and, it is a kind of reward without work. As the Qur’an says: And manhasonly that for which he makeseffort, and his effort will be seen.”7” Onland ownership, Islam and Christianity share the same view. In Islam, the land is owned by God,78 and man’s relationto the land is one of cultivatorship, not ownership;heis only entitled to claim and enjoythefruits of his laboras result of his work on the land. “Manhasonly that for which he makeseffort and his effort will be seen.”79 If he claims ownership over the land, Prophet Muhammad (MPBUH)says, heis at war with God. For when onesays that he owns a Jand,he claims “rububiyyah”(divinity) or godship. Translating this divine guidanceinto a system ofrelation, the Prophetlaid the rule: “If anybody of you ownedtheland, he shouldcultivate it. If he is not able to cultivateit, he shouldgrantit to oneofhis brothers andnotrentit.” Similar idea is held in Christianity. In Genesis, it is proclaimed that God created the heavens andthe Earth. In Deuteronomy,*° it is stated that priests are not to own lands. In Leviticus,*' it is declared that “land must not be sold on permanentbasis, because you do not own it; it belongs to God, and you arelike foreigners who are allowed to makeuseofit.” St. Ambroseaffirms this injunctionin clear terms: “The land should inreality be collective patrimonyfor the well-being and progressofall.” The Qur’an teaches that all humanity deserves divine honour, with no distinction as to race or nationality: “We have honouredthe sons of Adam; provided them with transport on land and sea; given them for sustenance things good and pure; and conferred on them special favours, above a great part of Our Creation.”®? Onthis basis, there is no such thing in Islam as God’s Chosen People; it is the whole of humanity that deserves honouraccordingto the divinewill.83 In commonrights, Islam puts all people on equal footing. It permits nonMuslims to call Muslims, no matter how noble or high-ranking, to justice and demandtheir rights. A Jew once made complaint against Ali Ibn Abi Taleb (Abu Hassan) to Caliph OmarIbn Al-Khattab; Ali was the Prophet's cousin and son-in-law and a nomineefor the Caliphate. When hestood in the presence of Omar,the latter looked at him andsaid “Stand up, Abu Hassan, andsit in front of your opponent!"Ali did what he wastold, with the signs ofagitation on his face. After the settlement of the dispute, Omarsaid, "Tell me, Ali, did you find it loathsome tosit in front of your opponent?" “No,”Ali replied, “but I did notlike you're not treating us on equal terms when you called me Abu Hassan.” He meant a nickname often expresses commendation for the one addressed.84 7 Qur’an 53:39 *S Qur'an 32:4;41:9-12 ” Qur’an 53:39-40 ®° Deuteronomy 18:1-2 *! Leviticus 25:23 ® Qur’an 60:7 8 afif A. Tabbarah.”TheSpirit of Islam.”1978:Lebanon, p.399 * Tbid., p.402 25