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RIGHTS OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE

Disability is not a defined term in Islam. Instead, there are specific words for specific
conditions such as someone who is vision impaired is called ama, hearing impaired is known as
asamm, abkam is for those who are speech impared, and araj for the one with mobility
impaired. This means that Islam recognizes the fact that disability can lead to disadvantage that
society disables an individual by not creating exclusive norms and being accessible. There are
several generalized adjectives to describe classes of disadvantaged individuals, including yateem
(orphan), daif (weak), mustadaf (oppressed), alasafar (traveling), miskin (indigent), marid
(sick), and faqir (needy). Marid can encompass individuals with physical disabilities such as
amputees.
Historically, people with disabilities have been prey to societys misconceptions,
stereotypes, labeling, and prejudices in many different ways. Such attitudes have led to
exclusion, mistreatment, and deprivation of their rights to equal opportunities for education, jobs,
and essential services. It is also a fact that the low participation rate of people with disabilities in
society and the workforce is linked to their exclusion from the educational system. Many
positive measures have been taken and research carried out in various countries recently to
develop methods and strategies for welcoming and including people with disabilities into schools
and communities. These concepts accord with Islamic principles of inclusion.
Literally, inclusion is defined as the act of including or the state of being included. In
technical meaning, inclusion is a sense of belonging, feeling respected, valued for who you are,
feeling a level of supportive energy and commitment from others so that you can do your best
work. In a broader sense, inclusion means being included in life and participating using ones
abilities in day to day activities as a member of the community. It is being a part of what
everyone else is, and being welcomed and embraced as a member who belongs. Inclusion can
occur in schools, communities, religious activities and work.
Islam opposes prejudice against and exclusion of any group of people and emphasizes
inclusion for all mankind.

The Quran addresses all of humanity in this way: O mankind, We created you from a single
(pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each
other (not that you may despise each other). Verily the most honored of you in the sight of Allah
is (he who is) the most righteous of you, and God has full knowledge and is well acquainted
(with all things) (49:13).
In this revelation, God is telling us that He created us from one man and one woman meaning
then that we are all equal and that all human beings are created through the same process, not in
a manner in which some are created better than others.
Islamic history has a shining record of many examples of people who, while having some
kind of disability, were included and had prominent status in society. Abdullah ibn Umm
Maktum, who was blind, was among the first to accept Islam. He was devoted to the Prophet and
extremely eager to memorize the Quran. When the Prophet arrived in Medina, he appointed
Abdullah to be one of the muezzins (calling the Muslims to prayer five times a day). On several
occasions, the Prophet placed Abdullah in charge of Medina in his absence. This is a remarkable
example of inclusion that shows how people with disabilities are looked upon and treated in
Islam. What we learn from this outstanding act of our prophet is that we should not isolate
disabled people or make superficial judgments because although people have certain disabilities,
they might be capable of doing great deeds, and it is also important to delegate leadership
responsibilities to disabled people when they are capable of such duties.
The story of Julaybib, one of the contemporaries of the Prophet, is another vivid example
of inclusion. Besides being poor, Julaybib had an unpleasant physical appearance and nobody
wished to let their daughter marry him. Upon the Prophets request, a noble family gave him
their daughter in marriage. Later on, when Julaybib was martyred in a battle, the Prophet put his
hand on his knee and said: This one is of me and I am of him. This humane gesture of the

Prophet was a powerful demonstration of the principle of inclusion. It was a dramatic act of
advocacy, in word and action, on the part of a community leader to educate his people about the
importance of accepting others for what they are.
There were so much more stories of respected and successful disabled people, who had
been treated equally during the time of Prophet Muhammad until the high centuries of Islamic
civilization. A significant number of blind, deaf or physically disabled people played notable
roles as philologists, transmitters of the law, teachers, poets, and social commentators such as
Atta Ibn Abi Rabah, who was black, lame and partially paralyzed, was known as the greatest
Mufti in Mecca. This equal treatment and inclusion towards disabled people continue during the
Ottoman Empire where the deaf servants taught their sign language to courtiers and rulers when
it became a recognized means of communication. This was during a period when Western
Europeans were still debating whether deaf people were capable of learning anything or thinking
as rational beings.
Islam also distributes the burden of rectifying inequity in society by making it obligatory
that Muslims give a small percentage of their income to charity or almsgiving. Those who are
disabled are considered as having a rightful share, and giving charity is a constant reminder to
Muslims of a form of social justice. Dispensations may be made to those with disabilities, for
example from the duties and responsibilities of a Muslim, which include daily prayers and
fasting in the month of Ramadan. These can be waived or reduced on the grounds of limited
performance or the lack of mental maturity.
Those who are critical of the charitable response to disability argue that this approach
may lead to a paternalistic view that devalues and discourages self-motivation amongst
individuals with disabilities. However, in Islamic countries, this view of disability is quite
appropriate as it encourages and instils a sense of social responsibility. The distribution and
giving of alms and charity on a regular basis ensures that the welfare of individuals with
disabilities is taken care of. For example, in the second Islamic state in Damascus, the Umayyad
caliph, al Walid ibn Abd al Malik, established the first care home for intellectually disabled
individuals. He also built the first hospital which accommodated the intellectually disabled as
part of its services and assigned each disabled and needy individual a caregiver.

As in conclusion, Islam promotes equality as the will of God Almighty and requires
mutual respect of fellow human beings. Islam embraces every individual and every group with
the same equality and warmth. It responds to the expectations and the needs of everyone in the
same way. Islam teaches us that everyone deserves love, care, and respect, and this fact does not
change when a person is impaired. What really matters is his or her heart and conduct. We are
enjoined to be accepting of all people regardless of their disability and include them amongst us
and support them by addressing their needs.

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