By: Dr. Zainab Alwani
Islam, as God’s final message to humanity, came to light in a brutal and cruel environment. Violence was a common practice in pre-Islamic Arabic, and the weak and the needy, orphans and widows, and slaves and servants, both there and around the world, had no defined rights. Islam came to establish justice and mercy in the heart of a cruel world. The Qur’an emphasizes that all people are created equal as regards their inherent worth and value, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, or class. Islam prohibited any oppressive behavior that violates justice, mercy, equality, and freedom.