Treatise On Rights

Treatise On Rights (Risalat al-Huquq)

Imam Ali Zayn al-Abidin

Translator’s Introduction
The Treatise On Rights

The right of him who is older than you (kabir) is that you show reverence toward him because of his age and you honour him because he entered Islam before you. You leave off confronting him in a dispute, you do not precede him in a path, you do not go ahead of him, and you do not consider him foolish. If he should act foolishly toward you, you put up with him and you honour him because of the right of Islam and the respect due to it.

وحق الكبير توقيره لسنه، وإجلاله لتقدمه في الإسلام قبلك، وترك مقابلته عند الخصام، ولا تسبقه إلى طريق، ولا تتقدمه، ولا تستجهله وإن جهل عليك احتملته وأكرمته لحق الإسلام وحرمته

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