1 00:00:00,650 --> 00:00:03,929 This is the Treatise on Rights, the Risalat al-Huquq. 2 00:00:03,929 --> 00:00:13,521 It's a short text by Imam Ali ibn al-Husayn, known as Zayn al-Abidin: the fourth Imam in Shia Islam, and a great-grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. 3 00:00:14,084 --> 00:00:16,883 In it, he lists about fifty rights that you owe. 4 00:00:16,883 --> 00:00:21,306 To God, to yourself, and to almost everyone you will ever meet. 5 00:00:23,017 --> 00:00:26,236 Read it top to bottom, and it feels like one long list. 6 00:00:26,803 --> 00:00:31,308 And the natural instinct with a long list is to memorize it, item by item. 7 00:00:31,308 --> 00:00:32,342 That's the trap. 8 00:00:32,342 --> 00:00:37,065 Fifty separate facts, with nothing linking them, is a heavy load on memory. 9 00:00:37,065 --> 00:00:39,120 A week later, most of it is gone. 10 00:00:39,685 --> 00:00:40,969 So we'll do it differently. 11 00:00:40,969 --> 00:00:44,599 First, the one big idea that holds everything together. 12 00:00:44,599 --> 00:00:47,231 Then, the few groups the rights fall into. 13 00:00:47,231 --> 00:00:52,195 Only then the details, and every detail gets hooked onto something you already understand. 14 00:00:52,735 --> 00:00:53,911 Structure first. 15 00:00:53,911 --> 00:00:57,492 Once you can hold the structure, the details have somewhere to live. 16 00:00:59,217 --> 00:01:01,643 Here's the whole treatise in one sentence. 17 00:01:01,643 --> 00:01:04,383 Everything you've been given comes with a duty attached. 18 00:01:04,947 --> 00:01:05,714 Your body. 19 00:01:05,714 --> 00:01:06,736 Your actions. 20 00:01:06,736 --> 00:01:08,743 Any power you hold over others. 21 00:01:08,743 --> 00:01:09,668 Your family. 22 00:01:09,668 --> 00:01:10,630 Your friends. 23 00:01:10,630 --> 00:01:14,151 Each one is a trust, and each one has a right over you. 24 00:01:14,709 --> 00:01:18,829 And notice: 'right' here doesn't mainly mean what you can demand. 25 00:01:18,829 --> 00:01:19,983 It means what you owe. 26 00:01:19,983 --> 00:01:21,582 The Arabic word is haqq. 27 00:01:21,582 --> 00:01:24,815 The question the treatise keeps asking isn't 'what do I get?' 28 00:01:24,815 --> 00:01:28,433 It's 'what does this person, or this thing, deserve from me?' 29 00:01:28,983 --> 00:01:34,690 The opening says these rights surround you in every movement you make and every moment you rest. 30 00:01:34,690 --> 00:01:36,793 So this isn't about special occasions. 31 00:01:36,793 --> 00:01:38,476 It's about ordinary life. 32 00:01:40,183 --> 00:01:41,251 Now the structure. 33 00:01:41,251 --> 00:01:43,571 Picture a stone dropped into a pond. 34 00:01:43,571 --> 00:01:45,566 At the center is the right of God. 35 00:01:45,566 --> 00:01:49,160 The text calls it the root, and every other right branches out from it. 36 00:01:49,705 --> 00:01:54,944 The first ripple is you: your own self, and the seven parts of the body you act with. 37 00:01:55,507 --> 00:02:01,803 The next ripple is your acts of worship: prayer, fasting, charity, pilgrimage, and the offering. 38 00:02:02,365 --> 00:02:04,791 Then the rights move outward to other people. 39 00:02:04,791 --> 00:02:10,801 First, relationships of power, in both directions: those above you, and those in your care. 40 00:02:11,359 --> 00:02:12,271 Then family. 41 00:02:12,271 --> 00:02:15,708 And here, the closer the relation, the bigger the right. 42 00:02:16,273 --> 00:02:24,733 And finally, everyone else: neighbours, friends, partners, people you owe, people who owe you, even people who wrong you. 43 00:02:25,291 --> 00:02:27,717 So the whole text moves from the inside out. 44 00:02:27,717 --> 00:02:28,763 Six rings. 45 00:02:28,763 --> 00:02:31,876 Pause for a second and try to say them back without looking. 46 00:02:31,876 --> 00:02:32,549 Root. 47 00:02:32,549 --> 00:02:33,282 Self. 48 00:02:33,282 --> 00:02:34,039 Acts. 49 00:02:34,039 --> 00:02:34,773 Power. 50 00:02:34,773 --> 00:02:35,542 Family. 51 00:02:35,542 --> 00:02:36,371 Everyone. 52 00:02:36,371 --> 00:02:37,525 That's your skeleton. 53 00:02:37,525 --> 00:02:39,051 Everything else hangs on it. 54 00:02:40,750 --> 00:02:42,022 Let's start at the center. 55 00:02:43,072 --> 00:02:48,491 The greatest right of God is simple: worship Him, and don't associate anything with Him. 56 00:02:48,491 --> 00:02:51,231 And do it with sincerity, with ikhlas. 57 00:02:51,231 --> 00:02:52,950 Meaning: not for show. 58 00:02:53,506 --> 00:02:54,898 And look at what's attached. 59 00:02:54,898 --> 00:03:01,473 If you do this sincerely, God takes it on Himself to take care of your affairs, in this world and the next. 60 00:03:01,473 --> 00:03:04,550 So even the very first right isn't a one-way demand. 61 00:03:04,550 --> 00:03:05,800 It's a relationship. 62 00:03:06,340 --> 00:03:07,468 Why call it the root? 63 00:03:07,468 --> 00:03:13,465 Because every other right in the text is really this same sincerity, played out in a different place. 64 00:03:13,465 --> 00:03:14,511 Hold on to that. 65 00:03:14,511 --> 00:03:16,663 We'll see it come back again and again. 66 00:03:18,383 --> 00:03:20,076 Ring one: your self. 67 00:03:20,076 --> 00:03:24,812 The text says your self has a right over you: that you use it in obeying God. 68 00:03:24,812 --> 00:03:30,220 Then it breaks the self into seven organs: the seven tools that every action goes through. 69 00:03:30,785 --> 00:03:31,384 Tongue. 70 00:03:31,384 --> 00:03:32,069 Hearing. 71 00:03:32,069 --> 00:03:32,791 Sight. 72 00:03:32,791 --> 00:03:33,500 Hand. 73 00:03:33,500 --> 00:03:34,329 Legs. 74 00:03:34,329 --> 00:03:35,086 Stomach. 75 00:03:35,086 --> 00:03:36,204 Private parts. 76 00:03:36,755 --> 00:03:40,467 Now, instead of memorizing seven rules, look for the pattern. 77 00:03:40,467 --> 00:03:42,571 Almost every one has two sides. 78 00:03:42,571 --> 00:03:44,157 Guard it from what's unlawful. 79 00:03:44,157 --> 00:03:45,527 And use it for what's good. 80 00:03:46,085 --> 00:03:53,848 The tongue: treat it as too noble for foul speech, train it in good habits, drop pointless meddling, and speak well of people. 81 00:03:54,407 --> 00:03:56,545 Hearing: keep it clean of backbiting. 82 00:03:56,545 --> 00:03:58,804 Sight: lower it from what's forbidden. 83 00:03:58,804 --> 00:04:01,232 And here's a nice twist: use it to learn. 84 00:04:01,232 --> 00:04:04,129 Every time you look at something, take a lesson from it. 85 00:04:04,673 --> 00:04:07,183 Hands: don't reach for what isn't lawful. 86 00:04:07,183 --> 00:04:09,058 Legs: don't walk toward it. 87 00:04:09,058 --> 00:04:14,082 The text ties this to the narrow bridge on the Day of Judgement; you don't want your feet to slip. 88 00:04:14,082 --> 00:04:18,361 Stomach: don't fill it with the unlawful, and don't eat beyond full. 89 00:04:18,361 --> 00:04:22,376 Private parts: guard them from fornication, and from being seen. 90 00:04:22,931 --> 00:04:24,240 Look again at the stomach. 91 00:04:24,240 --> 00:04:25,958 It's not only about the forbidden. 92 00:04:25,958 --> 00:04:28,218 Even with what's allowed, there's a limit. 93 00:04:28,218 --> 00:04:30,081 Moderation is part of the right. 94 00:04:31,783 --> 00:04:33,957 Ring two: your acts of worship. 95 00:04:33,957 --> 00:04:36,024 And here's a pattern really worth spotting. 96 00:04:36,024 --> 00:04:40,724 Almost every one of these rights begins with the same two words: 'know that'. 97 00:04:41,281 --> 00:04:44,597 Know what this act really is, and then you'll do it properly. 98 00:04:44,597 --> 00:04:47,674 Understanding comes first; action follows. 99 00:04:47,674 --> 00:04:48,755 Sound familiar? 100 00:04:48,755 --> 00:04:50,967 It's exactly how good learning works too. 101 00:04:51,523 --> 00:04:55,788 Prayer: know that you are arriving before God, standing in front of Him. 102 00:04:55,788 --> 00:04:59,995 If you truly get that, humility, hope and fear come on their own. 103 00:04:59,995 --> 00:05:02,483 You pray with your heart, not just your body. 104 00:05:03,037 --> 00:05:12,110 Fasting: know that it's a veil God sets over your tongue, your hearing, your sight, your stomach and your private parts, to shield you from the Fire. 105 00:05:12,110 --> 00:05:12,783 Wait. 106 00:05:12,783 --> 00:05:13,961 Look at that list. 107 00:05:13,961 --> 00:05:15,764 Those are the organs from ring one. 108 00:05:15,764 --> 00:05:18,108 So fasting isn't a separate topic. 109 00:05:18,108 --> 00:05:20,463 It's a training ground for the body's rights. 110 00:05:20,463 --> 00:05:23,059 That's exactly the kind of link you want to be making. 111 00:05:23,623 --> 00:05:29,030 Charity: know that it's a deposit you store with your Lord, one that needs no witnesses. 112 00:05:29,030 --> 00:05:31,734 Given in secret, you can trust it even more. 113 00:05:31,734 --> 00:05:35,677 And it pushes away hardship in this life, and the Fire in the next. 114 00:05:36,241 --> 00:05:41,408 Hajj: an arrival before your Lord, and a flight to Him away from your sins. 115 00:05:41,408 --> 00:05:45,170 The offering: do it for God, not to be seen by people. 116 00:05:45,715 --> 00:05:50,701 So the common thread of ring two: the inner meaning is what makes the outer act count. 117 00:05:50,701 --> 00:05:52,937 And notice, that's ring zero again. 118 00:05:52,937 --> 00:05:53,935 Sincerity. 119 00:05:55,650 --> 00:05:58,220 Ring three is the one I find most elegant. 120 00:05:58,220 --> 00:06:00,816 It's about power, and it's built like a mirror. 121 00:06:01,356 --> 00:06:04,263 The text says people can be over you in three ways. 122 00:06:04,263 --> 00:06:05,332 Through authority. 123 00:06:05,332 --> 00:06:06,354 Through knowledge. 124 00:06:06,354 --> 00:06:08,301 And through ownership: property. 125 00:06:08,862 --> 00:06:12,358 On the left side, someone is above you, through one of these. 126 00:06:12,912 --> 00:06:17,069 On the right, you are above someone else, through the same three channels. 127 00:06:17,069 --> 00:06:19,088 Same channels, two directions. 128 00:06:19,088 --> 00:06:22,321 Once you see the mirror, six rights become one idea. 129 00:06:22,866 --> 00:06:23,693 Authority. 130 00:06:23,693 --> 00:06:31,458 If a ruler is over you, know that he is being tested through you; so don't needlessly provoke his anger and walk into your own ruin. 131 00:06:31,458 --> 00:06:36,458 And if you hold the power, remember: they're under you because they're weak and you're strong. 132 00:06:36,458 --> 00:06:42,407 So be just, be like a merciful father, forgive their ignorance, and don't rush to punish. 133 00:06:42,972 --> 00:06:43,799 Knowledge. 134 00:06:43,799 --> 00:06:52,682 Your teacher deserves respect: listen well, give full attention, don't raise your voice, don't answer questions meant for them, and defend them when they're not there. 135 00:06:52,682 --> 00:06:53,823 And if you're the teacher? 136 00:06:53,823 --> 00:06:55,422 Your knowledge is a trust. 137 00:06:55,422 --> 00:06:58,126 Teach gently; don't get impatient with people. 138 00:06:58,126 --> 00:07:00,170 Do that, and God gives you more. 139 00:07:00,170 --> 00:07:05,326 Hold it back, or be harsh, and you risk losing the knowledge, and people's respect. 140 00:07:05,886 --> 00:07:06,641 Property. 141 00:07:06,641 --> 00:07:14,298 Obey the one you belong to or work under, except in disobeying God, because no creature is obeyed against the Creator. 142 00:07:14,298 --> 00:07:16,725 And on the other side, those in your care. 143 00:07:16,725 --> 00:07:24,430 A spouse is described as a source of rest and comfort, a blessing from God: so honour her, be gentle, forgive. 144 00:07:24,430 --> 00:07:31,485 And the text, written when slavery existed, says of a slave: he's God's creation, your own flesh and blood. 145 00:07:31,485 --> 00:07:32,555 You didn't make him. 146 00:07:32,555 --> 00:07:34,778 Treat him well, and never torment him. 147 00:07:35,328 --> 00:07:40,170 Put the mirror together and you get one rule: power is a test, not a prize. 148 00:07:40,170 --> 00:07:43,355 Whichever side you're on, the duty is to handle it well. 149 00:07:45,083 --> 00:07:46,548 Ring four: family. 150 00:07:46,548 --> 00:07:48,074 The rule here is a ladder. 151 00:07:48,074 --> 00:07:50,598 The closer the relation, the bigger the right. 152 00:07:50,598 --> 00:07:56,812 Mother first, then father, then child, then brother, then the next closest, and so on. 153 00:07:57,365 --> 00:08:00,825 The mother gets one of the most moving passages in the whole treatise. 154 00:08:00,825 --> 00:08:03,217 She carried you as no one carries anyone. 155 00:08:03,217 --> 00:08:10,392 She went hungry so you could eat, thirsty so you could drink, stood in the sun so you could have shade, and gave up sleep for you. 156 00:08:10,392 --> 00:08:14,719 And the conclusion: you can't truly thank her, except with God's help. 157 00:08:15,263 --> 00:08:17,461 The father: know that he is your root. 158 00:08:17,461 --> 00:08:19,492 Without him, you wouldn't exist. 159 00:08:19,492 --> 00:08:24,648 So whatever you like in yourself, know he's the root of that blessing, and thank God for it. 160 00:08:25,217 --> 00:08:29,975 The child: they come from you, and they'll be linked to you, for good or bad. 161 00:08:29,975 --> 00:08:34,422 You're responsible for raising them with good manners, and for guiding them to their Lord. 162 00:08:34,979 --> 00:08:37,850 Your brother: he is your hand and your strength. 163 00:08:37,850 --> 00:08:40,230 But don't use him as a weapon to do wrong. 164 00:08:40,230 --> 00:08:45,038 Help him, advise him, and if he turns against God, God comes first. 165 00:08:45,605 --> 00:08:46,757 Here's a link to make. 166 00:08:46,757 --> 00:08:49,918 The father is called your root, and you are your child's root. 167 00:08:49,918 --> 00:08:53,813 That's the same root-and-branch picture we saw at the very center of the map. 168 00:08:53,813 --> 00:08:56,361 The text keeps reusing its own images. 169 00:08:58,083 --> 00:09:00,041 The outer ring: everyone else. 170 00:09:00,041 --> 00:09:03,851 This is about half of the whole treatise, more than twenty-five rights. 171 00:09:03,851 --> 00:09:07,541 Try to memorize these one by one, and this is where you'll drown. 172 00:09:07,541 --> 00:09:09,920 So, again, look for structure. 173 00:09:10,485 --> 00:09:14,798 Notice that most of them come in pairs: two sides of the same relationship. 174 00:09:14,798 --> 00:09:17,479 The one who freed you, and the one you freed. 175 00:09:17,479 --> 00:09:20,063 The one you owe, and the one who owes you. 176 00:09:20,063 --> 00:09:23,560 The opponent with a claim against you, and the one you claim against. 177 00:09:23,560 --> 00:09:27,118 The one who asks your advice, and the one whose advice you ask. 178 00:09:27,118 --> 00:09:28,344 Older and younger. 179 00:09:28,344 --> 00:09:31,108 The one who asks of you, and the one you ask. 180 00:09:31,647 --> 00:09:33,809 And the duty changes with the side you're on. 181 00:09:33,809 --> 00:09:34,915 Owe someone a debt? 182 00:09:34,915 --> 00:09:36,249 If you can pay, pay. 183 00:09:36,249 --> 00:09:40,323 If you can't, keep them content with kind words, and send them off gently. 184 00:09:40,881 --> 00:09:46,420 In a dispute: if their claim against you is true, be a witness against yourself, and don't wrong them. 185 00:09:46,420 --> 00:09:48,680 If it's false, still be gentle with them. 186 00:09:48,680 --> 00:09:52,418 And if your own claim turns out to be false, fear God and drop it. 187 00:09:52,971 --> 00:09:53,835 Advice. 188 00:09:53,835 --> 00:10:00,169 If someone asks for your advice and you know the right course, tell them; if you don't, send them to someone who does. 189 00:10:00,169 --> 00:10:05,421 And when you ask someone else, don't suspect them just because their advice isn't what you wanted to hear. 190 00:10:05,973 --> 00:10:10,274 Older people: honour them for their age, and for coming to Islam before you. 191 00:10:10,274 --> 00:10:13,135 Don't walk ahead of them, or treat them as foolish. 192 00:10:13,135 --> 00:10:14,625 Younger people: mercy. 193 00:10:14,625 --> 00:10:17,354 Teach them, forgive them, cover their faults. 194 00:10:17,354 --> 00:10:18,772 Someone asks you for help? 195 00:10:18,772 --> 00:10:20,322 Give in the measure of their need. 196 00:10:20,322 --> 00:10:21,344 You ask someone? 197 00:10:21,344 --> 00:10:22,882 If they give, thank them. 198 00:10:22,882 --> 00:10:25,443 If they refuse, accept their excuse. 199 00:10:27,150 --> 00:10:29,336 Then the relationships of daily life. 200 00:10:29,336 --> 00:10:37,268 Your neighbour: guard him when he's away, honour him when he's there, help him when he's wronged, and hide his faults instead of hunting for them. 201 00:10:37,268 --> 00:10:40,634 Your companion: don't let him beat you to generosity. 202 00:10:40,634 --> 00:10:44,119 Your partner: don't decide without him, and never betray him. 203 00:10:44,119 --> 00:10:48,578 God's hand is over two partners, as long as they don't betray each other. 204 00:10:49,128 --> 00:10:51,806 And maybe the hardest one: someone who wrongs you. 205 00:10:51,806 --> 00:10:53,297 The right is that you pardon them. 206 00:10:53,297 --> 00:10:58,513 But, and this matters, if you know that pardoning will cause harm, you may defend yourself. 207 00:10:58,513 --> 00:11:00,592 The text quotes the Qur'an on this. 208 00:11:00,592 --> 00:11:04,234 Forgiveness is the default, not a rule that lets harm spread. 209 00:11:04,794 --> 00:11:07,641 The very last rights reach the widest circle. 210 00:11:07,641 --> 00:11:15,730 Your whole community: love for them what you love for yourself, and see their elders as your parents, their young as your brothers and your children. 211 00:11:15,730 --> 00:11:24,251 And the non-Muslims living under Muslim protection: accept from them what God has accepted, and do them no wrong, as long as they keep their covenant. 212 00:11:25,983 --> 00:11:26,642 Okay. 213 00:11:26,642 --> 00:11:27,844 Let's zoom back out. 214 00:11:27,844 --> 00:11:31,186 If you only keep four things from this video, make it these. 215 00:11:31,737 --> 00:11:32,372 One. 216 00:11:32,372 --> 00:11:39,896 The rights move from the inside out, like ripples: root, self, acts, power, family, everyone. 217 00:11:40,443 --> 00:11:41,018 Two. 218 00:11:41,018 --> 00:11:42,196 Know, then do. 219 00:11:42,196 --> 00:11:45,357 Each right starts with understanding what something really is. 220 00:11:45,357 --> 00:11:47,917 The right action grows from the right understanding. 221 00:11:48,477 --> 00:11:49,088 Three. 222 00:11:49,088 --> 00:11:52,947 Every relationship has two sides, and you have duties on both. 223 00:11:52,947 --> 00:11:56,913 Over or under, owing or owed, older or younger. 224 00:11:57,471 --> 00:11:58,323 And four. 225 00:11:58,323 --> 00:12:03,443 Many of the rights end with the same refrain: 'there is no strength save in God'. 226 00:12:03,443 --> 00:12:07,662 The text admits these duties are heavy, and that you need help to carry them. 227 00:12:07,662 --> 00:12:12,806 Its introduction ends the same way: blessed is the one whom God helps to fulfil them. 228 00:12:14,517 --> 00:12:16,318 Now, watching isn't learning. 229 00:12:16,318 --> 00:12:17,459 Let's make it stick. 230 00:12:17,459 --> 00:12:19,923 Pause the video and do three things. 231 00:12:19,923 --> 00:12:23,830 First: grab a blank page and draw the six rings from memory. 232 00:12:23,830 --> 00:12:24,899 Don't look back. 233 00:12:24,899 --> 00:12:27,219 Put two or three rights in each ring. 234 00:12:27,759 --> 00:12:31,134 Whatever you can't place shows you exactly where your gaps are. 235 00:12:31,134 --> 00:12:33,093 That's useful, not a failure. 236 00:12:33,657 --> 00:12:36,155 Second: answer these in your own words. 237 00:12:36,155 --> 00:12:38,342 Why is fasting connected to the body? 238 00:12:38,342 --> 00:12:40,674 What do a ruler and a teacher have in common? 239 00:12:40,674 --> 00:12:43,775 And why might pardoning someone sometimes be the wrong choice? 240 00:12:44,331 --> 00:12:47,646 Third: pick one relationship in your life this week. 241 00:12:47,646 --> 00:12:50,362 A neighbour, a parent, a coworker. 242 00:12:50,362 --> 00:12:52,935 Ask: what does this person deserve from me? 243 00:12:52,935 --> 00:12:54,353 And do one thing about it. 244 00:12:54,909 --> 00:12:56,962 Because that's the point of this treatise. 245 00:12:56,962 --> 00:12:58,717 It isn't a list to memorize. 246 00:12:58,717 --> 00:13:04,089 It's a way of looking at every person, and every gift, and asking: what do I owe here? 247 00:13:04,089 --> 00:13:05,147 Thanks for watching.