Gentlemen! Assalam-o-Eilaikum
You may be well aware that according to the Holy Quran all men living on the
earth belong to one Brotherhood which can materialize by bringing them all under
one and the same law.
Basic Laws (Permanent Values) have been enshrined in their complete and final
form in the Holy Quran; within the boundary walls of these Basic Laws (Permanent
Values), men/ women of every age are free to determine, by mutual consultation,
subsidiary laws to suit the needs, requirements, urges, and exigencies of their
time, place and circumstances.
In order to make this point more elaborate and clear, I give a list of some of
these Basic Laws (Permanent Values), so that the concept of the process of
developing the subsidiary laws may open new frontiers of knowledge on the
intellectual horizons of mankind. This will form the knowledge - base of Quranic
Social Order for actualizing the latent potentialities of each and every
individual, where these Basic Laws (Permanent Values) will remain constant and
the subsidiary laws will go on transforming to suit the requirements/ urges of
the time: Hence the combination of Permanence and Change in the Human Endeavours
will lead to the concept of Human Personality as Changelessness in Change.
LIST OF PERMANENT VALUES
The following values form the underpinning of the Quranic Social Order:
1. Human Personality, the Divine Energy
- Its development is the ultimate goal of life on this earth
2. Respect for the Human Beings
- All human beings are equal by birth and are worthy of respect
3. Status according to the Actions
- Criterion of respect is according to the man's personal qualities
4. Justice
- Equality to each human being by virtue of his/her birth
- Uniform opportunities for development of his/her potential
- Status with respect to her/his actions
- Reward corresponding to his/her efforts
- Not suppressing what is due to him/her
- Deciding all matters on all human beings, even to the enemy
5. Punishment
- To the nature of crime committed
6. Personal Responsibility
- Shoulder it first to claim for right (shouldering of responsibility accrues
right alone)
7. Zulm
- Wrong not and not be wronged
8. Ehsan
- Maintain proportion among the disproportioned as a matter of right
9. Freedom
- Maintain freedom for every individual and pay respect to freedom
10. Subservience
- To ALLAH's revealed laws alone
11. Law of Requital (Law of Mukafat)
- Establishment of Natural Consequences of Actions, overt or covert
12. Social Justice
- Not confounding truth with falsehood
- Nor knowingly conceal the truth what-so-ever be the reason: favouritism,
greed, envy, enmity, victimization, self-interest.
- Not hiding testimony
- Not pleading the cause of the perfidious, the dishonest, the distrust or the
treacherous.
13. Obey and Ordain to Obey the Recognized Laws for the Establishment of Society
- Enjoin right conduct and forbid indecency for the establishment of a society
14. Avoid Anarchy, Rebelliousness and Lawlessness as Defined in the Holy Qur'an
15. Permanent Values as a Boundary line for Human Actions
- Be within the boundaries of the permanent values and consult others for
deciding partial matters
16. Render back the Trusts
- Trust to those alone who deserve and never to the undeserved
17. Subsistence
- Keep the sources of production open to the benefit of the humanity as a whole
18. Intellectual and Physiological Nourishment of Others Strengths One's Own
Personality
- Reflect this value in behavioural activities: overt and covert
19. Chastity
- Put safe-guards for the preservation of chastity
20. Universal Brotherhood
- Develop brotherhood-panism
21. The Survival of the Constructive
- Be beneficial to the humanity in terms of those affairs which are constructive
and are based on permanent values and not in those affairs which are destructive
and unlawful
22. Co-operation, Corroboration
- Co-operate one another unto righteousness alone
23. Reflect the Attributes of ALLAH in Behaviour
- Project facets of ALLAH in behavioural activities, overt and covert both, so
far tenable within the human parameters
24. Security
- Provide security so that every one is dealt within the permanent values
25. Slavery
- No human being shall be a slave or a subject to his/her fellow beings
26. Limitations to Human Actions
- Follow that which is sent down to you from your Nourisher and follow not any
other protector beside Him
LIST OF RELATIVE VALUES
If there is no clash or tie between the values given below and any of the
permanent values listed above, these values will be incorporated in behaviour.
In case of tie, only the permanent values will be strengthened even at the cost
of one's own life:
1. Life-partner's and Offspring's Love
2. Lust for Wealth
3. Security of Life
4. Safety of the Haven, the Hearth and the Crops
5. Contract
This is not a comprehensive list. From the Holy Quran, more values can be added
and this process will continue to meet the requirements of the time, place and
circumstances. Should you find any interest in these words please feel free to
ask any question rising in your mind. I shall try to provide a link with the
Holy Book Quran.
With regards
Yours truly,
Muhammad Latif Chaudhery