Risalat al-Huquq

Treatise of Rights

Author	Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin
Original title	رسالة الحقوق
Language	Arabic
Published	7th century / 1 A.H. (islamic calendar)

Risalat al-Huquq
Arabic	رسالة الحقوق
Romanization	Risalatul Huquq
Literal meaning	Treatise of Rights

Risalat al-Huquq (Arabic: رسالة الحقوق, Arabic pronunciation: ['rɪsæːlætul huquːq], lit. 'treatise of rights') is a work attributed to Ali ibn al-Husayn, the great-grandson of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad, and the fourth Shia Imam, also known by the honorific title Zayn al-Abidin (lit. 'ornament of worshippers'). According to Chittick, Risalat al-Huquq is as an elaboration of a saying by Muhammad about individual rights that illustrates how Islam diverges from the modern western notions of human rights, though it remains close to other religious traditions. Risalat al-Huquq is related by Abu Hamza al-Thumali, a close confidante of Zayn al-Abidin. The first version of Risalat al-Huquq appears in al-Khisal and al-Amali by Shaykh al-Suduq, and the second one in Tuhaf al-Uqul by Ibn Shu'ba. In one of its two versions, Risalat al-Huquq is prefaced by the sentence "This is the treatise of Ali ibn al-Husayn to one of his companions," suggesting that it was brought to life at the request of a disciple.

Human rights in Risalat al-Huquq

Risalat al-Huquq has been viewed as an elaboration of Muhammad's saying, "Surely your Lord has a right against you, your self has a right against you, your wife has a right against you." Some other versions of this well-attested hadith, possibly uttered on other occasions, include other rights and the clause, "So give to everyone who possesses a right his right." In Risalat al-Huquq, Zayn al-Abidin exhaustively details what is meant by "everyone who possesses a right," basing himself in the Quran and the hadith literature.

Huquq (Arabic: حقوق) in the title is the plural for haqq (Arabic: حق) and is often translated as 'rights', though other closely related words are 'justice', 'truth', 'obligations', 'duties', and 'responsibilities'. Even though Risalat al-Huquq has been translated asTreatise of Rights, a better translation of huquq here might have been 'duties', 'obligations', or 'responsibilities'. This is because Risalat al-Huquq is primarily concerned with the rights of others which the individual must observe, in sharp contrast with western views where human rights are often interpreted as the rights of the individual. In Islam, however, the fundamental (and perhaps only) right of the individual is that of salvation, to attain which the individual must follow the guidance of God in the form of sharia. Without this divine guidance, Islam maintains that the individual is unable to perceive his best interests in the midst of his own ego and self-centered desires.

Authenticity

Risalat al-Huquq, attributed to Zayn al-Abidin, appears in

• al-Khisal by Shaykh al-Suduq
• al-Amali by Shaykh al-Suduq
• Man La Yahdhuruhu al-Faqih by Shaykh al-Suduq
• Tuhaf al-Uqul by Ibn Shu'ba

The author of Tuhaf al-Uqul does not identify his sources, while al-Suduq provides in his al-Khisal the chain of transmission:

Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Mousa, from Muhammad ibn abi Abdullah Kufi, from Jafar ibn Malek Fazie from Kheran ibn Dahir, from Ahmad ibn Ali Ibn Sulayman Jibili from his father, from Muhammad ibn Ali from Muhammad ibn Fazil, from Abu Hamza al-Thumali.

In hadith terminology, Risalat al-Huquq is transmitted as mursal in Man La Yahdhuruhu Al-Faqih, which provides the chain of transmission:

Ismaaill ibn Fazl from Thabit ibn Dinar from Sayyid al-Abideen Ali ibn al-Hussayn ibn Ali ibn Abitalib.

Transmitted in two versions, Risalat al-Huquq begins with "The greatest right of God..." in Man La Yahdhuruhu al-Faqih, which does not include the brief overview of the rights as it appears in Tuhaf al-Uqul. In the latter source, the number of rights introduced and then detailed in the body of Risalat al-Huquq are fifty, while al-Suduq details fifty-one rights and the additional "right of hajj" in his al-Khisal and Man La Yahdhuruhu Al-Faqih. There is, however, no mention of the "right of hajj" in the introduction to Risalat al-Huquq in al-Khisal.

Chittick similarly writes that there are two versions of Risalat al-Huquq, one in al-Khisal and al-Amali, and the other in Tuhaf al-Uqul. The latter version appears to be a later recession, which has been edited for clarity. Chittick follows the former version in his translation.

Contents

Risalat al-Huquq begins with an introduction, which is followed by a detailed statement of the rights. The introduction briefly overviews the rights and begins as

Know -God have mercy upon you- that God has rights incumbent upon you and that these encompass you in every motion through which you move, every rest which you take, every way station in which you reside, every limb which you employ, and every instrument which you use. Some of these rights are greater than others. And the greatest of God's rights incumbent upon you is what He has made incumbent upon you for Himself - the Blessed and the Exalted - from His rights: that which is the root of all rights from which others branch out. Then there are those that He has made incumbent upon you in yourself, from your crown to your foot, according to the diversity of your organs.

— Risalat al-Huquq

The rights of God

The Greatest Right of God

The rights of yourself and your body organs

• The right of the tongue
• The right of hearing
• The right of sight
• The right of the legs
• The right of the hand
• The right of the stomach
• The right of the private part

The right of deeds

• The right of the prayer
• The right of fasting
• The right of the pilgrimage
• The right of the charity
• The right of the offering

The right of the leaders

• The right of the possessor of authority
• The right of the trainer through knowledge
• The right of the trainer through ownership

The Right of the Subjects

• The right of subjects through authority
• The right of subjects through knowledge
• The right of the wife
• The right of your slave

The rights of relationship

• The right of the mother
• The right of the father
• The right of the child
• The right of the brother

The Right of Others

• The right of the master
• The right of the formerly enslaved person
• The right of the one who treats you kindly
• The right of the caller to prayer
• The right of the ritual prayer leader
• The right of the sitting companion
• The right of the neighbor
• The right of the companion
• The right of the partner
• The right of property
• The right of the creditor
• The right of the associate
• The right of the adversary
• The right of him who seeks your advice
• The right of him whose advice you seek
• The right of him who seeks your counsel
• The right of the counselor
• The right of the older one
• The right of the younger one
• The right of him who asks you
• The right of whom you ask
• The right of him through whom God makes you happy
• The right of him who wrongs you
• The right of people of your creed
• The right of those under the protection of Islam

The concluding words of Zayn al-Abidin are

These are the fifty rights that surround you and you cannot evade under any circumstances. It is incumbent upon you to observe them and exert all efforts to fulfill them. You should seek God the Majestic’s help in this respect. And there is no power or strength but in God. And all praise is due to God the Lord of the Worlds.

— Risalat al-Huquq

Treatise of Life

The documentary Treatise of Life is about the life style that is mindful of the rights in Risalatul Huquq. It was directed by Amir Farrokh Saber, an Iranian director, and broadcast on the IRIB news channel.

See also

• Sahifah of al-Ridha
• Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya
• Nahj al-Balagha
• Al-Risalah al-Dhahabiah
• The Fifteen Whispered Prayers
• List of Shia books

External links

• al-islam.org
• The Charter of Rights translated to English by Sayyid Saeed Akhtar Rizvi
• Al-Risalat al-Huquq (in Indonesian)