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To stop crimes of larceny that disturb peace, Islam has decided a strict provision for the thieves:
"Cut off the hands of a male or female thief as a punishment for their deed and a lesson for them from Allah. Allah is Majestic and All-wise. (5:38)"
In the same manner, the Ahl ul-Bayt (a) declared the honor of the believer:
The Prophet (s) said: "To revile at the believers is defection, to fight them is atheism, to backbite them is act of disobedience to Allah, and their wealth is as sacred as their blood (soul)." 541
"Allah said: He who dishonors one of My disciples is waging war against Me. The best thing through which My servant seeks nearness to Me is performing that which I have imposed on him. The servant may seek nearness to Me through performing a supererogatory prayer, and I will love him for so. If I love him, I will act as his hearing, sight, tongue, and hand. I will certainly respond to him when he calls upon Me, and I will certainly give him when he asks from Me. The most difficult thing for Me is grasping the soul of My believing servant who hates death and I hate injuring him." 542
"O you who declared being Muslims by tongues but did not have sincere faith in hearts! Do not dispraise Muslims and do not inspect their flaws, for Allah will surely inspect the defects of those who inspect the flaws of Muslims, and will dishonor them even if they are in their own houses." 543
"He who publicizes an ill matter is regarded as him who originated it, and whoever disregards a faithful believer for a matter will not die before that very matter sticks to him." 544
3. Right of Freedom
Freedom stands for man's manumission from slavery and enjoyment of his legal rights. It is the most sacred right of humankind; therefore, Islam has declared and
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decided protecting and spreading this right in the Islamic society.
Unlike the idea of the simple-minded, freedom does not mean release from all regulations that contribute in systematizing, reforming, and protecting the societies. This sort of freedom is the freedom of jungles. The true freedom is to enjoy all the legal rights that are not in violation of others' rights:
A. Freedom of Religion
It is rightful for a Muslim to have full freedom in matters relating to his beliefs, rituals, and rulings of Sharia. It is illicit to coerce him to desert or act violently towards the constitution of Islam since such coercion is regarded as flagrant violence to the most sacred freedoms. Muslims, however, are required to be steadfast in matters relating to the belief and against the misleading campaigns aimed at deceiving them.
B. Civil Freedom
It is rightful for a Muslim to enjoy latitude and practice all his civil affairs. Hence, it is rightful to reside in any country he chooses, do any job he prefers, study any field of science he likes, and make any contract he wants. Hence, he is free to do all these things in the light of the Islamic Sharia.
C. Freedom of Propagation of Islam
This freedom is dedicated to the well-qualified Muslims who are able to publicize the Islamic edification. Such efforts contribute in developing the Islamic society doctrinally, culturally, and socially, and help in purifying it from vices.
"Let there be a group among you who will invite others to do good deeds, command them to obey the Law, and prohibit them from committing sins. These people will have eternal happiness. (3:104)"
The Prophet (s) said: "People will live in perpetual goodness so long as they enjoin good, forbid evil, and cooperate on charity. If they stop acting these
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deeds, blessings will be taken away from them, some of them will rule the others tyrannically, and they will not find any supporter in the earth or in the heavens." 545
4. Right of Equality
Selfishness and class privileges prevailed on the life of the past nations. Class differentiation was the most distinctive feature in the lives of the Arabs in the pre-Islamic era. They used to persecute the weak and treat them as slaves and used not to criticize the celebrities for offenses so as to make distinction between ordinary people and them.
Omar ibn Hind; the Arab king, for instance, used to talk to people from behind a screen and used to oblige mothers of the chiefs to act as servants in his house.
Annu'man ibn al-Munthir was another example. He classified his days into days of pleasure and days of rage. He used to endow anyone who meets him on a day of pleasure liberally, and kill every one who visits him on the days of rage.
Until the French Revolution; 1789, which called to and aroused egalitarianism in the mentalities of the Western people, racial discrimination was a common feature in the Western nations. Casteism, however, have lived in the mentalities of most of them. The German Nazi movement, for instance, has preferred the Aryan to others. In the American society, struggles between the white and the black are still current because of the selfishness of the white who disdain associating with the black. Britain, likewise, sowed the seeds of casteism in South Africa where the white are masters and the black are acting as slaves. In the shadows of communism that claims eradication of casteism, the distinction between social classes is clearly noticed.
Equality in Islam
Islam has enacted the principle of equality in a nonesuch method. All individuals of the society, whether male or female, white or black, Arabs or non-Arabs,
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celebrities or ordinary, or rich or poor are the same, just like the teeth of a comb. The one and only measurement of preference is God-fearing and righteous deed:
"People, We have created you all male and female and have made you nations and tribes so that you would recognize each other. The most honorable among you in the sight of Allah is the most pious of you. Allah is All-knowing and All-aware. (49:13)"
All are subject to the Islamic laws and duties, without any distinction.
The Prophet (s) kept on confirming on the principle of equality so as to achieve the noble fraternity among Muslims:
"Believers are each other's brothers. (49:10)"
As kings used to claim their being preferred to others, God, in the holy Quran, teaches the Prophet (s) to declare his reality among people:
"Say: I am only a mortal like you but I have received revelation that there is only one Lord. (18:110)"
Hence, the Prophet and his immaculate progeny were the ideal examples of the application and the call to the principle of equality.
The Prophet (s) said: "by way of Islam, Allah took away the arrogance and taking pride in ancestors that were followed in the pre-Islamic era. All people are (the offspring) of Adam who was created from dust. The honorable among them in the sight of Allah is the most pious of them." 546
One day, Omar ibn al-Khattab asked: "If the caliph notices a lady committing fornication, is his testimony regarded as sufficient for subjecting her to the doctrinal provision?"
Imam Ali (a) answered: "Just like other Muslims, his testimony will be refused and he will be subjected to the lashing that is decided as doctrinal provision of defamation if he does not bring four witnesses."
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Jebb; the Western author, was astonished by the Islamic principle of equality. He therefore expressed his admiration in his book titled 'With Islam', saying that there is no single association can achieve the success that Islam has achieved in field of combining the disagreeing races of humankind under the principle of egalitarianism. If disputations of the West and the East are decided to be studied, it will be obligatory to depend upon Islam for solving them.
Having decided equality, Islam has used such a logic style befitting reason and sound nature and corresponding to immortal principles of justice and giving equal opportunities to everybody. Hence, the standard of distinction has been a matter that is within everybody's capacity:
The most honorable among you in the sight of Allah is the most pious of you. (49:13)"
Meanwhile, Islam has decided distinction according to one's values and worthiness:
"Say: Are those who know equal to those who do not know? (39:9)"
On this standard, too, God made a distinction between the prophets, each according to his efforts:
"We gave some of Our Messengers preference over others. To some of them Allah spoke and He raised the rank of some others. We gave authoritative proofs to Jesus, son of Mary, and supported him by the Holy Spirit. (2:253)"
In the same manner, scholars were given preference to the ignorant and the believers to each other according to standings of knowledge, piety, and uprightness:
"Allah raises the position of the believers and of those who have received knowledge. (58:11)"
People, in fields of sustenance, are preferred to each other, according to abilities and qualifications, because it is not fair to put the intelligent and the idiot on the same level:
"It is We who have distributed their sustenance in
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this world and raised the positions of some of them above the others so that they would mock each other. The mercy of your Lord is better than what they can amass. (43:32)"
5. Right of Knowledge
In his capacity as a member of the society, an individual has his own value and influence. According to the abilities and physical and mental qualifications of individuals, degrees of development and civilization of societies are estimated. From this cause, the civilized nations exerted remarkable efforts for educating their sons by various means, such as compulsory education and free education in the first stages of schools.
In their golden age, Muslims were the ideal examples of spreading knowledge and honoring the knowledgeable. Hence, they held the reins of knowledge, constructed the Islamic civilization, and led the other nations to progress and development.
In his book titled 'History of the Arabs', Sdew says that Muslims, in the Middle Ages, stood alone in the fields of knowledge, philosophy, and arts, and publicized them wherever they stepped. Therefore, these fields of knowledge reached Europe and caused its renaissance and development.
In the Islamic society, the right of education was available and secured for every individual, apart from race or social class. This was the main reason beyond the prosperity and extensive scope of the Islamic knowledge. The Islamic Sharia has ordained the scholars to publicize their knowledges among Muslims in the same way as it has ordained every male and female Muslim individual to seek knowledge.
6. Right of Ownership
The most seditious ordeal all over history is the ordeal of property and ownership that has been originated in this age and caused the world to divide into two disagreeing parties: one allows the private capital unconditionally
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(namely, the capitalists), and the other forbids it totally (namely, the communists).
Islam has settled this problem and treated it so wisely. It neither forbids private capital nor allows it unconditionally. Because man is naturally disposed to love possession and self-benefit, though the imaginary theories that do not believe in man's natural instincts and tendencies ignore this, Islam does not prevent the private capital, which is a natural right achieving the individuals' dignities and existence and frees them from authorities that control people's sustenance. The private capital, too, causes talents of man to blow up and encourages him to increase his productive energies.
Meanwhile, Islam, unlike modern capitalism, has not permitted the private capital unconditionally. It has defined definite legal ways for gaining wealth so that it will not be collected by a small group of people, while the majority whose efforts are exploited by the capitalists, are deprived of it:
Islam has identified certain ways for gaining wealth and forbidden other ways, such as usury, bribe, monopoly, or usurpation.
Islam has enacted the law of inheritance so as to distribute the wealth on a number of heirs of every generation.
Islam has ordained the taxes, such as the zakat, khums, and expiations, which are collected for securing good livelihood for the needy.
Through such economical principles, Islam has been able to sow the spirits of mutual sympathy and achieve social justice among Muslims.
7. Right of Islamic Interests
Mutual sympathy, fraternal ties, and harmony are the distinctive features of the Islamic society. According to Sharia, Muslims have no right to overlook the social affairs and to avoid participating in the social prosperity and development.
