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Human Dignity refers to the inherent nobility, value, and respect attributed to all human beings. According to 'Allama Tabataba'i, numerous verses of the Qur'an, notably Qur'an 17:70 and Qur'an 49:13, address the concept of human dignity. Furthermore, Imam Ali (a), in his seminal letter to Malik al-Ashtar, emphasized the imperative of respecting and safeguarding the dignity of non-Muslims.

Exegetes are divided regarding the nature of human dignity, debating whether it is inherent (dhātī) or acquired (iktisābī). Proponents of the inherent view, such as 'Allama Tabataba'i and Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Fadlullah, assert that dignity belongs to all human beings by virtue of their existence. Conversely, exegetes such as Al-Shaykh al-Tusi and Zamakhshari argue for acquired dignity, which is contingent upon potential human capabilities, specifically Taqwa, Iman, and virtuous conduct.

The concept of human dignity is enshrined in the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran and appears in numerous international instruments, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Concept

Human dignity denotes the intrinsic respect and worth residing within every individual.[1] In his theory of "Moral Autonomy," Immanuel Kant posits that human dignity stems from the inherent independence and moral agency possessed equally by all humans.[2] Lexically, the Arabic term *karāmat* signifies nobility,[3] honor,[4] and an elevated state free from baseness.[5] Abdullah Jawadi Amoli, a prominent Shi'a exegete, maintains that *karāmat* conveys a specific conceptual nuance in Arabic that lacks a precise Persian equivalent, necessitating multiple terms to fully capture its meaning.[6] Notably, despite the centrality of human dignity in international law, legal frameworks often lack a definitive definition of the term.[7]

Status and Importance

 

"And We have certainly honored the children of Adam and carried them on the land and sea and provided for them of the good things and preferred them over much of what We have created, with [definite] preference."[8]

Qur'an 17:70 provides an explicit reference to the subject of human dignity.[9] According to 'Allama Tabataba'i, the concept is further elaborated in various verses, including Qur'an 2:30[10] and Qur'an 49:13.[11] Verse 17:70 articulates the honoring of humanity, delineating man's station in creation and his distinct advantages over other created beings.[12] Muhammad Taqi Ja'fari posits that human dignity constitutes a fundamental and immutable principle of human rights throughout history.[13] Similarly, Jawadi Amoli asserts that the primary objective of the prophets was to elevate humanity toward dignity and distance it from baseness and moral decay.[14]

The preservation of human dignity and respect for members of society are emphasized in the narrations of the Infallibles (a).[15] Notable instances include the Prophet (s) rising in respect for the funeral procession of a Jew,[16] and Imam Ali (a)'s directive to Malik al-Ashtar regarding the respectful treatment of non-Muslims.[17]

This principle is enshrined in Article 2 of the Iranian Constitution[18] and appears in numerous international conventions, including the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which mandates human rights irrespective of race, religion, or other characteristics.[19] Furthermore, the preamble to the 1990 Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam recognizes this dignity as a divine gift from God.[20]

Human Dignity in Fiqh

The acknowledgment of human dignity has profoundly influenced the derivation of juristic rulings. Muhammad Hadi Ma'rifat, a jurist and Qur'anic scholar, observed that the principle of human dignity has elucidated numerous fatwas. For instance, regarding a comatose patient for whom doctors have lost hope, the principle dictates that their life must not be terminated.[21] Nasir Makarim Shirazi advocates for utilizing human dignity as a jurisprudential rule to resolve contemporary legal issues.[22] Additionally, Yusuf Sa'ni, premised on the inherent dignity of humans, argued for the equality of blood money and retaliation between Muslims and non-Muslims, as well as the prohibition of backbiting non-Muslims.[23]

Types of Human Dignity

The West and the Declaration of Human Rights

Morteza Motahhari: For the West, it was first necessary to reconsider the interpretation it makes of man, then to issue lofty declarations regarding sacred and innate human rights, the value and station of man, and his inherent dignity and honor... A declaration of human rights should be issued by someone who sees man at a level higher than a material machine-like combination... A declaration of human rights should be issued by the East, which believes in the principle "I am placing a vicegerent upon the earth" and sees in man an example of the manifestations of divinity.

Muslim scholars generally categorize human dignity into two distinct types: inherent and acquired.

  • Inherent (Dhati): Scholars such as 'Allama Tabataba'i, Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Fadlullah, and Ibn 'Ashur argue for inherent dignity. They attribute this to distinctive human faculties, such as intellect and will, which confer superiority. This perspective is grounded in Qur'an 17:70, interpreted as referring to the dignity of humanity as a whole.[24] 'Allama Tabataba'i maintains that this dignity encompasses all individuals, Muslim and non-Muslim alike, as the verse addresses human beings universally.[25] Inherent dignity is further inferred from various Qur'anic verses highlighting universal human attributes,[26] including the creation of man,[27] the proportionality of his form,[28] the possession of a divine soul,[29] the subjugation of other creatures for human benefit,[30] the role of vicegerency on earth,[31] and the provision of divine guidance through prophets.[32]
  • Acquired (Iktisabi): Conversely, exegetes such as Al-Shaykh al-Tusi and Zamakhshari posit that dignity is acquired. They argue that human superiority is contingent upon attributes like Taqwa and faith, suggesting that an individual may forfeit this dignity through the commission of indecent acts.[33] Muhammad Taqi Ja'fari terms this "value dignity," asserting that a human's ultimate worth is determined by this acquired status.[34] Similarly, Abdullah Jawadi Amoli and Muhammad Taqi Misbah Yazdi subscribe to the view of acquired dignity.[35]

Monographs

The book Karamat dar Qur'an by Abdullah Jawadi Amoli

Numerous scholarly works have been dedicated to the subject of human dignity, including:

  • Karamat dar Qur'an by Abdullah Jawadi Amoli, published in 1989 by the Raja Cultural Publishing Center. This work explores themes such as the origin of dignity, impediments to it, dignity in the discourse of Ali (a), the relationship between piety and dignity, and the ontological basis of dignity. An English translation was released in 2016.
  • Insaan-shenasi (Anthropology) by Muhammad Taqi Misbah Yazdi, constituting the third volume of the Ma'arif-i Qur'an series. A section of this volume is devoted to analyzing verses pertaining to divine vicegerency and human dignity. It was published in 2007 by the Imam Khomeini Education and Research Institute.
  • Usul wa Mabani-yi Karamat-i Insaan (Principles and Foundations of Human Dignity), a collection of articles presented at the "International Conference on Imam Khomeini and the Realm of Religion," published in fourteen volumes by Orooj Publishing in 2007.

Notes

  1. ↑ Furūghī-niyā et al., "Nigārishī be mafhūm-i karāmat-i insānī dar partaw-i andīshih-hā-yi fiqhī-yi Islāmī", p. 135.
  2. ↑ Ḥabībzādih & Raḥīmī-niyād, "Karāmat-i insānī dar qānūn-i asāsī-yi Jomhūrī-yi Islāmī-yi Irān", pp. 55-56.
  3. ↑ Dehkhodā, Loghatnāmih, under the word "Karāmat".
  4. ↑ Ibn Manẓūr, Lisān al-'Arab, 1414 AH, vol. 12, p. 510.
  5. ↑ Qurashī, Qāmūs al-Qur'ān, 1412 AH, vol. 6, p. 103.
  6. ↑ "Āyatullāh-i l-ʿUẓmā Jawādī Āmulī: Khodā-yi Akram dar avvalīn sūrih-yi Qurʾān dars-i karāmat mīdihad", IBNA News Agency.
  7. ↑ Ḥabībzādih & Raḥīmī-niyād, "Karāmat-i insānī dar qānūn-i asāsī-yi Jomhūrī-yi Islāmī-yi Irān", p. 55.
  8. ↑ Qur'an 17:70.
  9. ↑ Ṭabāṭabā'ī, al-Mīzān, 1393 AH, vol. 13, p. 155.
  10. ↑ Ṭabāṭabā'ī, al-Mīzān, 1393 AH, vol. 1, p. 114.
  11. ↑ Ṭabāṭabā'ī, al-Mīzān, 1393 AH, vol. 18, pp. 326-327.
  12. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūnih, vol. 12, p. 196; Solṭānī, "Karāmat-i insān az nigāh-i Qur'ān", p. 30.
  13. ↑ Ja'farī, Takāpū-yi andīshih-hā, p. 391.
  14. ↑ Jawādī Āmulī, Karāmat dar Qur'ān, p. 130.
  15. ↑ Ja'farī, Payām-i khirad, pp. 119-123.
  16. ↑ Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 1422 AH, vol. 2, p. 85.
  17. ↑ Nahj al-balāgha, ed. Ṣubḥī al-Ṣāliḥ, Letter 53, p. 427.
  18. ↑ Matn-i Qānūn-i Asāsī, Article 2, p. 25.
  19. ↑ Salīmī, Darsnāmih-yi ḥuqūq-i bashar az dīdgāh-i Islām, p. 42.
  20. ↑ Salīmī, Darsnāmih-yi ḥuqūq-i bashar az dīdgāh-i Islām, p. 258.
  21. ↑ Furūghī-niyā et al., "Nigārishī be mafhūm-i karāmat-i insānī dar partaw-i andīshih-hā-yi fiqhī-yi Islāmī", p. 132.
  22. ↑ "Muṣāḥibih bā Āyatullāh-i l-ʿUẓmā Makārim Shīrāzī", Imam Khomeini Portal.
  23. ↑ Rūykardī be ḥuqūq-i zanān, p. 212.
  24. ↑ Faḍlullāh, Tafsīr min waḥy al-Qur'ān, 1419 AH, vol. 14, pp. 179-180; Ibn 'Āshūr, al-Taḥrīr wa l-tanwīr, 1420 AH, vol. 14, pp. 130-131; Ṭabāṭabā'ī, al-Mīzān, 1393 AH, vol. 13, pp. 155-156.
  25. ↑ Ṭabāṭabā'ī, al-Mīzān, 1393 AH, vol. 13, p. 155.
  26. ↑ Salīmī Zāri' & Qāḍīzādih, "Karāmat-i insānī dar partaw-i Qur'ān wa riwāyāt", pp. 72-79.
  27. ↑ Qur'an 55:1-3.
  28. ↑ Qur'an 95:4.
  29. ↑ Qur'an 15:29.
  30. ↑ Qur'an 45:12-13.
  31. ↑ Qur'an 6:165.
  32. ↑ Qur'an 3:164.
  33. ↑ Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, vol. 6, p. 503; Ṭabrisī, Majma' al-bayān, 1415 AH, vol. 6, p. 273; Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, 1407 AH, vol. 2, p. 681.
  34. ↑ Ja'farī, Payām-i khirad, pp. 107-108.
  35. ↑ Jawādī Āmulī, Sīrat-i ilāhī-yi insān dar Qur'ān, p. 336; Miṣbāḥ Yazdī, Insān-shināsī, pp. 365-366.

References

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  • "Āyatullāh-i l-ʿUẓmā Jawādī Āmulī: Khodā-yi Akram dar avvalīn sūrih-yi Qurʾān dars-i karāmat mīdihad". IBNA News Agency.
  • Bukhārī, Muḥammad b. Ismāʿīl. Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī. Edited by Muḥammad Zuhayr b. Nāṣir al-Nāṣir. Beirut: Dār Ṭawq al-Najāt, 1422 AH.
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