The second Right: Equality
Islam came to eliminate the aspects of discrimination among people and racial discrimination in all its forms through a statement from Allah addressed to the whole of mankind as it reads: “O Mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.” (Al-Hujurat: 13), and Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, declared that the people in Islam are equal without distinction but by piety, he said: “O people, indeed your Lord is one, and that your Father is one. No preference to Arabs to Persians, Persians to Arabs, red colored to black, or black to red except for piety “(Narrated by Al-Baihaqi and Tabaraani)
Also, the Prophet warned us against the noxious consequences of not applying equality among members of the society. In this concern, `Aishah, May Allah be pleased with her, related that “Quraish were very concerned over the woman from Makhzum tribe who stole, therefore, Quraishi people said to each other: who dare to intercede to her except Usama ibn Zayd, the beloved to the Prophet, who in turn did interceded.
Upon that, the Prophet rebuked Usama as saying: O Usama! Do you intercede in the prescribed punishments of Allah?!, then, the Prophet delivered a speech to Muslims: ” verily, nations before you have been perished as they used to pardon the noble among them if he stole, and punish the inferior if he committed the same. By Allah! Had it been for Fatimah, daughter of Muhammad, to steal, I would have cut her hands off” related by Bukhari and Muslim.
Equality in Islam includes both Muslims and non-Muslims as the Prophet says: “I will be the opponent on the Day of Judgment to a Muslim who wrongs Mu`ahad (non-Muslim in a temporary covenant with Muslims), depreciates him, overburdens him, or takes something from him unwillingly” related by Abu-Dawud and Al-Baihiqi.
Anas, May Allah be pleased with him, related that a man from Egypt came to `Umar ibn Al-Khattab, May Allah be pleased with him, and said: O Emir of the believers! I seek refuge in you from injustice inflicted upon me. `Umar replied: you sought the right one. The Egyptian further said: I raced with `Abdullah ibn `Amr ibn Al-`Ass and I won him, he consequently lashed me while saying: take this lash from the son of the two honorable. `Umar wrote a message to `Amr, May Allah be pleased with them both, asking him to come together with his son. They both actually came. `Umar said: “Where is the Egyptian man? Take the whip and lash him.” The man lashed `Abdullah, while `Umar kept saying: lash son of the two honorable, then he said to the Egyptian: hit the baldness of `Amr, and he replied: O Emir of the believers! I lashed the one who lashed me. Therefore, `Umar addressed `Amr as saying: since when you enslaved people while they are born free? `Amr said: O Emir of the believers! I have not been informed about this case before the moment and the Egyptian has not raised his case before me.”
Translated by Ammar
