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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books What Is Islam? Beliefs, Principles and a Way of Life Freedom in Islam 8-Freedom in Islam Question: Does freedom exist in Islam? Answer: Of all the concepts of freedom that exist within the various religions and legal systems, the most extensive are found in Islam. Islam indeed is a religion of freedom in every sense of the word. Question: Is there proof of this claim from the Qur’an and the sunna? Answer: Yes, indeed.

With regard to the Qur’an it describes the Prophet of Islam as he who, “Makes lawful for them the good things and makes forbidden for them what is bad and he removes from them their burdens and the fetters that were upon them” [7: 157]. The encumbrances and social shackles that lay upon the necks of the people and had stifled their freedom were removed by the Prophet who thus liberated them and gave them their freedom after restrictions and ignorance had made them slaves.

THE LIMITS TO FREEDOM As for the pure sunna, the famous rule in the books of jurisprudence, extracted from the Qur’an and the hadith is: “People are given charge over themselves and what they own”1. Therefore anyone can do as he wishes with regard to his own body or his own possessions but on the condition that what he does is not forbidden by the Islamic Shari‘a. Question: Give examples of actions which are forbidden in the Shari‘a. 1 See also al-‘Awali al-la’ali, part 1, p. 222, hadith 99.

What is Islam? Answer: Forbidden actions regarding one’s own body include killing oneself (that is to commit suicide), cutting off a limb like one’s own arm, or destroying a faculty like blinding oneself or making oneself deaf. Forbidden action with regard to one’s possessions is as if someone destroys his wealth by throwing it into the sea or burning the banknotes he has, and so on.

It is also forbidden to spend one’s money on something unlawful such as alcoholic drinks or on unlawful sex or gambling. Since the actions which are forbidden by the Shari‘a are very few indeed, each one of them having been made unlawful for the good of the individual or society, the things that one is permitted to do with one’s own body or one’s wealth and possessions are consequently numerous, to an extent never found in any other religious system or code of laws.

KINDS OF FREEDOM Question: What kinds of freedom exist in Islam? Answer: The kinds of freedom that exist in Islam are so numerous that it would be difficult to list them all.