BROTHERHOOD IN ISLAM One of the most important pillars of our dealings with others, is the concept of brotherhood in Islam. This concept is emphasized in the Quran and in the Sunnah, and through the practical actions of the Prophet Mohammad (pbuh). This brotherhood that is established by Islam places upon us certain rights and responsibilities that we must fulfill towards our Muslim brothers. The first important point to note is that this brotherhood between believers was established by Allah (swt) Himself, in the Quran: Believers are indeed brothers (Al-Hujurat, verse 10). Allah (swt) revealed this verse from above seven heavens to establish this bond of brotherhood between the believers. So it should be taken very seriously. Allah (swt) also tells us in the Quran how important this brotherhood between the believers is: And adhere to the Bond of Allah, together, and do not be divided. And remember the Favor of Allah that was bestowed upon you: how you were enemies, and how He united your hearts, so that by His Favor you became brothers. And how He saved you from the Pit of Fire when you were on the brink of it. And so Allah makes plain to you His verses, in order that you will be guided. (Al-Imran, 103). This verse contains many important lessons. First of all comes the command from Allah (swt) for the believers to adhere closely to the Bond of Allah together and not to be divided. This Bond of Allah is the religion of Islam, and the oath that Allah (swt) has taken upon the believers, that they are brothers and that they are to love one another. It is this brotherhood, and this unity between the believers. Allah (swt) then asks the believers to remember how they were enemies, and He united their hearts so they became brothers. Allah (swt) counts this as a great blessing and favor that He has done for the believers. This shows how important indeed this brotherhood is. It is so important that Allah (swt) is counting it as a great blessing that He bestowed about the believers! Allah (swt) then informs us that this unity and brotherhood is what saved them from the brink of falling into the fire! Therefore, doing the contrary, which is to be disunited, to hate each other, to be divided into groups, and to lack the sense of brotherhood amongst ourselves, this will cause us to fall into the fire, may Allah (swt) save us and all the believers from it. Allah (swt) also says in the Quran: The believers, both men and women, are awlia (helpers, supporters, allies) to each other. (Al-Tawbah, 71) Allah (swt) warns us against disunity, and how being divided and having disputes with each other will result in failure and loss: Obey Allah and His Messenger and do not dispute with one another, otherwise you will fail and lose your strength. Have patience - Allah is with those who are patient. (Al-Anfal, 46) There are many other verses in the Quran that reiterate this message of how important it is for Muslims to be united, to be brothers, friends, allies and supporters of each other, and to avoid disunity and division amongst each other. The emphasis on this concept in the Quran shows how important this issue is in the view of Allah (swt). There are also numerous ahadith from the Sunnah of Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) that emphasize this concept as well. The following are just a few examples. Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) said: You will not enter paradise until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another. (Sahih Muslim). He also said: You will not be a believer until you love for your brother what you love for yourself (Sahih Al-Bukhari). Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) considered brotherhood between the Muslims and their love for one another to be a requirement for them to be considered believers. Without this brotherhood, they would not enter paradise, because they would not be true believers. The second hadith goes even further. It does not just require that we love our Muslim brothers. No, we must in fact love for them exactly what we love for ourselves. This is the highest level of love, that you would love that someone has all the good things that you have. Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) also told us how Allah (swt) on the day of judgement will shade those believers who loved each other only for the sake of Allah (swt): Allah (swt) will say on the day of Judgement: Where are those who loved each other for my sake? I will shade them today, when there is no shade but mine! (Sahih Muslim). In fact, this feeling of love and brotherhood between the Muslims brings us joy in our life as well. It will give us this wonderful feeling of the sweetness of faith, a feeling of true pleasure and satisfaction. Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) said: There are three things that if one has them, he will find the sweetness of faith. That Allah and His messenger be more beloved to him than anything else, that he love a person for no reason other than for the sake of Allah, and to hate to go back to disbelief as much as he hates to be thrown into fire. (Sahih Al-Bukhari) Our love for our Muslim brothers should extend beyond just feelings. It should be manifested in our actions as well. This brotherhood should push us to help each other in any way we can, and to push ourselves very hard to help our brothers. If we do this, Allah (swt) will reward us greatly, as Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) said: Whoever relieves a calamity that has struck a believer in this world, Allah will relieve for him one of the calamities of the day of Judgement, and whoever makes things easy for a person in trouble, Allah will make his matters easy in this life and in the hereafter, and whoever shields the faults of a Muslim, Allah will shield his faults in this world and the hereafter, and Allah will help and support his servant as long as he is helping and supporting his brother (Sahih Muslim). Thanks brothers.
Posted on: Sun, 10 Aug 2014 21:18:11 +0000