Three basic social principles

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All-People-are-equal-r
Imam As-Sadiq (a.s.) said:
اَلنّاسُ سَوَاءٌ كَأَسْنانِ الْمِشْطِ وَ الْمَرْءُ كَثِيرٌ بِأَخِيْهِ وَ لا خَيْرَ فِى صُحْبَةِ مَنْ لَمْ يَرَ لَكَ مِثْلَ الَّذِى يَرَى لِنَفْسِهِ

Translation
People are equal (in social rights) with each other like the teeth of a comb! An individual becomes a great society together with his (religious) brothers. It is not right to associate with one who does not wish for you whatever he wishes for himself.1

Brief Description
Three basic social principles are mentioned in the above tradition.
First, equal rights and justice for everyone irrespective of their color, race, language and social status.
Second, the relationship of an individual with the society and the society with an individual. Each individual counts and in co-operation with his brothers forms a great community.
Lastly, the necessity of respecting the others’ interests as one’s own interests as the basic element of true friendship and companionship. A society devoid of these three principles is neither an Islamic nor a humanitarian society.[divider]
•    1. Tuhaful Uqul, page 274.

Who would be the most dignified person on the day of resurrection?

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helping hand

The Holy Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him and his progeny) said:
إنَّ أَعْظَمَ النَّاسِ مَنْزِلَةً عِنْدَ اللّهِ يَوْمَ القِيامَةِ أَمْشاهُمْ فِى أَرْضِهِ بالنَّصِيحَةِ لِخَلْقِهِ

Translation
The most dignified people on the day of resurrection are those who had engaged most in public service and benevolence.1

Brief Description
One of the ways of service to God’s people is respecting and protecting their interests and their benefits as one’s own interest and benefit, and dealing with them sincerely and benevolently in their presence as well as behind their back.[divider]
•    1. al-Kafi, volume 2, page 166. Wasail Al-Shia, vol 16, page 382. Mustadrak AlWasa’il, vol 12, page 387.

What are the mutual rights of parents and children?

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The Holy Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him and his progeny) said:
يَلْزَمُ الْوالِدَيْنِ مِنَ الْحُقُوقِ لِوَلَدِهِما مَا يَلْزَمُ الْوَلَدَ لَهُما مِنْ حُقُوقِهِما

Translation
In the same way as the children are to be held to account for disregarding parents’ rights, parents are also accountable for not observing the children’s rights.1

Brief Description
Rights and duties always go hand in hand. And greater rights call for greater duty and responsibility.
The Holy Qur’an places heavy emphasis on duty to one’s parents. While parents enjoy great rights vis-à-vis their children, they also bear a heavy responsibility to them. They shall at no time neglect to train their children, to help them improve bodily as well as spiritually and to keep them away from mental and moral taints. The tumult of their life shall not hinder them from this great duty.[divider]
•    1. Sayings of the Imams

The excellence of a scholar over a votary

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sun-star-r
Imam Musa ibn Ja’far (a.s.) said:
فَضْلُ الْفَقِيهِ عَلَى الْعابِدِ كَفَضْلِ الشَّمسِ عَلَى الْكَواكِبِ

Translation
The excellence of a scholar over a votary is similar to excellence of sun over the stars.1

Brief Description
The stars in the sky are themselves luminous but fail to provide luminosity to the Earth and to illuminate the path for us.
Sunlight and its bright and shiny rays, on the other hand, revive and energize the Earth and also light up the path for all inhabitants of planets in the solar system. The sun thus enables others to distinguish the right path from the deviant one, the high road from crag. And it is this that distinguishes a scholar from a devotee. The latter is concerned only with saving himself whereas the former tries to also save others from drowning.
Just as planets need sunlight, votaries need a scholar.[divider]
•    1. Tuhaful Uqul, page 307.

Helping others makes me not progress?

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helping-others-r
Imam As-Sadiq (a.s.) said:
مَنْ كَانَ فِى حاجَةِ أَخِيْهِ الْمُسْلِم كَانَ اللّهُ فى حاجَتِهِ

Translation
Whosoever engages in fulfilling the requirements and needs of his Muslim brothers, God will fulfill his requests.1

Brief Description
People often think that if they get involved in solving the problems of others, this would retard progress in their own life. Islam has a different viewpoint. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) says that if you engage in solving people’s problems and fulfilling their requirements, God, whose power is beyond your power and all powers, helps you and solves your problems. We have been witnessed how the problems of those who help others get solved in wonderful ways and this is a divine bounty.[divider]
•    1. Bihar al-Anwar, volume 74, page 286, Wasa’il Al-Shia, vol 16, page 359. Mustadrak AlWasa’il, vol 12, page 414. Al-Amali, page 97. Awali Al-Laali, vol 1, page 375.

Praise someone else should have any measure?

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praise-r
Imam ‘Ali (a.s.) said:
الثَناءُ بِأَكْثَرَ مِنَ الاسْتِحْقاقِ مَلَقٌ و التَّقْصِيرُ مِنَ الأسْتِحْقاقِ عَىٌّ أَوْ حَسَدٌ

Translation
When praise and commendation is more than merited and deserved, it is flattery and when less than merited it is either debility in expression or envy. 1

Brief Description
Undoubtedly, the worthy individuals and their good attributes and deeds should be praised and appreciated, and in this way we shall encourage and support them to carry on with their good work.
But praise should be proportionate to the merit. Otherwise, it would have negative and harmful consequences. If it is more than merit, it becomes flattery which hurts the dignity of the speaker and also causes self-conceit and self-admiration in the one who is flattered. And if it is less than merit, it discourages the good doers and shows that the speaker is either envious or weak in his power of expression.[divider]
•    1. Nahjul Balaghah

How should I make justice among my children?

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justice-among-children-r
The Holy Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him and his progeny) said:
إِعْدِلُوا بَيْنَ أَوْلادِكُمْ كَما تُحِبُّونَ أَنْ يَعْدِلُوا بَيْنَكُمْ

Translation
Observe justice among your children just as you would like that they render justice among you.1

Brief Description
One of the capital mistakes is discrimination in treatment of children. Some people favor their older and so called senior child and others favor their younger child. Sometimes they exceed the bounds and reserve all of their kindness, property and affections for one of them, and deprive the others totally.
This provokes the fire of malice and envy in the hearts of the ones left out and in time this will develop into enmity among them and vindictiveness towards their parents and they may even seek vengeance in the society.[divider]
•    1. Bihar al-Anwar, volume 23, Makarim AlAkhlaq, page 220

Is there any incurable disease?

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healing0-r
The Holy Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him and his progeny) said:
ما أَنْزَلَ اللّهُ مِنْ داء إلاّ جَعَلَ لَهُ دَواء

Translation
God has not created any disease unless he has created a remedy for it.1

Brief Description
The world in which we live is a series of actions and reactions. For every negative power there is a corresponding positive and corrective power which should be found and used. Continuation of our life is the effect of balance in these powers. There is neither an incurable corporeal disease, nor is there any social problem that cannot be solved. These who assume that certain complex problems have no solution or that some diseases have no cure, neglect this important fact that in essence there is no such thing as an incurable disease.
Therefore, one should not give up. One should persevere and keep on working on the life’s intractable issues with patience and tenacity until a solution is found.[divider]
•    1. Nahjul Fasahah

What are the signs of an oppressor?

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oppressor
Imam ‘Ali (a.s.) said:
لِلظّالِمِ ثلاثُ عَلامات: يَظْلِمُ مَنَ فَوْقَهُ بِالْمَعْصِيَةِ وَ مَنْ دُوْنَهُ بِالْغَلَبَةِ، وَ يُظاهِرُ الْقَوْمَ الظَّلَمَةِ

Translation
The oppressor has three signs: oppresses those who are higher than him through opposition and disobedience, and oppresses those who are inferior to him through violence and predominance, and cooperates with other oppressors.1

Brief Description
When the ugly urge to oppress becomes ingrained and dominates one’s mind, it shows up in different ways depending on the situation. If he cannot oppress overtly a strong opponent, the oppression takes subtle forms like disobedience and dereliction of duties. Against the weak, the oppressor resorts to open aggression, force, violence and injustice. Another sign of an oppressor is that he selects his friends and companions from among the unjust.[divider]
•    1. Nahjul Balaghah

Backbiting

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backbite2-r

Imam ‘Ali (a.s.) said:
اَلْغِيْبَةُ جُهْدُ الْعاجِزِ

Translation
Backbiting is the last effort of weak people.1

Brief Description
Few sins can be found among the capital sins that indicate meanness, weakness, humiliation, and cowardice like backbiting does.
Backbiters falsely blame and ascribe faults to others and damage reputations to satiate the fire of their envy and malice. They are weak and mean persons who do not have the courage to confront their victims with their baseless and unfair criticisms and can only stab others in the back.
It is mentioned in one of the traditions that even if a backbiter repents and the repentance is accepted, he shall be the last one entering paradise. Otherwise, he would be the first one entering hell.[divider]
•    1. Nahjul Balaghah