THE RIGHTS OF THE HUMAN BEINGS

These days, the so-called civilized nations make tall claims of upholding the human rights. But in recent times, we have seen ruthless crimes against humanity being committed in places like Afghanistan, Chechnya and the Middle East. The irony is that there are 56 Muslim countries; they own a vast reserve of human and material resources. Most of the Muslim countries share borders among themselves. Peace and harmony would prevail on the Earth, if the leadership of these countries truly implemented the teachings of the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم). During his own lifetime, the Prophet had (صلى الله عليه وسلم) implemented Islam as a complete way of life.

Allah (جل جلاله) in the Quran says: 

وقولوا للناس حسنا

Speak fair to the people. [2:83]

This order refers to all human beings, not just the Muslims; the justice encompasses inviting them to Islam. In the Islamic teachings, justice to everyone is a basic human right.

Allah (جل جلاله) says:

و لا يجرمنكم شنآن قوم علي ألا تعدلوا إعدلوا هو أقرب للتقوي

And let not the hatred of others make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just; that is next to piety. [5:8]

He (جل جلاله) also says:

و يطعمون الطعام علي حبه مسكينا و يتيما و أسيرا 

And they feed, for the love of Allah, the indigent, the orphan, and the captive. [76:8]

Note that when the above verse of the Quran was revealed on Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم), most of the captives used to be non-Muslims.

The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) ordered the Muslims to treat their captives from Battle of Badr with kindness. So the Muslims used to serve their captives the food which was better than what they ate themselves.

(تفسير عثماني)

In a Hadith of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم), it is mentioned:

إرحموا من في الأرض يرحمكم من في السماء

(مشكوة-ص423 -أبو داود/ترمذي)

Treat the ones on Earth well and the one in sky (Allah) will treat you well.

And in another Hadith, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said:

لا يؤمن أحدكم حتي يحب للناس ما يحب لنفسه 

(مسند أحمد -272-ج3)

None of you can be a mo'min (a true Muslim) unless you love for the humans what you love for yourself.

In above Hadith, no distinction is made among Muslims and non-Muslims.

Umar ( ), one of the Rightly Guided Caliphs once saw a blind beggar in a street. Umar ( ) brought the beggar home and gave him some money; he then started welfare payments for that person from the bayt-ul-maal (4|א '/national treasury.) بيت مال المسلمين

(كتاب الخراج إمام أبو يوسف -ص 72 -سيرة النبي ص173ج6)

Islam teaches Muslims to offer not only the zakah (the prescribed charity) but also other donations to the non-Muslims. According to a Hadith, the Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) donated to a Jewish family. Safiah, the Prophet's wife ( ) gave away 30,000 Dirhams to her relative Jews in charity.

(سيرة النبي -173-ج6)