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"And Become as Fellow Brothers and Slaves of Allah"
Author : His Grace Shiekh Abdulkareem Al-Khasawneh
Date Added : 18-10-2023

"And Become as Fellow Brothers and Slaves of Allah"

 

 

Allah, the Almighty, has made the believers brethren, bound together by mutual love and affection, with no room for enmity or hatred. They should not bear grudges, engage in conflict, or fight with one another. Among the implications of this brotherhood in faith are love, compassion, cooperation, and unity.

 

When disagreement or bloodshed occurs, this is an exception that must be resolved and returned to the original state immediately, as stated in the verse: "So make settlement between your brothers" {Al-Hujurat, 49}. It is an obligation resulting from the brotherhood of faith to reconcile between those in conflict. Moreover, the bond of faith demands hindering divisions and animosities from festering. The Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him, said: "Do not envy one another, and do not inflate prices for one another, and do not hate one another, and do not turn away from one another, and do not undercut one another in trade, but [rather] be slaves of Allah and brothers [amongst yourselves]. " {Transmitted by Bukhari and Muslim}.

 

The believers in their mutual kindness, compassion and sympathy are just like one body. When one of the limbs suffers, the whole body responds to it with wakefulness and fever. This is a confirmation of the importance of love and the obligation of brotherhood among them.

 

It is incumbent upon the believers to cooperate with the authority when trials occur so that tribulations do not multiply, and discord does not increase. There is no reason significant enough to justify dividing the bonds of brotherhood, love, and affection among Muslims. Therefore, it is obligatory for every sincere individual, committed to their religion, homeland, and nation, to strive to extinguish the flames of discord and close all its sources. Allah says in the Quran: "for tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter." {Al-Baqara, 191}.

 

Indeed, we all know the purity of a Muslim's heart and their gentle nature, but this should not be exploited to make them a misguided and reckless, blind in both sight and heart. Allah warns us that whenever they are turned back to fitnah (discord), they plunge into it deeply. {An-Nisa, 91}, meaning that they return to it and get deeply involved in it in the worst way.

 

When we see strife separating brothers and loved ones, even between members of the same tribe and the same country, we must return to the fearing of Allah, especially as we find in every tribe unique models of noble virtues and moral qualities. Men whom Allah has endowed with qualities and virtues that qualify them to uproot discord from its roots in compliance with the saying of Allah the Almighty: "But whoever pardons and makes reconciliation, his reward is [due] from Allah." {Ash-Shura, 40}.

They are the ones who will respond to the great call on the Day of Judgment, as mentioned in the hadith: "When it is the Day of Judgment, a caller from beneath the Throne will announce: 'Let the one who has a reward from Allah arise,' and no one will stand except those who have forgiven their brothers." {Reported by Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi in "Tarikh Baghdad"}. Ibn Kathir commented: "Allah encourages forgiveness, and whoever forgives, Allah will not waste that virtue. In the noble hadith: "Allah does not increase His servant due to his forgiveness except in honor.'" {Reported by Muslim}.

 

In this blessed country, there are wise and righteous men who rise above grudges and prejudice. Allah has instilled in their hearts the sentiments of tolerance and love. Moreover, Islam has removed animosity and hatred from their hearts and filled them with wisdom, mercy, patience, and forgiveness. There is a strong connection between their self-confidence, their faith, their homeland, and their nation. The greater a person is, the broader their perspective becomes, the larger their heart opens, and the more patience and excuses they extend to others for their mistakes and shortcomings. Their motto is taken from the Quran: "Indeed, he who fears Allah and is patient, then indeed, Allah does not allow to be lost the reward of those who do good." {Yusuf, 90}.

 

Indeed, the more faith grows in the heart of a believer, the more it nurtures tolerance, increases patience, and expels the desire for vengeance and retribution against those who have wronged them. This is to the extent that a Muslim controls themselves, restrains their anger, masters their words, forgives those who wrong them, and is adorned with noble and beautiful qualities and character, their status is elevated in the sight of Allah. For them, there is a paradise as wide as the heavens and the earth, prepared for the righteous. As Allah says, "So hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and a garden as wide as the heavens and the earth, prepared for the righteous, who spend [in the cause of Allah] during ease and hardship and who restrain anger and who pardon the people, and Allah loves the doers of good." {Al-Imran, 133-134}.These believers are unwavering in their generosity, sacrifice, and giving, and neither prosperity nor adversity changes them. They offer forgiveness and tolerance after restraining their anger, for they are among the doers of good.

 

Certainly, emulating and following the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his noble companions undoubtedly increases faith and fosters the development of great character.

Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) had a relative whom he supported. However, this relative did not refrain from making inappropriate comments about the honor of Aisha, the Mother of the Believers (may Allah be pleased with her). This relative's actions disregarded the rights of Islam, family ties, and traditional values. This greatly upset Abu Bakr and led him to swear that he would cut ties with this relative. Then, the verse from the Quran was revealed: " Let not those among you who are endued with grace and amplitude of means resolve by oath against helping their kinsmen, those in want, and those who have left their homes in God’s cause: let them forgive and overlook, do you not wish that God should forgive you? For God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." {An-Nur, 22}. Upon this revelation, Abu Bakr forgave his relative and resumed his support, saying, "I would love that Allah forgives me."

 

Islam abhors the kind of tribalism that leads to the unjust shedding of blood. In a well-known hadith, the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) emphasized that we should not revert to disbelief after him by fighting one another: "Do not become disbelievers after me by striking the necks of one another." {Transmitted by Bukhari}. Killing a soul without just cause is considered a grave sin in Islam. The Quran states: " On that account: We ordained for the Children of Israel that if any one slew a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he slew the whole people:" {Al-Mai`dah, 32}. Islam encourages beautiful traits like righteousness, piety, patience, and faith. It advocates for wisdom, dialogue, and the rejection of violence and terrorism.

 

Indeed, what some people claim about taking personal vengeance is contrary to the principles of Islamic law. It violates the right of those in authority to pursue criminals and administer justice. If everyone were allowed to take personal vengeance, it would lead to widespread chaos and violence. Islam does not permit the killing of innocent people, and the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) made it clear that the unjust killing of a believer is a grave sin. He said: "By the One in Whose hand my soul is, the killing of a believer is greater with Allah than the extinction of the whole world." {Transmitted by An-Nasa`i}.

Yes, the Devil failed to make a rational person an idol worshiper, but he cannot fail to create a distance between that person and Allah. At that point, the person becomes ignorant of Allah's rights. The Devil kindles the fires of enmity in people's hearts. When they ignite, the Devil delights in seeing them scorch the present and future of the people, consuming their bonds and virtues. It becomes easy for him to undermine Allah`s order on Earth.

 

With these noble Islamic guidelines, Islam combats enmity and the ignition of discord. It kills these germs from their inception, and thus the Muslim community ascends to a high level of mercy, love, and brotherhood, which are the characteristics of the righteous.

 

O Allah, we seek refuge in You from the trials, whether apparent or hidden.

 

 

 

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on fasting the six days of Shawwal?

Fasting the six days of Shawwal is Sunnah. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever fasts Ramadan and then follows it with six days of Shawwal, it is as if they have fasted for a lifetime." [Narrated by Muslim]
This is because fasting one month of Ramadan is rewarded as fasting for ten months, and the six days are equivalent to sixty days, completing a full year of fasting.

What is the ruling on the ablution of one from whom blood exits from his nose or a wound?

Blood flowing from a wound or a nosebleed does not invalidate ablution. However, performing ablution is recommended to avoid scholarly disagreement with those who make ablution obligatory after blood flows. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

If a woman becomes pure from menstruation shortly after Fajr in Ramadan, what is required of her?

If a woman becomes pure (from menstrual period) after Fajr, even shortly after, it is recommended (but not obligatory) for her to refrain from eating and drinking for the rest of the day. However, she must make up for that day after Ramadan.
She will be rewarded for both refraining from eating (imsak) and making up the fast (qada) since she was menstruating for part of the day.

The Jurisprudential Significance of the Ḥadīth: "Whoever says, at the conclusion of the Fajr Prayer, while crossing his legs, before speaking..."
"Whoever says, at the conclusion of the Fajr prayer, while crossing his legs, before speaking: 'Lā ilāha illā Allāh, waḥdahu lā sharīka lah, lahu al-mulku wa lahu al-ḥamdu yuḥyī wa yumītu wa huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr' ten times — ten good deeds will be recorded for him, ten bad deeds will be erased from him, he will be raised ten levels, he will spend that day in protection from everything disliked and guarded from the devil, and no sin will be able to befall him on that day except associating partners with Allah" — does this noble ḥadīth apply to the imam, and what is meant by "extraneous speech"?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It is recommended for both the imam and those praying behind him to recite, immediately after the final salām, the specific remembrance reported in the sunnah to be said before turning away from one's place of prayer. The imam then leaves his praying spot, and the act of "turning" is fulfilled when the imam faces the congregation — even without physically leaving his spot — by positioning his right side toward them and his left side toward the qiblah, and this applies even while he is engaged in supplication.
Al-ʿAllāmah Ibn Qāsim al-ʿAbbādī states in his Ḥāshiyah ʿalā al-Tuḥfah (Vol.2/P.105): "It is most virtuous for the imam, once he has given the salām, to rise from his place of prayer immediately afterward." He adds that an exception must be made for the remembrances that are specifically required to be recited before he turns away. He then notes, citing Sharḥ al-ʿUbāb: "Yes, an exception to this rising immediately after the salām applies to the Fajr prayer, due to the authentic report that the Prophet ﷺ, when he prayed Fajr, would remain seated until the sun rose." He further cites, from al-Khādim, the ḥadīth concerning one who recites, at the conclusion of the Fajr prayer while still in the position of crossing his leg to rise: "Lā ilāha illā Allāh, waḥdahu lā sharīka lah..." and the rest of the well-known ḥadīth. He comments that this makes explicit that this particular remembrance is to be recited before the worshipper turns his legs to leave, and the same applies to Maghrib and ʿAṣr, as reported in those contexts as well.
What is meant by "speech" in the relevant ḥadīth is extraneous worldly speech that is not called for after the prayer and for which there is no legitimate excuse. The remembrances reported to be recited upon concluding the prayer, however, do not fall under this category of extraneous speech, since they are themselves required by the sharīʿah.
Al-ʿAllāmah ʿAlī al-Shabrāmalsī states in his Ḥāshiyah ʿalā al-Nihāyah (Vol.1/P.551): "If someone greets a person with salām while he is occupied with reciting this remembrance [i.e., 'Lā ilāha illā Allāh...'], should he return the greeting — without this causing him to forfeit the promised reward, since he is engaged in an obligatory matter — or should he delay returning the greeting until he finishes, this being a legitimate excuse for the delay?" He continues: "I say: the more likely view is the former, and the prohibition on speech is to be understood as applying to extraneous speech for which there is no legitimate excuse. Based on this, should the worshipper give precedence to this remembrance ('Lā ilāha illā Allāh...') or to reciting Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ ('Qul huwa Allāhu aḥad')? This requires consideration, though it is not unlikely that the remembrance takes precedence, given that the Lawgiver urged hastening to it through his words 'while crossing his leg.' This is not considered ordinary speech, since it is not extraneous to what is required after the prayer."
Accordingly, it is recommended for both the imam and those praying behind him to recite this remembrance and to give it precedence over the other remembrances of the prayer, ensuring it is said before they move from their place. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

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