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 Counselor. Regarding this, the Imam (AS) has said:

And the right of your counselor is that you should treat him gently, then you should be whole-heartedly attentive to him, and open you ears for him so that you understand his counsel. And then study it deeply. And if what he presents to you is right, you should praise God for it, and accept it from him and acknowledge his favor.

But if what he presents to you does not agree with you, you should be kind to him and make no accusations against him. And you should know that he spared no efforts to provide you with the best advice, but he made a mistake. But if he deserves to be accused, then you should not pay any attention to him under any circumstances. And there is no power but in God.

In short, Imam Sajjad advises us to be humble and listen to the one who is counseling us. We should think it over, and praise God if what he says is right. We should also be grateful to him. However, if what he says is not right, we should know that he did not have any bad intentions and we should not accuse him. We should realize that he has made a mistake, and should not act upon his advice. In the previous chapter, we cited the verses of the Holy Qur’an and the traditions regarding those who seek our counsel.

Without even noticing humans over the centuries have developed strategies and mechanism to gravitate others towards them. Being likeable, as we say in today’s society, really depends on how we present ourselves to others. There are many qualities that contribute to this gravitation that occurs between humans, one of this is humbleness.

Humbleness is the opposite of arrogance, and is an attitude and behavior that Allah and His Messenger Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) have commanded us to have. Through the Holy Quran and through the actions of the Prophet (PBUH) and the Imams, one can certainty conclude that they were the true embodiment of humbleness. 

The cordiality and humility of Imam Zainul Abideen (AS) was well known among the residents of Medina. He used to deal with his slaves and maids also in the most cordial and gentle way. His behavior with his slaves was such that strangers failed to recognize which of them were the Master and which one the slave. One day a father-son duo from Khorasan came to meet the Imam. When it was the time for dinner the Imam moved forward to wash the hands of the guest but he said, “O son of the Messenger of Allah (S)! I will not allow this!” The Imam said, “It is my duty. Why do you want me to be deprived of its rewards?” Thus, the Imam did not agree and at last washed his hands. After that he ordered Imam Muhammad Baqir (AS) to wash the son's hands.

Here the Imam (AS) didn’t see himself above anyone just because he was an Imam, on the contrary he saw himself just like everyone else, even to the point where people didn’t even recognize him.

It is not only from the life of Zainul Abideen (AS) that humbleness is portrayed but also through the actions of all the other Imams.

All his life, Imam Musa Kadhim (AS) never spoke with anyone in a harsh and caustic manner. He never hurt the feelings of others. He used to meet every high and low person in a humble way, and he fulfilled the needs of people with utmost sincerity. Pride and arrogance was never seen in his behavior.

In the Holy Quran Allah says “Verily, Allah has revealed to me that you must be humble towards one another, so that no one wrongs another or boasts to another.”

Through this it’s quite evident that humbleness is of great magnitude. It is through humbleness that we get closer to Allah spiritually.

An individual should be thankful towards their counselor. This is because they’re providing them with advice that would in return better their lives.

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 grateful 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 gratitude 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 gratitude. Accepting and appreciating blessing and doing righteous deeds reveals that one is content with what one has and that that indivudal possesses the right amount of patience to persevere through life’s trials no matter how diddfuclt 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 grateful 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.

Some traditions regarding the rights of the counselor. The Commander of the Faithful said:

“The most beloved person for you should be your sympathetic counselor.”

He also said:

“One who rejects the sincere advice of a counselor will burn in the scheming of a secret enemy.”

The Commander of the Faithful has also said:

.“Disobeying the compassionate counselor who is knowledgeable and experienced will result in remorse and regret.”

He also said:

“Listen to the advice of those who grant you their advice, and keep it in yourselves (for future use).”

He also said:

“The most compassionate people to you are those who are the most helpful to you in improving yourself, and those who most sincerely counsel you in your religion.”

In another wise saying he said:

“One of the greatest successes is to accept advice.”6

He also said:

 “Your counselor is kind to you. He does you good. He sees the final outcome (of your actions). He recognizes your shortcomings. Your being rightly directed lies in your obedience to him, and your corruption lies in your opposing him.”

At the end let us mention that the Commander of the Faithful recommends the counselor to advise in private, not in public and says:

“Your advising him in public is a rebuke.”