In the Islamic worldview, there exist profound and fundamental concepts that shape both individual and social well-being. Among these concepts, the importance of people’s rights (Haqq al-Nas) holds a unique and extraordinary position.
This term goes beyond a simple legal or jurisprudential expression; it refers to a network of mutual rights that members of society owe to one another. Observing these rights is not only a guarantee for psychological and social well-being but also a key to success and salvation in both this world and the Hereafter.
A comprehensive and deep understanding of the importance of people’s rights helps us improve our human relationships and paves the way for building a just society characterized by trust and solidarity. This article examines the various dimensions of people’s rights, their practical examples, the consequences of neglecting them, and ways to make amends, highlighting the central role of this principle in the lives of Muslims.
Definition of People’s Rights
People’s rights (Haqq al-Nas) is a vital and widely used term in Islamic jurisprudence and law, referring to the mutual rights individuals hold over one another. These rights are established to protect specific worldly interests of people and to uphold justice. They encompass a broad range of aspects, including property, life, reputation, dignity, time, peace of mind, and other matters related to human honor within society.
Islamic traditions place great emphasis on respecting people’s rights, to the extent that many contemporary social problems, such as distrust, social inequality, corruption, and insecurity, stem from indifference toward the rights of others.
Therefore, a deep understanding of people’s rights is essential for creating a just, dynamic, moral, and cohesive society. This concept is not merely a legal principle but a moral and social foundation that guarantees both individual and collective well-being.
Sanctity of People’s Rights in Islam
Respecting the rights of others is a serious obligation and considered a non-negotiable boundary in Islam. The importance of this principle is so profound that God has placed the rights of people above His own rights. This precedence reflects the high status of human beings in the divine order and emphasizes the necessity of fair and healthy relationships among individuals.
Imam Ali (AS) said: “God Almighty has placed the rights of people before His own rights, so whoever observes the rights of God’s servants, it leads to observing the rights of God Himself”.[1]
This hadith clearly illustrates the unparalleled importance of people’s rights in the Islamic value system. It indicates that even personal acts of worship and direct connection with God attain their full value only when coupled with respect for the rights of others.
In another tradition from Imam Ali (AS), violating others’ property is considered among the gravest sins: “The greatest of sins is to consume unlawfully and to transgress the property of a Muslim”.[2] This includes any form of illegal appropriation, fraud, embezzlement, usury, and even failing to repay debts.
Similarly, the Prophet Muhammad (PBUHH) treated the property of Muslims with the same sanctity as their lives: “The sanctity of a Muslim’s property is like the sanctity of his blood and life”.[3]
These repeated emphases underscore the importance of people’s rights in Muslim social life, equating any violation of others’ property or life with an offense against divine sanctity.
In some traditions, fulfilling a believer’s rights is considered among the highest acts of worship. Imam Jafar Sadiq (AS) said: “No act of worship surpasses fulfilling the rights of a believer”.[4]
These narrations highlight that serving others and respecting their rights is itself a form of worship and a means of drawing closer to God. This perspective forms the foundation of a committed and responsible society.
Broad Scope of People’s Rights
When thinking of people’s rights, many immediately consider interference with others’ property; however, the scope of people’s rights extends far beyond material possessions and touches various aspects of personal and social life. This breadth demonstrates Islam’s comprehensive approach to protecting human rights and emphasizes the importance of these rights in all aspects of life.
These include violations of dignity and reputation, encompassing verbal sins such as gossip (speaking ill of someone behind their back), slander (attributing an uncommitted sin to someone), spreading rumors (disseminating baseless news), verbal abuse, criticism (humiliation and reproach), insults, and backbiting (creating discord among people).
Any action that harms a person’s honor or reputation also falls under people’s rights. This shows that the importance of people’s rights is not limited to financial matters but extends to preserving human dignity. Even contemptuous looks or wrongful judgments about others can constitute violations of people’s rights. Furthermore, any act that causes discomfort, disturbs peace, or harms others’ well-being is a violation of these rights.
Examples include blocking public pathways, ignoring traffic laws (causing accidents or wasting others’ time), creating excessive noise (disturbing neighbors), polluting air or water (endangering public health), cutting trees without reason (damaging the environment and infringing on the rights of future generations), and littering in streets or public places (creating visual and health hazards).
This wide range of examples emphasizes the importance of people’s rights in maintaining order, peace, health, and citizens’ rights, demonstrating that each individual has responsibilities toward society and their surrounding environment.
The Social Consequences of Neglecting of People’s Rights
Indifference toward people’s rights is the root of many current social problems. Such negligence often leads to disputes between employers and workers, where workers’ rights are violated or employers face irresponsibility. The erosion of mutual trust between buyers and sellers, due to under-selling, overcharging, fraud, or dishonesty in transactions, is another consequence.
Hostility can arise among neighbors when neighborly rights are ignored, and conflicts may emerge among relatives, including siblings and spouses. Friendships can even turn into enmities. All these are harmful effects of neglecting people’s rights, which weaken the foundations of both family and society.
Poverty in society is also a destructive result of ignoring people’s rights. Imam Ali (AS) said: “God Almighty has placed the food of the poor in the wealth of the rich; any poor person who remains hungry is so because the rich withheld their wealth”.[5] This means that poverty is not a natural phenomenon but a direct consequence of the wealthy failing to fulfill the financial rights of the poor.
Imam Jafar Sadiq (AS) also said: “If people fulfilled their financial obligations and rights, surely everyone would enjoy a desirable and satisfying life”.[6]
These narrations clearly show the critical role of people’s rights in fair wealth distribution, eradicating poverty, and creating public welfare, while highlighting how neglecting them leads to social inequality and dissatisfaction.
Punishment for Neglecting People’s Rights: Sobering Warnings of the Hereafter
Islamic traditions provide numerous accounts of the consequences for violating the rights of others. Some of these narrations use striking expressions, illustrating the immense importance of people’s rights and the severity of their punishment in this world and the Hereafter.
The Prophet Muhammad (PBUHH) said: “Whoever oppresses his servant or worker and does not pay their due, God will nullify all his good deeds and forbid him the fragrance of Paradise”.[7] This hadith clearly emphasizes the importance of people’s rights in labor relations and the serious consequences of violating workers’ rights.
Imam Ali (AS) stated: “The presence of a single usurped brick in the construction of a house can lead to the ruin of that house!”.[8] This tangible example illustrates the destructive effects of neglecting people’s rights, even in the smallest material or spiritual matters, which can strip blessings from one’s life.
Imam Jafar Sadiq (AS) said: “Whoever consumes the wealth of a fellow believer unjustly and does not return it, his food on the Day of Resurrection will be the flames of Hell”.[9] This powerful imagery emphasizes the importance of people’s rights and the necessity of restoring violated rights.
The Prophet Muhammad (PBUHH) also said: “Whoever unlawfully seizes land will be forced to carry its soil on his back until the Day of Judgment!”.[10] These severe warnings stress the importance of people’s rights and the need for serious attention to them in all aspects of life.
Imam Jafar Sadiq (AS) said: “Al-Mirsad (the checkpoint on the Sirat Bridge) is a high station where no servant with outstanding rights or injustices against others will pass”.[11] This means that even if a person crosses the extremely narrow and sharp Sirat Bridge, they will be stopped at Al-Mirsad due to unfulfilled rights of others.
Furthermore, the Prophet Muhammad (PBUHH) said: “Whoever cheats or deceives a Muslim in trade is not one of us and will be resurrected alongside the Jews, who are the most treacherous of people toward Muslims”.[12] This hadith highlights the importance of honesty and integrity in economic transactions and the necessity of respecting people’s rights in business dealings.
Imam Ali (AS) also said: “Two groups will serve as fuel for Hell on the Day of Judgment: a miser who withholds the dues of the poor from his wealth, and a scholar who sells his religion for worldly gain”.[13] These two groups symbolize those who violate the material and spiritual rights of others.
Imam Jafar Sadiq (AS) said: “God does not accept the prayer of one whose stomach contains forbidden food or who has wronged His servants”.[14]
These narrations collectively underline the importance of people’s rights and the severe consequences of neglecting them in this life and the Hereafter. They show that even one’s spiritual relationship with God is affected by whether or not the rights of others are respected.
Restoring People’s Rights in the Hereafter: A Difficult Path Requiring Consent
It is noteworthy that the Most Merciful God, who has always promised forgiveness to His servants, has made the forgiveness of people’s rights dependent on obtaining the consent of the rightful owners. This is a fundamental difference from rights of God (Haqq Allah), which can be forgiven through sincere repentance and seeking God’s pardon. In the case of people’s rights, however, the satisfaction of the wronged individual is essential.
Even someone who has attained martyrdom alongside the Prophet Muhammad (PBUHH) will not have their people’s rights automatically forgiven. This clearly highlights the supreme importance of people’s rights.
Imam Baqir (AS) said: “The first drop of a martyr’s blood is atonement for their sins, except for debts and obligations toward people; the atonement for those is the fulfillment of those rights by the heirs of the martyr”. This hadith clearly demonstrates the distinction between people’s rights and the rights of God, showing that even the highest spiritual station, martyrdom, does not exempt a person from the responsibility of people’s rights.
Restoring people’s rights is far more challenging than fulfilling the rights of God. Whoever has violated others’ rights must sincerely repent, promptly restore those rights, and openly express their remorse before God.
Restoring rights may involve returning property, compensating for damages, seeking forgiveness for harming someone’s reputation, or remedying any other injustice.
The fulfillment of people’s rights holds special significance in the sight of God. If someone dies without restoring the rights of others and without repentance or consent from the wronged individuals, they will face severe punishment unless the rightful owners are satisfied. This satisfaction can sometimes be achieved in this world, but in the Hereafter it is far more difficult and comes at great cost.
When Imam Sajjad (AS) was asked how a Muslim could recover their rights if someone had violated them, he explained: “On the Day of Judgment, an amount equal to the rights of the oppressed will be taken from the good deeds of the oppressor and added to the deeds of the oppressed”.[15]
This mechanism of divine justice underscores once again the significance of people’s rights, showing that no right will be ignored in the sight of God.
When asked, “What if the oppressor has no good deeds?” he replied: “The sins of the oppressed are transferred to the record of the oppressor”. This means the wrongdoer not only loses their own rewards but also bears the burden of the sins of others.
Another narration describes people discovering their records empty of good deeds in the Hereafter. Astonished, they ask: “Where are our acts of charity, worship, and good deeds?” They are told: “Your good deeds have been transferred to the record of those you opposed”.
They then see that their own record is not only empty but also contains sins they never committed. When they inquire why, they are told: “These are the sins of those you backbit, insulted, ill-willed, or wronged in trade and dealings”.
This striking narration vividly illustrates how the neglect of people’s rights can determine one’s eternal fate. Ignoring these rights can nullify all a person’s good deeds and even cause them to bear the sins of others. Therefore, respecting people’s rights is not only a legal and ethical duty but also a path to securing everlasting happiness.
Conclusion
The importance of people’s rights in Islam goes beyond a simple moral recommendation; it is a fundamental principle that links the worldly and spiritual well-being of individuals and society. From safeguarding property and life to preserving dignity and peace, every aspect of human life is affected by the observance, or neglect, of these rights.
The social consequences of disregarding people’s rights, from the breakdown of trust and the spread of poverty to the growth of enmity and hostility, underscore the necessity of taking this principle seriously.
Furthermore, the severe punishments in the Hereafter and the difficulty of restoring rights after death emphasize the high level of responsibility every individual bears toward the rights of others.
To build a healthy, just, and compassionate society, there is no alternative but to deeply understand the significance of people’s rights and to actively uphold them.
Notes
[1] . Amidi, Tasnif Ghorar al-Hikam wa Dorar al-Kalim, p.480.
[2] . Ibn Shubah Harani, Tuhaf al-Uqul, Al-Nass, p.216.
[3] . Payandeh, Nahj al-Fasahah, p.440
[4] . Kulayni, Al-Kafi, vol.2, p.170.
[5] . Amidi, Tasnif Ghorar al-Hikam wa Dorar al-Kalim, p.371.
[6] . Kulayni, Al-Kafi, vol.3, p.497.
[7] . Saduq, Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol.4, p.12.
[8] . Amidi, Tasnif Ghorar al-Hikam wa Dorar al-Kalim, p.381.
[9] . Hur Amili, Wasail al-Shiah, vol.16, p.53.
[10] . Tusi, Tahdhib al-Ahkam, vol.6, p.294.
[11] . Saduq, Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol.4, p.14.
[12] . Amidi, Ghorar al-Hikam wa Dorar al-Kalim, p.730.
[13] . Saduq, Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol.3, p.183.
[14] . Kulayni, Al-Kafi, vol.8, p.106.
[15] . Kulayni, Al-Kafi, vol.8, p.106.
References
- Amidi, Tamimi, Ghorar al-Hikam wa Dorar al-Kalim, Qom, Dar al-Kitab al-Islami, 1410 AH.
- Amidi, Tamimi, Tasnif Ghorar al-Hikam wa Dorar al-Kalim, Qom, Daftar-e Tablighat, 1366 SH.
- Hur Amili, Wasail al-Shiah, Qom, Moasseseh Ahl al-Bayt (AS), 1409 AH.
- Ibn Shubah Harani, Tuhaf al-Uqul, Qom, Jameeh Modarresin, 1404 AH.
- Kulayni, Muhammad ibn Yaqub, Al-Kafi, Tehran, Dar al-Kutub al-Islamiyyah, 1407 AH.
- Payandeh, Abu al-Qasim, Nahj al-Fasahah, Tehran, Donya-ye Danesh, 1382 SH.
- Saduq, Muhammad ibn Babawayh, Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, Qom, Daftar Entesharat Islami, 1413 AH.
- Tusi, Muhammad, Tahdhib al-Ahkam, Tehran, Dar al-Kutub al-Islamiyyah, 1407 AH.
Source of the article | Adapted from: Article on the People’s Rights, Islamic Encyclopedia website
