In the opening of his Dars -Kharij -Fiqh (higher Islamic studies) lecture, Imam Khamenei narrated a hadith on ethics. The topic of this hadith was, “The believers’ rights on each other,” and it has been attributed to Imam Sadiq (as). Imam Sadiq (as) quoted his honourable grandfather, the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad Mustafa (s). The website of Khamenei.ir is publishing its text.
In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful,
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.
The Holy Prophet of Islam (s) stated, “Every believer has seven rights on his brother in faith, which God has made obligatory to fulfil.” The obligation of these rights should be taken seriously.
One of these rights is that a believer must venerate his brother in belief in his heart, and regard him with reverence. Reverence in what respect? Due to his faith. So based on this saying, a believer should respect his brothers in belief, and regard them with honor. That is, he should not regard his brother in belief with a lack of respect. This is the first right.
The second right is that you should have a fondness in your heart for him.
And, you should share your money with him. Sometimes, one believer is wealthy, while another may be in extreme need; so one is obliged to support him.
You must ban gossiping about him. You should neither backbite about him yourself, nor let others speak about him behind his back.
When he is ill, visit him.
Even after death, don’t leave him. If a believer in faith passes away, we should attend his burial; being with him till after death.
After his death, speak well about him. Even if he had some negative aspects, do not talk about them. In a tradition, it has been said, “Speak about the good traits of those who have died, left us, and cannot defend themselves.” Everyone has some good traits.
Comments