Islam & Respect for Humanity

All children born in this world are equal by birth on account of their being human beings. None of them is rich or poor, high caste or low caste, officer of servant. But these differences are brought into being soon after birth. Everybody shall try to take care of rich parents child but few shall try even to look at a child born in a poor house. A child born inside the room of a bungalow and the other one born in the servant quarters of the same bungalow become differentiated immediately after birth. All shall pay respect to the child of an officer but shall rebuke the child of a servant. It is no fault of any one child to take birth in a poor house and it is no virtue of any other child to take birth in a rich family. Thus it is unjust to differentiate one from the other. Similarly it is absolutely a wrong attitude to distinguish between people as one of low caste and the other of high caste.

Allah has said: We have honoured humanity as a whole. (17/70)

Therefore all human beings belonging to any country, nation or race, speaking any language having been born in a rich or poor family and belonging to any religion are equal and worth of respect. Then what is the criterian of one's position in a society? The Quran says: And to all are (assigned) degrees according to the deeds (which they have done). (46/19)

One who does good deeds is more respectable than the one who does bad deeds. On the other hand one who performs good deeds, if he begins to do bad deeds, his position in the society shall be lowered. Similarly the one who does bad deeds if he
begins to do good deeds, his position shall be gradually raised in the society. Thus one's position in the society shall be in proportion to the quality of his deeds. The Quran says: The most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is the one who is more obedient to the laws of Allah Almighty. (49/13)

Most of the people attach more importance to boys as compared with the girls and men are considered superior to women. This is a bad thing. According to the Holy Quran men and women are all human beings, equal to each other by birth and equally worth of respect. As said earlier, the criterion of respect and of being high or low among all human beings, men as well as women is the quality of their deeds.