Human Relations in Islam
Human Relations in Islam
Human Relations in Islam
Relations
in Islam
By the time Muhammad was twenty-five, he had become well known in the city for the
integrity of his disposition and the honesty of his character. He became known as the
trustworthy, the truthful.
According to Muslim traditions, Muhammad was 40 years old, when he was visited by
angel Gabriel (peace be on him) and received his first message from God. These visits
continued for the next 23 years until his death. All of the messages thus received were put
together by the Prophet in a book called The Quran. For Muslims, Quran is the word of
God. In relation to prior Holy books, the Quran itself states that it confirms what was
revealed to earlier prophets, especially to Moses and Jesus (peace be on them) and also
serves as the criterion of right and wrong. The Quran consists of 114 chapters of varying
length. Each chapter is made up of single or multiple revelations. Chapter names are
based on a word that appears in the chapter itself. In the interpretation of the verses,
historic context, events that Muslims were facing at that time and the Sunnah matter.
Sunnah refers to the sayings, approvals, disapprovals of the Prophet. These are compiled
in separate books, known as Hadith books. Unlike the Quran which was compiled by
Prophet himself, the Hadith books we have today were compiled after the death of the
Prophet. While every verse of the Quran is taken as authentic, the same is not true with
traditions mentioned in the Hadith books. Muslim scholars have classified these traditions
from authentic to false. There is a very complex but very scientific system of
classification used by the scholars in doing so.
With this background in mind, let me mention some events after Muhammad started
receiving the revelations. As was the case with earlier prophets, his invitation and
preaching to the people of Makkah met severe opposition. Some of the Muslims were
severely persecuted and tortured.
Migration to Ethopia
This is the first event in the history of Islam which shows Muslim-Christian relations. It
teaches many Islamic principles of human relations.
It was the fifth year of his prophethood, when Prophet asked some of his followers to
migrate to Ethopia, where a just king, a Christian king Negus was the ruler. A group of 12
men and 4 women made it to Ethopia and were welcomed by the King. When the
polytheists of Makkah came to know about it, they sent two envoys to the King. They
claimed to the king that the Muslim refugees should be expelled from Abyssinia
(Ethiopia) and made over to them, on the ground that they had abandoned the religion of
their forefathers, and their leader was preaching a religion different from theirs and from
that of the king.
The king summoned the Muslims to the court and asked them to explain the teachings of
their religion. The Muslim emigrants had decided to tell the whole truth whatever the
consequences were. Jafar bin Abi Talib stood up and addressed the king in the following
words: "O king! we were plunged in the depth of ignorance and barbarism; we adored
idols, we lived in unchastity, we ate the dead bodies, and we spoke abominations, we
disregarded every feeling of humanity, and the duties of hospitality and neighbourhood
were neglected; we knew no law but that of the strong, when Allh raised among us a
man, of whose birth, truthfulness, honesty, and purity we were aware; and he called to the
Oneness of Allh, and taught us not to associate anything with Him. He forbade us the
worship of idols; and he enjoined us to speak the truth, to be faithful to our trusts, to be
merciful and to regard the rights of the neighbours and kith and kin; he forbade us to
speak evil of women, or to eat the substance of orphans; he ordered us to fly from the
vices, and to abstain from evil; to offer prayers, to render alms, and to observe fast. We
have believed in him, we have accepted his teachings and his injunctions to worship
Allh, and not to associate anything with Him, and we have allowed what He has
allowed, and prohibited what He has prohibited. For this reason, our people have risen
against us, have persecuted us in order to make us forsake the worship of Allh and return
to the worship of idols and other abominations. They have tortured and injured us, until
finding no safety among them, we have come to your country, and hope you will protect
us from oppression."
The king was very much impressed by these words and asked the Muslims to recite some
of Allhs Revelation. Jafar recited the opening verses of Srah Maryam (Chapter 19
Mary) wherein is told the story of the birth of both John and Jesus Christ, down to the
account of Mary having been fed with the food miraculously. Thereupon the king, along
with the bishops of his realm, was moved to tears that rolled down his cheeks and even
wet his beard. Here, the Negus exclaimed: "It seems as if these words and those which
were revealed to Jesus are the rays of the light which have radiated from the same
source." Turning to the crest-fallen envoys of Quraish, he said, "I am afraid, I cannot give
you back these refugees. They are free to live and worship in my realm as they please."
On the morrow, the two envoys again went to the king and said that Muhammad and his
followers blasphemed Jesus Christ. Again the Muslims were summoned and asked what
they thought of Jesus. Jafar again stood up and replied: "We speak about Jesus as we
have been taught by our Prophet, that is, he is the servant of Allh, His Messenger, His
spirit and His Word breathed into Virgin Mary." The king at once remarked, "Even so do
we believe. Blessed be you, and blessed be your master." Then turning to the frowning
envoys and to his bishops who got angry, he said: "You may fret and fume as you like but
Jesus is nothing more than what Jafar has said about him." He then assured the Muslims
of full protection. He returned to the envoys of Quraish, the gifts they had brought with
them and sent them away. The Muslims lived in Abyssinia (Ethiopia) unmolested for a
number of years till they returned to Madinah.
And he said:
"The Muslim is that one from whose tongue and hand the Muslims are safe.[]"
And said:
"None amongst you believes (truly) till one likes for his brother that which he
loves for himself.[]"
And said:
"He will not enter Paradise, he whose neighbour is not secure from his
wrongful conduct.[]"
And said:
"A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim; he neither oppresses him nor does he
fail him. Whosoever removes a worldly grief from a believer, Allh will remove
from him one of the griefs of the Day of Judgement. Whosoever shields a
Muslim, Allh will shield him on the Day of Resurrection.[]"
And said:
"Abusing a Muslim is an outrage and fighting against him is disbelief.[]"
And said:
"To remove something harmful from the road, is charity.[]"
And said:
"Charity erases sins just as water extinguishes fire.[]"
And said:
"He is not a perfect believer, who goes to bed full and knows that his
neighbour is hungry.[]"
And said:
"Show mercy to people on earth so that Allh will have mercy on you in
heaven.[]"
And said:
"Try to avert fire even by half a date (in charity) if not by tendering a good
word.[]"
And said:
"Clothing an under-clad Muslim, entitles you to a garment from the Paradise;
feeding a hungry Muslim will make you eligible (by Allhs Will) for the fruit of
the Paradise, and if you provide water to a thirsty Muslim, Allh will provide you
with a drink from the Sealed Nectar.[]"
He used as well to exhort the believers to spend in charity reminding them of
relevant virtues for which the hearts yearn.
He said:
"The believers in their mutual love, are like the human body where when the
eye is in agony, the entire body feels the pain; when the head aches, all the body
will suffer.[]"
And said
"The bonds of brotherhood between two Muslims are like parts of a house,
one part strengthens and holds the other.[]"
And said:
"Do not have malice against a Muslim; do not be envious of other Muslims;
do not go against a Muslim and forsake him. O the slaves of Allh! Be like
brothers with each other. It is not violable for a Muslim to desert his brother for
over three days.[]"
killed?" From this statement of the Prophet the exegetists and jurists
have drawn the principle that those who are non-combatants should not
be killed during or after the war.
The Rights of the Combatants:
Now let us see what rights Islam has conferred on the combatants.
1. Torture with Fire
In the hadith there is a saying of the Prophet that: "Punishment by
fire does not behove anyone except the Master of the Fire" (Abu
Dawud). The injunction deduced from this saying is that the adversary
should not be burnt alive.
2. Protection of the Wounded
"Do not attack a wounded person"-thus said the Prophet. This
means that the wounded soldiers who are not fit to fight, nor actually
fighting, should not be attacked.
3. The Prisoner of War Should not be Slain
"No prisoner should be put to the sword"-a very clear and
unequivocal instruction given by the Prophet (S).
4. No one Should be Tied to be Killed
"The Prophet has prohibited the killing of anyone who is tied or
is in captivity."
5. No Looting and Destruction in the Enemy's Country
Muslims have also been instructed by the Prophet that if they
should enter the enemy's territory, they should not indulge in pillage or
plunder nor destroy the residential areas, nor touch the property of
anyone except those who are fighting with them. It has been narrated
in the hadith: "The Prophet has prohibited the believers from loot and
plunder" (al-Bukhari; Abu Dawud). His injunction is: "The loot is no
more lawful than the carrion" (Abu Dawud). Abu Bakr al-Siddiq used
to instruct the soldiers while sending them to war, "Do not destroy the
villages and towns, do not spoil the cultivated fields and gardens, and
do not slaughter the cattle." The booty of war which is acquired from
the battleground is altogether different from this. It consists of the
wealth, provisions and equipment captured only from the camps and
military headquarters of the combatant armies.
6. Sanctity of Property
The Muslims have also been prohibited from taking anything from
the general public of a conquered country without paying for it. If in a
war the Muslim army occupies an area of the enemy country, and is
encamped there, it does not have the right to use the things belonging
to the people without their consent. If they need anything, they should
purchase it from the local population or should obtain permission from
the owners. Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, while instructing the Muslim armies
being despatched to the battlefront would go to the extent of saying
that Muslim soldiers should not even use the milk of the milch cattle
without the permission of their owners.
7. Sanctity of a Dead Body
Islam has categorically prohibited its followers from disgracing or
mutilating the corpses of their enemies as was practised in Arabia
before the advent of Islam. It has been said in the hadith: "The Prophet
has prohibited us from mutilating the corpses of the enemies" (alBukhari; AbC Dawud). The occasion on which this order was given is
highly instructive. In the Battle of Uhud the disbelievers mutilated the
bodies of the Muslims, who had fallen on the battlefield and sacrificed
their lives for the sake of Islam, by cutting off their ears and noses, and
threading them together to put round their necks as trophies of war.
The abdomen of Hamzah, the uncle of the Prophet, was ripped open by
Quraysh, his liver was taken out and chewed by Hind, the wife of Abu
Sufyan, the leader of the Meccan army. The Muslims were naturally
enraged by this horrible sight. But the Prophet asked his followers not
to mete out similar treatment to the dead bodies of the enemies. This
great example of forbearance and restraint is sufficient to convince any
reasonable man who is not blinded by prejudice or bias, that Islam is
really the religion sent down by the Creator of the universe, and that if
human emotions had any admission in Islam, then this horrible sight on
the battlefield of Uhud would have provoked the Prophet to order his
followers to mutilate the bodies of their enemy in the same manner.
8. Return of Corpses of the Enemy
In the Battle of Ahzab a very renowned and redoubtable warrior
of the enemy was killed and his body fell down in the trench which the
Muslims had dug for the defence of Medina. The unbelievers presented
ten thousand dinars to the Prophet and requested that the dead body of
their fallen warrior may be handed over to them. The Prophet replied
"I do not sell dead bodies. You can take away the corpse of your fallen
comrade."
9. Prohibition of Breach of Treaties
Islam has strictly prohibited treachery. One of the instructions
that the Prophet used to give to the Muslim warriors while sending
them to the battlefront was: "Do not be guilty of breach of faith."
This order has been repeated in the Holy Quran and the hadith again
and again, that if the enemy acts treacherously let him do so, you
should never go back on your promise. There is a famous incident in
the peace treaty of Hudaybiyyah, when after the settlement of the
terms of the treaty, Abu Jandal, the son of the emissary of the
unbelievers who had negotiated this treaty with the Muslims, came,
fettered and blood-stained, rushing to the Muslim camp and crying for
help. The Prophet told him "Since the terms of the treaty have been
settled, we are not in a position to help you out. You should go back
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with your father. God will provide you with some other opportunity to
escape this persecution." The entire Muslim army was deeply touched
and grieved at the sad plight of Abu Jandal and many of them were
moved to tears. But when the Prophet declared that "We cannot break
the agreement", not even a single person came forward to help the
unfortunate prisoner, so the unbelievers forcibly dragged him back to
Makkah. This is an unparalleled example of the observance of the terms
of agreement by the Muslims, and Islamic history can show many
examples of a similar nature.
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dreadful torment for him" (4:93). The Prophet has also said about the dhimmis (the non-Muslim citizens of
the Muslim State): "One who kills a man under covenant (i.e. a dhimmi) will not even smell the fragrance
of Paradise" (al-Bukhari and Abu Dawud).
MOTHERS
The Qur'an elevates kindness to parents (especially mothers) to a status second only to
the worship of Allah.
Your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him and that you be kind to parents.
Whether one or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of
contempt nor repel them, but address them in terms of honor. (Qur'an 17:23)
And We have enjoined on every human being (to be good) to his/her parents: in travail
upon travail did his/her mother bear him/her and in years twain was his/her weaning:
(hear the command) "Show gratitude to me and to your parents: to Me is (your final)
destiny." (Qur'an 31:14)
DAUGHTERS
Prophet Muhammad (Peace be on him) said,
Whosoever has a daughter and does not bury her alive, does not insult her, and does not
favor his son over her, Allah will enter him into Paradise. (Ahmad)
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Equality in Islam
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said:
"No Arab has any superiority over a non-Arab, nor does a non-Arab have any superiority
over an Arab. Nor does a white man have any superiority over a black man, or the black
man any superiority over the white man. You are all the children of Adam, and Adam was
created from clay"
Justice in Islam
The Holy Quran says:
"Do not let your hatred of a people incite you to aggression" (5:2).
"And do not let ill-will towards any folk incite you so that you swerve from dealing
justly. Be just; that is nearest to heedfulness" (5:8).
Repel Evil with Goodness
041.034 Nor can goodness and Evil be equal. Repel (Evil) with what is better: Then will
he between whom and thee was hatred become as it were thy friend and intimate!
003.134 Those who spend (freely), whether in prosperity, or in adversity; who restrain
anger, and pardon (all) men; for God loves those who do good.
Suicide is a Grave Sin
O ye who believe! Eat not up your property among yourselves in vanities: But let there be
amongst you Traffic and trade by mutual good-will: Nor kill (or destroy) yourselves: for
verily God hath been to you Most Merciful! (Quran, 4:29)
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report documents examples of their divisive language. The vilification of Islam and
Muslims by such elements continues unabated.
This year the total number of individual complaints reported to CAIR offices
reached a new high: 602 complaints, or 15 percent increase over the previous year.
Compared to the pre-September 11th reporting year (2000/2001), this years total is 64
percent higher. It is also the highest ever record of such incidents and more than seven
times the total of the year 1995/1996, when the first edition of this report was issued.
To obtain copies of this report, contact:
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Ave., SE
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: [email protected]
URL: http://www.cair-net.org
2003 Copyright, Council on American-Islamic Relations
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