Our exploration into what constitutes human dignity and living a dignified human existence continues with the exploration of Islamic origins and themes regarding human dignity and human rights.
Islam
Islam is, according to Fitzroy Morrissey, “first and foremost a religion, or in what Arabic is called a din: a way of believing in God and of organizing life around obedience to Him.” Islam is “like Judaism and Christianity, a scriptural religion. Its adherents, otherwise known as Muslims, revere a sacred and authoritative book called the Qur’an (literally, ‘the recitation’). Muslims believe that the Qur'an was orally revealed by God to the final prophet, Muhammad, through the archangel Gabriel incrementally over a period of some 23 years, starting when Muhammad was 40 years of age". And “while Christians believe that God’s word became flesh, Muslims believe that it became a book; like a Christian receiving holy communion, a Muslim reciting the Qur’an believes him- or herself to be partaking in the eternal word of God.” It must be recognized that the Qur’an is ‘not primarily a book of law.’ “The ‘straight path’ is essentially an ethical rather than legal code.1
Adherents of Islam can be divided among three groups: Sufis, believers who, ‘when they reflected on the Qur’an, discovered an emphasis on the individual’s personal relationship with the Lord;’ Sunnis, whose form of the faith that was ‘defined above all by compromise and consensus;’ and the Shi‘a, whose form of faith was holding ‘onto the early vision of a living guide’ who they refer to as their “Imam.” The schism between Sunnis and Shi‘a stems from a number of early events; but the primary division rests on the fact that Sunnis accept all four of the first caliphs as legitimate, whereas the “Shi‘a – whose name comes from the Arabic phrase shi‘at ‘Ali, ‘the party of Ali – thought that ‘Ali, as the closest surviving blood relative of the Prophet, had been Muhammad’s rightful heir from the beginning.”2
Today, Sunnis comprise about 85 percent of the approximately 1.6 billion Muslims around the world, while Shi‘a comprise about 15 percent.
It is important to understand this history when addressing Islamic conceptions of human dignity. Although all Muslims believe all human beings have a right to dignity and equality, how they have come to possess that right remains a matter of debate. And it all centers on the notion of inherent versus acquired dignity.
Inherent and Acquired Dignity
For example, there are two main theological schools in Islamic traditions, which are called Ash'ariyyah and Mu’tazilah. According to Ash’ariyyah thoughts, human dignity is based on the explicit arguments in the scripture. On the other hand, according to Mu'tazillah‟s thoughts, concepts such as human dignity could have independent logical basis and are not rooted only in the scripture or prophetic tradition. Accordingly, they could be found by reason and emphasized by the scripture.3
Advocates of inherent dignity point to a statement in the Qur’an that says, “We have bestowed dignity on the progeny of Adam.” And since all of human beings originate from Adam and his spouse, this is understood to mean that “every single human being possesses this dignity regardless of color, race, religion and tribe.”4 Moreover, the notion that dignity was given to all mankind is also understood to reveal the true nature of God, as the incredible diversity of mankind delivers a fuller, more comprehensive picture than would a single individual.5
By contrast, those who advocate that dignity is
not inherent but justified through the senses,
Briefing ...
Islamic Notions of Dignity & Human Rights
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