Jesus Christ said to his disciples: What do you do when the wind blows off the wearing cloth of your friends in his sleep and makes him naked? They said: We his cover private parts with cloth. He said: Rather I see that you uncover his private parts. They said: Glory be to God, who does this? He said. If anybody amongst you hears any secret word about your brother, he adds to is other words and discloses it in a big form, know that the faith of man is not perfect till he loves for others what he loves for himself. The lowers state friendship is that you will respect for your friends that treatment which you expect that he should mete out to you.

God says: “Woe to those who take full measure when they take from men and who reduce it when they give it to others? Hope to do justice to others as you expect that others should do justice to you. The Prophet said: If man conceals the faults of his brother in this world. God will conceal his faults in the next. There is in another narration. He gives life as it were to a buried man. The Prophet said: The discussions of an assembly are trust except those of three assemblies — (1) the assembly where unlawful murders are committed, (2) the assembly where unlawful fornications are made lawful, (3) and the assembly where wealth is made lawful except by lawful means. The Prophet said: The consultations of two friends are like trust. It is not lawful to disclose to another what one does not like. One wise man was asked. How can you keep matters secret? He said: I am like a grave for these matters. The heart of a fool is in his tongue and the tongue of a wise man is in his heart. In other words the fool cannot keep secret what is in his mind and discloses it in such a place which he does not know.

Hazrat Abbas said to his Abdullah: I see that Hazrat Omar has given you superiority over the elderly companions. Remember my five instructions - (1) Don’t disclose his (Omar’s) secrets; (2) don’t vilify in his (Omar) presence; (3) don’t talk courage to tell falsehood before him; (4) don’t disobey his orders; (5) and let him not see you committing any act of treachery. The sage Shubi said: Each sentence of these five instructions is better than one thousand sentences. Hazrat Ibn Abbas said: Don’t argue with a fool lest he give you trouble. Don’t argue with a wise man, lest he envies you. The Prophet said: If a man gives up dispute over a useless matter a house will be built for him in a corner of Paradise. If a man gives up dispute of a matter to which he has got right, a house will be built up for him in a high place of Paradise.

The Prophet said: Don’t envy one another, don’t cut off connections from one another and make brotherhood among the servants of God-One. Muslim is brother to another Muslim. He does not oppress him, he does not deprive him and he does not dishonour him. Ibn Omamah Baheli said: The Prophet once came to us. We were then arguing with one another. He got enraged and said: Give up arguing; as there is little good in it. Give up dispute as it has got little benefit and it grows enmity between two friends. A certain wise man said: If a man dispute with his friends, his manliness goes away and his honour also goes away. The Prophet said: Don’t dispute with your brother, don’t ridicule him, don’t break promise with him. He said: You give in charity ample wealth to the people but it does not comes out in a cheerful mood and in good manners.

(4) Accord good treatment to your friend in words and deeds: As is the friendship, so the treatment should be Tell such words which your friend loves. Use words of love and share his sorrows and happiness. The Prophet said: When one of you loves his brother, he should inform him of his love. It increases love. If he knows that you love him, he will surely love you. When you come to know that he also loves you, your love for him will increase. So love will increase from both sides. The existence of love among the believers is the object of Shariat and religion. So send present to one another. For this the Prophet said: Send present to one another, you will then love one another. The Prophet gave simile of two friends as two hands, one of which works for the other. In other words, one friend helps another in all affairs.

The Prophet said: One Muslim is brother to another Muslim. He does not treat him bad, he does not spoil his honour and does not surrender him to the hands of his enemy. Don’t back-bite your friend as God likened back-biting to eating the flesh of a dead brother. God says: Does one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? An angel presents before the soul of a man what he sees in the guarded Tablet in the form of a figure in dream. He shows back-biting in the form of eating the flesh of a dead animal. A back-biter sees in dream that he is eating the flesh of a dead animal. It means, that he roams about back-biting. The sage Muzahed said: Don’t remember your friend by back-biting him as you wish that no person should remember you with back-biting.

The Prophet said: Accord good treatment to your neighbour, you will be good Muslim. Accord good treatment to one who keeps your company, you will be a believer. The Prophet said: One believer is a mirror to another believer. The substance of this Hadis is that you should conduct yourself in such a way that your friend may correct himself, by looking at your actions. The sage Maser was asked: Do you love one who tells your faults? He said: If he advises me with regard to the faults that are in myself and him, it is good, but, when he defames me before a party of men, it is not good. What he said is true, because to advise before the people is dishonourable.

The saint Jun-num Misir said: Don’t keep company with God without obeying His commands. Don’t keep company with the people without advice to one another. Don’t keep company with your passion without differing from it. Don’t keep company with the devil without being his enemy. Hazrat Omar said: If a man holds out the faults of his brother before him, God will show kindness to him. For this reason, Hazrat Omar said to Hazrat Salman: What are the actions of mine which appear disliking to you? Hazrat Salman said: Pardon me for this. When he pressed Salman, he said: I heard that you have got two shirts, one of which you wear during day time and another at nighttime. I heard also that two kinds of curries are served before you at the same time. Hazrat Omar said: Neither of these two matters is true. Have you heard any other thing? Hazrat Salman said: No. Huzafia wrote to Hazrat Eusof-b-Asbat: I heard that you sold your religion in lieu of two pices. You said to the milk-seller. What is its price? He said: Six pices. You pressed for lesser price. The milk seller said: Let it be so. The man was cognisant of your God fear and hence he sold the milk at reduced price to you. Uncover your head from the screen of passion and give up the urge of passion.

(5) To forgive the faults of friends: If your friend commits sin and continues therein, advise him with sweet words. If he turns back, it is better. If he does not turn back, connection should be cut off according to Hazrat Abu Zarr. According to Abn Darda’a connection with him should not be cut off, as he will walk once in a straight path and another time in a crooked way. Hazart Ibrahim Nakyi said: Don’t cut off connection with your friend and don’t leave him at the time of his commission of sin as he may commit a sin to-day and give it up on the following day. There is in Hadis: Fear the slip of a learned man don’t boycott him and hope for his return.

One friend of Hazrat Omar went to Syria and stayed there for long. Hazrat Omar took this news from a certain man of Syria. He said: He has becomes the brother of the devil and he has begun to drink wine. Hazrat Omar wrote to him a letter saying in the name of the Most Compassionate, the Merciful (40:1 Q). He rebuked him in this letter. When he read it, he wept and said God said the truth Omar advised me. He then repented and turned back.

It has been narrated that one of two friends fell in love with woman and informed it to his friends. He said: If you wish, you may cut off friendship with me. His friend said: shall I lose a friend for his one sin? Then he promised that he would fast till his friend came out of his love for the women. He fasted for forty days, as a result of which his friend’s love for the woman went away from his heart. Then he took his meal and drink.

One of two friends went astray. One friend asked him: Have you not forsaken him? He said: I wish to remain with him more now. I shall have to lift him up by catching him by his hand. I shall have to rebuke him with sweet words and I shall have to call him to his former conditions.

It has been narrated that two friends of Banu Israil engaged in divine service in a hill. One of them one day got down and went to a market to buy meat. He saw there an unchaste woman and fell in love with her. He called her in a lonely place and satisfied his lust. This continued for three days. His friends in the hill came down to search for him and found him following a woman. He embraced and kissed his friend and said: I have come to know your condition. Now let us go to the hill for divine service. So his friend went with him to the hill being repentant. One should not cut off the relationship from his relative who is seen engaged in a sin. God said to His Prophet in connection with his relatives. If your relatives disobey you, say: I am displeased with what you do - 26:216 Q. He did not say: I am pleased with your actions. Rather he said: I am displeased with your action. When Abu Darda’a was asked: Why do you not hate your friend who is doing this sin? He said: Surely I hate his sinful etc, but how can I hate him as he is my brother in religion? Brotherhood of religion is greater than that of relationship. A wise man was asked: Who is dearer to you, friend or a brother? He said: If my brother is my friend, he is dearer to me. Hazrat Hasan Basari said: How many friends there are who are not born of your mother. It has, therefore, been said: love is necessary for relationship but relationship is not necessary for love. Hazrat Jafar Sadeq said. Connection is made out of love of one day and relationship is made out of love of one year. God severs connection with one who severs connection with this relatives. It is compulsory to keep the tie of friendship. One should not make friendship with great sinner from the very beginning, but when it is done, it should not be cut off.

The Prophet said: The worst servants near God are those roam with slander and create separation in friendship. When one man committed a sin, his friend rebuked him. Then the Prophet said to him: Stop, don’t rebuke him. Don’t be a helper of the devil in the matter of your friend. So it is better to keep away from the great sinners from the very beginning than to serve friendship with them after it is made, Imam Shafeyi said: If a man’s anger is aroused but his anger does not arise, he is an ass. If a man’s pleasure is incurred but he does not get pleased, he is a devil. So don’t be an ass or a devil, Rather be an agent of your friend and bring pleasure to yourself, and adopt precaution of being a devil by not accepting it. A certain wise man said: I never rebuked anybody. The cause is that if an honourable man rebukes me, I pardon his fault as it is pardonable, but if a man of dishonour rebukes me, I save myself from his attack without replying to his rebuke. Whenever your friend raises excuse, accept it, be it true of false.

The Prophet said: He who does not accept the excuse of his friend commits sin like the tax collector in the street. The Prophet said: A believer suddenly gets angry and his anger is soon appeased. He did not mention that he does not get angry. God says: Those who appease anger etc. He did not say about the absence of anger. Now-a-days anger does not appease till harm is not done to a friend, But have patience at the trouble inflicted by him. To remove anger from the soil of heart is not possible as it is a natural attribute of man. To appease it and to act contrary to its nature is possible. To act in agreement with anger is to take retaliation. The Prophet said: love your friend in a moderate manner, perchance he may become someday your enemy. Get angry at your enemy in a moderate manner, perchance he may turn to be your friend sometime. Hazrat Omar said: Let not your love exceed the limit and let not your hatred lead you to the path of destruction.

(6) Pray for your friend in his life time and even after his death: As you like to pray for yourself and the members of your family, so you should pray for those after death of your friend with whom your friend had connection. The Prophet said: If a man prays for his friend in his absence, the angels says, Similar prayer is for you. In another narration God says: O My servant, I will accept your prayer in your matter. There is in Hadis: If a man prays for his friend, it is better accepted than that for himself. The Prophet said: If man prays for his friend in his absence, it is not rejected. A good friend will follow you after your death with the angels, as there is a Hadis: When a man dies, the people say: What thing he has left behind, but the angels say: What actions he has sent in advance? They are glad for his good actions, they ask about his condition and intercede for him. The Prophet said: A dead man in grave is like a drowning man in water. As a drowning man catches whatever he gets to save his life, so a dead man remains anxious to get the prayer of father, children, brothers, friend and near relatives. The prayer of a living man enters into the grave of a dead man like a hill of light. A certain sage said: The prayer of a living man for the dead is like a present. The angel takes a handker-chief of one bundle of light and comes to the dead man and says: This is present to you from that friend of yours, this has come from that relative of yours. He then becomes pleased with it as a living man becomes pleased with a present.

(7) Wafa and Ikhlas. Wafa means to remain firm on the rights of friendship, to keep it lasting till the death of friend and to keep it even after his death with his wife, children and friends and relatives and to take care of them. Ikhlas means to fulfill the duties of friendship selflessly, for the sake of God. The object of friendship seflessly for the sake of God. The object of friendship for the sake of God is to get benefit in the next world. The Prophet said that seven persons will get shade under the shade of the Throne on the Resurrection Day. There are two persons out of them who love each other for the sake for God. A certain woman once came to the Prophet who showed respect to her. On being asked the reason, the Prophet said: This woman used to come to our house during the life time of Khadija. To honor the right of friendship appertains to faith Accord good treatment to friends. God says: Tell My servants that they should say those things that are best, for the devil sows dissensions among them - : 7:53 Q. God says about Joseph that he said: When God took me out of prison, He was indeed good to me and took you all from the desert even after the devil had sown enmity between me and my brothers - 12:100. Friendship becomes lasting when it is done for the sake of God. If one makes friendship for a certain purpose, it ends when the purpose is fulfilled. The result of friendship for God is not hatred for any Matter, temporal or spiritual. God says of this love for Him: They don’t find any necessity (hatred) in their hearts for what they are given and they take to self sacrifice for friends. Finding any necessity means here hatred.

(8) Not to give trouble to a friend: Don’t inflict trouble to your friend and give up the giving of trouble and taking of trouble. Don’t ask anything from his wealth and properties. Don’t hope to get any benefit from his name and fame. Don’t tell him: Take my care and fulfill the duties towards me. Hope for the rewards of his prayer, meet with him and help in his duties of religion and seek nearness of God by fulfilling duties towards him. A certain wise man said: The friend who places his honour above the honour of his friend and thinks himself superior to his friend, commits sin and allows another to commit it. The man who considers his friend as his equal suffers mental agony. The man who considers himself inferior to his friend keeps himself and his friend safe Hazrat Ayesha said: A believer is brother to another believer. He does not seek advantage over him and does not inflict trouble on him. Hazrat Juniad said: I kept company with four classes of Sufis There were thirty Sufis in each class. They are Hares Mohasabi and his party men, Hasan Majusi and his party men, Sarri Sakti and his party men, Ibaul Karabi and his party men. Those who made friends out of them for the sake of God, did not inflict trouble on one another and did not keep company with one another without any reason. A certain sage said: Live with the worldly people with good manners. Live with the people of the next world with knowledge and live as you wish with the God-fearing people.

Know, O dear readers that there are three classes of people, You will gain benefit by association with only one class of people. You can do some benefit to the second class of people and you receive no harm at their hands, nor you will receive any benefit from them. You cannot do any benefit to the third class of people, rather you will receive harm as a result of your association with them. These people are fools and ill tempered. Don’t give up the second class of people as they will do you benefit in the next world by their intercession and invocation. God sent revealation to Moses: If you obey Me, you will have many friends. In other words: If you show sympathy to them, bear patience at their harms and do not hate them, you will have many friends. A wise man said: The love of one is lasting who has got no outward show. A certain companion said: God curses those who inflict trouble on others.

The Prophet said: I and the God fearing men of my followers are free from infliciting troubles. A wise man said: When a man does four works in the house of his friend his love becomes perfect - (1) when he eats with him, (2) when he does necessary works with him, (3) when he prays with him, (4) and when he sleeps with him. The Prophet said: A man is upon the religion of his friend. There is no good in the company of a friend who does not consider good for his friend what he considers good for himself. Look to your friend with such a look of love that he can know your love. Look to his good deeds and not to his faults. It has been reported that whoever sat before the Prophet, he used to show his face to him. Every man thought that he was honoured more by the Prophet. Even his sitting, his hearing, his dissension and arguing with him in sweet words are held in the same assembly. His assembly was that of shame, humility, modesty and trust. The Prophet wore a smiling look before his companisions and remand satisfied with what the companion remained satisfied.

SUMMARY OF DUTIES TOWARDS FRIENDS

If you wish good company, meet with your friends and enemies with smiling countenance and do not dishonour them. Don’t fall into fear from them. Take to gravity without pride. Be modest without meanness. Adopt middle course in all your actions. The two extremes of every action in condemned. Don’t look to both sides of your own: Don’t look long towards anything. Don’t keep standing in the assembly of many men. When you sit, sit comfortably. Don’t make sound of your fingers. Don’t move your beard and ring, don’t make pick of you teeth, don’t enter your finger into your nose, don’t spit much, don’t cleanse teeth off and on don’t drive flies and mosquitoes very much, don’t yawn much before the people in prayer and in other deeds, make your assembly as guide, make you disenssion in an orderly manner. Use sweet words with one whom you discuss, don’t be too much pleased in any matter. Don’t request for repetition of any word. Be silent near those who arouse laughter and tell stories.

Don’t Discuss about your satisfaction with your children, servants poetry, composition and books and other things. Don’t be engaged in telling stories like servants and slaves. Don’t use oil or antimony in great quantity. Don’t pass urine and stole off and on. Don’t term an oppressor as brave. Don’t keep informed your wife and children of the amount of your wealth and other properties, because if they see your little wealth, you will become humiliated to them, and if they see your too much wealth, you won’t be able to satisfy them. Don’t fear them so much as they can treat with you harshly. Don’t be so much soft to them as they should sit on your head. Don’t keep laughing with the servants or else your gravity will reduce thereby. Keep honour at the time of disputes and be careful of your ignorance. Give up haste and think of your proof. Don’t hint much with your hand, look at those who remains behind you or else don’t look much look at those Don’t sit on your knees. Speak when anger is appeased.

If the ruler appoints you as one of his near advisers, keep sharp look like edges of teeth. If he is at laugh with you, don’t be safe at his sudden change to you. Treat with him like a boy. Speak according to his with till he commands to commit a sin. If he shows kindness on you, don’t treat unjusty with his wife and children taking its advantage. Be careful of the solvent friend as he is the greatest enemy. Don’t honour your wealth more than your honour. When you enter an assembly, salute them first. Don’t go in front of one who goes forward. Sit wherever you get space. Salute those who come to you when you sit. Don’t sit in the middle of the pathway. If you sit there, shut up your sight, help the oppressed and the weak, show path to the misguided, respond to salutation, give charity to the beggars, enjoin good and avoid evil, spit in its proper place, don’t spit towards the Ka’ba nor to the right side but to the left side or under your left foot.

Don’t sit together with the kings and rulers. When you sit, give up back-biting, falsehood and secret things, speak very little to them about your necessities, treat with them with words of a gentleman and mention their qualities. Don’t cut jokes with them. Don’t fear them too much. If their love for you it expressed, it is better. Don’t yawn before them and don’t make pick after meal. Hear every word in front of a ruler but don’t break secrets and pursue honour of his inmates. Don’t sit with the people in general. If you sit with them, give up useless talks. Be indifferent to their evil words. Meet with them rarely even in times of necessity. Don’t cut jokes with the wise and the fools as the wise will hate you and the fools will go against you. Fear goes away at jokes and laughter, honour is disobeyed, hatred increases, taste of love goes away, defects fall in the wisdom of a learned man, it gives encouragement to the fools, honour is endangered before the wise, hatred increases and for that becomes dead. It makes God distant, and carelessness is earned. The Prophet said: If a man sits in an assembly where much useless talks are held and he says before he gets up from the assembly: Glory to God, O God, Thine is all praise, I bear witness that there is no deity but Thou. I seek forgiveness to Thee and I turn to Thee, he is forgiven of the sins he commits it that assembly.

CHAPTER VI: DUTIES TO RELATIVES, NEIGHBOURS, SLAVES AND MUSLIMS

Man is social being and he is to observe certain rules and regulations if he lives in society. I am going to discuss these rules and regulations to be observed by a Muslim while dealing with persons of various types.

DUTIES TOWARDS A MUSLIM

(1) The following instructions have come in the Quran and Hadis. When you meet a Muslim, give him Salam. When he invites you, accept his invitation. When he sneezes, respond to him. When he falls ill, call on him. When he dies, join his funeral prayer. If he seeks your advice, give him advice. If he is absent, guard his proprieties. Love for him what you love for yourself. Don’t love for him what you do not love for yourself . The Prophet said: There are four duties on you to help the pious, to seek forgiveness for the sinners, to invoke good for the unfortunate and to love those who make repentance. God says: They are sympathetic towards one another. Hazrat Ibn Abbas explained it by saying: The pious among them seek forgiveness for the sinners. When a sinner among the Muslim looks to a pious man, the latter should say: O God, give him the blessing of good of which you have decreed for him and keep him firm over it and give him benefit therewith. When a pious man looks to a sinner among them, he should pray for him thus: O God, give him guidance, accept his repentance and forgive his sins.

(2) Love for the believers what you love for yourself and dislike for the believers what you dislike for yourself. The Prophet said: The Muslim society is like a body in respect of mutual love and sympathy. If a limb of the body suffers pain, the whole body responds to it by sleepessness and fever. The Prophet said: One believer is like a building to another believer a portion of which strengthens another portion.

(3) Don’t give trouble to a Muslim by your words and actions. The Prophet said: A Muslim is he from whose tongue and hands other Muslim remain safe. The Prophet advised the people to do good deeds in a long sermon. He said in the midst of his sermon.

If you are unable to do it, advise the people to give up evils, because it is a charity. It will be considered for you as an act of charity. The Prophet said: The best Muslim is he from whose tongue and hands other Muslim, remains safe. The Prophet once was asked: Do you know who is a Muslim? The companions replied. God and His Apostle know best. He said: A Muslim is he from whose tongue and hands other Muslim are safe and a believer is he in whose hand the lives and properties of the believers remain safe. The companions asked: Who is a refuges? He said: One who gives up sin. A man asked: What is Islam? he said: Your sacrifice of heart for the sake of God and the Muslim remaining safe from your tongue and hands. The Prophet said: I saw a man loitering freely in Paradise for rewards of cutting tree which was obstructing the path of the Muslims.

Hazrat Abu Hurairah asked the Prophet one day: O Messenger of God, give me such advice as will do benefit to me. He said: Remove the injurious things from the path of the Muslims. The Prophet said: If a man removes an injurious thing from the path of the Muslims, God writes for him a virtue. Paradise is sure for one for whom God writes a virtue. The Prophet said; It is no lawful for a Muslim to cast such a look on another Muslim which gives him trouble in mind. He said: It is not lawful for a Muslim to threaten another Muslim with fear. He said: God does not like that the believers should be given trouble.

(4) Be modest to every Muslim. Don’t treat harshly with him, don’t take pride near him as God does not love the proud and the self-conceited. The Prophet said: God revealed to me: Be modest to one another and don’t be proud to one another. If anybody shows pride to you, keep patience. God ordered the Prophet: Take to pardon and enjoin good and keep away from the illiterate. The Prophet was modest to every Muslim, he was not harsh to them and did not dislike to do the necessary works of the poor and the widows.

(5) Don’t hear back-biting and don’t take it to others. The Prophet said: The back-biter will not enter paradise.

(6) Give up disputes and quarrels. When you get angry with another, don’t give up his association for more than three days. The Prophet said: It is not lawful for a Muslim to remain aloof from his brother for more than three days, nor should he turn away his face from another if both of them meet. The better of the two is one who greets first with salutation. The Prophet said: If a man pardons the faults of a Muslim, God will forgive his faults on the resurrection day. Hazrat Ayesha said: The Prophet never took revenge for personal wrongs. The Prophet said: Wealth does not reduce by charity. God does not increase but honour in case of pardon. God raises a man who becomes modest for the sake of God.

(7) Do good to every one either deserving or underserving. The Prophet said: Do good to everyone, pious, or impious. If you do good to one who is fit to receive, it is good. If he is not fit to receive it, you are fit to do good. The Prophet said: The root of wisdom after religion is to love for men and to do good to everyone, pious or impious. Hazrat Abu Hurairah said that the Prophet did not withdraw his hand from another till the latter withdrew his own hand.

(8) Treat well with all and speak to everyone according to his intellect. If you go to meet an illiterate person with words, of wisdom and with theology and dispute with the fools, you will get trouble.

(9) Honour the dead and show affection to the juniors: The Prophet said: He who does not show affection to our juniors is not of us. He said: ‘To honour an aged Muslim is to honour God.’ The honour of an aged man does not become perfect if without his permission one talks with others of the party. Hazrat Jaber reported: A deputation of Juhaina tribe once came to the Prophet. A young man among them stood on their behalf to talk to the Prophet. The Prophet said: Stop, where is your aged man? The Prophet said: ‘If a young man shows honour to an aged man, God will create, for him such one in his old age who will show him honour.’ This means that he will live up to old age. So if you show honour to the aged, God will prolong your life. The Prophet said that the Hour will not came till a son gets angry at his parents, till there is profuse rain, till the back-biters come out from every place, till the honourable men will be unseen, till the juniors will not show honour to the aged and till the wrong doers will not be doing wrong against the honourable men. So treat affectionately with the boys according to the habit of the Prophet. Whenever the Prophet returned from a journey, the boys used to meet him and he waited for them standing in their front. He used to make some boys sit in his front and some in his back. He used to take the little children in his lap and some of them even passed urine in his cloth.

(10) Live with all men with smiling face and kind heart: The Prophet said: Do you know for whom Hell has been made unlawful? The companions said: God and his Apostle know best. He said: Those who are modest, simple and neighbours of God. He said: God loves the simple and those having smiling countenance. A certain man asked: O Messenger of God, give me clue to such an action which will send me to Paradise. He said To give salutation and to speak sweet words are means of forgiveness. The Prophet said: Save yourself from the fire of Hell by giving in charity even half a seed of dried grapes. If you cannot do it, save yourself in lieu of a sweet word. The Prophet said: There are rooms in Paradise of which the inner sides can be seen from the outer sides. A desert Arab said: ‘O Prophet of God, for whom are these rooms?’ He said: For those who use sweet words, give food and remain busy in prayers when the people remain asleep. The Prophet advised Muaz-b-Jabal saying: Fear God, tell the truth, fulfil promise, break not trust, take care of neighbours, show kindness to the orphans, be modest in talk, greet with salam and spread peace. Hazrat Anas narrated: A poor woman came to the Prophet and said: I have got some necessity to you. Some companions were then present there. He said: Sit down in this lane and I shall also sit with you. She sat down and the Prophet also did so. She said to the Prophet what she had to say.

(11) Fulfil promise with the Muslims. The Prophet said: Promises is like charity. He said: There are three faults of hyporcrite — (1) when he promises, he breaks it, (2) when he speaks, he speaks lies, (3) and when he is entrusted with a thing, he does not return it. The Prophet said: He in whom there are these three faults is a hypocrite though he prays and fasts.

(12) Do justice to the people willingly and come to them with what they love. The Prophet said: The faith of a man does not become perfect in whom three qualities are not found — (1) to spend till he becomes poor, (2) to do justice to oneself, (3) and to greet with salam. The Prophet said: He who hopes to keep Hell distant and to enter Paradise shall testify at the time of death that there is no deity but God and Muhammad is the Messenger of God and treat with the people in such a manner as he wishes to get from them. The Prophet said: O Abu Darda’a , treat well with your neighbour, you will then be a believer. Love for men what you love for yourself, you will then be a Muslim. Hazrat Moses asked God: O Lord, who is the best judge among. Thy servants? He said: That servant who does best justice to himself.

(13) Honour those to whom honour is due. Honour one who is understood to be honourable in rank from his nature, conduct, appearance and dresses and his status and rank. It is reported that when Hazrat Ayesha was in her tent in a journey, a beggar came to her when food was served to her and begged some food. Hazrat Ayesha said: Give him a piece of bread. Thereafter a man came to her riding on a horse. Hazrat Ayesha said: Call him to this feast. She was asked: You have given a bread to the begger, while you called the horse man to a feast. What is the reason? Hazrat Ayesha said: God has given different persons different ranks. We should entertain them according to their ranks. This poor man will be pleased with a piece of bread, but to give to this rich man a piece of bread is out of etiquette.

It has been reported that once the Prophet entered a room and the people came there and the room was full. Then Zarir-b-Abdullah, the chief of the tribe, came there but finding no place to sit he sat upon the door. Seeing this, the Prophet gave him his shirt to sit thereon. He began to kiss it and handed it over to the Prophet and said: May God honour you as you have honoured me. The Prophet said: When any honourable man of a people comes to you, honour him. The foster mother of the Prophet, Halima, once came to him and the Prophet gave her his own shirt to her to sit on and said: Mother, you are welcome. Your intercession will be accepted. You will be given what you want. She said: I intercede to you for my own people. The Prophet said: You are the owner of my dues and the dues of the people of Hashemite dynasty. Then he gave the entire booty gained in the battle of Hunain to her. Halima sold it to Hazrat Osman for one lac dirhams.

(14) Compromise disputes among the Muslims if you have got means. The Prophet said: Shall I not inform you of a greater rank than that of prayer, fasting and Zakat? The companions said: Surely. The Prophet said: It is to compromise disputes.

Dispute between two persons is destructive. The Prophet said: To settle dispute between two persons is the best charity. The Prophet said: Fear God and settle disputes among you, God will then compromise disputes among the believer. The Prophet said: He who settles dispute between two persons is not a great liar. He also said: Every lie is recorded except three lies — (1) the lie of a man in a war battle as it is a deception, (2) the lie of a man to settle dispute between two persons, (3) and the lie of husband to please his wife.

(15) Keep the secrets of Muslims secret: The Prophet said: If a man keeps the guilts of a Muslims secret, God will keep his guilts secret both in this world and the next. He also said: If a man keeps the sin of a man secret in this world, God will keep all of his sins secret on the Resurrection Day. The Prophet said: If a believer keeps the fault of his brother secret, he will enter Paradise. When Ma’az disclosed the condition of his fornication to the Prophet, he said: Had you kept it concealed under your cloth, it would have been better. Hazrat Abu Bakr said: If I see a drunkard, I entertain such a hope in my mind that God will keep this sin secret. Hazrat Omar one night went out in the city in disguise and saw a man and a woman in obscene action. In the morning he told the people: If certain Ameer sees a man and a woman committing fornication and if he metes out prescribed punishment in the Quran to them, what is your opinion about it? They said: You are a ruler. You have got freedom in this action. Hazrat Ali said: Punishment in this case is unlawful, rather you are to suffer punishment for this for slander. This punishment cannot be meted out without the evidence of four persons. After this, Hazrat Omar kept silent for some days. Again he questioned them and they replied as they had said: He became inclined towards the opinion of Hazrat Ali and decided not to mete out the punishment. This is a good proof that the sins of the Muslims should be kept secret and that four eye witness are necessary for the capital punishment for fornication which is practically is possible in a case of sexual of sexual intercourse. The Prophet said: When God keeps the sin of a persons secret, He is more honourable to disclose it in the next world. Hazrat Abdur Rauf-b-Aaf narrated: We came out with Hazrat Omar secretly to travel in the city of Medina in the grim midnight. We saw a light in a house and proceeded towards it. When we came near, we found that in a closed door Rabia-b-Omayya was intoxicated with drinking wine. I said: Don’t spy. So Hazrat Omar returned there. The Prophet said to Muwayiah: If you enquire into the secrets of the people, you will ruin them. The Prophet said: O people (who have faith by tongue but in whose heart the light of Islam has not yet entered), don’t back-bite and Muslims, don’t roam about to enquire into their secrets because he who roams about the secrets of his brother, God will enquire about his secrets. God humiliates one whose secrets He follows, even though he remains within the house. Hazrat Abu Bakr said: If I see anybody to commit prescribed offense, I will not arrest him nor I will tell anybody to arrest him till some person remains with me. A wise man said: I was seated one day with Hazrat Abdullah-b-Masud. At that time a man brought another man to him saying: This man is a drunkard. Abdullah-b-Masud said: Take smell from his mouth. The people took smell from his mouth and it was found that he drank wine. He then arrested him and whipped him. He asked the man who brought him. Is this man your relative? He said: I am his uncle. He said: You have not given him training and good manners and did not keep his sin secret. When any sin of a person is mentioned to a ruler, he has got no other alternatives but to punish him. God is forgiving and love forgiveness. Then he recited. Take to pardon and forgiveness. I will mention to you with regard to a thief who was brought to the Prophet for the first time. He ordered for cutting of his hands which were cut off. But then the colour of his face became changed at this. The companions asked: Are you dissatisfied with the cutting of his hands? He said: Why should not I? Don’t be helpers of the devil against your brothers. The companions asked: Then why have you not forgiven him? When a man in brought to a ruler for being guilty of a prescribed crime, it becomes compulsory on him to inflict the prescribed punishment on him. God is forgiving, He loves forgiveness. Then he recited: Let them pardon and forgive. Don’t you like that God may forgive you? God is forgiving, merciful.

Once Hazrat Omar, while going at night in the city, heard sounds of songs in a house. He got over the wall and found that there was a woman with them and a pot of wine near a man. He said: O enemy of God, have you thought that God will keep your sin concealed? He said: O Commander of the faithful, you have come yourself! Don’t be hasty in judgement I committed one sin this time, but you have committed three sins. God said: Don’t spy, You have committed spying and therefore committed one sin. God says: ‘It is not righteousness that you should come to the houses by their back-doors.’ You have come overstepping the wall and so you have committed another sin God says: Don’t enter a house other than your own houses till you seek permission and greet their inmates - 25:27 Q. You have entered my house without permission and greeting. Hazrat Omar said: If I pardon you, will it do any good to you? He said: By God, O Commander of the faithful, it will do me good. If you pardon me, I will never do it. Then he pardoned him and went away.

The Prophet said: God will take a believer near Him, spread His mercy on him and keep his fault secret on the Resurrection Day. God will say: O My servant, I have kept it secret for you in the world and I wished to pardon you to-day. Then the book of good deeds will be given to him. The Prophet said: Every person of my followers will be forgiven except Muzaher who is a person who commits sins and then discloses them. He also said: If a person hears the news of a people secretly but they dislike it, molten brass will be put into their ears on the Resurrection Day.

(16) Keep away from places of slander and back-biting so that the minds of the people remain free from cherishing evil ideas about you. God says: Don’t abuse those whom they worship besides God, lest they abuse God out of enmity. The Prophet said: Do you see a man who rebukes his parents? The companions said: Is there anybody who rebukes his own parents? He said: Yes, some one rebukes his parent and he in turn rebukes his parents. In order to avoid evil conjecture of the people, one should not even talk with his wife before the public on the path way. Once Hazrat Omar passed by a man who was talking with a woman on the road. When Omar was about to whip him, he said: She is my wife. Hazrat Omar said: Why have you not talked with her in a place where people will not see you?

(17) Intercede for everyone. Make intercession to one who has got authority, to remove the needs of a Muslim and try hard to meet his requirements. The Prophet said: If anybody amongst you seeks something from me, I wish I should give it to him at once, but if anyone among you remains present near me, I like that he should intercede for him, as he gets rewards for that. So make intercession, you will get reward. God does through His Prophet what He loves. The Prophet said: Intercede to me, you will get rewards. I make delay to do a thing though I wish to do it, so that you may get rewards by interceding for it. The Prophet said: No charity is better than oral charity? He was asked: What is oral charity? He said: A just pleading which saves the life of man, benefits man or saves a man from a calamity.

(18) Greet every Muslim with salam before talk and before greeting handshake with him. The Prophet said: Don’t respond to one who begins talk before salam till he begins talk with salam. A wise man said: Once I went to the Prophet but did not great him with salam and did not seek permission. The Prophet said: Go back and say: ‘Peace be on you’ and then enter. The Prophet said: When you enter your house, greet its inmates with salam, because when one of you greets, the devil does not enter his house. Hazrat Anas said: I have been serving the Prophet for the last eight years. He said to me one day: O Anas, make ablution well, your life will be prolonged. Greet with salam to any of my followers whom you meet, your rewards will increase. Greet with salam the inmates of a house when you enter it, that will be good for you. He also said: When two believers meet and handshake with each other, seventy virtues are divided among them. He who meets out of them with smiling, countenance, will get sixty nine virtue therefrom. God says: When you are greeted with greeting, greet them with a better greeting than it or similar to it. The Prophet said: By One in whose hand there is my life, you will not enter Paradise till you believe, you will not believe till you love one another. Shall I not inform you of such an action for which you will love one another if you do it? The companions said: Yes, O Messenger of God. He said: Spread peace among you. He said: When a Muslim greets another Muslim with salam and the latter responds to it, the angels bless him seventy times. The Prophet said: The rider will salute one sitting. When one of a party salutes, it is sufficient for them.

Handshaking with salam is Sunnat: A man came to the Prophet and said: Peace be on you. He said: For him, ten rewards have been written. Another man came and said: Peace be on you and God’s mercy. He said: For him twenty rewards have been written. Another came and said: Peace be on you, God’s mercy and His blessing. He said: For him thirty rewards have been written. Hazrat Anas saluted the boys while passing by them. The Prophet said: Don’t greet the Jews and the Christens first. If one of you meets any of them on the path or, lead him to the narrow corner of the path. The Prophet said: Don’t handshake with the Zimmis and don’t greet them first. When you meet any of them, take him to a corner of the pathway.

Hazrat Ayesha reported: A party of the Jews came to the Prophet and said: Sa’m (death) on you The Prophet said: On you too. Hazrat Ayesha said: On you also death and curse. The Prophet then said: O Ayesha. God loves kindness in everything. Hazrat Ayesha said: Have you not heard what they said? He said: I also said: On you too The Prophet said: The rider will salute one who walks, one who walks will salute one seated, a small party to the big party, the juniors to the seniors. The Prophet said: Don’t follow the Jews and the Christians, because the greeting of the Jews is hint by fingers and the greeting of the Christians is clapping by hands. The Prophet said: When a man reaches an assembly, he shall salute them. When he thinks good to sit, then he will sit. When he goes away, he will salute them. The first man has got no greater right than the last. Hazrat Omar said: I heard the Prophet say: When two Muslims meet with each other and one of them greets another and handshakes with him, one hundred mercies are showered on them, ninety for one who first greets and ten for one who handshakes. Hazrat Hasan Basari said: Handshake increases love. The Prophet said: Handshakes among you perfects greeting. The Prophet said. Handshake is like kissing the hand of Muslim to his brother. There is no harm in kissing the hand of a religious man and an honourable man out of respect. Ibn Omar said: We used to kiss the hands of the Prophet. A desert Arab came and said: O Messenger of God, give me permission to kiss his head and hands. On permission being given, he kissed his head and hands. Hazrat Bar’a-b-Ajeb reported that when he saluted the Prophet at the time of ablution, he did not respond to it till he finished his ablution. Then he responded to him and handshaked with him. He said: This is the practice of the foreigners. The Prophet said: When two Muslims meet with each other and handshake, their sins fall down.

It is prohibited to bow the head at the time of greeting. Hazrat Anas said: We asked the Prophet: O Messenger of God, shall we bow our head for one another? He said: No They said: Shall we kiss one another? He said: No They said Shall we handshake with one another? He said: Yes. Hazrat Abu Zarr said: Whenever I met the Prophet, he handshaked with me. Once during my absence he enquired of me. When I heard it, I came to him and found him sitting in a Khatia. He got up from it and embraced me. This shows that embracing is good. It is Makruh to stand up for a man thinking him great but to stand in his honour is not Makruh. Hazrat Anas said that nobody was dearer to the companions than the Prophet. When they saw him, they used not to stand up, because they knew that the Prophet disliked it. The Prophet once said to them: When you see me, don’t stand up as the foreigners do. The Prophet said: Let one seek his abode in Hell who is pleased with the standing of other for him. The Prophet said: Let nobody take the seat of another person after asking him to get up, rather he should make it spacious. One day a man saluted the Prophet while he was passing urine. He did not respond to him and disliked it. He said: When one of you meets his brother, let him say Peace be on you and God’s mercy. If he does not get space after greeting, let him not go but take seat behind the rows. The Prophet said: If two Muslims handshake with each other after meeting, God forgives them before they part away.

(19) To help the distressed: Save your Muslim brother from oppression on his honour, wealth and life, remove it and help him, because it is binding on account of the brotherhood of Islam. Once a man abused another before the Prophet to which another man protested. The Prophet said: If a man saves the honour of his brother Muslim, it stands as a screen of Hell. He said: If a Muslim saves the honour of another Muslim it becomes the duty of God to remove from him the fire of Hell on the Resurrection day. The Prophet said: If a Muslim is mentioned before his brother and the latter does not help him inspite of his ability to help, God will arrest him in the world and the next. If a Muslim is mentioned before his brother and he helps him, God will help him in this world and the next. The Prophet said: if a Muslim keeps alive the honour of his brother Muslim in this world, God will send to him an angel on the Resurrection day to save him from hell-fire. He said: If a Muslim helps his brother Muslim in a place in which his honour is at stake, God will help him in such a place where he well be dependent on him for his help. On the otherhand, if a Muslim is about to disgrace his brother Muslim, and if another Muslim does not help him according to his ability and show no sympathy, God will disgrace and dishonour him in such a place where he will be waiting for help.

(20) Respond to sneezing: The Prophet said: He who sneezes will say: God’s praise in all circumstances and one who hears it will say: May God have mercy on you. The sneezer will then say: May God guide you and make your mind pure. Once the Prophet replied to a sneezer and did not reply to another. When asked the reason he said: One has praised God and another remained silent. The Prophet said: When a Muslim sneezes thrice, respond to him. If he increases more than thrice, it is a disease. When the Prophet sneezed, he used to shut up his mouth with his hand or cloth. The Jews sneezed before the Prophet with the hope of getting a reply ‘May God show you mercy. He used to say: Say: May God guide you. The Prophet said: Sneezing comes from God and yawing for the devil. When one of you yawn, let him place his hand upon his mouth. Moses said: O Lord, art Thou near me, so that I may hold secret conversation with Thee? Art thou distant, so that I may speak loudly to Thee? He said: I am with one who remembers Me. He said: We are sometime in such a condition that to remember Thee is impertinence, such as in the state of impurity or at the times of calls of nature. He said: Remember me at all times.

(21) Help at the time of distress and calamities: God says Remove evil with what is good. God says: They remove evil by good deeds. Hazrat Abu Abbas explained this evil by saying: Those who treat with salam and modesty in lieu of harm and harsh treatment. God says: If God would not have repelled one people by another, cloister, etc. would have been destroyed. Hazrat Ibn Abbas said that the meaning of another is a people with hope, fear, modesty and humble behavior. The Prophet said: O Ayesha, the worst man on the Resurrection Day will be a man whom the people forsake for fear of his harm. He said: If a man keeps patience to save his honour after hearing abusive words, it will be an act of charity for him.

(22) Give up the company of the rich and take the company of the poor and show kindness on the orphans. The Prophet said: O God, let me live as a poor man let me die as a poor man and resurrect me with the poor. Whenever Hazrat Solaiman saw a poor man, he sat with him and said: A poor man is sitting by the side of a poor man. It has been reported that nothing could please Jesus Christ so much as he was when addressed as a poor man. The sage Fuzail said: I heard that a Prophet said: O Lord, how can I know that you are pleased with me? He said: Look for it when the poor remain satisfied with you. the Prophet said: Be careful of the assemblies of the dead. He was asked: O Messenger of God, who are the dead? He said: The rich men. Moses asked God: O Lord, where shall I search for Thee? He said: Near the broken heart. The Prophet said: Don’t be envious for the fortunes of the sinners, because you do not know that will be their condition. There is behind them one who enquires of them with haste.

Orphans The Prophet said: Paradise is sure for one who maintains an orphan after taking him from Muslim parents till he comes of age. He said: I and the care taker of an orphan will remain in Paradise like these two fingers. He hinted by joining his two fingers. He said: He who passes his hand out of sympathy on the hairs of an orphan will get virtues to the proportion of hairs on which his hand has passed. The Prophet said: The best house of the Muslim is one in which an orphan is well treated and the worst house of the Muslims is one is which an orphan is badly treated.

(23) Give advice to every Muslim. The Prophet said: A believer shall love for another believer what he loves for himself. He said: Nobody of you can be a believer till he loves for his brother what he loves for himself. He said: One of you is like a mirror for another. If he sees anything wrong in him, he should remove it from him. He said: He who fulfills the needs of his brother Muslim, has done divine service as it were for his whole life. He said: If a man destroys the honour of a believer, God will destroy his virtues one the Resurrection Day. He said: If a man spends one hour to relieve the sufferings of his brother Muslim day or night, it is better than two months, I tiqaf (seclution in mosque), whether his sufferings are removed or not. The Prophet said: If a man removes the anxieties of a believer or helps an oppressed person, God forgives his seventy three sins. He said: Help your brother Muslim, he be oppressed or oppressor. He was asked: How can he help the oppressor? He said: He thing to God is to incur pleasure to the mind of a believer, or to pay off his debt or to appease his hunger by giving food. The Prophet said: If a man saves a believer from the deceit of a hypocrite, God will send for him on the Resurrection Day an angel who will protect his flesh from Hell- fire. He said: There is no sin worse than two sin - (1) to set up partners with God and (2) to oppress God’s servants. There is no virtue better than two virtue (1) to have faith in God and (2) and to do good to God’s servants. The Prophet said: He whose mind is not moved with the sufferings of the Muslims, is not of them. The sage Ma’ruf Karkhi said: If one says everyday: O God, show mercy on the followers of Muhammad, God will include him in the class of Abdals. In another narration: If a man recites thrice everyday: O God, make the followers of Muhammad, good, O God, relieve the suffering of the followers of Muhammad God enrolls him as one of the Abdals.

(24) Call on the diseased. If a Muslim falls ill, call on him and nurse him. The following rules must be observed when you go to see a patient. (1) Sit for a short while before the patient, ask him few questions, take information of his health with soft mind and pray for his recovery. The Prophet said: If a man goes to a patient and places his hand on his forehead or asks the condition of his disease his meeting with him becomes perfect. Handshaking perfects your greeting. The Prophet said: He who meets with a patient, sits by the side of Paradise. When he return, he is entrusted with seventy thousand angels who pray for him up to night. He said: When a man goes to see a patient, he remains inmerged in mercy. When he sits by his bed, it becomes permanent. He said: When a Muslim goes to see his brother, a diseased Muslim or meets with him, God says Blessings on you, your steps, are good. He said: When a man falls ill, God sends to him two angels saying: Look what he says to the patient. When he comes to him and praises God, they carry it to God and prays to Him, God says. If I cause the death of this servant, I will admit him in Paradise. If I cure him, I will give him better flesh than this flesh, better blood than this blood and forgive his sins. The Prophet said: God gives disease to a man whom He loves. He said: The Prophet once came to see a patient and said: In the name of God, the most Compassionate, the Most Merciful, I give you from the evil which I see to the refuge of God, the Unique, free from want. He begets not, nor is He begotten and there is none like him. The Prophet said: Visit a patient every alternate day and treat modestly with him.

(25) Join the funeral prayer of a Muslim. The Prophet said He who follows the bier will get a Qirat of virtue. If he waits up to burial, he will get two Qirats of virtue. The Prophet said: One Qirat is like coins full of Uhud mountain. He said: Three things follow a dead man, two return and one does not return. His relatives and wealth return, but his actions do not return.

(26) Visit the graves of the dead. The object is to pray, to take lessons and to make the mind soft. The Prophet said: I have not seen a more horrible secenery than grave. The Prophet once went to the grave of his mother Amina. He said: I sought permission of God to visit her grave and He gave me permission. I sought His permission for her forgiveness but he refused it. He began to weep. He said: grave is the first station out of the stations of the next world. If its inmate gets relief from it, what will occurs after it will be easy. If he does not get relief from it, what occurs after it will be severe. Hazrat Abu Darda’a used to sit by graves. Being asked the reason, he said I sit with such people who remind me of the next world. If I go away from them they do not back-bite me. The Prophet said: There is no night in which a proclaimer does not proclaim: O inmates of the graves, whom do you envy? They say: We envy the inmates of mosques, as they fast and we do not fast, as they pray and we do not pray, as they remember God and we do not remember Him. Sufiyan Saori said: He who remember grave much, will get a garden in Paradise out of His gardens. He who does not remember grave gets a hole in Hell out of its holes.

RIGHTS OF NEIGHBOURS

As a Muslim has got rights over you, so a neighbour also has got rights over you. The Prophet said: There are three classes of neighbours. The first class neighbour has got one right, the second class two, and the third class three. He who is a neighbour, a Muslim and a relative has got three rights, one right of being a neighbour, one right of being a relative, and one right of being a Muslim. The second class neighbour has got two rights, one right of being a Muslim and one right of being a neighbour. The third class neighbour has got only one right. The right of being an infidel neighbour. The Prophet said: Treat well with your neighbour, you will be a Muslim. The Prophet said: Gebriel was insisting always to pay the right of the neighbour so much that I thought that he would give him the right of inheritance. The Prophet said: Let him who believes in God and the next world honour his neighbour. He said: He is not a believer from whose harms his neighbour is not safe. He said: The first two who will come as disputants on the Resurrection day will be neighbours. He said: When you throw a stone at the dog of neighbour, you cause trouble to his mind. The Prophet once was said: A certain man fasts all day and prays all night, but he give trouble to his neighbour. The Prophet said: he is in Hell. At another time, a man complained against his neighbour to the Prophet and he said: Have patience. When he said twice and thrice. The Prophet said: Throw your goods on the pathway. When he threw them, the people asked him: What is the matter with you? They were told that his neighbour was giving him trouble. They began to say: God’s curse upon him. His neighbour came to him and said: By God, I will not treat with him further in such a manner. Once the Prophet said: Proclaim forty surrounding houses as houses of neighbours. He said fortune and misfortune lie in woman, house and conveyance. A woman is a cause of fortune when her dower is little, her marriage is easily performed and her character and conduct are good. The cause of her misfortune occurs when her dower is heavy, her marriage is solemnised with difficulty and her character and conduct are bad. Fortune regarding a house occurs when it is spacious and its neighbour is good and misfortune comes when it is narrow and its neighbour is bad. Fortune regarding a horse comes when it becomes submissive and has got a good figure and misfortune comes when it is disobedient and has got an ugly figure.

In short, the rights of a neighbour on you are the following: Salute him first, don’t talk with him for long, don’t ask about his condition long. Call on him when he is ill, show sympathy in his distress, be sorry in his sorrows, be happy in his happiness, share enjoyments in his happiness, pardon his faults, don’t look at the inner side of his house from the top of your roof, don’t trouble him by replacing your rafters on his wall, don’t let water flow down his courtyard, don’t shut up the outflow of water of his house through your boundary, don’t make the path to his house narrow, cover his fault if it is out, try to remove his distress as soon as possible, take care of his house in his absence, don’t hear his back-biting, talk with his sons and daughters with affection and read out to him “What he is ignorant” of the worldly and religious matters.

The Prophet said: Do you know about your duties towards your neighbour? Help him if he seeks your help, give him loan if he wants it, remove his wants if he is in wants, follow his bier if he is dead, give him joy him if he gets good news, show him sympathy and express sorrow if he is in danger, don’t raise up your building so high without his permission so as to obstruct his air, don’t give him trouble. If you purchase some fruits, give him something. If you do not do it, take them secretly to your house. Don’t allow your children to come out with them as it may cause displeasure of his children. Don’t give him trouble by the smoke of your cook-shed. There is no harm in sending food cooked in your cook-shed to your neighbour’s house, Then he said: Do you know the rights of a neighbour? By one in whose hand there is my life, one on whom God shows mercy can fuflil these duties towards neighbours. Hasan Basari used to present the meat of Qurbani to his neighbours — Jews and Christians. Hazrat Abu Zarr said: My friend the Prophet gave me these instructions: When you cook curry, increase its Soup and send something to your neighbour. Hazrat Ayesha said: O Messenger of God, I have got two neighbours, the house of one is near my house and the house of another is some distant. Whose right is greater? He said: The right of one whose house is nearer.

Hazrat Ayesha said: There are ten habits of an honourable man. They may be found in a man, but may not be found in his father. They may be found in his servant but may not be found in his master. God gives these to one whom He loves — (1) to speak the truth, (2) to treat good with the people, (3) to give charity to the beggars, (4) to help in domestic works, (5) to treat well with relatives, (6) to protect trust, (7) to perform the duties towards a neighbour, (8) to maintain friendship, (9) to entertain guests and (10) to keep shame. These are the foundations for all qualities. The Prophet said: O Muslim women, don’t think insignificant to give your neighbours even a goat’s cooked hoof. The Prophet said: The fortune of a Muslim is in spacious abode, good neighbour and satisfactory conveyance. One man asked: O Messenger of God, how shall I know whether a man is good or bad? He said: When you hear your neighbour say ‘He is good’ he is really good. If you hear say ‘he is bad’, he is really bad. The Prophet said: If a man has got a share in a wall, he shall not sell it without asking his cosharer. The Prophet said: A neighbour, can place his rafter in the wall of his neighbour whether he is willing or not. He said: Let none amongst you refuges his neighbour from placing rafter on his wall. The Prophet said: God gives sweetness to one whose good He wishes. He was asked: What is the meaning of sweetness? His said: He makes him dear to his neighbour.

RIGHTS OF RELATIVES

The Prophet said: God says: I am Rahim (Merciful and Raham (relationship) is derived from my name. I keep attached to one who joins it and I keep aloof from one who severs it. The Prophet said: If any man is pleased to prolong his life and to make his livelihood solvent, let him fear God and join the tie of relationship. The Prophet was once asked: Who is the best persons? He said: One who fears God most, keeps best connection with his relatives, gives much advice for good deeds and prohibits bad deeds. Hazrat Abu Zarr said: My friend (Prophet) advised me to keep good relation with relatives even though they treat badly. He ordered me to speak the truth though bitter. The Prophet said: Raham (relationship) is hanging with the Throne. The man who fulfills his duties towards his relatives is not the real protector of relationship but he is one who joins it after it is severed. He said: The rewards of keeping good relation with relatives are found more hastily than other rewards. His wealth and properties increase inspite of the inmates of his house being sinners and their numbers increase when they keep the relationship intact.

When the Prophet started for the conquest of Mecca, a man came to him and said: If you wish to marry a beautiful woman and to get a camel of red hue, start a campaign against the tribe of Mudlej. He said: God prohibited me to wage a campaign against them owing to my relationship with them the Prophet said: Charity to a poor man has got one merit and charity to a poor relative has good two merits. God says: You will never attain righteousness till you spend what you love. Hazrat Abu Talha was greatly satisfied on hearing the verse and wished to give in charity his garden of dates and said: O Prophet of God, I have gifted in charity this garden for the poor and destitute. The Prophet of God said: Your reward from God has become sure. Distribute it among your near relatives. The Prophet said: The greatest rewards is of that charity which you give to your relative who has got dispute with you. This can be understood from the following Hadis. The Prophet said: If a man joins the tie of relationship after it is severed and gives in charity to a man who deprives him, he will get the greatest rewards. Hazrat Omar sent this order to his governors: Order relatives to meet one another.

RIGHTS OF PARENTS AND CHILDREN

The nearer is the relation, the greater are the duties towards him. Parents are nearest to a man and so the duty towards them is greatest. The Prophet said: A son cannot fulfil his duties towards his father. He can, however, fulfil a part of it if he sees his father as a slave and liberates him. The Prophet said: To treat good with parents is better than prayer, fasting, pilgrimage, zakat, Umrah and jihad in the way of God. He said: If a man gets up at morning pleasing his parents, two doors of Paradise are opened up for him. If he gets up at dusk, he gets similar rewards. If he pleases one of them, one door is opened up for him even though they both oppress him (thrice) If a man gets up at dawn displeasing his parents, two doors are opened up for him towards Hell. If a man does it at dusk, he will get similar punishment. If he displeases one of them, one door is opened up for him, even though they both oppress him (thrice). The Prophet said: The fragrance of Paradise will be smelt from five hundred years’ distance. He who is disobedient to parents and he who severs the tie of relationship will not get it. The Prophet said: Obey your mother, then your father, then your sister, your brother and then your nearest relatives and then the near relatives. God said to Moses: O Moses, if a man obeys his parents but commits sins, I enroll him as obedient to parents. If a man disobeys Me but is obedient to his parents. I enroll him as obedient to parents. It has been reported that when Hazrat Yakub (Israil) went to Joseph, the latter did not stand in his honour. God then revealed to him: Have you not stood up in honour of your father? By oath of My glory, I will not make any Prophet out of your descendants.

The Prophet said: When a man wishes to give charity for his Muslim parents, his parents get is rewards without any reduction. Once a man asked the Prophet: O Messenger of God, is there any duty remaining towards parents after their death? He said: Yes, to invoke for them, to seek forgiveness for them, to fulfill their promise, to honour their friends and to preserve the tie of their relatives. The Prophet said: The best duty is to keep connection with those who were dear to them after their death. The Prophet said: The right of a mother is double than that of a father. He said: The Invocation by a mother for her child is soon accepted. He was asked: What is its reason? He said: She is more affectionate than father. The invocation of relatives does not go baffled. The Prophet was once asked: With whom shall I keep the tie of relationship? He said: With you parents. He said: I have got no parents. He said: Then with your children. As you have got duties towards you parents, so also you have got duties towards your children. The Prophet said: May God show mercy on the father who helps his children to obey him. In other words, he does not help them by his evil actions to go to misguidance. The Prophet said: Treat equally with your children in the matter of charity. It has been said that a child is your flower and till he reaches the age of seven years, you will enjoy his fragrance. When he is seven years old, he becomes your servant and thereafter he becomes either your enemy or sharer in your works.

The Prophet said: Observe Aqiqa (birth ceremony) on the seventh day of child’s birth, give him a name and remove from him uncleanliness. When the child is six years old, teach him good manners, when nine years old, separate his bed, beat him when thirteen years old for saying prayer and get him married when sixteen years old. Then tell him catching his hands: I have taught you good manners, I have given you education and I have got you married. Now I pray to God that He may save you from dangers and difficulties and punishment of the next world. The Prophet said: The right of a son upon his father is that his father will teach him good manners and give him a good name. A man complained against his son to the Prophet. He asked: Have you invoked against him? He said: Yes. He said: You have ruined him. It is commendable to show kindness to the son. Hazrat Aqra’a-b-Habes saw the Prophet kissing his grandson Hasan and said: I have got ten children but I never kissed any of them. The Prophet said: He who is not kind will not get kindness.

Once the Prophet was in prostration leading a prayer, when Hussain got upon his shoulder. The Prophet made such delay in prostration that the companions thought that revelation was coming to him. When he finished the prayer, the Prophet said: Hussain has made me his conveyance. I did not like to put him aside till he finished his work. The Prophet said: The fragrance of a child is the fragrance of Paradise. Once a man came from Yemen to join jihad to the Prophet who asked him. Have you got parents? He said: Yes. He asked: Have they given you permission for jihad? He said: No. The Prophet said: Go to your parents and take their permission. If they do no give permission, serve them to your utmost, because of all the merits with which you will meet with God after Tauhid, the best is in the service of parents. At another time, a man sought advice from the Prophet about his joining jihad. He asked him: Have you got your mother? He said: Yes. He said: Stay with her, as paradise lives under her feet. At another time, a man came to give allegiance to the Prophet and said: My parents were weeping at the time when I was leaving them. The Prophet said: Go back and give them joy as you have made them weep. The Prophet said: The right of an elder brother is like the right of a father over his son.

RIGHTS OF SLAVES AND SERVANTS

The last advice that the Prophet gave was regarding slaves — Fear God. give them food you eat, give them cloth you put on and don’t inflict on them work beyond their strength. If you don’t wish to keep them, ask them to go and don’t inflict punishment on the servants of God. God has placed them under your control. If He wishes, He may place you under their control. The Prophet said: Give the slaves food and cloth with justice and don’t engage them in works beyond their capacity. He said: The cheat, the proud, those who break trust and those who ill-treat the slaves will not enter Paradise. A man asked the Prophet: How many times shall I forgive the faults of a servant? He remained silent for a while and then said: Forgive him seventy times every day. Once a companion of the Prophet beat a slave who began to raise loud cry. The Prophet: came there and he stopped beating. The Prophet said: Why did you not pardon him before? You have restrained your hand when you have seen me. He said: O Messenger of God, I give manumission for the pleasure of God. The Prophet said: Had you not done it, Hell would have blackened your face. The Prophet said: When any slave serves his master and serves divine service well, double reward are written for him.

The Prophet said: the first three persons who will enter paradise and the first three persons who will enter Hell were presented to me. The first three persons who will enter paradise are a martyr, then such a slave who does well his divine service and service to his master, then a needy man who refrains from begging although he has got a large family. The first three persons who will enter Hell are a tyrant ruler, then such a person of wealth who does not pay the dues of God and then the proud poor man. Hazrat Abu Masud Ansari said: When I was beating my slave, I heard a sound from my back: O Abu Mas’ud. On turning back I found the Messenger of God. Immediately I threw the stick in my hand and he said: By God, God has got more power over you than your power over this slave. The Prophet said: When any servant comes to any of you with food, let him ask him to sit and take food with him. If he does not do it, let him give him a morsel of food. In another narration, when a slave prepares food for you and gives you relief from it, the vapour of that food and his labour are sufficient for you. Make him sit near you and take meal with him. If he does not do it, allow him to take some food therefrom and allow him to take something therefrom by hand or place some food in his hand and tell him: Eat. The Prophet said: He who takes care of his female slave and gets her married after setting her free, will get double rewards. The Prophet said: Everyone of you is a king and every one will be asked about his subjects under his control.

The sum total of your duties towards, servants and slaves are: Allow him to take share in your food and dress, don’t give him work beyond his strength don’t took to him with an eye of hate and contempt pardon his faults and think at the time of anger upon him that God has got power to punish you for your sins and guilts and that He has got more power than you. The Prophet said: Three persons will not be asked any question - one who has brought separation in the united party, on who has become disobedient to his Imam (leader) and died as a sinner and the woman whom her husband left behind after relieving her from worldly needs and who after that shows her external beauty. No account will be taken of three persons - one who becomes partner in the screen, glory and honour of God, one who is not free from doubt about the existence of God and one who becomes despaired of the mercy of God.

CHAPTER VII: RULES OF LIVING IN SECLUSION

There are differences of opinion regarding living in seclusion and living in society among the people. Those who supported the former opinion are the following sages - Sufiyan Saori, Ibrahim-b-Adham, Daud Tai, Fuzail-b-Iyaz. Solaiman Khawas, Eusof-b-Asbat, Huzaifa, Marashi, Bashar Hafi and others. Majority of Tabeyines (successors of companions) are supporters of living in society for the reason of doing good to others, establishing brotherhood, love and friendship among the believer and helping mutually for the sake of religion better than seclusion. The following are its supporter - Sayeed-b-Mosayyeb, Shubi, Ibn Abu Laila, Hesham-b-Urwah, Ibn Shabramah, Shark-b-Abdullah, Ibn Ayniah, Ibn Mobarak, Imam Shafeyi, Imam Ahmed-b-Hambal and other. Hazrat Omar said: Loneliness is like worship. Fuzail said: I am satisfied with God as an object of love, with the Quran as a companion and with death as an admonisher. Hazrat Abu Daud and Tai said to Abu Rabi: Fast from the temptations of the world and break it in the next world. Flee from society as you flee from tiger. Hazrat Hasan Basari said: I have rememdered from the Torah: You will be free from depending on men if you are satisfied with little, you will be on men if you are satisfied with little, you will be safe if you keep distant: from society, you will get the pleasure of freedom if you give up sexual passion, manliness will come out if you give up hatred and you will get ever lasting happiness if you can refrain from temporary greed. Wahab-b-ward said: I have heard that wisdom has got ten parts, nine of which are in loneliness. Eusof-b-Moslem said: I used to mix in society but did not hold any talk with the people. Sufiyan Saori said: The present time is the time of loneliness and staying in a corner of the house. Hazrat Ibrahim Nakhyi said: Acquire learning and adopt loneliness. Rabi-b-Khasain said that Imam Malek used to be present at funeral prayers, nurse the patients and pay the rights of friends. He at last gradually gave up everything. Sayeed-b-Abi Waqqas and Sayeed-b-Zaid used to live at Aqiq near Medina. They did not come to Medina for Jumma or for any other thing and died at Aqiq. Sufiyan Saori said: Loneliness has become lawful now. Bashar-b-Abdullah said: Be acquainted little with the people as you don’t know what will happen on the Resurrection day. If you are disgraced, few people will know you. A certain ruler asked Hatem Asem: Have you got any requirement? He said: Yes The ruler asked: What is it? He said: Don’t meet me and I shall not meet you and don’t be acquainted with me.

A certain man asked Sahal Tastari: I love to keep you company. He said: When one of us dies, with whom will he keep company? He said: With God. He said: Then it is better at present to keep company with God. Fuzail said: The more a man is acquainted with the people. The less is his wisdom. Hazrat Abu Abbas said: Your assembly within your house is the best assembly. You will not find anybody there and nobody will find you. These are the sayings of those who love loneliness.

Those who support living in society have got the following proofs. God says: Don’t be like those who differed and became separate. God said: Then he united their hearts. These verses speak of unity on the ground of love and speak of differences regarding the Book of God. The second proof is said to be the saying of the Prophet: A believer loves an object of love and there is no good in one who does not love or got love. In this Hadis, condemnation of bad conduct is seen as it is a hindrance to love. There is another Hadis: He who separates from the united body even half a span shifts off the tie of Islam from his neck. He said: He who keeps separate from the united body dies the death of the days of Ignorance. These are weak proofs of mixing in society. These speak of allegiance to one Imam or ruler and there is no mention of loneliness therein. The fourth proof cited is that the Prophet prohibited absence of meeting with the brother Muslim for more than three days. This proof is also weak as contemplates previous quarrel. The fifth proof cited is that the Prophet said: Patience of one of you in a dangerous place of Islam is better than his worship of 40 years in a lonely place. This speaks of the time when Islam was in danger. At another time when a certain companion liked a lonely place where there was current of water the Prophet said: Don’t do it, because the rank of one of you in the way of God is better than his divine service for sixty years. Don’t you love that God should forgive you and you should enter paradise? Make Jihad in the way of God, as one who fights in the way of God even for a short time, God will admit him in paradise. Another proof is this Hadis. The Prophet said: The devil in men in like a tiger among a flock of sheep. The tiger attacks near and distant ones. Take care of hillocks and keep attached to united body, mosques and ordinary people. This means that loneliness is prohibited before the perfection of learning.

MERITS AND DEMERITS OF SECLUDED LIVING

That seclusion is good or bad depends upon the circumstances of each man. It is good for some people and bad for some people. The benefit of loneliness are as follows. The benefits are either worldly or religious. Benefits that are derived from loneliness are engagement in divine service, getting leisure for meditation or religious thoughts and relief form prohibited sins, such as show, back-biting, bad company with sinners and transgressors. The benefits of this world are that one can do his worldly matters with peaceful mind. So there are six benefits of loneliness.

(1) One can get sufficient leisure for divine service and deep contemplation of God’s glory. The greatest ponder over divine matters is over the wonderful creations of God and of His sovereignty and power. In a society, that benefit cannot be availed of. A certain wise man said: It is not possible for anybody to take to loneliness unless he hold firmly the Quran of God. Those who hold it firmly can enjoy the comforts of material and spiritual worlds. Those who remember God live in God’s remembrance and die in God’s remembrance and meet with God in God’s remembrance. For this reason the Prophet was immerged in deep meditation in the cave of Hira in early stages. For this reason, though he lived in society, his mind was always concentrated in the thoughts of God. Hazrat Junaid Bagdadi said: For the last 30 years, I am holding secret talks with God but the people think that I am speaking with them. A certain sage was asked: How can you keep patience in loneliness? He said: I am not alone, God is my companion. When I wish that I should speak with Him secretly, I observe prayer. A certain sage was asked: What benefit have you derived from renunciation of the world? He replied: God’s love. Once Hasan Basari asked a sage: What things prevent you from mixing in society? The man said: No time passes in which I am not in gifts or commit no sin. I remain busy for the gifts to express gratefulness to God and seek forgiveness to Him for the commission of sins. Junnun Misri said: The joy and taste of a believer lies in his invocation to his Lord. A certain wise man said: Love for the people is a sign of bankruptcy in religion.

(2) Second benefit: A man can get relief from the sins to be committed by living in a society by adopting loneliness. These sins are of four kinds — (1) to make back-biting and to hear back-biting, (2) to refrain from enjoining good deeds and from prohibiting bad deeds, (3) to work for show of people, 4 (1) and to entertain bad conduct and evil deeds. Except the truthful, nobody can be safe from back-biting. (2) Enjoining good deeds and prohibiting evil deeds is the basic principle of religion and compulsory. Once Hazrat Abu Bakr said at the time of Khutba: O people, you need this verse of God: O those who believe, take care of yourselves. When you find guidance, the misguided people cannot misguide you. but you do not use it in appropriate place. I have heard from the Prophet: If a man does not remove an evil deed of a man after seeing it, God sends punishment for it on all. The Prophet said: God will take account of a servant, even He will ask this also: When you saw an evil deed being done, why did you not prevent it? When God will show proof to His servant, he will say: O Lord, I feared men and hoped for your pardon.

(3) Show: Show is an incurable disease and to remove it is very difficult on the part of the religious and pious men. Good feelings are required to be maintained in a society for which one feels inclined to make a show of his character and conduct. The Prophet said: The worst man is one who has got two faces. He comes with one face to one people and with another face to another people. A certain wise man said: If God loves a man. He wishes that his fame does not spread. Hazrat Taus went once to Caliph Hesham and said: O Hesham, how are you? He became displeased with him and said: Why have you not addressed me as ‘Commander of the Faithful.”? Hazrat Taus said: The Muslims are unanimous against you. I fear that if I address you as Commander of the Faithful, I may a liar. There is no fear for such a man to mix in society. The people once asked Jesus Christ: How are you? He said: I don’t get in my possession what I hope and I have got no power to remove what I fear. I am busy with my affairs. All deeds are in the hand of another. There is nobody more in want than myself. A man asked Abu Darda’a: How are you? He said: I am well, provided I am released from Hell. Wais Qarni was once asked: How are you? He replied. How is the man who does not know weather he will live up to the next morning when evening comes to him, and when the dawn comes to him he does not know weather he will live up to evening.

(4) Stealing of conduct: You steal in your conduct what you see in the conduct of others. In other words, you follow their conducts. This is a secret disease from which even the wise men are not free, not to speak of the heedless ones. If one sees major sins being committed constantly around him, he takes them as of little consequence. For this reason, if you always look to the gifts of the rich, you will consider your own gifts as little. For this reason, you should take to the assemblies of the poor and the destitutes. You should look to the conduct and character of the religious people and not of those who are irreligious and commit sins and transgressions. The Prophet said: Mercy descends at the time of the discussion of the pious people. To be able to reach paradise and to have sight of God mean mercy. It means that the beginning of mercy is good deeds and the beginning of good deeds is desire and the beginning of desire is discussion of the character of the pious men. Curse means to remain distant from God. The sins are the roots of being distant from God. The cause of curse is to go away from the remembrance of God and to be busy with the worldly comforts. When such is the effect of discussion of the lives of pious and the sinners how is the condition when the pious and the sinners are met with? The Prophet said: A bad friend is for you like the hammer of a blacksmith. If the spark of the fire of heated iron does not even touch you, its vapour touches you just as its vapour touches you even when you do not know. The Prophet said: A good companion is like a seller of perfume. If he does not give you perfume, you get its fragrance. For this reason, it is unlawful for a man to disclose the faults of a learned man for two reasons. The first reason is that it will be back-biting him and the second reason is that the people will dare to commit the sins of the learned man when they see him committing them always. This is the machinations of the devil. God says with regard to those who oppose the devil. They hear words and follows what is good. The Prophet gave example of bad people. He said: The man who hears the words of wisdom and does not act but what is evil is like the person who says to a shepherd: Give me a stout and strong sheep from your flock. He then says: Choose the best one from the flock. Then he takes a dog by its ear from the flock. He who searches the faults of a leader is likewise. Seeing his bad deeds constantly, his abhorrence of evils drops from his hear.

(3) Third benefit: The third benefit of loneliness is to get relief from quarrels and disputes and to save oneself from useless talks. The Prophet said: When you will see the people breaking their promises and trusts and when they become such (he thrusts the fingers of one hand into the fingers of another), they will remain busy with quarrels and disputes. A man asked: what will we do then? He said: Keep attached to your own houses, keep the tongue under control and accept what you know and give up what you know not. Be busy then with your own affairs and give up the affairs of the people. The Prophet said: The wealth of a Muslim in near future will be goats and sheep. He will roam in caves of hillocks and places of water. He will shift from one place to another with his religion from calamities. The Prophet said: In near future, such a time will come upon man when it will be difficult to save his religion. To save religion, he will flee away like a jacket from one cave to another and from one hillock to another. He was asked: O Prophet of God, when will it occur? He said: When you will not be able to earn livelihood without sin. When that time will come, one will be ruined at the hands of his parents, if he will have no parents, at the hands of his wife and children and in their absence, he will be ruined at the hands of his relatives. They asked: O Prophet of God, how will that come to pass? He said: They will abuse him for his insolvent condition. His parents will ask what is beyond the capacity of their son; as a result he will come to the position of ruin. The sage Sufiyan Saori said: Now seclusion has become lawful. Hazrat Sa’ad did not join the party of Muwayiah or the party of Hazrat Ali at the time when they were fighting for Caliphate. It has been narrated that when Hazrat Hossain was proceeding towards Iraq. Ibn Omar prevented him to proceed there but he refused on the ground that he had with him a letter of allegiance of the Iraqi people. Ibn Omar then recited a Hadis of the Prophet: Gebriel once came to the Holy Prophet and asked him to choose either of these - two this world or the next world and the Prophet chose the latter. You are a piece of flesh of the Holy Prophet. By God, none of you will be the ruler of this material world which has been keep separate from you Inspite of this advice. Hazrat Hussain refused to turn back. He started with ten thousand men but there were no more than 40 persons with him at the time of battle.

Hazrat Tau kept attached to his ownhouse. Being asked the reason, he said: The dangers and calamities of this age and the oppression of the leaders compelled me to remain within the house: Hazrat Urawah erected a house at Aqiq for living and gave up coming to the Prophet mosque. Being asked the reason, he said On seeing your mosques as the place of sports and jokes, your bazars as the places of useless talks and your lanes as the places of obscene deeds, I have chosen to stay within the house wherein there is peace.

(4) Fourth benefit. One can save himself from the harms of the people in case of secluded living. Hazrat Omar said: Loneliness is better then a bad companion. Hazrat Samad said One of our friends said: Men were like medicines with which they treated diseases. Men have turned now into disease of which there is no cure. Flee away from them as you flee away from a tiger. Hazrat Hasan Basari said: Sabet Bonani was the friend of God, When I intended to go on pilgrimage, he wished to accompany me. I said: If we live together, there may be such conduct between us which may lead us to hatred.

Another benefit of loneliness is mentioned here. It is to keep secrecy in religion, manliness, character and conduct, poverty and the remaining internal conditions. God praised such a man. The illiterate man thinks that they are rich owing to their abstinence from begging. Hazrat Abu Darda’a said: Man was before a leaf as it were with thorn, but at present he is a thorn without leaf. This was at the end of the first century. Is the condition now? Hazrat Sufiyan-b-Aynish said: Hazrat Sufiyan Saori in his life time and after his death in dream said to me: Make little acquaintance with the people as it is difficult to save oneself from them. This thought occurs in my mind that the sins I have earned are due to my mixing in society. A man was asked: What have you abandoned society? He said: I feared that my religion would be robbed in my absence. Hazrat Abu Darda’a said: Fear God and fear society, because when they ride on a camel, they cause wound to it and they whip a horse when they ride on it and they cause harm to the mind of an unbeliever. A certain wise man said: Make little acquaintance, your religion and mind will remain safe and your duties will be less. The more the acquaintance, the more the duties.

(5) Fifth benefit is the hopes of the people from you and your hopes from the people will vanish in case of secluded living as it is impossible to please all the people. So it is better to remain busy in purifying one’s own character and conduct. Imam Shafeyi said: To do benefit to the sinners is the root of every opposition. If one does not see the fineries of the world from the beginning, greed does not grow in him. For this reason, God said: Don’t prolong our eyes towards what I have provided them of various kinds. The Prophet said: Look to those who are below you in respect of wealth and don’t took to those who are superior to you in wealth, Otherwise you will consider the gifts of God on you as insignificant. Hazrat Aaon-b-Abdullah said: I was at first in the company of the rich. I saw their dresses better than my dress, their conveyances better then mine. Then I kept company with the poor and I got then peace of mind.

(6) Sixth benefit: If the idle and the fools take to loneliness, they get security from foolishness and heinous character. To meet with an idle man is like loss of sight. Hazrat A’mash was asked: How have you lost power of sight? He said: Owing to my seeing the idle, Once Hazrat Abu Hanifa came to A’mash and said: The Prophet said: If God robs the sight of two eyes of a man, He gives him better than them in exchange. What thing has He given you in exchange of the loss of your eye sight? Hazrat A’mash sold jokingly: God has given me in its exchange the sight of the idle and you belong to that class. The wise Jalianus said: Everything has got fever. Fever of soul comes at the sight of the idle. Imam Shafeyi said: If I sit by the side of an idle man, the portion of my body which keeps near the idle man casts heaviness on me.

BENEFITS OF SOCIETY

Know, O dear readers, that there are some religious matters which cannot be performed without mixing in society. The benefits which are gained by mixing in society are destroyed by loneliness. The benefits of society are the following —

(1) First benefit: By mixing in society, one can teach and learn religious learning which is the best divine service in this world. Education has got greater scope. Some education is compulsory and some optional. If loneliness is adopted without learning the compulsory education, it will be committing sin. If you have got ability to be expert in any branch of education, it will be a cause of harm if you adopt lonely living. For this reason. Ibrahim Nakhyi and other sages said: Acquire religious learning at first and then take to lonely habitation. If one remains busy in divine service for the whole day without acquiring sufficient knowledge, his mind and body do not remain free from self-conceit and deceit. So education is the root of religion.

(2) Second benefit. Doing and taking benefit from the people mean to earn money by trading with them. Without mixing in society, it is not possible. If one is bound to earn his livelihood, it is compulsory for him to mix in society. To do benefit means to help the people at the cost of life and property and to remove the wants of the Muslims.

(3) Third benefit. It is to make strenuous efforts and to gain the attribute of patience in the way of salvation. By mixing in society, man can earn the quality of patience at the harms and injuries inflicted by men. This leads to hard labour extreme forbearance.

(4) Fourth benefit. It is to love and get love. Another benefit of mixing in society is that one can love another and one can get the love of another. The Prophet said: God is not vexed with you till you become vexed. Loneliness is not without undisturbed peace; The Prophet said: This religion is firm and take it with kindness. Hazrat Ibn Abbas said: Had I not feared random thoughts, I would not have mixed in society. He said: Who injures man except man? The Prophet said: Man is upon the religion of his friend. So let him look with whom he befriends.

(5) Fifth benefit. It is to get virtues give virture. In a society, a man is required to be present at funeral prayers, call on patients, join I’d congregations, etc.

(6) Six benefit. One can earn the quality of modesty and humility in a society while it cannot be gained in loneliness which sometimes creates pride. It is reported that a man of Israil dynasty wrote nearly 360 books on wisdom and thought that he got some rank to God for this. God then revealed to the Prophet of that age: Tell the man: You have filled up the world with hypocrisy. I will not accept any portion of your hyocrisy. Then he gave up writing books and took refuge in a grave and thought. I have now gained the pleasure of God. God then revealed to His Prophet Tell him: You cannot gain My pleasure till you mix in society and bear their harms and troubles. Afterwards, he mixed in society. Then God revealed to His Prophet: Tell him: Now you have gained My pleasure. Hazrat Ali used to carry daily necessities of the family from bazar and say: The perfection of a perfect man is not reduced if he carries anything for his benefit. Hazrat Abu Hurairah, Huzaifah, Obai and Ibn Masud and others used to carry fuels and food stuffs on their backs. Hazrat Abu Hurairah was the governor of Medina at one time. He used to say while carrying loads of fuel Give way to your ruler. The Prophet used also to carry his necessary things from the bazar. Some companions asked him: Give me the load to bear. He then said: The owner of the load has got right to carry it.

Hazrat Hasan, son of Hazrat Ali, while passing by the poor, used to sit with them and they used to say to him: O descendant of the Messenger of God, take share in our food. Then he used to get down from his conveyance and share with them their meal and said: God does not love the proud. Another reason is that one who remains busy in rendering pleasure of the people falls in error, because if he knows God perfectly, he will appreciate that there is no good in the pleasure of the people without the pleasure of God and all harms and benefits are in the hand of God. There is no benefactor and destroyer except He. He who incurs the pleasure of men by incurring the displeasure of God, God becomes displeased with him and keeps the people dissatisfied with him. If the object is only to incurs the pleasure of the people, it is not fulfilled. God is the object of love and search. Imam Shafeyi said: There is no such man as has got no friend and foe. When it is such, keep company with the pious. Hazrat Moses invoked God: O Lord, save me from the tongue of the people. He said: O Moses, I am also not free in this matter. So how can I make you free from their tongue? God revealed to Wazair: I will not enrol you as one of the humble ones near Me if you do not remain satisfied with the chewed matter in the mouth of the chewers.

(7) Seventh benefit is the gaining of experience which is gained by mixing in society. One whose natural intellect is not sufficient to understand the good of this material and spiritual world, loneliness is not good for him. If a boy without experience adopts loneliness, he will be misguided. He should therefore, remain busy in educating himself. Every experience of loneliness is secret. Those who walk in the path of the next world search for purification of heart and allow themselves in the fiery tests. If they feel pride in their hearts, they try to remove it. Even some of them carry the skin of water or bundle of fuel and necessary articles from the markets. Thereby they gain experience and pride goes away. So the great benefit of mixing in society is that the faults of one come out. For this reason, it has been said that journey discloses the character and conduct of a man as it is a result of mixing in society.

So what has been described above about the benefits and harms of seclusion, it is clear that loneliness is sometimes good and sometimes bad according to the special circumstances of each man and the surroundings he lives in. This depends on his friends and companions. A certain wise man said: To keep separate from society is a cause of enmity and to mix in society means sometimes company with the bad people. So be not separate and do not also mix, rather adopt the path of loneliness in mixing in society.

RULES AND REGULATION OF SECLUDED LIVING

(1) One should intend by loneliness to save himself from the harms of men. (2) He will seek safety from the harms of other people. (3) He will intend to be free from the faults in fulfilling the duties to the Muslims. (4) He will intend to prefer loneliness for divine services. (5) He shall engage himself in learning, zikr, fikr and other divine services. (6) He will not allow the people to mix with him. (7) He will not allow others to put questions to him. (8) He will not ask the news of any place or any man. (9) He will remain satisfied with little. (10) He will remain patient at the harms of his neighbours, if any. (11) He will be deaf in hearing of the praise of others. (12) He shall know the merits of the path of the next world. In other words, he shall follow the rules and regulations of zikr with humility of mind, think of the wonderful creations of God, the heavens and the earth, sun moon, stars and of the sovereignty of God, think of life and death and of the conditions in grave after death.

It you do not give up the passions and temptations of the world, your patience in secluded living will not become perfect. The heart cannot be cleansed of impurities making short of your hopes and passions as you have got no power to prolong life. Think after getting up from bed in the morning that you will not be able to reach evening. In this way, you will be able to curtain your hopes and check passions. Know it for certain that he who cannot earn the love of God in his mind and His remembrance will not be able to bear loneliness after death. He who earns this attribute will be able to bear it, as death cannot destroy the place of God’s love and remembrance. He will live in the midst of mercy of God. For this reason, God said about the martyrs: Don’t think that those who have been killed in the way of God are dead, but they are alive near their Lord and get provisions.

CHAPTER VIII: RULES AND REGULATIONS OF JOURNEY

Journey is a means to ward off undesirable thing or to get objects of love, it is of two kinds —

(1) Physical journey from one’s native place to a distant country and

(2) mental or spiritual journey to God in heaven.

The latter is better, but it is fraught with dangers and difficulties and the path is unknown and unacquainted. The sojourners are indifferent to the wealth of this path. Hence the so journers in this path are few. God says of this path: I shall show them My signs in the vacant regions and in yourselves. God says: There are signs in the world and in yourselves for the believers. Don’t you mind? He who keeps away from this journey is said by God in the following verse as an unbveliever: You pass by these sings morning and evening. Don’t you understand? God says: How many sign there are in the heavens and the earth which appear to them always but they remain heedless from them. He who remains satisfied with this journey, roam in such a paradise cheerfully which extends to the heavens and the earth, though his body remains in his house.

RULES OF JOURNEY FROM BEGINNING TO END

Journey means to go from one place to another. There are benefits and harms of journey. One is to shift from his place, of residence on account of religion or for search of livelihood. There are therefore two kinds of objects of search — worldly and next worldly. name and fame, wealth and riches, power and influence etc. are the worldly objects of search. Acquisition of knowledge is a religious matter and the journey for this purpose is of two kinds — journey for acquisition of religious knowledge and for correction of one’s own character and conduct or journey for acquisition of knowledge of the wonderful creations of God, such as journey of Alexander. Journey for actions with learning is of two kind — to visit the holy places, such as Mecca, Medina, Baitul Moqaddas or journey for defense of the frontiers of Islamic state. Journeys are also undertaken for visiting the holy shrines of the religious leaders and friends of God and of those religious people who are alive. Thus it is seen that there are different purposes of journey.

(1) Journey for acquisition knowledge is of two kinds — compulsory and optional. When acquisition of knowledge is compulsory, journey for that is also compulsory. When it is optional, journey for that is also optional. The Prophet said: He who comes out of his house for acquisition of knowledge remains in the path of God till he returns home. The Prophet said: If a man crosses a path in search of learning, God makes his path to paradise easy. Hazrat Sayeed-b-Musayyeb travelled many days in search of one Hadis, Hazrat Shubi said: If a man travels from Syria to the distant Yemen to hear a sermon, his journey will not fruitless. Hazrat Jaker-b-Abduallh travelled from Medina to Egypt for one month and heard a Hadis from Abdullah-b-Anis Ansari.

(2) Journey for correction on one’s character and conduct. To walk in the path of the next world is not possible without character and conduct. He who does not enquire into his hidden faults cannot purify his heart. The name journey means to turn away from bad character and conduct of the people for which God reveals the secrets of heaven and earth. In journey, a man’s character is disclosed. When a person was brought before Hazrat Omar as a witness, he asked him: Were you with anybody in a journey for which you have known his character? he said: I was not. Hazrat Omar said: Then I think you do not know him. Hazrat Bashar Hafi said: O learned men, if you would have come out in journey, you would have been purified, because if water is logged in a place, it becomes polluted and if it is flowing, it is made pure. In short, if a man remains confined in house, his character and conduct are kept limited there and his bad character is not disclosed as no opportunity arises in his case to see things opposed to this nature.