In this article we will continue our discussion regarding The Treatise of Rights by Imam Zayn Al-Abidin (AS). We will discuss the Right of the One who treats you kindly. Regarding this, the Imam (AS) has said:

And the right of him who treats you kindly is that you should thank him and acknowledge his kindness; and spread the good word around about him, and sincerely pray for him between you and God the Praised One. Then if you do that, you have thanked him both in private and in public. Then if you are able to practically recompense him, do recompense him. Otherwise, you should be determined to do so later.

Thanking others for their good towards us is not just an Islamic viewpoint but a universal one. It is inherent in man to wish to recompense those who treat him kindly. If some people do not act this way, it is because of the wicked traits they have acquired which block this mode of natural behavior in them. Those who have received proper education and have attained Islamic characteristics strengthen this inner tendency to compensate for the good deeds done for them and always wait for a chance to practically reward those who have somehow done them a favor.

The Great religion of Islam even encourages us to act kindly even towards those who have wronged us. Nor can Goodness and Evil be equal. Repel (Evil) with what is better: Then will he between whom and thee was hatred become as it were thy friend and intimate!” [The Holy Qur’an, Ha-Mim 41:34]

It is natural that we should do good in response to those who do some good to us. In this verse, we read that we should treat those who do us some evil with kindness. This will have a great effect, and it will attract them to us.

One example of portraying one’s kindness is through greeting. Greeting each other in any form is the most basic way of expressing kindness to each other. However, we can also find in the traditions that practical forms of expressing kindness are also a part of the concept of greeting. In Ali ibn Ibrahim’s commentary we read the following tradition quoted on the authority of Imam Baqir and Imam Sadiq : “What is meant by a greeting is verbal expression of greetings and any other practical forms of expressing kindness.”1 In another tradition in Manaqib we read: “A slave maid brought a flower to give to Imam Hasan . The Imam returned her favor by freeing her from the bonds of slavery. When asked why, he recited the following verse:

“When a (courteous) greeting is offered you, meet it with a greeting still more courteous, or (at least) of equal courtesy.” [The Holy Qur’an, al-Nisaa 4:86]

He then added: “Freeing her was a more courteous greeting.” Thus, we can see that this offering of a more courteous greeting is a general decree that includes both verbal and physical forms of greeting.

The idea of repaying the good with good is clearly embodied in the Quran. In many of the commentaries on the Qur’an, the good mentioned here in this verse has been interpreted as unity of God, His recognition and submission to God. However, these are clear instances of good. In general, it includes any good deeds or words. Imam Sadiq said:

“There is a verse in God’s Book that is unrestricted.” He was asked: “Which verse?” Imam Sadiq said: “It is the Almighty God’s words: “Is there any Reward for Good - other than Good?” (55:60) This holds true for believers, pagans, good-doers and evildoers. You must reward good for good. Whoever is done some good should respond with good. The proper compensation is not to respond with as much good as he did but with more, since if you respond equally he is ahead of you because he initiated the good deed.”

In Al-Mufradat Raghib said: “Doing good is loftier than doing justice because in the case of doing justice you give and take as much as you are supposed to, but in doing good you always give more than you are due to give, and take less than what you deserve to get.”

Allah (SWT) has blessed us with many blessings it is only fair that we repay him. We read the following in the Holy Qur’an:

"Nor forget thy portion in this world: but do thou good, as God has been good to thee." [The Holy Qur’an, al-Qasas 28:77]

It is generally accepted that man is always hoping to receive God’s Favors. He asks God for many things and expects a lot from Him. Then how can he ignore other people’s needs and neglect their requests. We read the following in the Holy Qur’an:

“Let them forgive and overlook, do you not wish that God should forgive you?” [The Holy Qur’an, al-Nur 24:22]

In other words, we can say that at times we are given great blessings all of which we do not need. For example, He gives us our intellect with which we can run the affairs of a nation. Alternatively, he gives us so much wealth with which we can implement great social programs. All these blessings do not just belong to us. In these cases, we are just God’s vicegerents on Earth to transfer these blessings to others. God has given us these blessings so that we may give them to others. He has planned to run the affairs of His servants through us.

Thankfulness is known as the quality of being thankful and readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness, gratitude is a trait that one develops that promotes optimism and assists in developing positive outlooks. It means that one acknowledges what one receives, whether that maybe from Allah SWT or others, and learning to live life as if everything were a special miracle. By doing this to an individual, gratitude not only shift one’s life outlook, but acts as an key that opens up a door to a level of living one did not even know was possible. There have been countless amounts of modern research that has proved that being grateful leads to happiness, resilience, it strengthens relationships, it improves health and reduces stress, which are all things the Quran promised 1400 years ago.

In the holy Quran it states: “And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, ‘If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]; but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe.” [Qur’an: Chapter 14, Verse 7]

This verse is relating to the proven fact that the more thankful an individual becomes, the more Allah SWT will bless them, and the more ungrateful they become they will not only attract negative things but will also be punished. This is proven by modern research as it has been found out that those who are grateful and content for what they have and are low maintenance with their expectations are usually happy individuals that emit positive energy. This positive energy has been discovered to attract positive things that lead to even more happiness and reduces stress. Those however who are ungrateful and express their ungratefulness through their actions do not only attract more negative energy, they also have an immense impact on their surroundings. It is also seen that those who continue with their ungratefulness will eventually go through difficult situations that forces them to open their eyes to the life they were living previously, and forces them to be grateful for what they had. This is exactly what the holy Quran was pointing out, in the verse that was mentioned.

This relates to what is discovered by modern psychologists and philosophers today, as they labeled this specific concept as “natural laws” which are basically laws that reveal what the holy Quran revealed 1400 years ago.

Now knowing what expressing gratitude leads to one cannot help but ask, who should I be grateful towards? The answer to that question although may be obvious but the true meaning is often overlooked and possibly misunderstood. One must be thankful to Allah SWT of course but as well as anyone who does an act of goodness or favour to another individual. The Prophet PBUH said: “He who does not thank people, does not thank Allah.”

The most important aspect of expressing gratitude is towards Allah SWT, who created humans in the most perfect way possible. In the holy Quran it mentions the perfect way Allah SWT created human beings and through the natural way life flows gratitude should exist for that particular reason. Now one might ask how do I express my thankfulness towards Allah SWT?

And that is through: realizing and appreciating all blessing by and within the heart, to say thanks physically, and to expressing gratitude by doing righteous deeds. This reveals that gratitude cannot be expressed through physically saying “Thank you”, although that can be true at times, however there are other more important ways of expressing one’s kindness. Accepting and appreciating blessing and doing righteous deeds reveals that one is content with what one has and that that individual possesses the right amount of patience to persevere through life’s trials no matter how difficult the obstacle may b while at the same time saying “thanks be to Allah”

By doing this one reveals the amount of moral courage and patience one has to the point where no matter what one goes through in terms of difficulty, they will always be thankful about what they have. When faced with difficulty one must persevere and be thankful even for what they are going through as they should always remember and realize that there are others that are going through much worse.

One of the easiest ways one can always remember to be thankful is by remembering this saying by Imam Ali Ibn Al Hussein AS after his entire family had been brutally martyred before his eyes: “I thank You because You have honored us by means of Prophet hood taught us the Qur'an, made us comprehend the religion and its commandments, granted us eyes, ears and hearts; kept us free from the pollution of polytheism and then enabled us to thank You for Your blessings.” This shows that no matter how tough an obstacle may be, one must always remember the blessings Allah SWT has blessed humanity with, and should persevere just like the Ahulbayt (AS) did.

The Ahlul-Bayt (AS) have also taught us to be kind to those who deserve it and to those who don’t. God’s Prophet said:

“Treat with kindness those who are worthy of it and those who are not worthy of it. For if you treat with kindness the one who is worthy of it, then he is worthy of it. And if you treat with kindness one who is not worthy of it, then you yourself are worthy of it.”

At last, let us consider what Imam Sajjad means by ‘him who treats you kindly’ - that is ‘Dhi’l-Ma’ruf’ in Arabic. We read in Ibn Abbas’s tradition: “On the Resurrection Day, the people who do good will enter the court. Their sins will be forgiven due to their good deeds. All their good deeds will remain on their record. Good marks are given to those people whose record shows that their good deeds are more than their bad deeds. They will thus be forgiven. They will all enter Heaven. Therefore doing good to the people will unite all in this world and the Hereafter. This is the reward of one who does good.