Commentary on Imam Sajjad’s (AS) Treaties of Right (Part 35)

Shafaqna English- Commentary on Imam Sajjad’s (AS) Treaties of Right by Mohammad Sobhanie.

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

وَأمّا حَقُّ المَالِ، فَأَنْ لا تَأْخُذَهُ إلاّ مِنْ حِلِّهِ، ولا تُنْفِقَهُ إلاّ فِي حِلِّهِ، وَلا تُحَرِّفْــــــــــــــــــهُ عَنْ مَـــــــــوَاضِعِهِ، ولا تَصْرِفَهُ عَنْ حَقَـــــــــــــــائِقِهِ، ولا تَجْعَلْهُ إذا كَانَ مِنَ اللَّهِ إلاّ إلَيهِ وَسَبَباً إلَى اللَّهِ. ولا تُـــــــــؤثِرَ بهِ عَلَى نفْسِـــــــكَ مَنْ لَعَلَّهُ لا يَحْمَدُكَ، وَبالْحَرِيِّ أَنْ لا يُحْســـــــــــــــِنَ خِلافَتَــــــــهُ فِي تَرِكَتِكَ ولا يَعْمَلُ فِيهِ بطَـــــــــاعَةِ ربكَ فَتَكُونَ مُعِينًا لَهُ عَلَى ذلِكَ أَو بمَـــــــا أَحْدَثَ فِي مَالِكَ أَحْسَنَ نَظَرًا لِنَفْسِهِ، فَيَعْمَلَ بطَاعَةِ رَبهِ فَيَذْهَبَ بالْغَنِيمَةِ وتَبُوءَ بالإثمِ وَالْحَسْرَةِ وَالنَّدَامَةِ مَعَ التَّبعَةِ. وَلا قُوَّةَ إلا باللهِ.

The right of the Properties (35^th)

Translation: Your property’s right is to acquire it legitimately and spend it on rightful causes. You should avoid spending it improperly or using it wastefully [1]. Use the wealth God has given you in God’s Cause to attain closeness to God.

You should not use your wealth on someone who does not express gratitude. Instead, prioritize using it for yourself. Additionally, avoid leaving your wealth as an inheritance to those who might use it in ways that disobey your Lord, as this could be seen as supporting their actions.

You may bequeath your property to one who spends it in obedience to God in ways better than you do. Then he will gain the rewards, leaving you with regret. And there is no power but in God.

Commentary: The Quran views wealth as either “good” or “bad.” For instance, Verse 2:180 advocates leaving a bequest from one’s wealth for parents and relatives after death. If wealth were inherently evil, God would not recommend leaving it as an inheritance to close relatives, nor would God attribute it to God in Verse 24:33 (Surah An-Nur):

… وَآتُوهُم مِّن مَّالِ اللَّهِ الَّذِي آتَاكُمْ … ‎﴿٣٣﴾

24:33 … and give them from the wealth of Allah (SWT) which God has given you.

The Qur’an also includes verses that critique wealth. For instance, Verse 9:34 (At-Tawbah) condemns hoarding gold and silver, and Verse 18:46 (Al-Kahf) introduces wealth as “allurements of the worldly life:”

الْمَالُ وَالْبَنُونَ زِينَةُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا ۖ … ‎﴿٤٦﴾

18:46 Wealth and children are (but) adornment of the worldly life.

It should be noted that there is no contradiction between these two views. The Qur’an provides a clear perspective on wealth. When wealth is attained lawfully and spent in the cause of Allah (SWT) and is used for achieving God’s nearness, like giving charity, etc., the Qur’an praises wealth. Otherwise, the Qur’an criticizes wealth if it is obtained illegally or is used to disobey God.

Imam Baqir (AS) regarding the wealth said: “The worldly wealth is the best means to overcome the difficulties of the next life [2],” (نِعْمَ الْعَوْنُ الدُّنْيَا عَلَى الْآخِرَةِ). The Prophet (PBUH) said: “How beneficial is good wealth for a righteous man [3]!” (نِعْمَ الْمَالُ الصَّالِحُ لِلْعَبْدَ الصَّالِحَ).

Imam Sajjad (AS) has enumerated the rights of property incumbent upon its owners as follows:

1. Acquire wealth through legitimate means and spend it lawfully.
2. Avoid passing your wealth on to those who do not share your values. They may squander it or use it in ways that go against the teachings of the Lord, ultimately enabling them to sin.
3. On the other hand, your heirs who honor God may use your wealth even more wisely than you did. If that happens, they will reap the rewards, and you may be left with regret and remorse.

Imam Ali (AS) said [4]: The greatest regret on the Day of Resurrection will be felt by a man who earned money through disobedience to Allah (SWT), only to leave it behind for someone who spent it in obedience to God, the Most High. The heir will enter Paradise for using the money in a good cause, while the man who bequeathed it will face Hell because he obtained it through disobedience to Allah (SWT).

وَقَالَ عَلِيُّهُ السُّلَّامَ: إِنَّ أعْظَمَ الْحَسَرَاتِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ حَسْرَةُ رَجُلٍ كَسَبَ مَالَا فِي غَيْرِ طَاعَةِ اللهِ ، فَوَرَّثَهُ رَجُلَا فَأَنْفَقَهُ فِي طَاعَةِ اللهِ سُبْحَانَهُ ، فَدَخَلَ بِهِ الْجَنَّةَ ، وَدَخَلَ الاْوَّلُ بِهِ النَّارَ.

Note:

[1] This underscores responsibility and mindfulness in our financial decisions.

[2] https://thaqalayn.net/hadith/5/2/3/9

[3] https://hadith.inoor.ir/ar/hadith/360295/translate?rownumber=NaN

[4] https://al-islam.org/nahjul-balagha-part-2-letters-and-sayings/selections-sayings-and-preaching-amir-al-muminin-ali#hadith-n-429

Part of a Series: Commentary on Imam Al-Sajjad’s (AS) treaties of right

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