What do you think?
Rate this book
The Dignity of Man: An Islamic Perspective
The Dignity of An Islamic Perspective provides the most detailed study to date on the subject of the dignity of man from the perspective of Islam. M H Kamali sets out the proclamations on human dignity found in the Qur'an and then discusses topics pertaining to or resulting from human the physical and spiritual nobility of man; God's love for humanity; the sanctity of life; and the necessity for freedom, equality and accountability. Finally, the author examines the measures that the Shariah has taken to protect human dignity and to promote it in social interaction. The discussion is here presented in the light of the debate on the universality of human rights as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This book goes a long way towards exploring an alternative to Western concepts of human rights. The Dignity of An Islamic Perspective is part of a series of studies on fundamental rights and liberties in Islam and should be read with its companion volumes of Freedom , Equality and Justice in Islam , and Freedom of Expression in Islam .
- GenresIslam
134 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
1 person is currently reading
117 people want to read
About the author
Mohammad Hashim Kamali
58 books55 followersMohammad Hashim Kamali, B. A., Law & Political Science, Kabul University, 1965
LLM., Comparative Law, University of London, 1972, Ph.D., University of London. 1976
Current Position: Founding Chairman & Cheif Excecutive Officer, International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies (IAIS) Malaysia.
Date and Place of Birth: 7 February 1944, Lalpur, Nangarhar, Afghanistan.
Nationality: Afghan and Canadian, Permanent Resident of Malaysia as of 3 April 2003
Marital Status: Married - have two children born in 1976 and 1979 respectively
LLM., Comparative Law, University of London, 1972, Ph.D., University of London. 1976
Current Position: Founding Chairman & Cheif Excecutive Officer, International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies (IAIS) Malaysia.
Date and Place of Birth: 7 February 1944, Lalpur, Nangarhar, Afghanistan.
Nationality: Afghan and Canadian, Permanent Resident of Malaysia as of 3 April 2003
Marital Status: Married - have two children born in 1976 and 1979 respectively
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 10, 2014
A great reference for those wanting to discover what Islam actually says about the various issues covered - personal rights, freedom of speech, privacy, government accountability and more. Arguments are based on the beautiful core of the Islamic tradition - the Qur'an and the practice of the prophet, peace be upon him, with references to other works but not dependent on them. The chapters are very short, making it a light read, and the overall argument of the book is that human dignity warrants inclusion as one of the principal objectives (maqasid) of the shariah.
My criticism of the book is that it's very "fluffy" and idealistic, presenting a one-dimensional view of all of the issues. As wonderful as the positions he puts across are, the fact of the matter is that in much popular understanding today, among Muslims as well as non-Muslims, there are numerous "ifs and buts" to all the principles presented. Most, if not all, modern Islamist movements have placed restrictions on equal citizenship, for example. Historically the great majority of scholars had a limited view of the concept of freedom of religion, of freedom of conscience. And this work does not engage with their arguments whatsoever, which makes inadequate as anything more than an introductory guide because if the concepts expounded upon aren't directed towards a vacuum - in other words, if the reader already has an "Islamic perspective" it is essential to also deconstruct the parts of it which are not compatible with what
The brevity of the chapters is also frustrating; it is impossible to deal with the issue of equality in any substance in only 3 pages, particularly if all you are offering is a couple of hadiths and a very brief and vague normative description without engaging with the present reality. The introduction gave me high hopes - he mentioned the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and criticisms of it; that it is based on a Eurocentric view of rights, that only a handful of states were actually involved in its writing, that it is not fully universal, but unfortunately this criticality or engagement with the modern world didn't appear anywhere after the introduction. The conclusion also seems as though it was taken from another work, arguing for the recognition of these values in modern Muslim-majority countries' constitutions, for universality in ethical norms and for adoption of the UNDHR in national constitutions. Ultimately the book serves as nothing more than a basic introduction to the theory, and an individual moral exhortation.
My criticism of the book is that it's very "fluffy" and idealistic, presenting a one-dimensional view of all of the issues. As wonderful as the positions he puts across are, the fact of the matter is that in much popular understanding today, among Muslims as well as non-Muslims, there are numerous "ifs and buts" to all the principles presented. Most, if not all, modern Islamist movements have placed restrictions on equal citizenship, for example. Historically the great majority of scholars had a limited view of the concept of freedom of religion, of freedom of conscience. And this work does not engage with their arguments whatsoever, which makes inadequate as anything more than an introductory guide because if the concepts expounded upon aren't directed towards a vacuum - in other words, if the reader already has an "Islamic perspective" it is essential to also deconstruct the parts of it which are not compatible with what
The brevity of the chapters is also frustrating; it is impossible to deal with the issue of equality in any substance in only 3 pages, particularly if all you are offering is a couple of hadiths and a very brief and vague normative description without engaging with the present reality. The introduction gave me high hopes - he mentioned the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and criticisms of it; that it is based on a Eurocentric view of rights, that only a handful of states were actually involved in its writing, that it is not fully universal, but unfortunately this criticality or engagement with the modern world didn't appear anywhere after the introduction. The conclusion also seems as though it was taken from another work, arguing for the recognition of these values in modern Muslim-majority countries' constitutions, for universality in ethical norms and for adoption of the UNDHR in national constitutions. Ultimately the book serves as nothing more than a basic introduction to the theory, and an individual moral exhortation.
October 31, 2019
Dr. Hashim Kalami sets this work off with a comparative look at human rights throughout history, delving a bit into WWI & WWII, and delving deeper into Islamic human rights within the Shari'ah. As with most of his work on Islamic law, there is a reminder that Islamic law came to protect these basic rights: life, intellect, religion, property/$, and lineage/family. From this center, all legal rulings are made and upheld. He provides ample evidence from the Qur'an and prophetic teachings (ahadith, sunnah), as well as comparative literature and case studies.
Kamali writes in a lucid and elegant format, that is fairly free of subjectivity and opinions. For that reason, this book is a must-read for those who want an objective and contemporary look at how Islamic law intertwines with the lives of over 1 billion people on Earth. Clear your shelves for more, since almost all of his books are at this caliber, and invaluable resources and references for academic papers.
Kamali writes in a lucid and elegant format, that is fairly free of subjectivity and opinions. For that reason, this book is a must-read for those who want an objective and contemporary look at how Islamic law intertwines with the lives of over 1 billion people on Earth. Clear your shelves for more, since almost all of his books are at this caliber, and invaluable resources and references for academic papers.
October 8, 2022
Interesting to read with the central theme of humans dignity based on the quran and sunnah and how maqasid shariah should be the compass of mans life. Though i expected the writer to expound further on human rights based on islamic standpoint given the introduction section in which the writer has made mention on the human rights isssues.
February 3, 2025
A must-read—just over 100 pages, with well-structured short chapters covering the various human and community rights Islam advocates for. It explores the whys and hows, showing how most of them are connected to the value of "Insaan" in Islam.
Additionally, Since Prof. Hashim Kamali has taught Fiqh and Sharia, it’s even better to read his take on how these rights work under Sharia—how Islam governs them while always keeping human dignity above everything else.
Additionally, Since Prof. Hashim Kamali has taught Fiqh and Sharia, it’s even better to read his take on how these rights work under Sharia—how Islam governs them while always keeping human dignity above everything else.
August 22, 2014
a nice read. short and concise with direct references that makes linking concept in chapters easy. Touches on the concept of Dignity in Islam and the manifestation of personal safety, accountability in government, governance, Human rights, social aspects and equality. I found the discussion of moral consciousness and social and economic welfare implications of dignity interesting. Great reminder how beautiful religion of Islam has emphasized and elaborated on dignity from all spheres even for non-Muslims in a Muslim state
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews