by Maryam Kashif

Islam is a religion that cares the most about civil rights and protects them. In Islam, it does not matter what you look like or what status you have; the only things that are accounted for are your deeds. Prophet Muhammad (S) said,

“O mankind, your Lord is One and your father is one. You all descended from Adam, and Adam was created from earth. He is most honored among you in the sight of God who is most upright. No Arab is superior to a non-Arab, no colored person to a
white person, or a white person to a colored person except by Taqwa (piety).” [Ahmad and At-Tirmithi ] This hadith states that we are all equal, we are all creations of Allah (swt) and no one is superior in the sight of Him except by the good that he does. Racism is not supported at all in Islam; civil rights are the same for every human being, no matter if he is a slave or a king.

But how does Islam support civil rights activism? According to the Oxford dictionary, activism is raising awareness to bring change to society. Allah (swt) says in the Qur’an: “God commands justice, doing good, and generosity towards relatives and He forbids what is shameful, blameworthy, and oppressive. He teaches you, so that you may take heed.” (16:90) In this ayah, Allah is commanding us to bring justice and to do good. This means that when people do not have civil rights, or basic human rights, it is our duty to bring
awareness to them so that they can get the rights that they deserve.

What kind of rights should people have? There is a story about Omar bin Khattab that takes place while he is a Caliph. One day, a bedouin confronted him (Omar) and said, “The other day each one of us obtained a piece of cloth from the Baitul Mal. Today I find two pieces of cloth on the person of the Caliph. I want to know what right had the Caliph to get a share twice the share of an ordinary Muslim?” Before Omar could respond, his son Abdullah spoke up and said that everyone had received one piece of cloth, but he had given his own piece to his father, and the man who had confronted Omar believed him.

This shows that every citizen has the right to stand up and say when he believes he sees something unfair, even if it is against his leader. This also clearly identifies that it is not just the politicians and the policy-makers who are able to question the people to make
them follow the law; but the people can also question the policy-makers for their abidance to the law.

In today’s world, racism is still practiced discreetly in different forms and in many countries. If activists do not stand up to fight for civil rights of oppressed people, there would be persecution and violation of human rights without limits. Muslim countries like
Pakistan were created because of activism supported by Islam. Even in the United States, women and blacks were able to gain their basic civil rights because of their continuous persistence to change the political system.

In conclusion, Islam is a religion that supports civil rights and encourages Muslims to be activists to strive for civil rights for everyone. The Prophet (S) was once asked, “Who among men is most favored by Allah?’ He replied: “A man who does the most good to people.” [At-Tabarani] Alhamdulillah we have activist organizations like the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Muslim Civil Rights Center who are focused on helping Muslims, and Insha’Allah we will all be able to be activists who work to help those who do not have civil rights.

Bibliography
“Inter-Personal Relations and Interactions – When Umar Was Put To Explanation.” Alim.org. Accessed April 23, 2021.
https://www.alim.org/history/khaleefa/umar/17/9/.
Islamweb. “Equality in Islam,” October 10, 2018.
https://www.islamweb.net/en/article/109364/equality-in-islam.
Saad, Suzana Nabil, et al. “Social Justice in Islam.” Islam Faith, June 29, 2020.
https://islamfaith.com/social-justice-in-islam/.