What is the ruling on the phrase "you owe me a right" and what follows from it?
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The Shaykh : Yes?
The questioner : It often happens among brothers that when one person fails to keep a promise to another or something similar, and it was not intentional, he says to him: "You owe me a right," meaning you owe me a dinner or something like that?
The Shaykh : This is actually a game that young people have adopted now, because they do not want to be punished, meaning disciplined for breaking a promise, if they break a promise or make a mistake in their words. Rather, they want to laugh at him and tease him and so on. For this reason, I think it is better to leave it alone so that it does not become a game where everyone wants to say that someone owes them a right. If he makes a mistake in a word or breaks a promise, breaking a promise, as you know, is a sign of hypocrisy except out of necessity.
The questioner : Is he forced to do it?
The Shaykh : It is not obligatory for him. If they say "you owe me a right," he should say: "No, who made it obligatory for me? Did Allah make it obligatory? Did the Messenger make it obligatory? Did the scholars make it obligatory?"
Absolutely not. He should leave them alone and not fulfill this right. It is better not to fulfill the right, yes. I mean the right that they claim is a right, otherwise it appears to be closer to falsehood.
The questioner : Shaykh, may Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : We do not accept you. You are not a guest, yes.
The questioner : It often happens among brothers that when one person fails to keep a promise to another or something similar, and it was not intentional, he says to him: "You owe me a right," meaning you owe me a dinner or something like that?
The Shaykh : This is actually a game that young people have adopted now, because they do not want to be punished, meaning disciplined for breaking a promise, if they break a promise or make a mistake in their words. Rather, they want to laugh at him and tease him and so on. For this reason, I think it is better to leave it alone so that it does not become a game where everyone wants to say that someone owes them a right. If he makes a mistake in a word or breaks a promise, breaking a promise, as you know, is a sign of hypocrisy except out of necessity.
The questioner : Is he forced to do it?
The Shaykh : It is not obligatory for him. If they say "you owe me a right," he should say: "No, who made it obligatory for me? Did Allah make it obligatory? Did the Messenger make it obligatory? Did the scholars make it obligatory?"
Absolutely not. He should leave them alone and not fulfill this right. It is better not to fulfill the right, yes. I mean the right that they claim is a right, otherwise it appears to be closer to falsehood.
The questioner : Shaykh, may Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : We do not accept you. You are not a guest, yes.