The Right of Your Self

Treatise on Rights is the only work attributed to Imam Zayn al-Abidin (AS) other than supplications or relatively short sayings and letters. The fact that it was a written document from the first may support the suggestion that at least some of the supplications were originally written compositions.

2. حق النفس

2. The Right of your self

وَأَمَّا حَقُّ نَفْسِكَ عَلَيْكَ فَأَنْ تَسْتَوْفِيَهَا فِي طَاعَةِ اللهِ

The right of your self (nafs) against you is that you employ it in obeying God;

فَتُؤَدّي إلَى لِسَانِكَ حَقَّهُ

then you deliver to your tongue its right,

وَإلَى سَمْعِك حَقَّهُ

to your hearing its right,

وَإلَى بَصَرِكَ حَقّهُ

to your sight its right,

وَإلَى يَدِكَ حَقَّهَا

to your hand its right,

وَإلَى رِجْلِك حَقَّهَا

to your leg its right,

وَإلَى بَطْنِكَ حَقَّهُ

to your stomach its right,

وَإلَى فَرْجِكَ حَقَّهُ

to your private part its right,

وَتَسْتَعِينَ باللهِ عَلَى ذَلِك.

and you seek help from God in all that.