhari, Muslim
102 Hadith narratedby Abu Daud, Tirmidhi
103 Hadith narratedby Ahmad, Abu Daud
XX 104 Qur'an At-Talaq 65:6
105 Qur'an An-Nisa 4:34
106 Qur'an At-Talaq 65:6
107 Qur'an AtTalaq65:6
108 Qur'anAl-Baqarah 2:229
109 Qur'an An-Nisa 4:12
110 Qur'an Al-Baqarah 2:237
XXI 111 Qur'an Al-Isra 17:23-24
112 Hadith narratedby Ibn Majah
113 Qur'an Al-Imran3:187
114 From theProphet's farewell address
115 Hadith narratedby Bukhari, Muslim
116 Hadith narratedby Bukhari, Muslim,Abu Daud, Tirmidhi
XXII 117 Hadith narrated by Muslim
118 Qur'anAl-Hujurat 49:12
119 Hadith narratedby Abu Daud, Tirmidhi
XXIII 120 Qur'an Al-Mulk 67:15
121 Qur'an Al-Anam 6:11
122 Qur'an An-Nisa 4:97
123 Qur'an Al-Baqarah 2:217
124 Qur'an Al-Hashr 59:9
Published by: Islamic Council, 16 GrosvenorCrescent, London SW1