HUMAN RESPONSIBILITIES AND
HUMAN RIGHTS
Live in society as a giver, not as a taker. Then, by the Laws of Nature, you will receive from others. However, first, people must become duty-conscious, and their rights will be secured. This is a very important principle for harmonious living in a multicultural and multi-religious society.
These days, ‘human rights are a much-talked-about subject. However, in addition to human rights, individuals owe many human duties or responsibilities to the wider society. However, somehow, these do not seem to be talked about much.
According to my analysis, human rights are a by-product of human duties. If people are made duty-conscious, their rights will then certainly be secured. On the other hand, if one insists on human rights and neglects human duties, it is tantamount to putting the cart before the horse—and this will produce no beneficial result at all.
Is it possible, one might ask, to arrive at a harmonious balance between human rights and human responsibilities?
The fact is that it is not a question of merely balancing the two. Rather, it is a question of opting for a natural strategy that is in harmony with nature. Moreover, it is a question of making the right starting point. You can reach the sought-after end if you begin from the right starting point. However, if you make a false start, you can never reach the end you hope for.
The right starting point is to emphasize human duties. In doing so, people’s rights can later be achieved.
In other words, the starting point must be inculcating in people the consciousness of the need to perform their duties towards the wider society first. If only rights are focussed on and not duties, nothing can be achieved—neither rights nor duties.
Focussing on duties rather than only on rights is not tantamount to ignoring human rights or being indifferent to people’s sufferings. According to the Laws of Nature, no one will give you anything for free. You always only receive that which is by your actions. As the well-known saying puts it: “As you sow, so shall you reap.” This suggests that those who focus on rights and ignore duties are going against the Laws of Nature. In contrast, those who stress duties are by the Laws of Nature.
An answer to the issue of rights versus duties is reflected in a Hadith report in the Sahih al-Bukhari, in which the Prophet of Islam is reported to have said, “Give to others what is due to them, and ask your dues from God.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 7052) From this, we learn that living in society; one should perform one’s duties towards the wider society honestly. Moreover, as far as one’s problems are concerned, they will be solved through the Laws of Nature. In other words, one should live in society as a giver, not just as a taker. The formula “It is in giving that we receive” will come true in one’s favour. If one lives as a giver, one will receive from others by the Laws of Nature. You shall flourish if you prove to be useful to the wider society. In other words, if you prove to be a benefit to others, you will certainly find a proper place in society.
This point has immense relevance for living in a religiously plural society. For example, suppose members of a particular religious community want to enjoy the respect and consideration of the wider society. In that case, they should focus on doing their duties and contributing to the general good, the good of the wider society, which includes people of other religious communities. Such an approach will likely earn them the respect and appreciation of others, ensure the preservation of their rights, and go a long way in building harmonious relations between them and members of other communities.
