Friendliness

إِنَّ لِكُلِّ شَيْ‌ءٍ قُفْلًا وَ قُفْلُ الْإِيمَانِ الرِّفْقُ‌[1].

“For everything there is a lock and the lock for belief is friendliness.”

قَالَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ ع‌ مَنْ قُسِمَ لَهُ الرِّفْقُ قُسِمَ لَهُ الْإِيمَانُ.

“Whoever has received a share of friendliness has received a share of belief.”

إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى رَفِيقٌ يُحِبُّ الرِّفْقَ فَمِنْ رِفْقِهِ بِعِبَادِهِ تَسْلِيلُهُ أَضْغَانَهُمْ‌[2] وَ مُضَادَّتَهُمْ‌[3] لِهَوَاهُمْ وَ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَ مِنْ رِفْقِهِ بِهِمْ أَنَّهُ يَدَعُهُمْ عَلَى الْأَمْرِ يُرِيدُ إِزَالَتَهُمْ عَنْهُ رِفْقاً بِهِمْ لِكَيْلَا يُلْقِيَ عَلَيْهِمْ عُرَى الْإِيمَانِ‌[4] وَ مُثَاقَلَتَهُ جُمْلَةً وَاحِدَةً فَيَضْعُفُوا فَإِذَا أَرَادَ ذَلِكَ نَسَخَ الْأَمْرَ بِالْآخ

3. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Safwan ibn Yahya from Yahya al-Azraq from Hammad ibn Bashir from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) who has said the following: “Allah, the Most Blessed, the Most High, is compassionate and He loves friendliness. Of the examples of His compassion to His worshippers is His reducing

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‌ الرِّفْقُ يُمْنٌ وَ الْخُرْقُ شُؤْمٌ‌[1].

“The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘Friendliness is a blessing and detachment is evil.’”

إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ رَفِيقٌ يُحِبُّ الرِّفْقَ وَ يُعْطِي عَلَى الرِّفْقِ مَا لَا يُعْطِي عَلَى الْعُنْفِ.

5. It is narrated from him (narrator of the Hadith above) from ibn Mahbub from ‘Amr ibn Shamir from Jabir from abu Ja’far (a.s.) who has said the following: “Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, is compassionate. He loves kindheartedness and awards for it with such things that He does not give due to rudeness.”

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‌ إِنَّ الرِّفْقَ لَمْ يُوضَعْ عَلَى شَيْ‌ءٍ إِلَّا زَانَهُ‌[2] وَ لَا نُزِعَ مِنْ شَيْ‌ءٍ إِلَّا شَانَهُ.

“The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘There is nothing in which friendliness is placed but that such thing is beautified. There is nothing from which friendliness is removed but that such thing is shunned.”’

إِنَّ فِي الرِّفْقِ الزِّيَادَةَ وَ الْبَرَكَةَ وَ مَنْ يُحْرَمِ الرِّفْقَ يُحْرَمِ الْخَيْرَ.

“In friendliness, certainly, there are increased blessings. One dispossessed of (faculty) friendliness is deprived of goodness.”

مَا زُوِيَ الرِّفْقُ عَنْ أَهْلِ بَيْتٍ إِلَّا زُوِيَ عَنْهُمُ الْخَيْرُ.

“If kindheartedness goes away from a family, goodness departs them also.”

أَيُّمَا أَهْلِ بَيْتٍ أُعْطُوا حَظَّهُمْ مِنَ الرِّفْقِ فَقَدْ وَسَّعَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ فِي الرِّزْقِ وَ الرِّفْقُ فِي تَقْدِيرِ الْمَعِيشَةِ خَيْرٌ مِنَ السَّعَةِ فِي الْمَالِ وَ الرِّفْقُ لَا يَعْجِزُ عَنْهُ شَيْ‌ءٌ وَ التَّبْذِيرُ لَا يَبْقَى مَعَهُ شَيْ‌ءٌ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ رَفِيقٌ يُحِبُّ الرِّفْقَ‌[3].

“Any family who has received their share of kindheartedness, Allah has certainly increased their livelihood. Friendliness in matters of earning a living is better than great wealth. Friendliness does not cause any weakness but a spendthrift habit leaves nothing in place. Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, is comp

قَالَ لِي وَ جَرَى بَيْنِي وَ بَيْنَ رَجُلٍ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ كَلَامٌ فَقَالَ لِي ارْفُقْ بِهِمْ- فَإِنَّ كُفْرَ أَحَدِهِمْ‌[1] فِي غَضَبِهِ وَ لَا خَيْرَ فِيمَنْ كَانَ كُفْرُهُ فِي غَضَبِهِ.

“The narrator has said, ‘A conversation took place between a man of the group and me and the Imam said to me, ‘Be friendly with them or else one of them may reject in anger and there is nothing good in rejection that may come from anger.”’

الرِّفْقُ نِصْفُ الْعَيْشِ.

“Friendliness is half of livelihood.”

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ع‌ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الرِّفْقَ وَ يُعِينُ عَلَيْهِ فَإِذَا رَكِبْتُمُ الدَّوَابَّ الْعُجْفَ‌[2] فَأَنْزِلُوهَا مَنَازِلَهَا- فَإِنْ كَانَتِ الْأَرْضُ مُجْدِبَةً فَانْجُوا عَنْهَا وَ إِنْ كَانَتْ مُخْصِبَةً فَأَنْزِلُوهَا مَنَازِلَهَا.

“The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘Allah, certainly, loves kindheartedness and He supports one to achieve it. If you ride a weak animal allow it to rest whenever needed. If it is a barren land pass it quickly, and if it is a fertile land, allow them to rest as they need.’”

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‌ لَوْ كَانَ الرِّفْقُ خَلْقاً يُرَى مَا كَانَ مِمَّا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ شَيْ‌ءٌ أَحْسَنَ مِنْهُ.

“The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘If kindheartedness were to be seen like a creature, nothing of the creatures of Allah could have been as good as kindheartedness.

إِنَّ اللَّهَ رَفِيقٌ يُحِبُّ الرِّفْقَ وَ مِنْ رِفْقِهِ بِكُمْ تَسْلِيلُ أَضْغَانِكُمْ وَ مُضَادَّةِ قُلُوبِكُمْ وَ إِنَّهُ لَيُرِيدُ تَحْوِيلَ الْعَبْدِ عَنِ الْأَمْرِ فَيَتْرُكُهُ عَلَيْهِ حَتَّى يُحَوِّلَهُ بِالنَّاسِخِ كَرَاهِيَةَ تَثَاقُلِ الْحَقِّ عَلَيْهِ.

“Allah is compassionate and He loves kindheartedness. Of the examples of His compassion is His reducing and easing off of your feeling of grudge and hatred that confronts your wish and your heart. When He decides to change a worshipper’s habits He issues a command and then changes it with an abrogating command so that

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‌ مَا اصْطَحَبَ اثْنَانِ إِلَّا كَانَ أَعْظَمُهُمَا أَجْراً وَ أَحَبُّهُمَا إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ أَرْفَقَهُمَا بِصَاحِبِهِ.

“The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘Whenever two things accompany each other the recipient of greater reward and the most beloved of the two before Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, is the kindhearted one to its companion.’”

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع يَقُولُ‌ مَنْ كَانَ رَفِيقاً فِي أَمْرِهِ نَالَ مَا يُرِيدُ مِنَ النَّاسِ.

“I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) say, ‘Whoever is friendly in his affairs achieves what he wants from people.’”