Islam and Human Rights — Page 156
Isl am and Hum an R ights 156 co-ordination is seen very clearly, for instance, in the distinc tion made between guardianship and custody of minors. The Quran, characteristically, sums up this patteren of checks and balances in the words: “They (women) have rights corresponding to the obligations upon them in equity, and men in certain respects enjoy a higher degree of authority” (2:229). Article 17 Islam recognizes the individual’s right to own property alone as well as in association with others, and accords it full protection. In this sphere also, the legal right of ownership and the moral obligation of beneficent use and disposal have been co-ordinated and adjusted. This appears sufficiently from the brief description of economic values in Islam set out earlier. The right to receive adequate compensation for pro - perty acquired by the State or a public authority for a public purpose has always been given effect to. No arbitrary seizure of property is permissible.