As for the right of your brother is that you should know...

As for the right of your brother is that you should know that he is your hand which you extend, your back [support] which you recline upon, your strength which you rely on, and your power by which you attack [your enemies] .

Therefore, take him not as a weapon for disobedience to God, nor as an equipment to wrong the right of God; and do not shirk from assisting him against his own self [i.e., warn him to desist from evils], and helping him against his enemy, and shielding him from his satans, giving him sincere advice; and go forward to him for the sake of God.

Then, if he obeys his Lord and properly answers His call [it is good for all]; otherwise God, rather than your brother, should be your choice and object of your reverence. [i.e., If your brother goes against the shari `ah and does not listen to your exhortations and warnings, you should have no connection with him].

As for the right of the master who has favoured you [by freeing you from slavery] is that you must realize that he has spent his wealth for you and brought you out from the lowliness of slavery and its estrangement to the pride of freedom and its sociabil-ity. He has freed you from the captivity of possession and loosened the bonds of slavehood from you.

He made the fragrance of honour available to you and removed you from the prison of tyranny and kept hardships away from you, and opened his tongue of justice for your benefit, and opened the whole world for you. He has made you your own master, and un-locked your fetters, and given you the chance to wor-ship and obey your Lord exclusively [without having to spend a part of your time in the service of your master]; and by freeing you he suffered loss in his property.

Therefore you should know that after your relatives, he, more than anybody else, has rights over you, in your life as well as in death; and he is the person most deserving of your help, assistance and aid for the sake of God. Therefore, if he needs something from you, do not keep it from him. 26.

As for the right of the slave whom you have favoured [by freeing him from slavery] is that you must know that God has made you his protection, shield, help and refuge, and made him a means and cause between you and Himself. Therefore, it is proper that He should protect you from the Fire [i.e., by freeing that slave you are securing a guarantee against Hell].