Semantics of Human Dignity in the Conceptual System of the Holy Qur’an

Human dignity is one of the most basic issues in the contemporary Muslim thought. Examining the semantics of ‘dignity’ and ‘human’, in the Qur’an, this paper tries to fix the meaning of ‘human dignity’ in the discourse of the Holy Qur’an. In the discourse of the holy Qur’an, God is the most dignified one and the descendants of Adam are endowed with dignity. Detailed study of the exegeses and commentaries of the holy Qur’an indicates that no single theory regarding human dignity is dominant among them. Although they quote from the same holy text, their key question on the human nature is entirely different from one another. Some hold that this endowed human dignity is essential to human beings of all ethnicity, skin color and the else and that human dignity is the distinguishing feature of the humankind in acquiring virtue. Others on the contrary, don’t regard dignity as essential to human kind but believe that as much as the one’s virtue and faithfulness increase, his dignity too increases. Although human dignity has been one of the widely discussed topics among religious scholars, its strong interconnections with human right issues, makes it inexorable to analyze, explain and redefine it in the light of Qur’anic teachings.