IWF

Author(s):
DR. Vaffi Foday Sheriff, vaffisheriff@gmail.com, +2348189304916

Abstract: The misunderstanding and prejudice among some modern and contemporary researchers about the legal status of non-Muslims in Islamic states led them to imagine that Islam did not give legal rights to non-Muslims in Islamic state. However, with a careful assessment of the scriptures of the Qur’an and especially the constitution of Madinah by the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), including the opinions of Muslim scholars, it appears that non-Muslims including Christians or Magians were been given their legitimate rights, freedom of religion, culture, life, property, movement in addition to education without hindrance, even their civil cases were also decided with reference to their own personal law. The goal of this paper therefore is an attempt to explain conceptual definition of the term human rights in Islam. It furthermore discusses the basis of human rights and dignity from Islamic thought. It then assesses the status of non-Muslim in Islamic state in the light of the constitution of Madinah. The paper underlines some strategies which are significant for peaceful co-existence among Muslims and Christians in our contemporary Muslim society. The paper ends with conclusion. In writing this paper the researcher adopts critical analytical method.