Commentary on Imam Sajjad’s (AS) Treaties of Right (Part 36)

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

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

وَأمّا حَقُّ الغَرِيمِ الطَّالِب لَكَ، فَإنْ كُنْتَ مُوسِرًا أَوفَيتَهُ وَكَفَيتَهُ وَأَغْنَيتَهُ وَلَـــــــــــمْ ترْدُدْهُ وتَمْطُلْهُ فَإنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ – قَالَ – “مَـطَلُ الغَنِيَّ ظُلْـــــــــــــــمٌ”. وَإنْ كُنْتَ مُعْسِرًا أَرْضَيتَــــــــــــــهُ بحُسْنِ القَوْلِ وَطَلَبتَ إلَيهِ طَلَباً جَـــمِيلاً وَرَدَدتَهُ عَنْ نفْسِكَ ردًّا لَطِيفًا، وَلَمْ تَجْمَعَ عَلَيْهِ ذهَابَ مَالِهِ وَسُوءَ مُعَامَلَتِهِ فَإنَّ ذلِكَ لؤمٌ. ولا قُوَّةَ إلاّ باللهِ.

The Right of the Creditor

Translation: And the right of the creditor is that you should repay him your debt if you have the means to do so. You should meet his needs (return his funds), make him prosperous (by settling your debt), and not turn him away or delay repayment. The Prophet (PBUH) said: “Delaying in payment by the rich is oppression.”

If you are financially in a difficult situation, you should appease him with kind words. You should politely ask him for respite to settle your debt and part ways amicably. You should not withhold his property and mistreat him at the same time. That would undoubtedly be despicable behavior. And there is no power but in God.

Commentary: Lending is a virtue in Islam. The Quran symbolically equates lending to those in need to lending to God, as stated in Verse 57:11 (Al-Hadid):

‏ مَّن ذَا الَّذِي يُقْرِضُ اللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا فَيُضَاعِفَهُ لَهُ وَلَهُ أَجْرٌ كَرِيمٌ ‎﴿١١﴾

57:11 Who is it that would loan Allah (SWT) a goodly loan so God will multiply it for him and he will have a noble reward?

The analogy is that God is the provider of all needy people, so lending to the needy is, in a way, lending to God.

While borrowing from others is not prohibited by Sharia Law, it is advisable to avoid borrowing whenever possible to avoid the stress associated with debt. The Messenger of God (PBUH) said: [1]

إيّاكم والدَّينَ، فإنّه هَمٌّ بِالليلِ وذُلٌّ بالنهارِ.

Beware of debt, for it causes worry at night and humiliation during the day.

We must recognize that lenders generously share the fruits of their labor with borrowers, expecting nothing in return. Therefore, they deserve to receive their funds promptly, without the stress of pursuing repayment. A lender with positive experience receiving their instalments is likelier to continue lending to others. The Prophet (PBUH) said: [2]

خيارُكُمْ اَحْسَنُكُمْ قَضاءً لِلدَّيْنِ؛

The best among you is the one who repays their debts on time.

Imam Sajjad (AS) stated that the rights of the lender incumbent on the borrower are as follows:

1. If a borrower has the means, he should repay his debts on time. Most importantly, he should avoid unnecessary delays in repayments by making excuses. The Prophet (PBUH) said: “Delaying payment by the rich is oppression.”
2. If a borrower is facing financial hardship, he should respectfully request a grace period from the creditor to settle his debt and express sincere gratitude for the creditor’s understanding. In such situations, showing respect and appreciation represents one’s moral principles and values.
3. It is abominable for a borrower to refuse repayment of his debt while mistreating and abusing the creditor.

Verse 2:280 of Al-Baqarah encourages creditors to be lenient if a debtor faces financial difficulties. If the debtor cannot overcome their economic troubles, the verse suggests that the creditor should forgive the loan and view it as an act of charity:

وَإِن كَانَ ذُو عُسْرَةٍ فَنَظِرَةٌ إِلَىٰ مَيْسَرَةٍ ۚ وَأَن تَصَدَّقُوا خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ ۖ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ ‎﴿٢٨٠﴾

2:280 And if someone is in hardship, then (let there be) postponement until (a time of) ease. But if you give (from your right as) charity, then it is better for you, if you only knew.

We will conclude this section with a Hadith from Imam Sadiq (AS), who said: [3]

مَنْ أَرَادَ أَنْ يُظِلَّهُ اَللَّهُ يَوْمَ لاَ ظِلَّ إِلاَّ ظِلُّهُ قَالَهَا ثَلاَثاً فَهَابَهُ اَلنَّاسُ أَنْ يَسْأَلُوهُ فَقَالَ فَلْيُنْظِرْ مُعْسِراً أَوْ لِيَدَعْ لَهُ مِنْ حَقِّهِ.

“Who wants Allah (SWT) to shade him on the Day when there is no shade except God’s shade.”  The Imam (AS) asked three times, and the people were afraid to ask him who would be covered by Allah’s (SWT) shade. Then the Imam (AS) said: “The person who gives respite to the poor debater or forgives part of his debt.”

Translation of Phrases:

As for the right of the creditor who is demanding it (his debt) from you,	وَأمّا حَقُّ الغَرِيمِ الطَّالِب لَكَ،
If you are wealthy, you should repay your debt to him. You should meet his needs, make him prosperous, and don’t turn him away or delay your repayment.	فَإنْ كُنْتَ مُوسِرًا أَوفَيتَهُ وَكَفَيتَهُ وَأَغْنَيتَهُ وَلَـــــــــــمْ ترْدُدْهُ وتَمْطُلْهُ
The Prophet (PBUH) said: “Delaying payment by the rich is oppression.”	فَإنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ – قَالَ – “مَـطَلُ الغَنِيَّ ظُلْـــــــــــــــمٌ”.
If you are in a hardship, you should appease him with kind words. You should politely ask for additional time to settle your debt and part ways amicably.	وَإنْ كُنْتَ مُعْسِرًا أَرْضَيتَــــــــــــــهُ بحُسْنِ القَوْلِ وَطَلَبتَ إلَيهِ طَلَباً جَـــمِيلاً وَرَدَدتَهُ عَنْ نفْسِكَ ردًّا لَطِيفًا،
You should not withhold his property and mistreat him at the same time. That would undoubtedly be despicable behavior.	وَلَمْ تَجْمَعَ عَلَيْهِ ذهَابَ مَالِهِ وَسُوءَ مُعَامَلَتِهِ فَإنَّ ذلِكَ لؤمٌ.
And there is no power but in God.	ولا قُوَّةَ إلاّ باللهِ

 

Note:

[1] https://www.hadithlib.com/hadithtxts/view/21006534

[2] https://www.hadithlib.com/hadithtxts/view/300207

[3] https://hadithlib.com/hadithtxts/view/5725

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

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