ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Reciprocal Rights (risalatu 'l-huquq) B. Rights of Acts As for the right of ritual prayer (salat) is that you must know that it is an arrival before God and that through it you are standing before God.

When you realize it, then your stand will be that of a humble [servant of God], longing [for His grace], afraid [of His punishment] , fearing [His displeasure] , hoping [for His mercy], poor, imploring [His kindness], respecting the One in Whose presence you stand with calm and quite, showing reverence in your limbs, submitting your soul to Him, telling Him the secrets of your heart in a fine manner, asking Him to emancipate you from the sins which have enslaved you and the mistakes which have ruined you.

And there is no power save in God. As for the right of fasting (sawm) is that you should recognize it as a curtain which God has set up over your tongue, your hearing, your sight, your pri-vate part and your stomach to protect you from the Fire; and it has come in hadith [from the Prophet] that "Fasting is a shield against the Fire".

Therefore if you keep your organs calm and quite inside this curtain, you may expect them to remain shielded; and if you allow them to remain disturbed behind the curtain trying to raise the corners of this cover, so that they come to know what is not lawful to them through glance which causes a desire and a .power which is beyond the boundary of taqwa (fear of God) you cannot be sure that it will not tear down the curtain and escape. And there is no power save in God.

As for the right of alms (sadaqat) is that you should treat it as your deposit with your Lord, and a trust which needs no witness. When you know this you will have more confidence in that saving which is deposited secretly rather than that which is given openly; and it behoves you to keep secret with God whatever you may desire to disclose; and this should always remain as a secret between you and Him, and you should not try to get witnesses to see or hear about this [alms] .

Otherwise it will be an indication that you have more confidence in witnesses than in your Lord concerning the [ultimate] return of this trust to you. Moreover, you should not make anyone feel obliged to you [because you have given him alms] as this alms is [actually] for your own benefit.