Commentary on Imam Sajjad’s (AS) Treaties of Right (Part 46)

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

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

وَأمّا حَقُّ السَّائِلِ فَإعْطَاؤُهُ إذا تَيَقَّنْتَ صِدْقَهُ، وَقَدَرْتَ عَلَى سَدِّ حَاجَتِهِ، وَالدُّعَاءُ لَهُ فِيمَـا نزَلَ بهِ، وَالْمُعَاوَنةُ لَهُ عَلَى طَلِبَتِهِ، وَإن شَكَكْتَ فِي صِدْقِهِ، وَسَبَقْتَ إلَيهِ التُّهْمَةُ لَهُ، وَلَمْ تَعْزِمْ عَلَى ذَلِكَ، لَمْ تَأْمَنْ أَنْ يَكُونَ مِنْ كَيْدِ الشَّيْطَانِ أَرَادَ أَنْ يَصُدَّكَ عَنِ حَظِّكَ، ويَحُولَ بَيْنَكَ وبَينَ التَّقَرُّب إلَى رَبكَ، فَتَرَكْتَـــــــــــــهُ بسِترِهِ وَرَدَدتَهُ رَدًّا جَـــــــمِيلاً. وَإنْ غَلَبتَ نفْسَــــــــــــــــكَ فِي أَمْرِهِ، وَأَعْطَيتَهُ عَلَى مَـــــا عَرَضَ فِي نفْسِكَ مِنْهُ، فإنَّ ذلِكَ مِنْ عَزْمِ الأُمُورِ.

The Right of the One Who Seeks Your Help (Help-Seeker) (46^th)

Translation: The right of someone who asks for help is that you assist them, provided you are confident that their request is genuine and that you are able to meet their need. In addition, you should pray to God to ease their hardship and help them fulfill their needs.

If you choose not to help because you doubt their honesty—especially if they have previously been suspected of dishonesty—be aware that such doubt may be one of Shayṭān’s traps. Its purpose is to deprive you of blessings and create a barrier between you and your Lord. If you cannot overcome your doubt, it is best to excuse yourself kindly and leave them alone.

However, if you overcome your hesitation and choose to give them what they ask, despite your doubts, this reflects strong determination and a sincere desire to do good, even in the face of pessimism.

Commentary:

Assisting the less fortunate is both a moral obligation and a religious duty. Verse 2:254 (Al-Baqara) states:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَنفِقُوا مِمَّا رَزَقْنَاكُم مِّن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِيَ يَوْمٌ لَّا بَيْعٌ فِيهِ وَلَا خُلَّةٌ وَلَا شَفَاعَةٌ ۗ … ‎﴿٢٥٤﴾

2:254 O you who have believed, spend from that which We have provided for you before there comes a Day in which there is no exchange and no friendship and no intercession.

Individuals in need have the right to seek help from their community. However, asking for assistance is often discouraged unless necessary, as it can cause feelings of humiliation and undermine a person’s dignity and pride. This perspective is reflected in a narration by Imām Ṣādiq (AS), who said:[1]

إِيَّاكُمْ وَ سُؤَالَ النَّاسِ، فَإِنَّهُ ذُلٌّ فِي الدُّنْيَا، وَ فَقْرٌ تُعَجِّلُونَهُ، وَ حِسَابٌ طَوِيلٌ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ.

Beware of asking people for help, for it is humiliation in this world, poverty that you hasten, and a long reckoning on the Day of Resurrection.

Categories of Poor People: Individuals experiencing poverty can be divided into two distinct groups.

The first group includes those who do not openly express their struggles and hardships; they face life’s challenges with patience and resilience. Due to their endurance and forbearance, they will be greatly rewarded by God Almighty. Wealthy individuals have a responsibility to identify these individuals and provide them with discreet assistance. Verse 273 of Sūrah Al-Baqara (2:273) speaks about this group of poor and needy people:

لِلْفُقَرَاءِ الَّذِينَ أُحْصِرُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ ضَرْبًا فِي الْأَرْضِ يَحْسَبُهُمُ الْجَاهِلُ أَغْنِيَاءَ مِنَ التَّعَفُّفِ تَعْرِفُهُم بِسِيمَاهُمْ لَا يَسْأَلُونَ النَّاسَ إِلْحَافًا ۗ وَمَا تُنفِقُوا مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ بِهِ عَلِيمٌ ‎﴿٢٧٣﴾‏

2:273 (Charity is) for the poor who have been restricted for the cause of Allah, unable to move about in the land. An ignorant (person) would think them self-sufficient because of their restraint, but you will know them by their (characteristic) sign. They do not ask people persistently (or at all). And whatever you spend of good – indeed, Allah is Knowing of it.

The second group includes individuals who acknowledge their poverty and seek help from others.

Resistance to Give Charity: Shaytan, the sworn enemy of humankind, threatens us with poverty. This fear makes us reluctant to be generous and donate to charity. The Qurʾān reflects this notion in verse 2:163 (Sūrah Al-Baqara):

الشَّيْطَانُ يَعِدُكُمُ الْفَقْرَ وَيَأْمُرُكُم بِالْفَحْشَاءِ ۖ وَاللَّهُ يَعِدُكُم مَّغْفِرَةً مِّنْهُ وَفَضْلًا ۗ وَاللَّهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ ‎﴿٢٦٨﴾

2:268 Shaytan threatens you with poverty and orders you to immorality, while Allah promises you forgiveness from Him and bounty. And Allah is all–Encompassing and Knowing.

Another barrier to charitable giving is stinginess, distinct from thriftiness. Stinginess refers to a reluctance to give, spend, or share possessions or money, even when it is reasonable to do so. In contrast, being thrifty means being careful with your money and mindful of your spending habits. Verse 17:100 of Sūrah Al-Isra states that if you were to give the entire universe to a stingy person, they would still refuse to contribute to charity:

قُل لَّوْ أَنتُمْ تَمْلِكُونَ خَزَائِنَ رَحْمَةِ رَبِّي إِذًا لَّأَمْسَكْتُمْ خَشْيَةَ الْإِنفَاقِ ۚ وَكَانَ الْإِنسَانُ قَتُورًا ‎﴿١٠٠﴾

2:100 Say (to them), “If you possessed the reserves of the mercy of my Lord, then you would withhold out of fear of spending.” And ever has man been stingy.

Doubts may sometimes arise about the sincerity of requests for help. However, it is essential to remember that we should not ignore or dismiss these requests out of suspicion. Such doubts may be a trap from Shaytan, aimed at preventing the individual from receiving God’s blessings and creating a barrier between them and God. Verse 49:12 of Sūrah Al-Hujurat advises believers against forming opinions based solely on suspicion:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اجْتَنِبُوا كَثِيرًا مِّنَ الظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعْضَ الظَّنِّ إِثْمٌ ۖ … ‎﴿١٢﴾

49:12 O you who have believed, avoid suspicion as much as possible. Indeed, some suspicion is a sin.

The Rights of Requester: The term “requester” refers to the person who asks for help, while “respondent” refers to the one to whom the request is made. Imām Sajjād (AS) outlined the rights of the requester upon the respondent as follows:

1. If the requester is sincere and in need, the respondent should assist them if possible and pray for God to resolve their problems and fulfill their needs.
2. If the requester’s sincerity is in doubt, the respondent should seek to dispel their uncertainty and, if possible, meet the requester’s needs.
3. If the respondent is unable to overcome their uncertainty, they should politely excuse themselves from helping. However, they must remain aware that such doubts may be a trap set by Shayṭān, intended to deprive them of God’s blessings and create a barrier between the respondent and their Lord. Overcoming suspicion requires strong resolve.

 

Translation of Phrases:

And the right of him who begs from you	وَأمّا حَقُّ السَّائِلِ
is to give him charity if you are sure he is honest,	فَإعْطَاؤُهُ إذا تَيَقَّنتَ صِدْقَهُ
and you can fulfill his needs.	وَقَدَرْتَ عَلَى سَدِّ حَاجَتِهِ،
You should also pray to God to relieve him from what has befallen him and help meet his needs.	وَالدُّعَاءُ لَهُ فِيمَـا نزَلَ بهِ، وَالْمُعَاوَنةُ لَهُ عَلَى طَلِبَتِهِ،
But suppose you doubt his truthfulness,	وَإن شَكَكْتَ فِي صِدْقِهِ
and he has already been accused of dishonesty	وَسَبَقْتَ إلَيهِ التُّهْمَةُ لَهُ
hence, you do not intend to  help him.	وَلَمْ تَعْزِمْ عَلَى ذَلِكَ
Be aware that this is one of Shaytan’s plots, aiming to deprive you of your fortunes and create a barrier between you and your Lord.	لَمْ تَأْمَنْ أَنْ يَكُونَ مِنْ كَيْدِ الشَّيْطَانِ أَرَادَ أَنْ يَصُدَّكَ عَنِ حَظِّكَ، ويَحُولَ بَيْنَكَ وبَينَ التَّقَرُّب إلَى رَبكَ
Leave him alone and excuse yourself gently.	فَتَرَكْتَـــــــــــــهُ بسِترِهِ وَرَدَدتَهُ رَدًّا جَـــــــمِيلاً
But if you overcome your uncertainty	وَإنْ غَلَبتَ نفْسَــــــــــــــــكَ فِي أَمْرِهِ،
and give him what he asks of you despite your doubt	وَأَعْطَيتَهُ عَلَى مَـــــا عَرَضَ فِي نفْسِكَ مِنْهُ،
then this matter (giving charity while you are in doubt) requires determination.	فإنَّ ذلِكَ مِنْ عَزْمِ الأُمُورِ.

Note:

[1] https://www.islam4u.com/ar/khair-alkalam/ اياكم-و-سوال-الناس

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

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