Part 70

" Related by Ahmad (22030), and the above-mentioned wording is from his narration of the hadith, Maalik related it as well (1779), and Ibn ‘AbdulBarr said, “...ts chain is sahih.” (At-Tamheed, 21/125).

1 Related by Muslim (5267); Ahmad (9036); and Al-Bukhaaree, in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad (350)

another will become even stronger and more stable. Anas Ibn Maalik and others reported that a man was with the Prophet #8 when another man passed by. The man with the Messenger of Allah #8 said, ‘“O Messenger of Allah, I indeed love him.” The Prophet #8 asked him,

“Did you inform him [about your love]?’” He said, “No.” The Prophet # said,

“Then inform him.” The man with the Prophet # caught up to the other man and

said, ‘Verily, I love you for the sake of Allah.” The other man said, “May Allah, for Whose sake you love me, love you.”"1)

Another Related Issue: When two people love each other for the sake of Allah é, they should search their hearts every once in a while and check - has anything mixed with their love and contaminated its purity? It is important to remember that, although you might begin by loving someone purely for Allah 3&, your friendship might change over time, becoming worldly in nature, whereby both of you seek some form of material gain from the other. Also, when two men love each other for Allah 3% or when two women love each other for Allah 3, they should be careful not to surpass the proper limits of brotherhood and sisterhood. By this I mean that extreme and extravagant feelings could lead, if unchecked, to a man falling in love with another man and a woman falling in love with another woman.

3) Important Elements Of Friendship: Cheerfulness, Gentleness, Love, And Kindness

When you meet your brother, at the very least you should meet him with a smile and a cheerful face. It is basic Islamic etiquette

1] Related by Ahmad (13123) and Abu Daawood (5125), and in grading the narration, Al-Albaanee said, “Hasan.”

for a Muslim to meet his brother with a smile every time he meets him. Abu Dharr said, “’The Prophet 2% said to me,

‘Do not disparage in the least any good deed, even if it is to meet your brother with a cheerful face.””"")

And this is from the narration of Jaabir 4: “Every good deed is charity (Sadagah), and indeed, it is a good deed to meet your brother with a cheerful face...)

Gentleness, love, compassion, and kindness - these strengthen the ties of brotherhood, for, “Allah loves Ar-Rifq (gentleness and kindness) in all matters (in both worldly and religious matters).”"9_ And Allah 3¢ is ““Rafeeq (kind, gentle, merciful), and He loves Ar-Rifq (kindness, gentleness, and mercy). He gives for gentleness that which He does not give for harshness and that which He does not give for anything else.“ Ibn Mas’ood 2 related that the Prophet # said,

One of the ways of increasing love between brothers and of removing rancor from their hearts is for them to give gifts to one another. In his Muwattah, Maalik related that the Messenger of

"11 Related by Muslim (2626) and At-Tirmidhee (1833).

"1 Related by Ahmad (14299) and At-Tirmidhee (1970), who said, “This

hadith is Hasan sahih.”

Related by Bukhaaree from the hadith of ‘Aaisha 4 (6024); by Muslim

(2165), by Ahmad (23570), by At-Tirmidhee (2701), and by Ad-Daarimee

41 Related by Muslim (2593).

5] Related by Ahmad (3928), and the above-mentioned wording is from his narration of the hadith; and by At-Tirmidhee (2488), who said, “This hadith is Hasan Ghareeb.”” The commentators of Al-Musnad said, “By virtue of other narrations that attest to it, it is Hasan.” (3938) (7/53)

“Shake hands with one another: rancor will go away [from your hearts]. And give gifts to one another: you will love one another and [all] enmity [between you] will go away.”")

4) It Is Recommended, As A Sign Of True Brotherhood, To Be Sincere And To Give Sincere Advice

An-Naseehah (sincerity and sincere advice) is encouraged in the Shariah, and it was a part of the Bai’ah (pledge of allegiance) that the Companions # would give to the Prophet #. Jareer Ibn ‘Abdullah 4 said, “I made Bai’ah (pledged allegiance) to the Messenger of Allah # upon [the pledges to] establish prayer, give Zakaat, and An-Nush (sincerity, sincere advice, and wanting good for someone) for every Muslim.”! That the Prophet mentioned An-Naseehah alongside prayer and Zakaat, which are both pillars of Islam, shows its importance and significance in Islam. In another hadith, Tameem Ibn Aous Ad-Daaree #& related that the Prophet # said,

Tameem # related, “We said, ‘To whom, O Messenger of Allah?” He # said,

“To Allah, to His Book, to His Messenger, to the Imams of the Muslims, and to the Muslim masses.’

The Prophet's saying, “The religion is An-Naseehah,”” means that

1) Al-Muwattah (1685). Ibn ‘Abdul-Barr said, “This hadith is connected through various chains, all of which are Hasan.” (At-Tamheed 12/21)

) Related by Bukhaaree (57), Muslim (56), Ahmad (18760), At-Tirmidhee (1925), An-Nassaaee (4175), and Ad-Daarimee (2540).

An-Naseehah is the best and most complete aspect of religion.

Ibn Al-Jawzee explained the meaning of An-Naseehah in the context of the above-mentioned hadith: “Know that AnNaseehah to Allah 3 means defending His religion and standing up to those who associate partners with Him in worship, even though He 4¢ is in no need of that help from you; the benefit of doing that returns to you. An-Naseehah to Allah’s Book means to defend it (from those who attack it) and to consistently recite it. An-Naseehah to Allah’s Messenger means establishing his Sunnah and inviting others to his message. AnNaseehah to the Imams of the Muslims means to obey them, to perform Jihad with them, to preserve and live up to their Bai’ah (pledge of allegiance), and to give them advice that is free from praises that only lead to delusion. An-Naseehah to the Muslim masses means to want good for them; this includes educating them, or at the very least teaching them what they need to know, and guiding them to the truth.”

Therefore, to be sincere to your brother, you must want for good to befall him, you must clarify the truth to him, and you must not, through flattery, deceive him about the truth. Similarly, you must order him to what is good and forbid him from what is evil. By flattering your brother and being flexible with him in the sense that you tolerate his falsehood, all in the name of brotherhood, you are not showing the sincerity that the Prophet 3% commanded Muslims to show. True, wisdom is necessary when you give advice to your brother; nonetheless, you must clarify the truth to him, especially if you are able to do so.

5) Mutual Cooperation Among Brothers

would read poetry. And the Prophet #% would say, ‘O Allah, there is no goodness except for the goodness of the Hereafter, so forgive the Ansaar and (the original dwellers of Madeenah) the Muhaajirah (those who migrated to Madeenah from Makkah).’"1]

Similarly, the Prophet #¢ lent a helping hand on the Day of Khandag. Jaabir 4 said, ‘Verily, we were digging trenches on the Day of Khandaq when a hard piece of earth appeared (got in the way of the digging). They went to the Prophet #% and said, ‘This is a large piece of earth that has appeared in the trench.’ Then he # said,

‘I will descend [into the trench].’ He x then stood, and around his stomach was tied a rock (they would tie a rock around their stomach to alleviate the severity of their hunger); three days had passed without us having tasted any food. The Prophet #% took an axe (or a mallet) and struck [the large piece of earth] until it (the large piece) became a sand-hill that had small pieces falling from its sides or that was not holding together...”1 Abu Moosa 4 reported that the Prophet # said,

“A believer and another believer are together like a building: parts of it strengthen its other parts.’” The Prophet #% then interlocked his fingers.)

Muslim brothers need one another; together they can help, fulfill the need of the poor among them or they can intercede on behalf of one who needs a good intercession (good meaning, an intercession that is lawful) to fulfill one of his needs. And there

') Related by Bukhaaree (428), Muslim (524), and An-Nassaaee (702).

"1 Related by Bukhaaree (4101), Ahmad (13799), and Ad-Daarimee (42).

18] Related by Bukhaaree (481), Muslim (2585), Ahmad (19127), and AtTirmidhee (1928). And the above-mentioned wording is from Bukhaaree’s narration of the hadith.

are many other ways in which they can work together and help one another: “And Allah helps His slave as long as His slave helps his brother.)

6) Being Humble And Not Proud Or Haughty When Dealing With One's Brother

Humbleness and easygoingness help brothers, develop enduring and strong relationships with one another; conversely, pride and haughtiness divide and cause the ties of brotherhood to weaken. ‘lyaadh Ibn Himaar related that the Prophet #¢ said,

“Verily, Allah has revealed to me that you should be humble with one another, until no one is haughty with another, and no one transgresses against another.)

We should notice that haughtiness is coupled with transgression in this hadith; that is because pride and haughtiness lead to transgression, wrongdoing, and oppression.

To be sure, people are not at the same level in terms of lineage, status, and wealth. It is Allah’s Sunnah in the creation and it is from His perfect Wisdom that people differ in those three matters; He 4€ raises some above others. But that disparity among people does not justify some of them being haughty or proud towards others. To the contrary, when a person of noble lineage or a wealthy person or a person of high status in society is humble with his brothers for the sake of Allah 3é, two things happen: first, his ranking increases with Allah 3é, and second, he will gain acceptance among the people. Abu Hurairah 4