In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
People have rights upon us and society have rights upon us. We have to be acutely aware of this. If we don't we will suffer tremendously for wronging them by our actions or inaction.
Wronging someone, anyone for that matter, those close to you or distant from you, is a grave matter and could take you to the Fire. We should sincerely seek forgiveness from those we have wronged and do our best to rectify the wrong. Don't wait till Eid or before you go to hajj to do so. There is no guarantee that you or that other person will still be alive.
There are many Qur’anic verses and authentic Ahadith that lay down the guidelines of our rights and responsibilities with each other, among them are:
Allah Almighty declared in the Qur'an,
إِنَّمَا ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌ فَأَصْلِحُوا۟ بَيْنَ أَخَوَيْكُمْ ۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ ﴿١٠﴾ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا يَسْخَرْ قَوْمٌ مِّن قَوْمٍ عَسَىٰٓ أَن يَكُونُوا۟ خَيْرًا مِّنْهُمْ وَلَا نِسَآءٌ مِّن نِّسَآءٍ عَسَىٰٓ أَن يَكُنَّ خَيْرًا مِّنْهُنَّ ۖ وَلَا تَلْمِزُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَكُمْ وَلَا تَنَابَزُوا۟ بِٱلْأَلْقَـٰبِ ۖ بِئْسَ ٱلِٱسْمُ ٱلْفُسُوقُ بَعْدَ ٱلْإِيمَـٰنِ ۚ وَمَن لَّمْ يَتُبْ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَ ﴿١١[Qur'an, Al-Hujurat 49:10-11]
The believers are but brothers, so make settlement between your brothers. And fear Allah that you may receive mercy. (10) O you who have believed, let not a people ridicule [another] people; perhaps they may be better than them; nor let women ridicule [other] women; perhaps they may be better than them. And do not insult one another and do not call each other by [offensive] nicknames. Wretched is the name of disobedience after [one's] faith. And whoever does not repent - then it is those who are the wrongdoers. (11)
Allah Almighty says,
... وَٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَلَا تُشْرِكُوا۟ بِهِۦ شَيْـًٔا ۖ وَبِٱلْوَٰلِدَيْنِ إِحْسَـٰنًا[Qur'an, An-Nisa 4:36]
Worship Allah and associate nothing with Him, and with parents, the best (excellence)..
The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said,
"Do not be envious of one another; do not inflate prices by overbidding against one another; do not hate one another; do not turn away from one another; do not enter into commercial transaction when others have entered into that (transaction); but be you, O slaves of Allah, as brothers. A Muslim is a brother of another Muslim; he neither oppresses him, nor does he lie to him, nor does he look down upon or humiliate him. Piety is here (and he pointed to his chest three times). It is evil enough for a Muslim to humiliate his brother. All things of a Muslim are sacred for his brother-in-faith: his blood, his property, and his honor.” [Muslim]
The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, "A Muslim is the one the Muslims are safe from his tongue and his hands."[Bukhari and Muslim]
He (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) also said, "None of you truly believe until he wants for his brother what he wants for himself." [Bukhari]
On the Day of Judgment, we will be put face to face with those we have wronged intentionally or unintentionally. People are greedy and needy creatures and they will be less inclined to forgive you because they will be able to benefit from your wronging them in this life by taking good deeds away from you and giving their sins to you.
Abu Hurayrah reported: The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), asked,
Do you know who the bankrupt are?” They said, “The one without money or goods is bankrupt.” So the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “The bankrupt are those from my nation who come on the Day of Resurrection with prayer, fasting, and charity, but comes also insulting, slandering, consuming wealth, shedding blood, and beating others. They will each be given from his good deeds; if his good deeds run out before the score is settled, their bad deeds will be cast upon him, then he will be thrown into the Hellfire.[Muslim]
This person didn't know the rights of people on his tongue--he insulted them. He didn't know the right of people's property--he unlawfully took other's property. He didn't know the right of people to be treated with good conduct--he beat them or he killed them. If he knew about them, then he must not have cared about them. So he will suffer tremendously. His prayers, his fasting and his zakah and all his good deeds will not help him whatsoever.
Bankruptcy in this life is unpleasant but you can recover from this hardship and someone might be able to help you to stand back on your feet again. Bankruptcy on the Day of Judgment is completely different. Accounts have to be settled. Wealth, power, intelligence or knowledge will not be helpful unless they were used properly during one’s life time. No one can buy good deeds or rewards on the Day of Judgment because none is for sale, and no one, not even your own mother or your own father or your own child or your own brother will lend or give you even a single good deed on the Day of Judgment. On that day each person is concerned with his or her own affairs and salvation.
Allah Almighty says,
يَوْمَ يَفِرُّ الْمَرْءُ مِنْ أَخِيهِ ﴿٣٤﴾ وَأُمِّهِ وَأَبِيهِ ﴿٣٥﴾ وَصَاحِبَتِهِ وَبَنِيهِ ﴿٣٦﴾ لِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ مِّنْهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ شَأْنٌ يُغْنِيهِ ﴿٣٧[Qur'an Abasa 80:34]
On that Day man shall run from his own brother, and from his mother and father, and from his wife and his children. Each one of them, on that Day, will have enough concern of his own to make him indifferent to the others.
Narrated `Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her): 'Allah's Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, "The people will be gathered barefooted, naked, and uncircumcised." I said, "O Allah's Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)! Will the men and the women look at each other?" He said, "The situation will be too hard for them to pay attention to that."' [Bukhari]
We should keep far away from wronging people. As a scholar advised, it is better to be wronged than to be the wrong-doer. This means that if you ever at a point in your life where if you do something that you might be wronging someone and if you don't do something, they might be wronging you, then let them wrong you. You don't want the burden of bankruptcy in the Day of Judgment.
We don't want to end up bankrupt in the Day of Judgment. If we owe anyone money, time, an apology, or anything else we should do our best to settle our accounts now, while we are still alive, before we are taken into account in the next life.
May Allah make it easy for our limbs to worship Him and worship Him alone and enable us to fulfill our responsibilities towards others and His creation, and protect us from disobedience and wronging people and His creation. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
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