Social Obligations

Good Deeds and Words وَقُولُواْ لِلنَّاسِ حُسْناً “And speak good words to people” (2:83)

Tools for Social Success

Minding the Tongue In a Hadith Qudsi, Allah (swt) says: “O son of Adam, if your tongue is urging you to say things I have made impermissible for you to say, I have provided you with two shutters- your teeth and your lips- so shut them”

Good manners  The Holy Prophet [s] said: "Definitely, a servant can be in the same level as a person who fasts during the day and stays up praying at night by having good manners”.  Imam Ali ibn Husain, the fourth Imam, [a] said: "Speaking in a nice way increases a person’s wealth, postpones their death, creates love among his family members and makes a person enter Heaven”.

Cheerfulness The Prophet (saw): “A real believer has the brightest face and is the nicest and most generous of people while the true disbelievers are the most stingy and ill- mannered.”

Avoid Lying “Faith is when you prefer truth, when it would harm you, over lying, when it would benefit you.” [Nahjul-Balagha, Wisdom No. 458]

Keeping Promises and Trusts The Prophet (pbuh) says: “the signs of a hypocrite are three: when he speaks, he lies, when he makes a promise, he breaks it, and when is entrusted, he betrays.” [al-Faqih vol.4 p.361]

Desensitisation/Thinking Positively “Interpret the action of your brother in the best way possible until it becomes very clear that he is going the wrong thing, and do not interpret a word that comes from your brother negatively.” Mizanul-Hikmah vol.4 p.1784]

Self-Praise The Prophet (pbuh) tells Imam Ali (as) as part of his final will:“ Vanity (or self-pride) is the greatest loneliness.”

Helping Others The Imam then asked: “do you want me to teach you something that brings greater rewards?” The companion said: “is there such an act?” The Imam (as) said: “yes, fulfilling the need of a believer is better than a Hajj, and a Hajj and a Hajj…” until he counted ten Hajj pilgrimages.

The Orphans of Ale Muhammad “He who takes up the affairs of the orphans of Ale Muhammad (the family of Muhammad),- who are cut off from their Imam, who are bewildered in their ignorance, captives of the Satans and the enemies of the Ahlul Bayt- and saves (the orphans) from these ( Satans and enemies), and takes them out of their bewilderment, and overcomes the Satans by rebutting their whispering, and overpowers the enemies through proofs from their God and guidance from their Imams, so that the covenant of God is maintained over His servants- the honour of such people is greater than the honour of the heavens over the Earth, and the Throne over the Chair, and the Veil over the Sky, their honour over the rest of the servants is like the honour of the full moon over the faintest star in the sky…”

Meeting a believer’s needs “ If one fulfils the need of a Muslim, Allah, the Exalted, will address him thus: ‘your reward is on Me, and I will be not satisfied with any reward for you except Paradise.” Imam al-Baqir (as), al-Mustadrak, 2:406

Bringing Happiness to a Believer  “The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: ‘Whoever brings happiness to a believer, he has brought happiness to me, and whoever has brought happiness to me, he has brought happiness to Allah, the Exalted’” Imam al-Baqir (as), Biharul Anwar, 74:287

Treat all people well Mu’awiyah ibn Wahab asked Imam al-Sadiq (as): “How should we interact with our brothers in faith and with other people that we mix with who do not follow our faith?” The Imam (as) said: “Look at your Imams whom you took as guides and do what they do. By Allah, your Imams visit their ill, and attend their funerals, and give testimony for them or against them and fulfil their trusts….once you become very careful about your religion, tell the truth, fulfil the trusts and make your manners with people good, then they will say: ‘this is a Ja’fari…’ and that would please me.” (al-Kaafi vol.2. p. 464)

Social Independence The Prophet (saw): “Be wary of asking others for your needs.”

Applying the Social Tools

“…You shall worship none but Allah, and you shall be good to your parents…” (2:83) The Prophet (pbuh) was asked: “who has the greatest right over a person?” He (pbuh) said: “his parents”. Mishkatul Anwar, n. 840 Parents

The Prophet (pbuh), when asked about the rights of parents to their child, said: “They are your Heaven and your Hell.” [al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib, v. 3, p. 316, no. 10] Parents and Children

Goodness to Parents لَا تَعْبُدُونَ إِلَّا اللَّهَ وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا

Goodness to Parents

The Prophet (pbuh) said, ‘Love children and have mercy on them.’ [al-Kafi, v. 6, p. 49, no. 3] The Prophet (pbuh) with regard to a man who stated [proudly], ‘I have never kissed a child’, said after he had left, ‘To me this man is one of the people of Hell.’ [al-Kafi, v. 6, p. 50, no. 7] Love from Parents

The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘It will be said [by Allah] to the insolent [towards his parents]: Do what you want, for I will not forgive you.’ [Bihar al-Anwar, v. 74, p. 80, no. 82] Insolence to Parents

“…Those who keep the ties which Allah commanded to keep” Brothers and Sisters

The Holy Prophet [s] said: "Man is influenced by the faith of his friends. Therefore, be careful of whom you associate with.” “Take friends, for they are a help both in this world and the next, have you not heard that the people of Hell say: ‘we have no one to intercede for us, nor do we have any intercessors’”. Friendships in Islam

“…when you hear the Verses of Allâh being denied and mocked at, then sit not with them, until they engage in a talk other than that; (but if you stayed with them) certainly in that case you would be like them.” (4:140) Who should I not befriend?

إياكم وصحبة العاصين ، ومعونة الظالمين ومجاورة الفاسقين ، احذروا فتنتهم ، وتباعدوا من ساحتهم Imam al-Sajjad (as): “Be wary not to ever become a companion of a sinner, an aid to an oppressor or become close to a transgressor. Take precautions against their sedition, and distance yourself from their arena.” Wasailul Shia, n

“If a man stays up the night praying, and fasts the day, and is killed between the Ka’ba and the Black Stone, Allah, the Exalted, will not resurrect him except with whomever he loved- if they are in heaven, he will be in heaven, and if they are in Hell, he will be in Hell” Love for the Sake of God