Shafaqna English- Commentary on Imam Sajjad’s (AS) Treaties of Right By Mohammad Sobhanie.
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
وَأمّــا حَقُّ المُسْتَنصِحِ فَإنَّ حَقَّهُ أَنْ تُؤَدِّيَ إلَيهِ النَّصِيحَةَ عَلَى الحَقِّ الَّذِي تَرَى لَهُ أنّهُ يحْمِلُ وَتخرُجَ المَخرَجَ الَّذِي يَلينُ عَلَى مَسَـــــــــــــامِعِهِ، وتُكَلِّمَهُ مِنَ الْكَلامِ بمَا يُطِيقُهُ عَقلُهُ، فَإنَّ لِكُلِّ عَقْلٍ طَبقَــــــــــــــــــةً مِنَ الْكَلامِ يَعْرِفُــــــــهُ ويَجْتَنِبُهُ، وَلْيَكُنْ مَذهَبَكَ الرَّحْمَـــةَ. ولا قُوَّةَ إلا باللهِ.
The Right of the One who Seeks Your Advice (42st)
Translation: The right of the one seeking your advice is that you should direct them with care, honesty, and truthfulness. The advice should be practical and actionable, tailored to the individual’s abilities. When offering advice, it’s important to communicate in a pleasant and easily understandable manner. Everyone responds to different styles of communication, so approach the conversation with compassion. And there is no power but in God.
Commentary:
Section 40 outlines the rights of individuals seeking consultation, and this section specifically addresses the rights of those looking for advice. One might wonder: “What is the difference between consultation and advice?” After all, in both cases, an uninformed person is seeking guidance from someone else.
Advice is considered a vital strategy for helping individuals achieve goodness and perfection. An advisor typically serves as a role model and mentor, possessing a strong character, while a counsellor provides expert opinions in a particular area of expertise. For instance, the Prophet (PBUH) consulted with his companions but never sought their advice.
The Quran discusses themes such as monotheism, resurrection, ethics, and life, and it offers advice in various chapters. One notable example is Surah Luqman, which contains significant advice from Luqman. For instance, Verses/Ayahs 31:13 and 14 read:
وَإِذْ قَالَ لُقْمَانُ لِابْنِهِ وَهُوَ يَعِظُهُ يَا بُنَيَّ لَا تُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ ۖ إِنَّ الشِّرْكَ لَظُلْمٌ عَظِيمٌ ﴿١٣﴾ وَوَصَّيْنَا الْإِنسَانَ بِوَالِدَيْهِ حَمَلَتْهُ أُمُّهُ وَهْنًا عَلَىٰ وَهْنٍ وَفِصَالُهُ فِي عَامَيْنِ أَنِ اشْكُرْ لِي وَلِوَالِدَيْكَ إِلَيَّ الْمَصِيرُ ﴿١٤﴾
31:13 And (mention, O’ Muhammad), when Luqman said to his son while he was instructing him, “O’ my son, do not associate (anything) with Allah (SWT). Indeed, association (with him) is a great injustice.”
31:14 And We have enjoined upon man (care) for his parents. His mother carried him, (increasing her) in weakness upon weakness, and his weaning is in two years. Be grateful to Me and to your parents; to Me is the (final) destination.
The sayings of the Prophet (PBUH) and the Ahlul-Bayt (AS) are also important sources of guidance and advice for human life, alongside the Quran. For example, Letter 31 of Nahjul Balaghah includes Imam Ali’s (AS) advice to his son, Imam Hassan (AS). A part of the letter states:
فَإِنِّي أُوصِيكَ بِتَقْوَى اللهِ أَيْ بُنَيَّ، وَلُزُومِ أَمْرِهِ، وَعِمَارَةِ قَلْبِكَ بِذِكْرِهِ، وَالاْعْتِصَامِ بِحَبْلِهِ، وَأَيُّ سَبَب أَوْثَقُ مِنْ سَبَب بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَ اللهِ إِنْ أَنْتَ أَخَذْتَ بِهِ،
I advise you to fear Allah (SWT), O’ my son, abide by God’s Commands, fill your heart with remembrance of God, and cling to God’s rope. No connection is more reliable than the connection between you and Allah (SWT), provided you take hold of it.
The rights of a person seeking advice from a mentor include the following.
- The advisor should provide accurate and truthful advice.
- The advice should be practical and actionable, tailored to the individual’s specific abilities.
- The advisor should communicate in a pleasant and easily understandable manner.
Virtue of Seeking Advice: Imam Sadiq (AS) says in a narration [1]:
يَجِبُ لِلمؤمنِ علَى المؤمنِ النَّصيحَةُ لَهُ في المَشهَدِ و المَغيبِ
It is the duty of the believer to advise the believer in public and in private [2].
لِيَنصَحِ الرَّجُلُ مِنكُم أخاهُ كَنَصيحَتِهِ لِنَفسِهِ.
Every believer should give his brother the kind of advice that he would do if he were in his place.
Note:
[1] https://www.hadithlib.com/rolls/view/2900065/(نصيحت-و-خيرخواهى)
[2] https://ar.lib.eshia.ir/71429/9/143
Part of a Series: Commentary on Imam Al-Sajjad’s (AS) treaties of right
Commentary on the Quran (Chapter 3:105)