Reciprocal Rights (risalatu 'l-huquq)

Introduction

KNOW — may God have mercy on you — that God has [certain] rights over you, which cover you in every movement through which you move, every rest through which you rest, every place where you come down, every limb which you move, and every tool which you use. Some of these rights are greater than others.

The greatest rights of God over you is the right which He — the Blessed, the Sublime has made in-cumbent upon you for Himself, which is the root of all rights, as all of them spring from it. Then He has made [those rights] incumbent upon you in yourself, from your head to your foot, in keeping with the diversity of your organs. So, He has given your sight a right over you, your hearing a right over you, your tongue a right over you, your hand a right over you, your leg a right over you, your stomach a right over you, and your private part a right over you. These are the seven organs which are the means of all your acts.

Then He, to Whom belong Might and Majesty, gave your acts [certain] rights over you; He gave your ritual prayer (salat) a right over you, your fasting (sawm) a right over you, your alms (sadaqat) a right over you, your offering (sacrifices = hadyy) a right over you, and your acts (af `al) a right over you.

Then emerge [other] rights from you to others, of those who have obligatory rights over you; and the most incumbent of them over you are the rights of your leaders (a'immah), then the rights of your subjects (ra`iyyah), then the rights of your womb relatives (rahim): and from these rights branch out other rights.

The rights of your leaders are of three kinds: The most incumbent upon you is the right of your ruler (sultan), then of your guide (sa'is) in knowledge (`ilm), then the right of your master in property (milk), and every manager [of your affairs] is [your] leader (imam). And the rights of your subjects are of three kinds: The most incumbent upon you is the right of your subjects in authority; then the rights of your subjects in knowledge — for the man of ignorance is the subject.

of the man of knowledge — then the right of your subjects in property, such as wives and what is owned of the possessions. And the rights of your womb relatives are very many, depending on the nearness [or remoteness] of the relationship. The most incumbent upon you is the right of your mother, then the right of your father, then the right of your children, then the right of your brother, then the next nearest, then the next nearest — the most worthy, then the next most worthy.

Then there is the right of your master who favours you [by freeing you from slavery] , then the right of the slave whose favours reach you [by freeing him] , then the right of him who is kind to you, then the right of the muezzin (muadhdhin) who calls you to prayer, then the right of the imam who leads you in your prayer, then the right of your sitting companion (jalis), then the right of your neighbour (jar), then the right of your companion (sahib), then the right of your partner (sharik).

Then there is the right which your property has over you, then the right of him who has a debt he must pay back to you, then the right of him to whom you owe a debt, then the right of your associate (khalit), then the right of your adversary who has a claim against you, then the right of your adversary against whom you have a claim.

Then there is the right of him who asks you for advice (mustashir), then the right of him whom you ask for advice (mushir), then the right of him who asks your counsel (mustansih), then the right of him who counsels you (nasih).

Then there is the right of him who is older than you, then the right of him who is younger than you, then the right of him who asks [something] from you, then the right of him from whom you ask [something].

Then there is the right of him who does wrong to you by word or deed, or him who makes you happy by word or deed intentionally or unintentionally. Then there is the right of the people of your creed [Muslims], then the right of the people [non-Muslims] under the protection [of Islam] (ahlu 'dh-dhimmah), then [all] other rights in the measure of the causes of the states and the occurrence of events. Therefore blessed is he whom God aids to fulfil the rights which He has made incumbent upon him and whom He grants success therein and guides to the proper direction!

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A. Rights Of God Over Oneself

1. As for the greatest right of God over you, is that you worship Him without associating anything

with Him. When you fulfil this [duty] with [utter] sincerity, He has undertaken to Himself to suffice you in the matters of this world and the next, and to preserve for you whatever you like of it.

2. As for the right of your self (nafs) over you, is that you should engage it fully in obedience to God; then you render to your tongue its right, to your hearing its right, to your sight its right, to your hand its right, to your leg its right, to your stomach its right and to your private part its right, seeking the help of God m all that.

3. As for the right of the tongue is that you should consider it too noble for obscenity; accustom it to good, discipline it with good manners and keep it silent except in time of necessity or for spiritual or worldly benefit, and refrain it from unpleasant meddling of little benefit, which [meddling] is not safe from harm [compared] to that insignificant gain. The tongue is a witness of mental power and a guide to it; and its good discipline edifies a wise man in his wisdom. And there is no power save in God, the Sublime, the Almighty.

4. As for the right of hearing (sam') is to refrain from turning it into a way to your heart except for noble talk which may create some good in your heart,

or which may earn you noble character; because it is the door which allows speech to reach the heart, carrying there different types of ideas, good and evil. And there is no power save in God.

5. As for the right of your sight (basar) is to lower it against whatever is unlawful for you [to see] and do not degrade it, except in a place which provides you with a lesson by which you may increase your [spiritual] sight or gain some knowledge, because sight is the door of thinking. 6. As for the right of your two legs is that you should walk not with them to places forbidden to you; and you should not make them your mount to take a dishonourable path, because they [two] are your conveyance and are to take you on the path of religion and advancement. And there is no power save in God.

6. As for the right of your hand is that you should not extend it to what is forbidden to you, otherwise, you will earn punishment from God in the life here-after and condemnation from people in this life. And you should not withhold it from [actions] which God has made obligatory for you. Rather you should enhance the honour of your hand by withholding it from unlawful things and by extending it for most of such [good] deeds which are not even obligatory for you, because if the actions of your hands are based on wisdom and nobility, they will surely reap a good reward in the life hereafter.

7. As for the right of your stomach is that you should not turn it into a container for what is unlawful [to you] — whether little or much — and that you should not overeat, otherwise, it will turn eating into gluttony and loss of dignity [instead of giving you strength] , and you should keep it under control when hungry or thirsty because over-eating causes laziness, hinders one from work and cuts a man off from every good and nobility; and over-drinking makes one look stupid and ignorant, and destroys one's dignity.

8. As for the right of your private part is to protect it from every forbidden act to you, seeking help [from your eyes] against it by casting down the eyes, since they [your eyes] are the best of helpers — and by often remembering death and by warning yourself of [the wrath of] God and of His punishment. And from God is protection and help. And there is no power and no strength save in Him.