Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was compiled with the intention of promoting justice and world peace and has been somehow efficient in creating peace and security, is based on certain foundations and origins. Accordingly, its defenders and adherents have proceeded to accept it merely on the basis of its motives and efficiency, rather than through studying and evaluating these foundations. This, however, does not prove it to be rightful and genuine as a thought.
By deliberating on these foundations and presuppositions, the writer has dealt with the commonalities and differences between the above charter and the viewpoints of the Qur’an. At first, he has divided the above-mentioned foundations into four parts as follows: 1. Humanistic viewpoints: man’s natural dignity, which has arisen from his existence, and the independence and originality of man as free from Lordship and God’s possession of him (as testified by the articles in the charter and the debates that took place in the course of its compilation). 2. Ontological viewpoints: improvement of the worldly life as the main goal, considering the world as separate from the Hereafter, and disbelief in the role of the worldly life in the destiny and happiness of the world to come. 3. Right-oriented viewpoint: acceptance of natural rights and emphasis on equality and denial of any differences and distinctions. 4. Epistemological viewpoint: the capability of human intellect in discovering and apprehension of the consequences and necessities of rights, as the decisive and final judge.
The writer concludes that these foundations are neither wholly rejected nor thoroughly acceptable by the Qur’an. Then, he evaluates each one of them separately by the Qur’an and enumerates the Qur’an’s viewpoint as follows:
Human dignity has not arisen from his human existence but it is because of his humanity as potential capacity, which sometimes actualizes in him and sometimes dies down.
The Qur’an considers this world and the Hereafter two parts of a single reality that are closely tied, so as the definition of natural rights in the Qur’an is different from that of the planners of human rights.
The capability of human intellect is only accepted in realizing the interests and the evils of the worldly life, but it is not accepted in general. The spirit of the difference of the world human rights from the religious human rights lies in their different look at man.
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