And he said:

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In the well-known hadith recorded in the Sunan collections and narrated by two jurists among the Companions, ‘Abd Allāh ibn Mas‘ūd and Zayd ibn Thābit, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“Three things toward which a Muslim’s heart bears no malice: devoting one’s deeds sincerely to Allah, offering sincere counsel to those in authority, and adhering to the Muslim community; for their call encompasses them from behind.”

In the reliably preserved hadith narrated by Abū Hurayrah:

“Allah is pleased with three things for you: that you worship Him and associate nothing with Him; that you all hold firmly to the rope of Allah and do not become divided; and that you offer sincere counsel to those whom Allah has placed in authority over you.”

In these hadiths, he brought together three qualities: devoting one’s deeds sincerely to Allah, offering sincere counsel to those in authority, and adhering to the Muslim community. These three encompass the foundations and principles of religion, the rights owed to Allah and His servants, and the interests of this world and the Hereafter.

To explain this, rights fall into two categories: the rights of Allah and the rights of His servants. Allah’s right is that we worship Him and associate nothing with Him, as expressly stated in one of the two hadiths. This is what is meant by devoting one’s deeds sincerely to Allah, as stated in the other hadith.

The rights of His servants likewise fall into two categories: particular and general. Particular rights include each person’s duty to treat his parents kindly and to fulfil the rights of his wife and neighbour. These are subsidiary matters of religion, because a person accountable under religious law may not be subject to these obligations, and because the benefits they secure are particular to individuals.

As for general rights, people fall into two groups: rulers and those they govern. The rulers’ right is to receive sincere counsel, while the right of those they govern is that their community be upheld through adherence to it. Their welfare cannot be fully secured unless they are united, and they do not unite