Normative Structure of Human Rights in Islam
Abstract
[Human rights constitute one of the most discussed topics in contemporary times. Islamic term for human rights is al-haqq and is generally being used in almost the same meaning and connotation as the expression human rights in Western discourse. The meaning of al-haqq, however, is not confined to human rights and is used as a key-term in Islamic texts in different connotations with one core meaning of ‘established fact’. In the context of human rights it means a proven obligation, or an established claim that cannot be denied. Allah is the source and guarantor of rights hence all rights are inalienable and permanent. Thus normative structure of rights in Islam is fundamentally different from that of West. – Eds.]
