The Right of Servant over His Master (20 th): Commentary on Imam Al-Sajjad’s (AS) Treaties of Right by Mohammad Sobhanie.

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

وَأمَّا حَقُّ رَعِيَّتِكَ بمِلْكِ اليَمِينِ فَأَنْ تَعْلَمَ أنَهُ خَلْقُ رَبكَ، وَلَحْمُــــكَ وَدَمُــــكَ وَأَنَّـــــــــــكَ تَمْلِكُهُ لا أنْتَ صَنَعْتَهُ دُونَ اللَّهِ وَلا خَلَقْتَ لَهُ سَمْعًـــــا وَلا بَصَرًا وَلا أَجْرَيتَ لَهُ رِزْقًا وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ كَفَاكَ ذَلِكَ، ثُمَّ سَخَّرَهُ لَكَ وَائْتَمَنَكَ عَلَيْهِ وَاسْتَوْدَعَكَ إيَّـــــاهُ لِتَحْفَظَهُ فِيهِ وتَسِيرَ فِيهِ بسِيرَتِهِ فَتُطْعِمَهُ مِمَّا تَأْكُلُ وَتُلْبسَهُ مِمَّا تَلْبَسُ وَلا تُكَلِّفَهُ مَـــــــــا لا يُطِيقُ، فَإنْ كَرِهْتَ[هُ] خَرَجْتَ إلَى اللَّهِ مِنْهُ وَاسْتَبْدَلْتَ بهِ وَلَـمْ تُعَذِّبْ خَلْقَ اللَّهِ وَلا قُوَّةَ إلا باللهِ

The Right of Servant over His Master

The right of your slave over you is to recognize that he is a creation of your Lord and is made of the same flesh and blood as you. He may be in your possession, but you did not create him. You did not give him the ability to see or hear, nor did you provide his sustenance; God takes care of all that.

God has placed you as a trustee and entrusted him to your care, and you are responsible for his safety and well-being. So, treat him the way God treats you; feed him what you eat, clothe him with what you wear, and don’t burden him with what he cannot withstand. If you dislike him, then it’s better to let him go and find a replacement rather than torment God’s creation. It is essential to remember that all power comes from God.

Commentary

In the previous section, we discussed the rights that a master holds over his slave. However, these rights are not unilateral. A slave also possesses certain rights over his master. Imam Seyyed Al-Sajdin (AS) elucidated these mutual rights, which are based on five fundamental principles:

• (أنَهُ خَلْقُ رَبكَ) The slave and the master have the same Lord.
• (وَلَحْمُــــكَ وَدَمُــــكَ) They are equal in creation; they share the same type of flesh and blood.
• (وَأَنَّـــــــــــكَ تَمْلِكُهُ لا أنْتَ صَنَعْتَهُ) The relationship between a master and a slave is based on a contract that can be altered at any time. For example, a master cannot claim ownership of his slave if he frees him or exchanges him for another slave. On the contrary, God’s ownership is based on the fact that God created all things, and this ownership remains unchanged.
• (وَلا خَلَقْتَ لَهُ سَمْعًـــــا وَلا بَصَرًا وَلا أَجْرَيتَ لَهُ رِزْقًا) The master does not provide the slave with physical strength, intellectual power, or sustenance.
• (وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ كَفَاكَ ذَلِكَ) Allah (SWT) provides for all the needs of the slave; thus, enslaved individuals owe no favors to their masters.

However, God has designated the master as a trustee and charged them with the responsibility of taking care of their slaves. Therefore, it is the master’s duty to ensure the safety and well-being of their slaves. To fulfill this responsibility, the master must take the following steps about their slaves:

• (وتَسِيرَ فِيهِ بسِيرَتِهِ) Treat them with the same respect and kindness that he would want to receive from God.
• (فَتُطْعِمَهُ مِمَّا تَأْكُلُ) Feed them with the same food that he himself
• (وَتُلْبسَهُ مِمَّا تَلْبَسُ) Dress them with the same quality of clothes that he himself wears.
• (وَلا تُكَلِّفَهُ مَـــــــــا لا يُطِيقُ) Should not burden them with tasks that they cannot withstand.
• (فَإنْ كَرِهْتَ[هُ] خَرَجْتَ إلَى اللَّهِ مِنْهُ وَاسْتَبْدَلْتَ بهِ وَلَـمْ تُعَذِّبْ خَلْقَ اللَّهِ) If he dislikes them, then he should let them go and find a replacement rather than torment God’s creation.

The treatment of slaves, as per these clauses, led some to remain with their masters despite gaining freedom. This is illustrated in the following story:

Zaid bin Haritha (زيد بن حارثه) was taken captive in a war that happened before the emergence of Islam. Hakim bin Hizam (حكيم بن حزام) purchased him and then gave him to his aunt, Hazrat Khadijah (حضرت خديجه). This noble lady also gave Zaid to the Prophet (PBUH). Eventually, Zaid’s father discovered his whereabouts. He asked the Prophet (PBUH) to release Zaid, and the Prophet (PBUH) allowed Zaid to choose whether to stay with him or return to his father. Zaid decided to stay with the Prophet (PBUH) rather than opting for freedom.

We will end this section with a quote from the Prophet (PBUH), who said:

إخوانكم جعلهم الله فتنة تحت أيديكم، فمن كان أخوه تحت يديه، فليطعمه من طعامه، وليكسه من لباسه،

They (your servants) are your brothers in faith. You will be tested through them. If you have a brother under your care, you will provide him with the same quality of food and clothing that you provide yourself.

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