Islam and Human Rights — Page 123
Article 16 123 mankind, from the evil of the sneaking whisperer, who whispers into the hearts of men” (114:2-6). Its usual form of address for purposes of exhortation is: “O mankind”, while commandments, injunctions and directions are addressed to those who profess allegiance to it as: “O ye who believe”. The expressions “ ummah ” and “ qaum ”, which in the present age are employed as equivalents of “nations”, are used in the Quran as meaning simply “people”. Other expressions are used for tribes, sub-tribes, groups and sections, but there is no expression employed to connote or denote “nation” or “nationality” in the sense in which these terms are used in Article 15 of the Declaration. Article 16 This article deals with the right to marry, equal rights of the parties to a marriage, consent to marriage and the protection of the family. It thus touches upon some aspects of what is known in certain legal systems as Personal Law or the Law of Personal Relationships. It must be construed liberally and not literally; for literal construction of, for instance, the first paragraph of the article would lead to results