The Right of Hearing: Commentary on Imam Al-Sajjad’s (AS) Treaties of Right by Mohammad Sobhanie.
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
وَ أَمَّا حَقُّ السَّمْعِ فَتَنْزِيهُهُ عَنْ أَنْ تَجْعَلَهُ طَرِيقاً اِلَى قَلْبِكَ اِلاَّ لِفُوَّهَة كَرِيمَة تُحْدِثُ فِي قَلْبِكَ خَيْراً أَوْ تَكْسِبُ خُلُقاً كَرِيماً فَاِنَّهُ بَابُ الْكَلاَمِ اِلَى الْقَلْبِ يُؤَدِّي اِلَيْهِ ضُرُوبُ الْمَعَانِي عَلَى مَا فِيهَا مِنْ خَيْر أَوْ شَر وَ لا قُوَّةَ اِلاَّ بِاللَّهِ
The Right of Hearing
And the right of hearing is to keep it pure and make it the direct pathway of noble words to your heart that establish some good in your heart or grant you a noble trait. Indeed, hearing is the gateway through which various concepts reach the heart- whether good or evil. And there is no power but in God.
Commentary:
The faculty of hearing and sight connects humans to the universe. Hence, the Imam (AS) advises keeping those faculties pure by only permitting noble words that establish some good in one’s heart or grant a noble trait to enter.
Hearing and sight are two prominent faculties of obtaining cognition and knowledge. We listen, read, analyze learned information with our intellect. Ultimately, we understand the subject and form educated opinions. Without the faculties of hearing and seeing, our minds would be deaf, dumb, and inferior as humans. Hence, four verses in the Quran remind us of the blessings of the three faculties of hearing, sight, and intellect [1]. For instance, verse 16:17 (An-Nahl) says: “And Allah (SWT) has extracted you from the wombs of your mothers not knowing a thing, and God made for you hearing and vision and intellect that perhaps you would be grateful.”
Today’s world consists of multiple views that contain a mixture of right and wrong. The pitfall is getting emotional and believing what we hear and see without checking the statement’s truthfulness. Hence, once a man asked Amir Al-Mumineen Ali (AS) to advise him on virtues to follow. Imam (AS) replied: “Listen, then understand, then be sure, then accept and practice [2].”
Verse 17:36 (Al-Isra) warns against blinding following others and reminds us of our rights of hearing and sights by stating: “And do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, the sight, and the heart – about all those [one] will be questioned.”
Verse 67:10 (Al-Mulk) alerts those who decline to listen and reflect on divine messengers and books. On the Day of Judgment, when the sinner will be thrown into Hellfire, the gatekeeper will ask the companion of Fire, “Did not come to you a messenger? They will say, yes, a warner came to us, but we denied (them). Had we listened to them and reflected on their message, we would not be among the companions of the Fire [3].”
Acknowledgment:
The text is based on “Commentary on Imam Al-Sajjad’s (AS) Treaties of Right” by the Grand Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani.
Appendix_1:
Verses of the Quran mentioned in the text
وَاللَّهُ أَخْرَجَكُم مِّن بُطُونِ أُمَّهَاتِكُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ شَيْئًا وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ السَّمْعَ وَالْأَبْصَارَ وَالْأَفْئِدَةَ ۙ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ ﴿٧٨﴾
16:78 And Allah (SWT) has extracted you from the wombs of your mothers not knowing a thing, and God made for you hearing and vision and intellect that perhaps you would be grateful.
وَلَا تَقْفُ مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ ۚ إِنَّ السَّمْعَ وَالْبَصَرَ وَالْفُؤَادَ كُلُّ أُولَٰئِكَ كَانَ عَنْهُ مَسْئُولًا ﴿٣٦﴾
17:36 And do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, the sight and the heart – about all those [one] will be questioned.
Appendix_2:
The Arabic text of Hadith mentioned in the text
Ref: Al-Kāfī , Vol.2, P. 456
عن بعض أصحابه: رفعه قال: جاء رجل إلى أمير المؤمنين (عليه السلام) فقال: يا أمير المؤمنين أوصني بوجه من وجوه البر أنجو به، قال أمير المؤمنين (عليه السلام): أيها السائل استمع ثم استفهم ثم استيقن ثم استعمل
A man came to Amir Al-Mumineen Ali (AS) and said: O Commander of the Faithful, advise me of righteousness with which I shall be saved. Amir Al-Mumineen Ali (AS) said: O’ questioner, listen, then understand, then be certain, then accept and practice.
Notes:
[1] An-Nahl (16:78), Al-Mu’minun (23:78), As-Sajda (32:9), Al-Mulk (67:23)
[2] Al-Kāfī , Vol.2, P. 456, see Appendix_2 for further information
[3] Al-Mulk. 67:8:10
shafaqna.com
