The obligation of BrotherhoodThe duties of a Muslim

Believers are Brothers كم لعل ه الل قوا وات أخويكم بين فأصلحوا إخوة المؤمنون ما إنترحمون

“The believers are nothing else than brothers. So make reconciliation between your brothers, and fear Allah, that you may receive mercy.” [Al-Hujjurat, 49:10]

Brotherhood is a matter of faithThe Prophet وسلم عليه الله also said about صلى

brotherhood: “None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.” [Bukhari & Muslim]

Brotherhood transcends blood tiesUpon completion of the Hijrah and building the masjid in

Madinah, the Prophet وسلم عليه الله proceeded to establish صلىone of the main pillars of an Islamic community – brotherhood. He paired up the Muhajireen and Ansar, who were virtual strangers to each other prior to this. The two groups understood and accepted the responsibilities that came with this pairing, leading to unique acts, such as sharing wealth and other brotherly deeds, which helped ease the difficulties facing the Muhajireen who left everything behind in Makkah.

This action had brought about a profound transformation in perception of what brotherhood means between members of the Muslim community. It redefined the concept of brotherhood beyond the typical understanding of blood or tribal relationships.

Brotherhood transcends blood tiesThis was clearly demonstrated by Mus’ab Ibn

Umayr when he found his blood brother Abu ‘Azeez – who was among those captured during the battle of Badr. Upon reaching Madinah, Abu ‘Azeez was lodged with Abu Yusr Alansari, and Mus’ab ibn ‘Umayr said to Abu Yusr: “Treat him harshly, for his mother is a wealthy woman.” Abu ‘Azeez said: “Brother is it for you to give this counsel?” “You are not my brother,” replied Mu’sab, “my brother is the one who is tying up your hands.” [Ibn Hisham]

Brotherhood is an obligation, not a choiceThe brotherhood established after Hijrah came with

explicit and implicit responsibilities between Muslims, as individuals and as members of the Islamic State. It was the responsibility of the strong to help the weak, of the rich to help the poor, and of the knowledgeable to help those seeking knowledge. Furthermore, it was a responsibility of brotherhood to enjoin the good and forbid the evil.

We should always keep these actions of the Sahabah at the forefront of our minds, since they are the practical interpretation of brotherhood as defined by Islam.

Brotherhood is an obligation, not a choice

Sadly, one of the issues facing Muslims is the rapidly growing trend of “life in the fast lane,” and due to this lifestyle, we tend to rush our dealings with one another. We should, for example, try to take a few minutes after Jum’ah prayers and greet our brothers next to us with Salaam, and introduce ourselves to them. We should neither be shy nor be afraid of a cold response, keeping in mind that we are only seeking the pleasure of Allah وتعالى and following the Sunnah of the سبحانهProphet وسلم عليه الله .صلى

The punishment for abandoning brotherhoodThe Prophet وسلم عليه الله said: “You will صلى

not enter paradise until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I not guide you to something which if you carry out you will love one another? Spread salaam amongst yourselves.” [Muslim]

Brothers for the sake of AllahIt has been narrated by Al-Bukhari in Al-

Adaabul-Mufrad that the Prophet عليه الله صلى said: “If one of you loves his brother وسلمfor Allah’s sake, then let him know, since it causes familiarity to endure and firmly establishes love.”

Duties towards your brotherThe Prophet وسلم عليه الله said: “Each of you is صلى

the mirror of his brother, so if he sees a fault in him he should wipe it away from him.” [Tirmidhi]

Brotherhood in Islam imposes a great responsibility on us to protect our brothers and sisters from harm, even from their own selves. We should ensure that we do not allow ourselves or others around us to engage in activities that could affect the unity of the Muslim Ummah. One such activity is backbiting; we must refrain from initiating or participating in it. Allah وتعالى :revealed سبح+انه

Duties towards your brother إثم الظن بعض إن الظن من كثيرا اجتنبوا آمنوا ذين ال ها أي يا

لحم يأكل أن أحدكم أيحب بعضا عضكم ب يغتب وال سوا تجس والحيم ر تواب ه الل إن ه الل قوا وات فكرهتموه ميتا أخيه

“O you who believe! Avoid much suspicion, indeed some suspicions are sins. And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it. And fear Allah. Verily, Allah is the One Who forgives and accepts repentance, Most Merciful.” [Al-Hujjurat, 49:12]

Duties towards your brotherEnvy and jealousy are also forbidden, which

are the common causes of problems amongst brothers and sisters.

The Prophet وسلم عليه الله said: “Do not صلىhave malice against a Muslim; do not be envious of other Muslims; do not go against a Muslim and forsake him. O the slave of Allah! Be like brothers with each other. It is not allowed for a Muslim to desert his brother for over three days.” [Muslim & Tirmidhi]

Rights of Muslims over one anotherWe should also be aware that a brother or

sister in Islam has five rights over us, as the Prophet وسلم عليه الله said: “Every صلىMuslim has five rights over another Muslim: to return the greetings, to visit the sick, to accompany funeral processions, to accept an invitation, and to respond to the one that sneezes.” [Bukhari & Muslim]

Muslims are like one body

One of the most fatal ideas to the concept of brotherhood that has been promoted is the concept of “Ummah fragmentation.” This concept suggests that issues of Muslims in one country should not be of concern to Muslims in other countries. The fragmentation of the Ummah is like a fatal virus that, when adopted intentionally or unintentionally by the Muslims, leads to a clear violation to the aforementioned evidences in the Qur’an and Sunnah, and consequently causes a complete decay in the obligation of brotherhood.

Muslims are like one bodyThe Prophet وسلم عليه الله described the صلى

Ummah as one body; if one member becomes sick then the other members of this one body will take care of the sick one:

“The Believers, in their mutual love, mercy and compassion, are like one body: if one organ complained, the rest of the body develops a fever.” [Bukhari & Muslim]

Muslims are like one bodyMay Allah وتعالى bless us with the same brotherhood سبحانه

the Sahabah had under the shade of Khilafah Rashidah. Ameen.

أعداء كنتم إذ عليكم الله نعمت واذكروا قوا تفر وال جميعا ال+له بحبل واعتصمواار الن من حفرة شفا على وكنتم إخوانا بنعمته فأصبحتم قلوبكم بين ف فأل

تهتدون كم لعل آياته لكم الله ن يبي كذلك منها فأنقذكم“And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allah

and be not divided among yourselves, and remember Allah’s Favour on you, for you were enemies one to another but He joined your hearts together, so that, by His Grace, you became brethren, and you were on the brink of a pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus Allah makes His Ayat clear to you, that you may be guided.” [Al-Imran, 3:103]