Wednesday, November 28, 2012

rights of brotherhood

Allah سبحانه و تعالى Said:

إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌ

"The believers are but brothers (in Deen)..." [Al-Hujuraat, 10]


The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم Said:

ا يـؤمـن احـدكـم حـتي يـحـب لأخـيـه مــا يـحـبـه لـنـفـسـه

"None of you will truly believe until he loves for his brother what he loves for himelf..."
[Agreed upon]


From the characteristics of our Salaf was their genuine concern for their fellow Muslims. Realising the acute implication of such Ayaat and ahadeeth, they could not overstate its importance and how they reacted to their own shortfall in this regard.

Al-Sarri al-Saqati (d. 253 AH) said:

منذ ثلاثين سنة أنا في الاستغفار من قولي: الحمد لله مرة
قيل: وكيف ذلك؟
فقال: وقع ببغداد حريق، فاستقبلني رجل، فقال لي: نجا حانوتك
فقلت: الحمد لله. فمنذ ثلاثين سنة أنا نادم على ما قلت، حيث أردت لنفسي خيرًا مما حصل للمسلمين

"For thirty years I have been making istighfar for saying (the word): 'Al Hamdulillah'.

It was said: 'And how is that?'

He replied: 'A fire occurred in Baghdad, and a man (came and) told me that my shop was saved (from the fire).

So I said: 'Al Hamdulillah'. I regret what I said for thirty years because I sought goodness for myself before (thinking about) what happened to (other) Muslims."

[Al-Manawi, 'Fayd Al-Qadeer', 124/1]


One may say such examples exist on the tongues of people today, where we seek fortune and goodness for others as much as ourselves, but how many actually mean it or try to put these words in tangible action? And how many would spend more than a day regretting something they may have said or done that infringed upon the rights of brotherhood?


Tawfeeq indeed is from Allah alone.

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