Therefore...

Therefore, it is necessary for us to believe that man is totally different from other things, has his capabilities and inherent motivations, which he seeks under ceratain circumstances. Besides, he goes through the stages of growth and development as pre-planned. It is only under such circumstances that one can conclude that equal rights may be derived.

With a brief interpretation we must first believe in human innate disposition so that we may be able to talk of the concepts of human rights, justice, dignity, equality and human spirit. If we do not believe in this pure Islamic concept, man’s innate disposition, it would be meaningless to talk of self-evident concepts, morality, and motivations. Thus, there must exist a certain criterion about man so that he can develop his spiritual faculty and go beyond his Self .

Hence, the man for whom one can consider rights is one naturally endowed with inborn elements. These elements have a certain procedure and if man goes beyond them, he will lose his human attributes: “Be not as those who forgot God, so He caused them to forget their souls-those, they are the ungodly;” (Surah al-Hashr 59:19) “They are like cattle; nay, rather, they are further astray.” (Surah al-A’raf 7:179) If man is treated in a manner contrary to his essence, that treatment will be inhumane.

For example, we see that when Pharaoh weakened his people and deprived them of their rights, he was criticised for the injustice he did to people. “Thus did Pharaoh persuade his people to make light [of Moses] and they obeyed him; verily they were a transgressing people.” (Surah az-Zukhruf 43:54) Pharaoh took away the natural values and rights of people, and so their rights were violated.

With the violation of their rights, the people become a transgressing people, a people who exceed the bounds of their humanity. Thus, we come to understand man and it is not possible to discuss human rights or the issue of declarations of rights unless on the basis of the understanding of human nature. Rights that cannot be realized through materialistic thought.

In the light of what we have come to know by the previous discussion, human rights may be said to be the natural conditions innately needed by man in order to proceed on his natural course of evolution towards perfection.