HUMAN RIGHTS DECLARATION IN ISLAM
(By Prof. Dr. Ahmed AKGÜNDÜZ)
Through the perusal of this work will it be understood that it is wrong to compare the historical progression of the human rights and freedoms in Islamic Legislation with that in the West, in which regard the significance of British Magna Charta dated 1215 and the Declaration of Human Rights for the French People dated 1789 only concern the Western World, for there is no such need as for the requirement for the development and improvement of human rights and freedoms in our history because Allah the Most High granted these essential rights and freedoms to mankind from the time of their creation and the first and unchangeable texts in the Islamic Legislation with regards to human rights and freedoms are the related verses of the Noble concerning the issue, the statements in related traditions of the Blessed Prophet (p.b.u.h.), the Farewell Sermon and the Pages known as the Constitution of Medina, thus the problem lies with the application of those rights and freedoms accepted and established in Shariah sources. The author describes the development of his work as follows:
“At a symposium held at OTIM in November, 1988 I was charged with the task of delivering a lecture on ‘Human Rights and Freedoms in the History of Islamic Legislation’. When I referred to sources to prepare my communiqué, I was disappointed to see that it was alleged in books on public law that the progression as regards to human rights and freedoms in the Ottoman State and accordingly in the Islamic World started with Tanzimat Firman (Edict of Reforms) in 1839. Then in my communiqué I attempted to express briefly the facts I saw in the main sources. The communiqué, thousands of copies whereof were distributed to people upon their request, had very positive effect on both the audience and the mass media of the time. And this little, humble treatise has been authored with a view to eliminating, though to little extent, illiteracies on this issue”.
This little book in your hand will not only have a thorough study of the issue theoretically but summarize the theoretical information on human rights and freedoms in the history of Islamic Legislation and site examples from application thereof and rectify the errors and distortions therein as well. Therefore, the book is divided into two main chapters:
The First Chapter deals with the general outlook of human rights and freedoms in the Islamic Legislation and in the implementation of Muslim Turkish states.
The Second Chapter consists of the declaration on human rights and freedoms titled “The Declaration on Human Rights in Islam” organized by the World Islamic Council and those Islamic Legalists specialized in their fields entirely based upon the verses of the Noble Qur’an and the traditions of the Prophet (p.b.u.h.).
(137 pages)
