\u201cOn the Day of Judgment, a man flees from his brother, and from his mother and his father,<\/b> and from his wife and his children.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n
(Abasah, 80; 34-36)<\/p>\n
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Violation of other people\u2019s rights is one of the greatest sins, which is regarded outside the endless mercy of Allah. Allah the Almighty has given the right to either punish or forgive the person whose right is violated. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) showed extra sensitivity to people\u2019s rights and presented many exemplary behaviors in this matter. One of them is narrated by Abu Dhur\u2019a (r.a.) as follows:<\/p>\n
\u201cDuring the expedition to Taif, I prepared Qu\u1e63wa, prophet\u2019s camel, for him to ride, when we were in a place called Qarn al-Manazil. I held Qu\u1e63wa\u2019s rein and handed it to the Prophet (pbuh) after he got on his camel. Then I got on its pillion. Allah\u2019s Messenger was whipping the camel; and every time he whipped the camel, his whip was touching me, too. Then the Prophet (pbuh) turned to me and asked:<\/p>\n
\u201cDid my whip touch you?\u201d<\/i> I replied:<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, O Messenger of Allah. May my father and mother be sacrificed for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
When we reached Jiranah, there were some cattle on one corner. Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) asked some questions about the booty to the man waiting by them. After the man answered his questions, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) called me. I answered his call. He told me:<\/p>\n
\u201cTake these cattle in return for the whips which touched you yesterday.\u201d<\/i> When I counted them, I found out that there were one hundred and twenty of them. These had been my most valuable possessions.\u201d (Waqidi, III, 939)<\/p>\n
In this example, fairness of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) about other people\u2019s rights sheds light to centuries. We should imagine how wonderful our world would be, when it is shaped by the measures of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh).<\/p>\n
From an unknown person, Harb b. Surayj narrates the following exemplary story about the spiritual responsibility of people\u2019s rights.<\/p>\n
\u201cI went to Medina and camped in the valley. Two people were bargaining for a goat. The buyer asked for a discount from the seller. Just then I saw someone coming. I told myself \u201cI wonder if this was the Hashimite who misguided the people.\u201d He was a handsome man with finely shaped eyebrows and a beautiful face. He was wearing two pieces of old dress. He directly came and greeted us. A little later the buyer called him:<\/p>\n
\u201cO Messenger of Allah! Tell him to make a discount for me.\u201d Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) extended his hand and told him:<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026Your property belongs to you. I hope when I meet my Lord on Judgment Day, none of you face me claiming that I had violated his\/her rights. May Allah the Almighty have mercy on those who provide convenience in buying, selling, holding, giving, and judging\u2026\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
The person who narrated this incident was affected by the Prophet\u2019s words so much that he followed the Prophet (pbuh), asked him many questions about Islam, and then he converted to Islam saying:<\/p>\n
\u201cUntil then there was not anybody whom I hated more than him; but now he is dearer to me than my children, my mother and father, and all other people.\u201d (Haythami, IX, 18)<\/p>\n
We should not violate people\u2019s rights and be the cause of their tears, because there is no barrier between Allah the Almighty and the supplication of an oppressed.<\/p>\n
With respect to other people\u2019s rights, the Prophet (pbuh) expresses the significance of paying their rights back as follows:<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cNarrated by Abu Huraira: Allah\u2019s Apostle said, \u201cWhoever has oppressed another person concerning his reputation or anything else, he should beg him to forgive him before the Day of Resurrection when there will be no money (to compensate for wrong deeds), but if he has good deeds, those good deeds will be taken from him according to his oppression which he has done, and if he has no good deeds, the sins of the oppressed person will be loaded on him.\u201d <\/i>(Bukhari, Mazalim, 10)<\/p>\n
Those who violated other people\u2019s rights should first ask for the forgiveness of the oppressed and then repent for their oppression before Judgment Day comes. For Judgment Day is the day of reckoning that neither gold nor silver will be helpful. Real damage, loss, and failure are those stated in the sayings of the Prophet (pbuh). In this respect, a believer is required not only to continue ritual prayers, fasting, almsgiving, and other types of worship, but also to stay away from the prohibitions of Islam.<\/p>\n
The Prophet said, \u201cA Muslim is the one who avoids harming Muslims with his tongue and hands\u2026\u201d<\/i> (Bukhari, Iman, 4-5). Thus, he nicely expresses the significance of observing other people\u2019s rights. He warns those who oppress and violate other people\u2019s rights about Hell-fire. It is narrated on the authority of Abu Umama that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) once said:<\/p>\n
\u201cHe who appropriated the right of a Muslim by swearing a false oath, Allah would make Hell-fire necessary for him and would declare Paradise forbidden for him. <\/i><\/p>\n
A man said to him:<\/p>\n
\u201cO Messenger of Allah, even if it is something insignificant?\u201d<\/p>\n
The Holy Prophet (pbuh) replied: <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cYes, even if it is the twig of an arak tree.\u201d<\/i> (Muslim, Iman, 218)<\/p>\n
Another type of violating people\u2019s rights is to usurp or inappropriately use the state property. Especially those who work for public duties have to be very sensitive. Allah\u2019s Apostle (pbuh) makes serious warnings in this respect. One of the incidents that express such warnings is as follows:<\/p>\n
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) appointed a man from the Asad tribe who was called Ibn Lutbiyya in charge of collecting Sadaqa from the people on behalf of the State. When he returned (with the collections), he said: <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cThis is for you and (this is mine as) it was presented to me as a gift.\u201d <\/i>The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) stood on the pulpit and praised Allah and extolled Him. <\/i>Then he said: <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cI appointed someone as a State official who comes to me and says: This is for you and this has been presented to me as a gift. If he was saying the truth, why didn\u2019t he stay in the house of his father or the house of his mother to see whether gifts were presented to him or not? By the Being in Whose Hand is the life of Muhammad, any one of you will not take anything from it but will bring it on the Day of Judgment, carrying on his neck a camel that will be growling, or a cow that will be bellowing or an ewe that will be bleating.\u201d <\/i><\/p>\n
Then he raised his hands so that we could see the whiteness of his armpits. <\/i>Then he said <\/i>twice: <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cO Allah, have I conveyed (Your Commandments)?\u201d<\/i> (Muslim, Imarah, 26; Bukhari; Zakat, 3)<\/p>\n
Here it is also expresses that those who work for the state must be very careful about the gifts given to them. These gifts are not really their rights. Therefore, when these duties are performed, one must be very careful and trustworthy. Because these properties belong to the public, even the least inequity is considered one of the greatest sins.<\/p>\n
The following historical account shows how sensitive our predecessors were and how much they paid attention to live according to the warnings of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). Before Ottoman Sultan Vahdettin left Istanbul, he asked that a book called K\u0131y\u00e2metn\u00e2me<\/i> be brought to him with its receipt. When he was forced to leave his country, he returned this book, whose miniatures were worth more than two million gold pieces at the time, to the state treasure. The people around him said:<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are the gifts presented to you and your family by other sultans. Therefore these are your own possessions. There are buyers ready to pay two-three million gold pieces for this book. Could not you at least keep this with you as insurance? Sultan Vahdettin told them:<\/p>\n