The Remarkable Merits of the Islamic Society (Part 5)

7. Right of Islamic Interests

Mutual sympathy, fraternal ties, and harmony are the distinctive features of the Islamic society. According to Sharia, Muslims have no right to overlook the social affairs and to avoid participating in the social prosperity and development. Showing their high ranks in the sight of Islam, the Ahl-ul-Bayt (A.S), through their numerous commandments that achieve social and economical perfection if they are applied, urged to respect and settle all the needs of the believing individuals:

 A. Feeding and Watering the Believer. The Prophet (PBUH) said: "As for anyone who serves a believer with water, although he can obtain it, Allah will give him seventy thousand merits for each drink.

Imam Sadjad (A.S) said: "As for him who feeds a hungry believer, Allah will feed him from the fruits of Paradise, and as for him who waters a thirsty believer, Allah will water him from the Sealed Pure Drink." Imam Sadiq (A.S) said: "As for him who feeds a believer to satiation, Allah will reward him, in the Hereafter, in such a way that none of His creatures, including the angels and the prophets, can estimate it.

B. Clothing the Believer. Imam Sadiq (A.S) said: "As for anyone who provides the winter or summer clothing to his friend, Allah will, incumbently, clothe him with the dress of Paradise, alleviate his agonies of death, and enlarge his grave. Moreover, the angels will receive him, as soon as he is resurrected, with glad news.

This is the meaning of Allah’s saying: (The angels will come to them with this glad news: "This is your day which was promised to you." (21:103)". "As for anyone who provides clothing, or supports by any means, to a needy Muslim, Allah will appoint seven thousand angels for seeking forgiveness for him up to the day on which the Trumpet will be blown."

 C. Settling the Believer’s Need. Imam Sadiq (A.S) said: "For anyone who settles the need of his believing brother, Allah, on the Day of Resurrection, will settle for him one hundred thousand needs the easiest of which is that he, as well as his believing family members, relatives, and friends, will be taken to Paradise." "Any Muslim individual who settles a need for a Muslim will be called by Allah, 'I am responsible for your reward, and I will not give you anything less than Paradise."

 D. Gladdening the Believer.

Imam Sadiq (A.S) said: "For anyone who gives pleasure to a believer, Allah will create a being from that pleasure to meet him at his death and bear to him the glad tidings of winning Allah’s honor and satisfaction. That being will accompany him in his grave and repeat the same glad tidings.

When he will be resurrected, that being will accompany him and repeat the same glad tidings. With every horror that he has to encounter, that being will accompany him to repeat the same glad tidings. Hence, he will ask, 'who are you?' That being will answer, 'I am the pleasure that you gave to so-and-so."

 E. Visiting the Believer. Imam Sadiq (A.S) said: "For anyone who visits his ill or healthy friend purely for the sake of Allah, without being cheating him, Allah will appoint seventy thousand angels calling him from behind, 'Blessed be you.

Obligations of the Rulers

All over history, rulers, according to their qualifications, have played influential roles in the development and retardation of nations. The ideal, sincere ruler is he who governs his subjects on bases of leniency, justice, and equality. The absolute ruler, on the other hand, is he who enslaves, humiliates, and exploits the subjects for his own interests:

Join all these individuals to those rulers." The unjust rulers will sooner or later suffer punishments that befit their acts of oppression. History is full of stories showing the bad results of the absolute rulers. Al-Hajjaj ibn Yousuf ath-Thaqafi is the most hideous example of the unjust rulers. He ruled for twenty years during which he killed 120,000 individuals besides those whom were killed during his campaigns. In his cells, there were fifty thousand men and thirty thousand women…etc. Finally, this dictator was affected by canker and severe frost until he perished.

Source: alhassanain.com

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The Remarkable Merits of the Islamic Society (Part 1)