Hawzah News Agency - From an Islamic perspective, God and humans share mutual rights. The rights of God over humans are defined as a set of duties and responsibilities. Accordingly, humans are obligated to recognize God, worship Him, express gratitude, remain faithful, and follow His commands. They are also expected to endure hardships and submit to His decree.

Conversely, the concept of human rights over God does not imply that humans have an inherent right that obligates God to fulfill it. Rather, these rights refer to the divine promises and blessings that God has bestowed upon humans, which He fulfills out of His grace and mercy. This concept reflects God’s kindness and generosity toward His servants and can be seen as expectations that God has created for humans based on His promises. Some of these rights are as follows:

• Right to Guidance: In Surah Al-Baqarah (2:256), the Quran states: “Allah is the wali of the faithful: He brings them out of darkness into light.”
• Right to Forgiveness and Mercy: In Surah Az-Zumar (39:53), God says: “Say: ‘O creatures of God, those of you who have acted against your own interests should not be disheartened by the mercy of God. Surely God forgives all sins. He is all-forgiving and all-merciful.'”
• Right to Life and Security: God has granted life as a fundamental right to humans and has guaranteed their security. In Surah Al-An’am (6:151), the Quran declares: “And do not take a life which God has forbidden, unless for some just cause.”

These rights illustrate the loving and caring relationship that God has with His servants, ensuring these rights based on His mercy and grace under specific conditions.

Imam Hasan (as) and the Mutual Rights Between Humans and God

Imam Hasan (as), the second Imam of the Shia and a significant figure in Islamic history and religious knowledge, had a deep and comprehensive understanding of the mutual rights between humans and God, which is clearly reflected in his life and teachings.

From his viewpoint, the first and most important right of God over humans is the recognition of His oneness and worship. According to a narration in Tuhaf al-Uqul, Imam Hasan (as) says: “God has a great right over us, and that is to recognize His oneness and not associate anything with Him in worship.” He further states, referring to the mutual rights between humans and God: “Whoever knows God and fulfills His right in worship will always be guided.” In another instance, regarding the observance of sincerity as a right of God, he says: “O people! Whoever is sincere to God and follows His word as a guide will be led to the most correct and stable path. God will grant him success in awareness and wisdom and will help him achieve a good end.“1

All these sayings clearly indicate that fulfilling God’s right—through recognition and observance of His oneness—aligns with the human right over God, namely divine guidance.

In the book Tanbih al-Khawatir wa Nuzhat al-Nawazir 2, another hadith from Imam Hasan (as) reinforces this concept. In this hadith, when he discusses the right of servitude to God, he connects it with the mutual right of humans, saying: “Whoever obeys and worships God, God will make everything obedient to him.”

From Imam Hasan’s (as) perspective, the mutual rights that humans acquire by observing God’s rights can be so immense that the entire world could not suffice as compensation. He states: “If I were to transform the entire world into a morsel of food and feed it to a person who sincerely worships God, I would still feel that I have fallen short in fulfilling his right. And if I were to prevent a disbeliever from using the world to the point where his soul reaches its limit due to hunger and thirst, and then give him a sip of water, I would consider myself wasteful.“3

These words of Imam Hasan (as) demonstrate that God, in return for the observance of His rights, guides His servants with kindness and mercy, saving them from mistakes and misguidance. This divine guidance is one of the greatest blessings and rights that humans gain over God.

In addition to the right to guidance, the right to forgiveness and the expectation of divine mercy is another human right over God, which is greatly reflected in the sayings of this noble Imam. In one of his prayers, he says: “O Great God! I call upon You by Your infinite mercy and forgiveness to forgive my sins and make me one of Your righteous servants.” This prayer shows Imam Hasan’s (as) deep trust and hope in God’s forgiveness and mercy as a right that humans have over the Almighty. Through this prayer, he teaches us how to repent from sins with reliance on God and His mercy and move toward righteousness and goodness.

Furthermore, loyalty to divine covenants and patience in the face of hardships are other important duties of humans toward God. Observing them creates a great right for humans over God. Imam Hasan (as) says in this regard: “Fulfilling a covenant is a sign of faith and piety, and whoever fulfils God’s covenant will be honoured in this world and the hereafter.” Elsewhere, he says: “Patience is half of faith, and whoever endures hardships with patience will receive a great reward from God.” This statement clearly indicates that fulfilling divine covenants grants humans the right to success and honour in this world and the next, and patience not only represents half of faith but also grants a right to humans for divine reward and mercy.

In Conclusion

From the perspective of Imam Hasan (as), the mutual rights between humans and God involve recognizing the duties of humans toward God and the rights that God has determined for humans. These rights include the recognition of monotheism, worship, and obedience to God, hope for divine forgiveness and mercy, loyalty to divine covenants, and patience in the face of hardships. Through his life and teachings, Imam Hasan (as) reminds us how fulfilling these duties can lead to worldly and spiritual happiness, making one a righteous servant of God.

These teachings of Imam Hasan (as) are not only inspiring for Muslims but for all of humanity, guiding them toward a better life and a closer relationship with God. Ultimately, these mutual rights not only strengthen the relationship between humans and God but also promote spiritual and moral growth.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Tuhaf al-uqul, p 229.

2. Tanbih al-khawatir wa nuzhat al-nawazir, warram abi faras, v 2, p108.

3. Tanbih al-khawatir wa nuzhat al-nawazir, warram abi faras, v 1, p350.

By Seyed Hashem Moosavi