Shafaqna English- Commentary on Imam Sajjad’s (AS) Treaties of Right By Mohammad Sobhanie.
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
وَأمّا حَقُّ مَنْ سَرَّكَ اللهُ بهِ وَعلَى يَدَيهِ، فَـــــــــــــإنْ كَانَ تَعَمَّدَهَا لَكَ حَمِدْتَ اللهَ أَوّلاً ثُــــــــمَّ شَكَرْتَهُ عَلَى ذلِكَ بقَدْرِهِ فِي مَوْضِـــــــــــعِ الجَزَاءِ، وَكَافَأتَهُ عَلَى فَضْــــــــــــــــلِ الابْتِدَاءِ وَأَرْصَــــــــــــــدْتَ لَهُ الْمُكَافَأَةَ، وَإنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ تَعَمَّدَهَا حَمِدْتَ اللهَ وَشَكَرتَهُ وعَلِمْتَ أنَّهُ مِنْهُ تَوَحَّدَكَ بهَا وأَحْبَبتَ هذا، إذ كَانَ سَبَباً مِنْ أَسْبَاب نِعَـــــــمِ اللهِ عَلَيْكَ، وَترْجُو لَهُ بَعْدَ ذلِكَ خَيرًا، فإنَّ أَسْبَابَ النِّعَمِ بَرَكَةٌ حَيثُ مَا كَانتْ وَإنْ كَانَ لَمْ يَتَعَمَّدَ. ولا قُوَّةَ إلا باللهِ
The Right of the One Who Makes You Happy (48th)
Translation: The right of those through whom God brings you joy and happiness is that if they have intentionally made you happy, you should praise God, thank them appropriately for their good deed, and remain committed to reciprocating their kindness. However, if they brought you happiness without realizing it, then praise God and be grateful that He has granted you this blessing through them.
Cherish those who have brought you joy and wish them well, for they are among the means by which God’s blessings reach you. The means through which blessings descend are themselves blessings, even when unintentional.
Commentary: Life under the blue sky is anything but monotonous. Sweetness is often accompanied by bitterness, joy by sadness, health by illness, wealth by poverty, and ease by hardship. Generally, no one experiences continuous happiness or sadness throughout their life, so the inevitable ups and downs in life should not come as a surprise.
Sometimes, we may feel overwhelmed by sadness and grief. In those moments, a true believer steps in to help us, untangling the knots of our sorrow. They wipe away our tears and replace our frowns with smiles. These moments are priceless, and their value cannot be measured. The Prophet (SAWA) has praised those who bring joy and happiness to others, stating:[1]
مَن سَرَّ مُؤمنا فَقَد سَرَّني، ومَن سَرَّني فَقَد سَرَّ اللّه
Whoever pleases a believer pleases me, and whoever pleases me pleases Allah.
Bringing joy to a believer’s heart can be accomplished in many ways. From engaging in pleasant conversations to helping someone navigate life’s challenges, these acts can bring happiness to hearts and smiles to faces. Imām Sajjād (AS) narrates a hadith from the Messenger of God (SAWA), who stated:[2]
إِنْ أَحَبَّ اَلْأَعْمَالِ إِلَى اَللَّهِ إِدْخَالُ اَلسُّرُورِ عَلَى اَلْمُؤْمِنِ وشُبْعَةُ مُسْلِمٍ أَوْ قَضَاءُ دَيْنِهِ.
The most beloved deeds to Allah are bringing joy to a believer, feeding a Muslim, or paying off his debt.
Imām Ṣādiq (AS) pointed out that when God raises the believers from their graves, a companion will appear beside them. Whenever the believer feels fear and anxiety on the Day of Judgment, this companion will comfort him and say, “Do not be afraid and do not grieve.” This companion will give the believer the good news of God’s grace and mercy until they stand before God. At that moment, God will perform an easy reckoning for the believer and command him to enter Paradise. The believer will then ask his companion, “Who are you that has given me this good news?” The companion will reply, “I am the joy that you have brought to the heart of your believing brother. God created me to be a source of joy for you.”[3]
Happiness and joy are not achieved solely through humor. True happiness lies in resolving the challanges of a believer’s life. Imām Ṣādiq (AS) has stated:[4]
إِنَّ مُوجِبَاتِ اَلْمَغْفِرَةِ إِدْخَالُكَ اَلسُّرُورَ عَلَى أَخِيكَ اَلْمُسْلِمِ وإِشْبَاعُ جَوْعَتِهِ وتَنْفِيسُ كُرْبَتِهِ.
Ways to seek forgiveness include 1) bringing joy to your Muslim brother, 2) satisfying his hunger, and 3) alleviating his stress.
The Right of the One Who Brings You Joy:
- If someone has intentionally made you happy, you should praise God and express your appreciation to that person. Acknowledge their kindness and be determined to return the favor.
- On the other hand, if someone brought you happiness unintentionally, you should praise God, thank Him, and understand that He specifically chose you to receive this blessing, which you enjoyed.
- People who bring joy to your life are the channels through which God’s blessings reach you. You should thank them and wish them well, for the channels of blessings are blessings themselves, even if unintentionally.
Translation of Phrases:
| And the right of him through whom God makes you happy is that | ووَأمّا حَقُّ مَنْ سَرَّكَ اللهُ بهِ وَعلَى يَدَيهِ، |
| that if he intentionally made you happy, you should first praise God | فَـــــــــــــإنْ كَانَ تَعَمَّدَهَا لَكَ حَمِدْتَ اللهَ أَوّلاً |
| and then you should thank him accordingly, | ثُــــــــمَّ شَكَرْتَهُ عَلَى ذلِكَ بقَدْرِهِ فِي مَوْضِـــــــــــعِ الجَزَاءِ |
| and reward him for initiating a nobility and be determined to return his favor. | وَكَافَأتَهُ عَلَى فَضْــــــــــــــــلِ الابْتِدَاءِ وَأَرْصَــــــــــــــدْتَ لَهُ الْمُكَافَأَةَ، |
| But if he made you happy unintentionally, you should praise God, thank Him, and realize that He chose you exclusively for that, and you liked it. | ووَإنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ تَعَمَّدَهَا حَمِدْتَ اللهَ وَشَكَرتَهُ وعَلِمْتَ أنَّهُ مِنْهُ تَوَحَّدَكَ بهَا وأَحْبَبتَ هذا، |
| He has been one of the means of God’s Blessings descending upon you. | إذ كَانَ سَبَباً مِنْ أَسْبَاب نِعَـــــــمِ اللهِ عَلَيْكَ، |
| You should only wish him well | وَترْجُو لَهُ بَعْدَ ذلِكَ خَيرًا، |
| since the means of desension of Blessings are themselves Blessings wherever they be, even if unintentionally. | فإنَّ أَسْبَابَ النِّعَمِ بَرَكَةٌ حَيثُ مَا كَانتْ وَإنْ كَانَ لَمْ يَتَعَمَّدَ. |
| And there is no power but in God. | ولا قُوَّةَ إلا باللهِ |
Note:
[1] https://hadithlib.com/hadithtxts/view/1202981
[2] https://hadith.inoor.ir/fa/hadith/363842/related
[3] https://www.hadithlib.com/hadithtxts/view/22008653 (Vol.2 , P190 Al-Kafi)
[4] https://ar.lib.efatwa.ir/43027/1/8/ “إن_من_موجبات_المغفرة_إدخالك_السرور_على_أخيك_المسلم_,_إشباع_جوعته،_وتنفيس”
Part of a Series: Commentary on Imam Al-Sajjad’s (AS) treaties of right
Commentary on Imam Sajjad’s (AS) treaties of right (Part 50)