In the Name of Allah the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Islamic brotherhood
Dear brothers, we desperately need the doctrine of Islamic brotherhood, as love according to Allah’s curriculum is one of the firmest bonds of belief.
Mu’ath bin Anas Al-Juhney (may Allah be pleased with him), reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah upon him) said :
Whoever gives, forbids, loves, hates and sets a marriage for Allah’s Sake then he has completed his belief
[At-Tirmidhi]
Abu- Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah upon him)said:
Whoever likes to try the true taste of faith, then he must like–when he likes someone- only for the Sake of Allah
[Ahmad]
Mu’ath bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah upon him) said: Allah the Al-Mighty says:
My love is a due right to those who like each other for My Sake, gather for My Sake, visit each other for My Sake, and give each other for My Sake.
[Ahmad]
In fact, Islamic brotherhood is one the greatest blessings bestowed by Allah upon the believers; Allah the Almighty says:
(And by the Mercy of Allah, you dealt with them gently)
[Al-Imran :159]
(And remember Allah’s Favour on you, for you were enemies one to another but He joined your hearts , so that , by His Grace , you become brethren ( in Islamic Faith))
[Al-Imran :103]
Dear brothers, love among believers is a path to the Shadow on the Resurrection Day, as it is narrated that among the seven types of people whom Allah will overshadow on the Resurrection day – when there’s no other shadow but His – are two people who liked each other in the cause of Allah , they gather and separate for His Sake.
Rather the truth of belief means the belief brotherhood, and the following Noble Ayah is an absolute proof of that, Allah the Almighty says:
(The believers are nothing else but brothers ( in Islamic religion))
[Al-Hujurat :10]
Otherwise; if they weren’t brothers; then they are not believers
Dear brothers , a miracle happened during the life time of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah upon him) Allah the Almighty says:
(If you had spent all that is in the earth, you could not have united their hearts, But Allah has united them.)
[Al-Anfal :63]
The landmark of our belief is to love each other.
Ways to strengthen brotherhood among Muslims :
Now, what are the ways to raise the brotherhood among Muslims?
1-Love for Sake of Allah :
Mu’ath bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah upon him) said : Allah the Al-Mighty said:
Those who like each other for My Sake, shall be on light platforms- on the Resurrection day- where prophets and martyrs wish to be with them
[At-Tirmidhi]
There’s love for Allah’s Sake, and love with Allah, the former is the exact monotheism, where the latter one is a polytheism.
2-Having a pure heart:
You should keep your heart free from hatred, envy, or bad intentions, you should interpret other people’s words in the best way, and have good thoughts about your Muslim brother. The one who does so, gains an approach to Allah.
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah upon him) said :
Don’t ever envy each other, hate each other , or break your relation with each other, and be – O Allah’s worshippers – brothers in Islam
3-No one can abandon a brother more than three days:
A Muslim is not allowed to abandon his brother for more than three days. Abdullah bin Amr narrated that the Noble prophet (peace and blessings of Allah upon him) was asked:
Whose better- among people? He replied : each person whose heart is neat, pure, and free of sins, oppression , resentment and envy, and whose tongue says no lies
[Ibn Majah]
4- Giving advice and recommending truth and patience:
The pure heart strengthens relations among believers, the same is achieved by offering advice and recommending the truth; Allah says:
(By Al-Asr ( the time). Verily, man is in loss, Expect those who believe ( in Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds , and recommend one another to the truth [ i.e. order one another to perform all kinds of good deeds ( Al-Ma’ruf) which Allah has ordained , and abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds ( Al-Munkar) which Allah has forbidden], and recommend one another to patience ( for the suffering , harms, and injuries which one may encounter in Allah’s Cause during preaching His religion of Islamic Monotheism or Jihad))
[Al-Asr]
5-Acknowledging your brothers’ merits:
And to know your brothers’ merits, Allah’s said:
(And do not forget liberality between yourselves)
[Al-Baqarah :237]
There’s a golden rule: if your brother deals well with you, and offers you a favor, you should never forget his favor. On the other hand, if you offer a favor to your brother you must forget it immediately, and you should not remember it. This is the perfection.
6- Being frank and open:
Here’s a flash extracted from our Noble Prophet’s (peace and blessings of Allah upon him) life; during the second Aqabah pledge of allegiance, when Abu Haitham stood to talk to the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah upon him) frankly and openly and asked him about what he was thinking of: he said: oh Allah’s Messenger, we have commitment with the Jews, and we’ll break this commitment. I wonder if we do this and when Allah grants you victory, would you go back to your tribe and leave us? Ka’ab Bin Malek said: the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah upon him) smiled then and said:
Of course not; I’m rather one of you and you’re from me; I fight whoever you fight and make peace with whoever you make peace with.
[Prophet’s biography]
This story is about openness, so you should be frank.
7- Forgiveness and tolerance :
Judan (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah upon him) said:
Whoever rejects his brother’s excuse- when he makes it- has a sin just as the usury dealer
[Ibn Majah]
The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah upon him) said:
If a Muslim rejects his brother’s excuse, he won’t arrive to meet me on the aquarium (on the Resurrection Day)
[At-Tabarani]
8-Realizing the rules of disagreement:
Dear brothers, protecting brotherhood starts with realizing its importance; then we should learn the rules of disagreement. When you realize this you become tolerant with your brother. You should not criticize him for doing a matter on which there is disagreement.
If you have a certain belief about something, and there is another view about it, you shouldn’t criticize your brother for his point. You should lift the limit of disagreement and dialogue to the highest level.
Anas Bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that an old man came to meet the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah upon him) and people didn’t open a way for him. The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah upon him) said:
He isn’t considered one of us, the one who doesn’t have mercy upon our children, or respect our old ones
[At-Tirmidhi]
The Fruit of brotherhood :
1-Brotherhood’s fruit on the social level:
Dear brothers, Islamic brotherhood has great effect on the social level, as it achieves a community general success to the society. It produces psychological comfort for each individual, and strengthens connections within the community. The strong connected society cannot be penetrated or deceived:
(Verily Allah loves those who fight in His Cause in rows ( ranks) as if they were a solid structure)
[As-Saff :4]
This brotherhood makes the community strong against its enemies:
(Verily, you (believers in the oneness of Allah) are more fearful in their (Jews of banu An-Nadir) breasts than Allah. That is because they are a people who comprehend not (the Majesty and the Power of Allah))
[Al-Hashr:13]
It makes the enemies fear Islamic community:
(Verily, you (believers in the oneness of Allah) are more fearful in their ( Jews of banu An-Nadir) breasts than Allah. That is because they are a people who comprehend not (the Majesty and the Power of Allah))
[Al-Hashr:13]
I have been granted victory by fear– from a distance that needs a month to be passed
[Al-Bukhari & Muslim]
However, when the Muslim nation abandoned the prophet’s (peace and blessings of Allah upon him) sunna, it was defeated by fearing the enemy from a distance that needs a year to be passed.
2- Fruit of brotherhood on the individual level:
As individuals, a Muslim who enjoys having brotherhood in faith with other Muslims feels that he is not alone in this life. Feeling that the community supports the individual and the individual supports the community means that you are not alone, which can help you obey and worship Allah.
Mu’ath bin Jabal (peace and blessings of Allah upon him) reported that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah upon him) said:
Satan is the wolf for man like the wolf which takes the stray sheep and the one that wanders far. Beware of division, and adhere to the jama’a (the Muslim community)
[Ahmad]
When you like your brother, and deal with him; you benefit from his experience, knowledge, and life style. This enriches your life, as it is enriched when you accompany a believer who is better than you and whom you can take as a good example in controlling his organs, his income, his expenditure, and his children raising.
Brotherhood helps you stay firm on truth. The one who belongs to a believing group is continuously connected to Allah, but if he lives alone, he might have bad illusions and might imagine an enmity that doesn’t really exist.
Dear brothers, the issue of faith brotherhood is a religious must, and it can be summarized in one verse:
(The believers are nothing else but brothers( in Islamic religion))
[Al-Hujurat :10]
Unless you feel this bond with the community of believers, unless you like them, your belief is weak, if not defected.
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds