Religious Brotherhood and its Benefits Part 1
Al Allaamah Ash Shaykh Saalih bin Fawzaan Al Fawzaan
Khutub Al Minbariyyah V4
Translated By: Kashif Khan


All praise is due to Allaah, Lord of the worlds. He made the believers 
beloved
brothers in the religion. And I testify, truthfully and with certainty, that 
nothing
is worthy of worship except Allaah, alone with no partners, and I bear 
witness
that Muhammad, the truthful and trustworthy, sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam is 
his
slave and messenger; may the blessings of Allaah be upon him, his family, 
his
companions, and those that follow them upon righteousness until the last 
day.
As for what follows:

O people! Be fearful of Allaah the Most High and know that brotherhood in 
the
religion outranks relational brotherhood. Indeed Allaah orders brotherhood
between the believers and Muslims, even if their lineages differ and their
countries are distant. He the Most High says, “The believers are nothing
else than brothers.” (Soorah al Hujaraat: 10) And He has ordered with
opposition towards the Kufaar regardless of how close their lineage is. He 
the
Most High says, “O you who believe! Take not for Awliyaa (supporters)
your fathers and your brothers if they prefer disbelief to Belief. And
whoever of you does so, then he is one of the wrong-doers.” (Soorah
at Tawbah: 23).
And there are great rights and noble benefits for this brotherhood between 
the
Muslims and believers; Allaah and His Messenger sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam
have clarified them in the Qur’aan and the Sunnaah. It is obligatory to 
observe
and live by them, and it is not permissible to disregard and neglect them.
From these rights and benefits is the obligation to reconcile between the 
Muslims
when there occurs differentiation and disputes between them, or enmity and
division occurs between them. He the Most High says, “And if two parties or
groups among the believers fall to fighting, then make peace
between them both, but if one of them rebels against the other, then
fight you (all) against the one that which rebels till it complies with
the Command of Allaah; then if it complies, then make
reconciliation between them justly, and be equitable. Verily! Allaah
loves those who are equitable. The believers are nothing else than
brothers. So make reconciliation between your brothers, and fear
Allaah, that you may receive mercy.” (Soorah al Hujurat: 10).
Also from the rights that Muslims and believers have upon each other is
respecting each other’s honor, and abstaining from lowering each other. He 
the
Most High says, “O you who believe! Let not a group scoff at another
group, it may be that the latter are better than the former; nor let
(some) women scoff at other women, it may be that the latter are
better than the former, nor defame one another, nor insult one
another by nicknames. How bad is it, to insult one's brother after
having Faith. And whosoever does not repent, then such are indeed
wrong-doers.” (Al-Hujurat 49:11).
Allaah the Glorious forbids the men and the women from ridiculing each 
other,
for it may be that those that are being mocked are better than the mockers 
in this
world and the hereafter. And mockery does not emanate except from the
deficient. And Allaah has forbidden al Lumz (slander), and He has forbidden
insulting one another with al Alqaab (nicknames), and that is calling a 
person by
a nickname that he has not been named with, and al Laqb is what hurts a 
person
when he hears it. Some of the Mufasiroon have said that from it is, “Yaa 
Faasiq”
(O’ Sinner), “Yaa Kalb” (O’ Dog),“Yaa Himaar” (O’ Donkey). And indeed 
mockery
and slander and defamation with nicknames have been named sins by Allaah, 
and
this is a proof of its repulsiveness and ugliness, and it is a proof of the 
obligation
to stay distant from it.
And from the rights of brotherhood between the Muslims and the believers is 
that
they refrain from unjustified suspicion in those affairs that are between 
them,
and they refrain from spying on each other, and they refrain from backbiting 
each
other. He the Most High says, “O you who believe! Avoid much
suspicions, indeed some suspicions are sins.” (Soorah Al Hujaraat: 12).
And that is to suspect Ahlul Khayr of evil. “And spy not” (Soorah Al 
Hujaraat:
12). At Tajassus (spying) is looking for the shortcomings of the people. 
Allaah
has forbidden looking into what has been hidden from the shortcomings of the
people and following the deficiencies of the people. “Neither backbite one
another.” (Soorah al Hujaraat: 12).
The Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam has explained al 
Gheebah
(backbiting) as mentioning your brother with what he dislikes. And there is
Ijmaa’ (consensus) that al Gheebah has been prohibited with severe 
prohibition.
And Allaah has likened it to eating the flesh of a dead man; He the Glorious 
says,
“Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You
would hate it (so hate backbiting).” (Soorah al Hujaraat: 12). Meaning: As
you would surely dislike this, also dislike the later legislatively, because 
the
penalty for it is worse.
And from this brotherhood of Islam and Emaan, is helping one another upon
righteousness and piety, and helping one another in achieving what is good 
for
them and removing what is harmful to them. He the Most High says, “Help you
one another in al Birr and at Taqwa (virtue, righteousness and
piety); but do not help one another in sin and transgression.” (Soorah
al Ma'idah: 2). And the Messenger sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam said, “ The
likeness of the Muslims in their friendship, and their sympathy towards each
other, and their mercy towards each other is like a single body. If a part 
of it
suffers, the rest of the body is affected with sleeplessness and fever.” So 
the
Muslim is delighted with the happiness of his brother, and the pain of his 
brother
hurts him.
And from the rights of this brotherhood of Islam and Emaan is the giving of
advice between the Muslims and ordering of good and forbidding evil. He the
Most High says, “The believers, men and women, are Awliyaa' of one
another, they enjoin al Ma'roof, and forbid from al Munkar; they
perform as Salaat and give the Zakaat, and obey Allaah and His
Messenger. Allaah will have His Mercy on them. Surely Allaah is
All-Mighty, All-Wise.” (At-Tawbah 9:71).
And the Messenger sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam said three times, “The 
religion is
Naseehah (sincerity).” It was said, “To whom O’ Messenger of Allaah?” He 
said,
“To Allaah, to His book, to His Messenger, to the A’imma (Imaams) of the
Muslims and to their general masses.
And from the rights of this brotherhood of Islaam and Emaan is the Mu’min 
loves
for his brother what he loves for himself, as the Messenger sallallaahu 
alaihi wa
sallam says, “None of you believes until he loves for his brother what he 
loves for
himself.” What is intended is religious love and not mortal love, for indeed 
there
are humans that love evil.
So it is obligatory for the Mu’min to love for his brother what he loves for 
himself
form good and benefits. And whosoever does not love for his brother what he
loves for himself is envious, and envy is dispraised.

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