attributed to Imam Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn (a.s) · Rights of Subjects
وأمَّا حَقُّ رَعِيَّتِكَ بالعِلْمِ فَأَنْ تَعْلَمَ أن الله عز وجل إنما جعلك قيما لهم فيما آتاك من العلم وفتح لك من خزائنه فان أحسنت في تعليم الناس، ولم تخرق بهم، ولم تضجر عليهم، زادك الله من فضله، وإن أنت منعت الناس علمك أو خرقت بهم عند طلبهم العلم منك كان حقا على الله عز وجل أن يسلبك العلم وبهاءه ويسقط من القلوب محلك.
The right of your subjects through knowledge is that you should know that God made you a caretaker over them only through the knowledge He has given you and His storehouses which He has opened up to you. If you do well in teaching the people, not treating them roughly or annoying them, then God will increase His bounty toward you. But if you withhold your knowledge from people or treat them roughly when they seek knowledge from you, then it will be God's right to deprive you of knowledge and its splendour and to make you fall from your place in people's hearts.
Translation: William C. Chittick — published with the edition, reproduced verbatim.
This edition publishes no authenticity assessment for this narration. SacredTwo does not assign one.
Persian rendering (AI)
No published Persian translation of this edition is available. This rendering is produced by SacredTwo's model and is not a published translation.
AI-assisted translation — not a verified published translation.