Risalah al-Huquq

QuestionsCategory: HUQUQRisalah al-Huquq
Guest asked 3 years ago
The document titled, Treatise on rights, is often sited as the basis for human rights in Islam. Does this document lay a foundation for integrating human rights norms as we know them today in Islamic societies? And how used was such document in promoting human rights in Islam?
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ShiaWeb answered 12 months ago
Treatise on Rights (رسالة الحقوق; Risalat al-Huquq) is either document of a sermon attributed to Imam Ali Zayn al-Abidin, a Muslim scholar, highly revered especially among Shia Muslim. He is the great-grandson of the prophet Muhammad, and the fourth Shia Imam, also known by the kunya Zayn al-Abidin. The document is often used to argue for the compatibility of human rights with Islam. However, this document is very useful to understanding the different framing of human rights. While western ideas of human rights make the individual the center of all benefits, in this case absolute rights; this document points to a system of rights that is symbiotic relation with the environment occupied by humans. In this view, while humans are privileged to use all resources in their environment, they must do so responsibly because all things, including their bodily parts, have also rights. Also in this view, rights are seen as a two way street with responsibility: one cannot claim a right without acknowledging the rights of others, including the rights of things. Read the document Treatise of Rights (rislat al-huquq)
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