A Review of the Contemporary Situation of Minorities Rights: In the light of Biography of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him)
اقلیتوں کےحقوق کی عصری صورتحال کا جائزہ:سیرت الرسولﷺ کی روشنی میں
Abstract
Allah Almighty has sent the Prophets for the guidance of whole mankind in every era. The object of their coming is to revival the supreme values of humanity. The chain of prophets ends on the Holy Prophet (PBUH). Hazrat Muhammad (SAW) is the last Prophet of Allah. He has come as the mercy for all. In those days, men and women were sold like sheep and goats. He gave respect to all human beings. He gave special respect to women. Like this, he protected the rights of minorities in the society. He gave them full respect and honour. But unfortunately, today we have left the Seerah of our Holy Prophet (SAW). Today extremeism is present in our attitudes. There is no toleration in our behaviours today. We understand the difference of opinion as enmity. We become ready to react on every hearsay thing. Whereas it is clear commandment of th Holy Quran: “O believers! If some wicked person brings you any news, inquire thoroughly into its truth (lest) you should cause (undue) harm to a people unknowingly, and later feel regret for what you have done “(al-Hujurat 49:6) Today we ourselves are involve in many immoral habits but we want to see others a true Muslim. We want to impose our point of view on others. Whereas Islam’s universal message is: “There is no compulsion in Din (Religion).” (al-Baqarah 2:256)
In Islam ,there is no right of any individual to take law in his own hand. Today we do not hear the stance of others and we want to punish him without hearing. Whereas it is the Sunnah of Allah Almighty to give the right of explanation. When Allah commanded the angels to prostrate before Adam (A.S). All angels prostrated themselves but Iblis refused to do so. Allah Almighty did not punish the Iblis immediately. But He gave him the opportunity to explain and asked: “(Allah) said: (O Iblis!) what inhibited you that you did not prostrate yourself when I commanded you?, He said: ‘I am better than he. You have created me from fire and you have made him from clay.’ “ (al-Araf 7:12) When he explained his stance, then Allah gave the decision and said: “(Allah) said: ‘So, get you down from here. You have no right to show arrogance here. Away with you (from My presence)! You are certainly of the disgraced and the humiliated lot.’ “ (al-Araf 7:13) The Holy Prophet also said: “It is enough to become a man lier/sinner that he narrate forward whatever he listen.” (Sunan Abu Dawud, 4992). Today these things are missing in our society. There is lack of investigation in our society. We understand that this is our authority to kill others without hearing their stance. We must have follow the Seerah of our Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (SAW). Our Holy Prophet (SAW) gave all rights to non-muslim minorities. He himself make a treaty with Jews in Madina and gave them equal rights like Muslims. He protected their lives. He forbade to kill the women, children, old men and priests even during the war. He eliminated the law of killing the ambassadors and secured their lives. All non-muslim minorities had full religious freedom in Madina State as Christians of Najran worshiped in the mosque of Holy Prophet (SAW) according to their own religion. The righteous caliphs of Holy Prophet (SAW) also followed his seerah and gave old age scholarships to non-muslim minorities. In this article, the rights of minorities have been described in the light of the biography of the Holy Prophet (SAW).
Keywords: Mankind, Prophets, Last Prophet (SAW), Rights of minorities, Extremism, Commandment, Sunnah, Jews, Christians, Investigation, Madina, Najran, Scholarships.
