阿拉伯語辭書學家伊本·曼蘇爾(英语:Ibn Manzur)引述早期神學家賽義德·伊本·朱拜爾(英语:Sa'id ibn Jubayr)寫給倭馬亞王朝哈里發馬利克的信函,解釋「阿德爾」一詞的意思。朱拜爾在信中指出阿德爾有四層意義,第一層是管治上的公義,即《古蘭經》所指的「命令你們替眾人判決的時候要秉公判決」;第二層是指言語上要公正,即「當你們說話的時候,你們應當公平」;第三層是救贖意義上的公正,「你們當防備將來有這樣的一日:任何人不能替任何人幫一點忙,任何人的說情,都不蒙接受,任何人的贖金,都不蒙採納,他們也不獲援助」;最後一層是指要公平看待真主,「不信道的人,卻以物配主」[9]。
伊斯蘭教還強調關愛所有生靈的重要性,並認為真主的造物反映了祂的惻隱之心,真主通過先知穆罕默德以身作則教導穆斯林要有憐憫惻隱之心。在穆罕默德聲稱自己是真主使者時,受到當時阿拉伯部落和麥加人的迫害,但他後來征服麥加後並沒有展開報復,而是原諒了那些加害者,包括殺害了穆罕默德親愛的叔叔哈姆扎(英语:Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib)的凶手瓦希(英语:Wahshi ibn Harb)[19]。穆斯林對待動物亦應寬宏友善,殘酷虐待真主的一切造物就是對真主的不敬[20]。
1980年,國際法律家委員會與科威特大學(英语:Kuwait University)和阿拉伯律師聯合會(Union of Arab Lawyers)合辦了一場研討會,65位與會者同意「伊斯蘭教率先在14個世紀前確立了人們的基本權利」,「捍衛個人和少數宗教族群的權利」,「為有效落實人權、自由和它們的免遭侵犯奠下堅實的基礎」[23]。相關的法理依據主要源自《古蘭經》和聖訓,如「我確已把人造成具有最美的形態」、「我確已優待阿丹的後裔」的經文確立了人類獨特的尊嚴。穆罕默德亦曾言「你們的生命和財產對你們彼此來說像本月中的這天一樣是神聖不可侵犯的」、「你們都是阿丹的子孫。須知,阿拉伯人不比非阿拉伯人優越,非阿拉伯人也不比阿拉伯人優越;黑人不比白人优越,白人也不比黑人優越」[24]。
不同的跨政府和非政府組織及研究全球人權狀況的獨立機構都指出,儘管穆斯林國家有充裕的人力和自然資源,他們在人權的保障和發展方面大幅度落後[51]。在奉行伊斯蘭教法的國家,宗教自由受到限制,實施伊斯蘭教的衣著規範。在印尼,興建教堂需要特別的許可。馬來西亞的憲法表明「所有馬來人都是穆斯林,受伊斯蘭教法規管」[52]。瑪尼亞·拉茲雷格(Marnia Lazreg)、伊本·瓦拉克、薩爾曼·魯西迪等學者批評伊斯蘭教治下的女性地位低下[53]。伊斯蘭教學者阿卜杜拉·艾哈邁德·安納伊姆(英语:Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im)主張伊斯蘭主義者提倡的伊斯蘭教法充斥許多問題,包括宗教少數族群和婦女的地位、言論和結社自由等,違背現代國際法的準則。他認為,要調和兩者的衝突,「穆斯林國家要發展出一套可以兼容現代憲政主義、刑法、國際法和人權的伊斯蘭公法」[54]。
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