The Rights of a Believer on a Fellow Believer.

I said to Abu 'Abd Allah (a.s), 'What is the right of a believer on a fellow believer?' 'I feel sympathy for you,' he replied, 'I fear that you would know and not act upon it and you would neglect it and not safeguard it.' I said, 'There is no power and no strength except with Allah!' Believers have seven obligatory rights incumbent on each other,' Abu 'Abd Allah (a.s) said, 'each of these rights are mandatory on brothers-in-faith to fulfill. If he (a believer) omits any right from these, he has come out of the guardianship of Allah and has forsaken obedience to Him. The simplest of these rights is that you should love for him (your brother-in-faith) what you love for yourself and you should despise for him what you despise for yourself. The second is that you should help him with your self, your wealth, your tongue, your hands and your feet. The third is that you should pursue what pleases him and avoid his displeasure and obey his command. The fourth is that you should be his eyes, his guide and his mirror. The fifth is that you should not fill your stomach whilst he is hungry, you should not be quenched whilst he is thirsty and you should not clothe yourself whilst he is naked. The sixth is that if you should have a servant whilst he does not have one and you should have a maid to serve you and he does not have a maid to serve him; you should send over your servant to wash his clothes and prepare his food and bedding. The seventh is that you keep his vows, answer his calls, respond when he invites you, visit him when he is ill and accompany his bier; and if he should have a need, you should rush to fulfill it and not give him the trouble to ask you for it. When you have done all these, then your friendship unites with his friendship and his friendship with yours. Another tradition has reported that Mu'alla said that the Imam added, 'When you have done that, your friendship is then joined to his; and his friendship is joined to Allah's.'

Isa ibn Abu Mansur said: 'Abd Allah ibn Abu Ya'fur, 'Abd Allah ibn Talha and I were with Abu 'Abd Allah (a.s) when he spoke unprompted: 'O Ibn Abu Ya'fur, the Messenger of Allah (a.s) has said: One who has six qualities shall be (placed) before Allah [M.G] and on His right side.' 'May I be ransomed for you! What are they?” asked Ibn Abu Ya'fur. The Imam (a.s) said, 'The first is that a Muslim should love for his brother-in-faith what he loves for the dearest person in his family; and a Muslim should detest for his brother what he detests for the dearest in his family; and he should be sincere to him.' At this point, Ibn Abu Ya'fur wept and asked, 'How should he be sincere to him?' 'O' Ibn Abu Ya'fur,' the Imam (a.s) responded, 'when the brother-in-faith is in a state of anxiety, he should share his anxiety; and if he is joyful, he should share his joy. If he is grieved, he should share his grief; and if he is able to relieve him of distress, he should do so, otherwise he should pray to Allah for him. Then, Abu 'Abd Allah (a.s) said, 'These three qualities are for you and the remaining three qualities are for us: you should recognize our superiority, you should tread in our footsteps, and you should await for our future rule. So, whoever has had all these qualities shall be before Allah; and by their radiance, those below them will be illumined. As for those who shall be on the right side of Allah, they shall be such that if others happen to see their status, they would find life unbearable because of what they would witness of the former's superiority.' So, Ibn Abu Ya'fur asked, 'Why would they not be seen by others if they were on the right side of Allah?' The Imam (a.s) replied, 'They shall be covered with the light of Allah. Have you not heard the tradition that the Messenger of Allah (a.s) used to say: Indeed, the Believers shall be on the right side and before Allah, and their faces shall be whiter than snow and more radiant than the shining Sun? And people will ask: Who are they? And it will be said: These are those who loved each other for the sake of Allah.'

By Allah (I swear), never has Allah been worshipped with anything better than fulfilling the rights of a believer. A believer has more rights than the Ka'bah. And he said: “A believer is the brother of the other believer; his eyes and his guide. He neither cheats him nor deserts him.4 And of the rights of a Muslim on another Muslim is that he should not eat his fill while his brother is hungry, he should not drink water while his brother is thirsty and should not dress himself while his brother has no clothes. How great the right of a Muslim on his Muslim brother is! The Imam (a.s) also said: “Love for your Muslim brother what you love for yourself. If you are in need, ask him; and when he asks you, give him. Do not tire doing good to him as he does not tire for you. Be a support to him for he is a support to you. When he is away, safeguard his interests in his absence; and when he is present, visit him, show him respect and honor him, for he is from you and you are from him. If he is angry with you, do not leave him until you have removed his resentment. If good befalls him, thank Allah; and if he is afflicted, compensate him, relieve him of it and help him.

A believer is a brother to another believer and it is his right that he should counsel him, sympathize with him and prevent his enemies from harming him.

Allah has never been worshipped with anything better than fulfilling the right of a believer.

The Prophet (a.s) said: A Muslim is a brother to the other Muslim; he must not betray him, desert him, disgrace him, excommunicate him nor backbite him.

Amongst the rights of a Muslim is that when he sneezes, Allah's Name be invoked (to bless him); if he is in pain, he should be relieved of it; if he is sick, he should be visited; and if he dies, his bier should be accompanied.

A group of Muslims left on a journey and lost their way. They were overcome with severe thirst; they began using the earth for ablution and sought shelter under a tree. An old man dressed in white came to them and said, 'Rise. You have nothing to worry about. Here is water.' So, they rose and drank until their thirst was quenched. They then asked, 'Who are you, may Allah have mercy on you?' He said, 'I am of the Jinn who paid allegiance to the Messenger of Allah (a.s). I heard him saying, 'A believer is a brother to a believer, his eyes and his guide.' So, it is not right for you to perish in my presence.'

I asked him concerning people who have excess wealth whilst their brothers-in-faith have a severe need; and the money from the zakat did not suffice them; and it was not proper that they were satiated while their brothers remained hungry. For the times were hard. So, the Imam (a.s) said: A Muslim is the brother of the other Muslim. He does not do injustice to him nor does he desert him or deprive him. It is the duty of Muslims to strive for him (i.e. the poor Muslim), to be sympathetic and to help those in need. They should be merciful to each other as Allah has commanded them just as the community of Ansar during the era of the Messenger of Allah (a.s).

Imam (a.s) was asked, 'There are some among us who have only one day's food with them while some others have one month's food with them. But some of us have one year's food with them. Now, should those men who have one day's food give their food to those who have none or those who have one month's food to those who have only one day's food and so on?' The Imam (a.s) said, 'There is no obligation; but those who are benevolent are superior. Allah says about His chosen creatures: 'They prefer others to their own selves even if they themselves need it. [Holy Quran 59/9]' If someone does not like to be benevolent, he will be condemned. But the hand which gives is superior to that which takes. Charity should begin with the nearest one.'

I do not know of that (happening) amongst us.' So, Abu Ja'far (a.s) said, 'Then (you have achieved) nothing.' 'Then (we are) doomed!' I exclaimed. 'The community (of believers) have not attained maturity in their understanding yet,' he remarked.

'Allah, in His Book, has made forbearance obligatory on the righteous.' Some asked, 'What does forbearance constitute?' 'It is when you request others for those who are less needy than you yourself,' he replied.Concerning the words of Allah [M.G]: 'They prefer others to themselves even if they themselves are needy [Holy Quran 59/9],' he (a.s) said, 'Do not prefer yourself to him (i.e. your brother-in-faith) in what he is in greater need of than you.'