The Rights And Responsibilities Of The Muslims Upon Fellow Humans

HAQOOQUL IBAAD (RIGHTS OF MUSLIMS UPON MUSLIMS): THE IDEAL ISLAMIC SOCIAL WELFARE: Rights and duties of a Muslim upon his/her Muslim brothers/sisters have significant values as it establishes a social framework in which all the Muslims can live with dignity and in a socially secured way. This is the reason that it is considered as an Ibaadat (prayer) in Islam which accrue to merits/virtues/sawab. We, the present day Muslims including all Asians, only used to talk about Haquqool Ibad. But nothing concrete as a system has been done by the governments in the Muslim countries unlike the present day western countries including North America. Haqooqul Ibaad was compulsory in previous shariat too. That is why non-believers have made a system which is called a social welfare system. In social welfare system of North America and European countries, Old age pension(other than social security) is given after the age of 65. This old age pension is for every person of a country who resided legally for at least ten years in that country. Social security pension is given to those who worked for more than ten years in that country. Person can be eligible for both the pensions subject to minimum amount. If a social security pension is more than a stipulated limit, old age pension is not given. Also, if one is unemployed, social welfare applies. So, in these countries, though non-believers they are, enough care has been taken for Haqooqul Ibaad. Parents at the old age have not to depend on their children. Whereas in country like India, the poor parents at the old age have to depend upon their children. In Islam, instead of making the system for Haqooqul Ibaad by the government, more stress is given on an individual so that he/she can earn sawaab/merits according to his/her sacrifice in terms of financial and other social affairs. If compulsion by the government is made for collecting more tax, the sawaab/merits to the tax payers are not given. Hence, in Islam, more stress is given on each individual to sacrifice financially as per his/her strength so that society can be benefited and the individual who sacrifies can obtain virtues/sawaab/merits hereafter. It should be noted that whoever helps his/her parents in India is considered to be more sacrificial than who helps their parents in North America or Europe. Because, in India, if a son/daughter does not help his/her parents, they are likely to be financially paralyzed as they cannot obtain any other help from social system of the country. If a son/daughter in North America does not help his/her parents, they can get financial and other help from social system. So, credit must be given to those children who serve their poor parents in India. Life in countries like India is harder. A son/daughter who earns cannot have guarantee that he/she will be paid by the system in the case of unemployment. Further, there is no old age pension, hence the son/daughter tries to invest more during employment and cannot afford further expenditure. While considering the rights of parents upon his son/daughter, one must consider the overall situation, i.e. financial situation, physical situation and other liabilities of the parents and children. Sometimes it so happens that a son is paralyzed and the parents are in good position, at that time the parents have to help the son. In most cases, the parents need the financial help of their sons. At the time of rise of Islam, pension system was not available and poor parents had to depend on their children. Hence special care is taken in Islam by introducing the rights and responsibilities.

While huqooqul Ibad was present in other religions too, there must be some specialties in Islam about this. Islam is the religion which may be considered as the leader of all the religions on the earth as Allah told in a quran that near the Allah, only Islam is the religion. The specialties may be enumerated as these: In surah Humazah in quran ( this surah is just prior to Surah Fil-alam tara qaifa ), it has been mentioned that there is a destruction for those who backbites and for those who accumulate wealth and keep on counting! See the translation of this surah. “Destruction for those who slander others (on their faces) and backbites. Who gathered the wealth and keep on counting. He/she thinks that his/her wealth will remain with him/her forever. Never; such person will be thrown into crushing place. And what do you know what that crushing place is? The fire of Allah; well kindled, which will leap over the hearts. It shall be closed covering over them (in this situation will be surrounded) in high pillars” (Al Quran: 104 Surah Al Humazah) This is the reason that in Islam the responsibilities and darjaat (dignity levels/ranks) are mentioned as this: (a)Simple ordinary Muslims: They pay zakaat if due, by 2.5 per cent of the wealth he/she is in possession and earned every year. The amount exceeding equivalent of 7.5 tolas of gold (b)Mo’minin (higher stage muslims believing in tariqat/advance level of sufism): They keep with them only the wealth least needed to live and carry on life in Islamic way. All the excess wealth is distributed among the poor muslim ummah. (c)The leaders (True sayyads/saints): They do not keep with them even the least needed wealth ! This can be seen from example of Hazarat Abu baker Siddiq (R.A.). Once upon a time, our beloved prophet declared to give wealth or other possible help to collect to expend it for holy war against infidels/non-believers. Hearing his call, Hazarat Omar(R.A.) brought 50 percent of his household which he possessed then. He was happy in mind thinking that he would surpass Hazarat Abu Bakar who was used to earn more sawab at every such occasion, because, he was more wealthy than Hazarat Abu Bakar(R.A.). Hazarat Omar knew that Hazarat Abu Bakar would not bring more wealth than what he brought. But, see the knowledge of our beloved prophet (sav) who asked Hazarat Omar “Omar, how much have you left at your home?” Omar(R.A.) told, ”Half of what I have” and now Hazarat Abu Bakar arrived with medium size bag on his shoulder. He put that bag in front of prophet(sav). The holy prophet asked Hazarat Abu Bakar “ How much have you left at your home” he answered, “ I have left Allah and his beloved prophet at my home” It means that Hazarat Abu Bakar brought hundred percent and nothing left at his home whereas Hazarat Omar brought fifty per cent of his wealth. Hazarat Abu Bakar(R.A.) placed his good shirt in the donation and he himself wore old shirt, the buttons of which were broken or gone off. Hence he came with a thorn-stappled shirt in stead of buttons. Looking to this Hazarat Jibrael came with 70000 angels from paradise dressed similarly as dressed like Abu Bakar with a thorny stappled shirts. So, he became our first Khalipha.

(d)Now this is the state of leaders of Islam then Who our Prophet is: Our prophet (sav) is such personality, according to him, “No one can recognize my state/reality or stations except Allah” So, we must try to sacrifice as far as we can if we are to be true Muslims. In the last sermon (last holy speech of prophet in kaaba) he told “an Arabic person has no superiority over an Iranian nor a white has any superiority over a black one. Superiority of one over the other is based on the piety/taqawaa” Taqawaa is based on sacrifice and renunciation of self desires. This is the reason, our beloved prophet told his companions at the time of returning victorious from the last holy war in which our prophet took part “we did little jehad (fought holy war) and victorious but now we have to do great jehad” The companions asked, “ What kind of jehad dear prophet(sav)?” He replied, “ The great jehad and that is jehad upon our own nafs/desires” So, he reminded us to do jehad upon our nafs/desires. This is the sacrifice. To kill or control desires is a sacrifice. Today’s Muslims do little good work and look at the evils of the others. Not only that, looking to the shortcomings of fellow Muslim brother he hates him in such a way that he is not prepared even to see his fellow Muslim brother’s good/right/haqq work. He has a complex in his mind that he used to think of his fellow muslim brother about his lacking of things and hence not prepared to listen his fellow brother’s right talks! By this type of thinking, such people do not want to listen good things of fellow muslim brothers. To the people who have this type of thinking, I would like to consider this logic. One person is full of sins. Has not he the right to do neki/sawab/good deed by some work? If he has the right to earn sawab, then to speak haqq/truth is a neki/sawab. And to stop him speaking truth by pin pointing him about his draw backs is a sin. No person can be stopped to do neki. To make the system of general life of the society sincere, such truthfulness is necessary. Of course, one should see towards oneself before saying to others. But nobody is perfect. So, if one suggest about the truth, everybody should accept. Even sinful person can have some good deeds to his account. So, any form of egoism should be avoided. It should be noted that Hazarat Ibrahim (A.S.) had to leave his caretaker uncle/guardian due to his hindrance in the way of straight path. Some companions of our beloved prophet left their infidel parents due to their obstacles put in the right path. Our beloved prophet gave justice in favour of a jew in one incident he dealt with the so called muslim as he was right in that particular event. So, our prophet did not see the sins of the jews but he saw the truth of a jew. All the human beings including non believers have contained Noor-e-Mohammadi in their body. For this reason, the soul or ruh is contained in the body. The ruh while inserted into Hazarat Adam(A.S.)’ body sprung back saying to Allah, “there is a darkness, I could not live in” So, Allah put Noor-e-Mohammadi into Hazarat Adam(A.S.). So, the ruh lived due to light of Noor-e-Mohammadi. We all humans are from Adam (A.S.) So, we all humans inherited Noor-e-Mohammadi. Further, in everybody’s heart including non-believers, there are two points. One point is for spirituality signal reception and other point is for satanic reception. We can awaken spiritual point by prayers, zikrullah and other meritorious deeds. In saintly people this point is fully awakened and fully receives spiritual signals. In ordinary people, the satanic signal receiving point is dominant. This is the reason, Hazarat Salamaan Farasi (R.A.) was ranked by our beloved prophet(sav) as Ahle Bait (from among the people of house of prophet) even though he was originated

from Iran. This is the reason, the heart of mo’min is a house of Allah according to hadis. So, all humans are to be treated as the persons sent by Allah for his submission. If the rights of neighbour are studied in Islam, one will be surprised to see the sayings of the companions of the holy prophet (sav) who told that they had a fear lest some decree should be descended that neighbours would have their share in property of their neighbour! Neighbour may be believer or non-believer. This is a general humanity. In Islam, more respect is given to the poor. Prophet (sav) liked the lifestyle of the poor and he demonstrated it. Prophet’s hadis has been recorded in a book by Hazarat Data Ganj Bax (R.A.) in his book Kashful Mahzub in which it is recorded that the poor would go in paradise (jannah) 500 years earlier than the rich ! By keeping less with the individual and donating the maximum to the charity Institutions can give rise to a socialized system in which big properties, buildings, profits, companies etc can be owned by charity Institutions (Public Instiutions) who may help the needy and poor in the society. So, such system can create equality and a balanced financial situation among the public. This is the real Haquqool Ibaad in Islam. Now a day, it has been a fashion to flatter the rich. It is against the principles of Islam. When some good words about aqidah are told, the people among the Muslims try to cut the talk by saying about haquqool Ibaad. But one thing must be noted that good deeds are always good but such good deeds virtues might be wiped out to a zero by just slight insult to our beloved Prophet as can be seen from quranic verse in which the companions of Prophet (sav) were ordered not to talk in a loud voice in the holy assembly of Prophet (sav) and further showed the result for loudly talking that all the virtues of good deeds be made zero! So, we should do good deeds for obtaining pleasure of Allah only. Generally, about 70 percents of the rich are proudy and sunk in the ocean of worldly pleasures. In the company of the rich, only worldly things are discussed. They are almost zero in maintaining spirituality. The great saints of Islam advise to keep distance from the rich. The rich are accumulating wealth by avoiding Islamic financial sacrifice and hence downgraded from Islamic spirituality in comparision to the poor. Hence the poor must not surrender to the rich and keep faith on the Allah for assistance and sustenance (food). The poorness of the poor is the direct result of unjust by the rich who created imbalance in the society by not properly practicing Islamic sacrifice. The rich are governing the government in a country. So, such rich people are less in virtues and must not be respected by the poor.