“Rights of Allah” and “rights of his slaves”

بِسْم الله الرحمان الرحيم
All praise is due to Allah (swt). He is the creator, nurture, sustainer, provider, protector, and the one in supreme control of every aspect of every creature. We send complete blessings, peace and salutations upon Muhammad (slw), upon all the messengers whom Allah (swt) had sent down to the man from the very beginning to the very end. And we ask Allah (swt) blesses all the companions of Muhammad (slw) and every single one of us.

It is important to remind ourselves to be conscious of Allah (swt). Because only through the conscious of Allah (swt), we would achieve successful life in this world and hereafter.
Through Quran and Hadith, Allah (swt) has taught us all things that regard our lives. Looking at them, we can divide them into two parts. حقوق الله and حقوق العباد the rights of Allah and the rights of his slaves. حقوق الله can be forgiven in case someone repents. If someone commits a sin, regarding the rights of Allah, it can be easily undone with the help of repentance whenever someone realizes his mistake. But حقوق العباد such that a mistake in this regard is not forgiven by Allah even if you repent and ask for forgiveness. The only way to attain forgiveness is to fulfill the rights of these concerned or through earning the forgiveness of that affected person. That is why we must be very careful in matters of حقوق العباد. Today the importance of حقوق العباد has been completely ignored by society. We think that by performing certain forms of worships like salah, fasting, zakat, sadaqa, hajj, zikr and reciting Quran etc., we would fulfill our duty towards our religion. We know a house is an example of our religion. It has five pillars. Four pillars on four corners and one in the middle. And it has four walls as well. Without the walls, house cannot be completed. Similarly in Islam, in all rulings of shariah can be divided into four parts. The 1st one is عبادات all acts and forms of worship. All the obligatory worships and voluntary worships. For example, sadaqa, umra, zikr, Quran recitation, voluntary hajj and etc. The 2nd معاملات is dealings, business, work and so on. The 3rd is معاشرة family background: honor parents, associate kinships, be kind to children and respect towards elders. The 4th one is اخلاق : conduct and behavior with all the creatures. Whether they are Muslims or not Muslims, your neighbors or not, humans or animals, spiritual creatures or material creatures, holy Islam teaches us to behave with all of them. So only 1st part is connected with creator Almighty Allah (swt). That is the only حقوق الله rights of Allah (swt). And there are remaining three parts connected with creatures, that is حقوق العباد the rights of his slaves and his creatures. But we don't consider حقوق العباد as a part of religion and don't consider our duties to the society. As a result, people don't even realize that they are not fulfilling the rights of others. A simple example is that of a person who drinks
Everyone will condemn him, even he himself will feel guilty for committing such a sin. But someone who backbites does not get condemned as much, nor does he himself realize that he is sinning although backbiting is a great sin as much as drinking. In fact, backbiting is an even greater sin as it is linked with حقوق العباد. Also Allah explains its severity through an example in the Quran, and has not given such an example for other sins. He says in س الحجرات
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اجْتَنِبُوا كَثِيرًا مِنَ الظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعْضَ الظَّنِّ إِثْمٌ
12. O you who believe! Avoid much suspicion, for suspicion in some cases is a sin: وَلَا تَجَسَّسُوا وَلَا يَغْتَبْ بَعْضُكُمْ بَعْضًا
And don't spy, don't backbite on each other.
أَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ لَحْمَ أَخِيهِ مَيْتًا فَكَرِهْتُمُوهُ
Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? No, you would hate doing so. So hate backbiting!

Even then the sin of backbiting is a common practice in our society, there are hardly any gatherings free of backbiting. We don’t realize how great this sin is as if it has nothing to do with Islam. And we don’t feel that Allah is watching us all the time. It is a common misunderstanding that these days a feeling of ihsan is only required during salah and zikr. Meaning of Ihsan, Rasulullah (slw) said,
ان تعبد الله كانك تراه فان لم تكن تراه فانه يراك
You should worship Allah in such a way as you are seeing Him. If this is not possible then you must at least be mindful that Allah is watching you. This is called status of ihsan. We should be conscious of Allah swt at all times in every walk of our lives. Whether we are in the business of running a shop or responsible for managing subject or in our dealings with our wives, children, friends and neighbors, Ihsan is required anywhere. We should always be conscious of the fact that Allah (swt) is watching us all the time. Allah's messenger (slw) was asked about a woman who used to spend all her time in worship and remembrance of Allah. She would perform voluntary forms of worship. Some companions asked the prophet (slw) about her fate. Rasulullah (slw) asked the companions how she treated her neighbors. They replied she did not treat them well and they were not happy with her. Rasulullah (slw) said the woman would go to hell. And Muhammad (slw) was asked about a woman who would only offer obligatory prayers, who perform none of the voluntary worship but who was kind to her neighbors and other people. Rasulullah (slw) said that she would go to paradise.
We need to fulfill the rights of all the creatures of Allah. Because if any wrong happened to any of His creature, He would not forgive them unless the one affected forgave. Without forgiveness, we would be revenged on the day of judgement.
Rasulullah (slw) said
لَتُءَدَّنَّ الْحُقوق ال اهلها يوم القيامة certainly everyone will get his rights on the day of judgement,
حتى يقاد للشاة الجلحاء من الشاة القرناء

Even the wrong done to a hornless goat by a horned goat will be redressed.
If a wrong done for an animal by another animal, it would be revenged. What about a wrong done by a human to an animal? According to the Hadith in Bukhara and Muslim, Allah's messenger (slw) said about a woman in son of Israel who was punished because of a cat. He said, لا هي أطعمتها، ولا سقتها إذ حبستها
She didn't feed it, didn’t give it water, prisoned it ولا هي تركتها تأكل من خشاش الأرض and she didn't send it out for eating until it died. Rasulullah (slw) said, فدخلت فيها النار she entered hell because of her behavior to the cat. She didn't fulfill her duty to the cat. And reported in the بخاري والمسلم, Abu هُريرة (rla) narrates Rasulullah (slw) said, an adulterer a woman amongst son of Israel saw a dog skirting around a well, it's going to die because of thirst. فنزعت موقها فسقته فغفر لها به she removed her footwear, put it into the well and gave water to the dog. She was an adulterer but Allah forgave her because of her treatment to the dog.
That is why Muhammad (slw) said,
الخلق كلهم عيال الله
All the creatures are family of Allah which means all those Allah's creatures and He is the owner of them. Then Rasulullah (slw) said, فأحب الخلق الى الله من أحسن الى عياله So Allah (swt) loves most those who are kind to His creatures, those who treat His creatures well. Even impure dogs are creatures of Allah (swt). So if we have to be kind impure animals, we have to be kind to humans who are excellent creature in all creations.
Surah l-isrā, verse 70, Allah says,
وَلَقَدْ كَرَّمْنَا بَنِي آدَمَ وَحَمَلْنَاهُمْ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ وَرَزَقْنَاهُمْ مِنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ
We have honored the sons of Adam; provided them with transport on land and sea; given them for sustenance things from good and pure;
وَفَضَّلْنَاهُمْ عَلَىٰ كَثِيرٍ مِمَّنْ خَلَقْنَا تَفْضِيلًا
and we have made them excellent from amongst those who we have created them as great part. It means Allah has created some creatures greatest among all the creatures. Amongst greatest creatures humans are honored, humans are made excellent. Whether he is a Muslim or non Muslim, believer or disbeliever, Jew or Christian and whatever else.
We have to fulfill their rights, be kind, treat them with good behavior. Otherwise, we will be asked about them on the day of judgement. There is a Hadith Reported in Muslim, Abu hrirah (rla) narrates Allah's messenger asked his companions أَتَدْرُونَ مَا الْمُفْلِسُ
Do you know who is the beggarly loser? The Sabah replied الْمُفْلِسُ فِينَا مَنْ لا دِرْهَمَ لَهُ وَلا مَتَاعَ
The loser amongst us is who doesn't have money or any wealth. Rasulullah (slw) said,
إِنَّ الْمُفْلِسَ مِنْ أُمَّتِي يَأْتِي يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ بِصَلاةٍ وَصِيَامٍ وَزَكَاةٍ
Indeed the loser in my أمة
who will come on the day of judgement with lot of salah prayers, fasting, and zakat, in another narration مثل جبل الأحد, they will bring good deeds as mountain of Ohad. وَيَأْتِي قَدْ شَتَمَ هَذَا Then one person would come and say, this man scolded me, وظلم هَذَا another person would come and say, this man cheated me, واكل مال هذا
another person would come and say, this man ate my wealth وضرب هذا another person would come and say, this man hit me, وَسَفَكَ دَمَ هَذَا
another person would come and say, this man killed me
فَيُعْطَى هَذَا مِنْ حَسَنَاتِهِ وَهَذَا مِنْ حَسَنَاتِهِ
So the one who behaved badly, his righteous deeds will be given to the one who was scolded, cheated, who was killed, and who was hit. If his righteous deeds finishs Rasulullah (slw) says
أُخِذَ مِنْ خَطَايَاهُمْ فَطُرِحَتْ عَلَيْهِ
Take their sin those who were scolded, cheated who were killed and give him who oppressed. Rasulullah (slw) said,ثم طُرِحَ فِي النَّارِ Ultimately he will be thrown into hell fire.
He brought lot of deeds but became a loser.
Remember it is punishment he scolded or cheated not only a Muslim. Even if it is done to a non-Muslim you will be punished unless he forgives you. So if this is the case when even a wrong done to a non Muslim, what about if a wrong done to a Muslim, Muhmin who is greater than non- Muslim. We have to understand that Muslims are selected and chosen people by Allah (swt) who gives them the most valuable gift. It is reported that after the judgment by Allah (swt) in hereafter some Muslims go to hell and they will be punished for their evil deeds. At that time disbeliever would say, ألستم مسلمين? were you not Muslims? They reply بلى yes of course and disbelievers ask them فما أغنى عنكم إسلامكم وقد صرتم معنا في النار؟
Your Islam benefitted you but you are with us together in this hell fire. The Muslims reply,
كانت لنا ذنوب فأُخذنا بها
we had done evil deeds so we were punished. Then almighty Allah would forgive them and order angels who release all the Muslims who are in hell. On that moment disbelievers realize the real benefit of Islam. Then Rasulullah (slw) read the verse.
( ربما يود الذين كفروا لو كانوا مسلمين ) سورة الحجر , ٢
Those who disbelieve, they will wish again and again that they had accepted Islam, and be a Muslim. They won't wish to be a mumin or mutthqi, they won't wish to be a hafil or Aalim. At least as a Muslim we get this chance. That is why Allah says in surat Al-Bakara, verse 221,

وَلَأَمَةٌ مُؤْمِنَةٌ خَيْرٌ مِنْ مُشْرِكَةٍ وَلَوْ أَعْجَبَتْكُمْ
A slave woman who believes is better than a disbelieving woman even though she impresses you
وَلَعَبْدٌ مُؤْمِنٌ خَيْرٌ مِنْ مُشْرِكٍ وَلَوْ أَعْجَبَكُمْ
A slave man who believes is better than a disbeliever even though he impresses you. Even they are beautiful, even they are wealthy, even they give charity, even they are highly educated, even you like them, even you like their characters and conducts, even they have all good qualities, all those things are going to get lost. They are not beneficial without Iman. But a believer who doesn't have what you like, what you expect, good qualities, and who makes mistakes, by the grace of Allah, he will enter paradise if he die as a Muslim. So you need to honor him and respect him as a Muslim. Once Rasulullah (slw) looked at the khaba and said, ما أطيبك وما أطيب ريحك وما اعظم حرمتك
How pure you are, how sweet is your smell, and how great is your honor, then Rasulullah (slw) said والمؤمن اعظم حرمة منك
however the honor of a مؤمن believer greater than you, ان الله جعلكِ حراما indeed, Allah has made you respectable, likewise,
وحَّرم الله من المؤمن ماله ودمه وعرضه
the wealth, the blood, the honor of a مؤمن has been
made respectable وان تظن به ظنا سيءا
And Allah has forbidden us to suspect him of his wrongdoing. So we should respect all our believers, they are honored than holy khaba. If just a believer, a mumin, greater than the honorable khaba, what is the rank of a mutthaqi, a pious person, what is the rank of elders, scholars, religious leaders, and hafil Quran? They are servants of almighty Allah (swt).
Allah says in Hadith qudsy
قال الله: من عادى لي وليا فقد آذنته بالحرب

Whoever oppose my close
servant I call him to war
with me. May safeguard us
We don't know who is his close servants, so we have to respect all of them more than we respect the khaba.
From today's khuthbah and all the Hadith we talked, make clear that if someone offers voluntary worship, it is a praiseworthy act but not completing the rights will make him accountable on the day of judgement. This is because voluntary worship only means if you perform it you get reward but even if you don't do it it's not a sin. But حقوق العباد is such a serious matter that if we don’t not complete we will be punished for them on the day of qiyamah. This why حقوق العباد is very important chapter of shariah. And don't forget that حقوق العباد is the three forth of our religion. May Allah (swt) through His mercy and blessings help us understand the rights of creatures with the intention of fulfilling it in our daily lives to earn His pleasure.
اللهم ارنا الحق حقا وارزقنا اتباعه..
وآخر دعوانا ان الحمد لله رب العالمين

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