Brotherhood Should Be Based On Genuine Love, Enjoining Good, Forbidding Evil and Sincere Advice

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Brotherhood Should Be Based On Genuine Love, Enjoining Good, Forbidding Evil and Sincere Advice- Neither Influenced By Attachment to Personalities Nor Close Companionship

Love and Hate Moderately Within The Boundaries of The Shari’ah

Abu Hurairah [may Allah be pleased with him] narrated that the Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be upon him] said, “Love your beloved one modestly, for it may be that he will become hated to you someday. And hate the one whom you hate modestly, for it may be that he will become your beloved one someday”. (1)

Ibnul Atheer [may Allah have mercy upon him] stated, “This means that you should love your beloved one with moderation and do not go beyond bounds. Do not go into extremes in your love and hate, because it may be that one day you’ll hate the one you used to love and love the one you used to hate. Therefore, neither exaggerate in your love and become regretful (in future) nor exaggerate in your hatred and thus become shy in the presence of the one you used to hate after you stop hating him”. (2)

Teachers and Students Not Allowed To Create Illegal Partisanship

Shaikh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah-may Allah have mercy upon him- said:

ﻭﻟﻴﺲ ﻟﻠﻤﻌﻠﻤﻴﻦ ﺃﻥ ﻳﺤﺰﺑﻮﺍ ﺍﻟﻨﺎﺱ
ﻭﻳﻔﻌﻠﻮﺍ ﻣﺎ ﻳﻠﻘﻲ ﺑﻴﻨﻬﻢ ﺍﻟﻌﺪﺍﻭﺓ ﻭﺍﻟﺒﻐﻀﺎﺀ،
ﺑﻞ ﻳﻜﻮﻧﻮﻥ ﻣﺜﻞ ﺍﻷﺧﻮﺓ ﺍﻟﻤﺘﻌﺎﻭﻧﻴﻦ ﻋﻠﻰ
ﺍﻟﺒﺮ ﻭﺍﻟﺘﻘﻮﻱ ﻛﻤﺎ ﻗﺎﻝ ﺗﻌﺈﻟﻰ
وَتَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَى وَلا تَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الإثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ
وليس لأحد منهم أن يأخذ على أحد عهداً بموافقته على كل ما يريده وموالاة من يواليه ومعاداة من يعاديه،بل من فعل هذا كان من جنس جنكز خان وأمثاله الذين يجعلون من وافقهم صديقاً واليا، ومن خالفهم عدوَّا باغيا، بل عليهم وعلى أتباعهم عهد الله ورسوله بأن يطيعوا الله ورسوله ويفعلوا ما أمر الله ورسوله ويحرموا ما حرم الله ورسوله ويرعوا حقوق المعلمين كما أمر الله ورسوله، فإن كان أستاذ أحد مظلوماً نصره، وإن كان ظالماً لم يعاونه على الظلم بل يمنعه منه كما ثبت في الصحيح أنه قال:
(انصر أخاك ظالماً أو مظلوماً. قيل: يا رسول الله: أنصره مظلوماً فكيف أنصره ظالماً؟. قال تمنعه من الظلم فذلك نصرك إياه).
وإذا وقع بين معلم ومعلم أو تلميذ وتلميذ أو معلم وتلميذ خصومة ومشاجرة لم يجز لأحد أن يعين أحدهما حتى يعلم الحق، فلا يعاونه بجهل ولا بهوى، بل ينظر في الأمر، فإذا تبين له الحق أعان المحق منهما على المبطل سواء كان المحق من أصحابه أو أصحاب غيره، وسواء كان المبطل من أصحابه أو أصحاب غيره، فيكون المقصود عبادة الله وحده وطاعة رسوله واتباع الحق والقيام بالقسط
قال تعالى
يا أيها الذين آمنوا كونوا قوامين بالقسط شهداء لله ولو على أنفسكم أو الوالدين والأقربين، إن يكن غنياً أو فقيراً فالله أولى بهما، فلا تتبعوا الهوى أن تعدلوا وإن تلووا أو تعرضوا فإن الله كان بما تعملون خبيراً

It not allowed for the teachers to initiate (illegal) partisanship between the people and do that which would cause enmity and hatred between them; but rather they should be brothers who cooperate upon righteousness and piety, as Allah said:

وَتَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَىٰ ۖ وَلَا تَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ

Help you one another in Al-Birr and At-Taqwa [virtue, righteousness and piety]; but do not help one another in sin and transgression]. [Al-Maa’idah. 2] [See Footnote a]

It is not allowed for anyone of them to receive a pledge from anyone to be in agreement with him in everything he wants – having allegiance to the one he is allied to and enmity against the one he harbours enmity, and whoever does this is similar to Genghis Khan and his ilk (in this affair), who take as their loyal friends the one in agreement with them and the one who oppose them as a rebellious enemy; rather it is obligated on them and their followers (i.e. the teachers) to fulfil the covenant of Allah and His Messenger by obeying Allah and His Messenger, doing that which Allah and His Messenger have commanded, declare unlawful that which Allah and His Messenger have declared unlawful, and preserve the rights of the teachers in the manner commanded by Allah and His Messenger. So, if one’s teacher is oppressed, he should help him; but if the teacher is the oppressor, he should not aid him in his act of oppression; rather he forbids him from it, as it has been established in the authentic books of hadith that the Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be upon him] said, “Help your brother, whether he is an oppressor or he is an oppressed one. People asked, “O Allah’s Messenger! It is all right to help him if he is oppressed, but how should we help him if he is an oppressor?” The Prophet said, “By preventing him from oppressing others.” [Saheeh Al-Bukhari 2444]

If an argument and dispute occurs between a teacher and another teacher, or between a student and another student, it is not permissible for anyone to help one of them until he knows the truth – neither to aid him based on ignorance nor desires; rather he he examines the affair, so if the truth becomes clear to him, he helps the one who deserves to be helped (due to him being upon the truth) against the one upon error – regardless whether the one who deserves to be helped is one of his companions or the companion of someone else, or whether the one upon error is one of his companions or the companion of someone else. Therefore, the aim is only to worship Allaah alone, obedience to Allah Messenger, adherence to truth and establishment of justice. Allah [The Exalted] said:

يا أيها الذين آمنوا كونوا قوامين بالقسط شهداء لله ولو على أنفسكم أو الوالدين والأقربين، إن يكن غنياً أو فقيراً فالله أولى بهما، فلا تتبعوا الهوى أن تعدلوا وإن تلووا أو تعرضوا فإن الله كان بما تعملون خبيراً

O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah; even though it be against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, be he rich or poor, Allah is a Better Protector to both (than you). So follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest you may avoid justice, and if you distort your witness or refuse to give it, verily, Allah is Ever Well-Acquainted with what you do. [An-Nisa. 135] (3)

Footnote a: Allah [The Most High] said:

وَتَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَىٰ ۖ وَلَا تَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ

Help you one another in Al-Birr and At-Taqwa [virtue, righteousness and piety]; but do not help one another in sin and transgression]. [Al-Maa’idah. 2]

Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim [may Allah have mercy upon him] said: This Ayah contains all the Masaalih [beneficial affairs] for the slaves in their worldly affairs and affairs related to the Hereafter- be it between themselves or between them and their Lord; for indeed every servant [of Allah] finds himself within two circumstances and obligations – either [required] to fulfil the obligations owed to Allah or the obligations owed to Allaah’s creation. As for the obligations owed to the creation, they include [righteous] association, companionship, aiding one another upon what Allah loves and obedience to Allah, and that is the goal behind one’s search for happiness and success in the afterlife. There can be no happiness in the afterlife except through Bir [virtue] and Taqwaa [piety], for it is basis of all affairs of the religion. As for Taqwa, its reality is to act in obedience to Allah based on Iman in Allah and hoping for Allaah’s Reward; fulfil what Allah has commanded based on having Iman in that which Allah has commanded and affirming the reward Allah has promised; abandoning what Allah has forbidden based on one’s belief that what Allah has forbidden is forbidden and fearing Allaah’s punishment, just as Talq Bin Habeeb [may Allah have mercy upon him] said: ”When Fitna occurs, extinguish it with Taqwa”. So the people said, “What is Taqwa?” He said, “You act in obedience to Allah upon a light from Allah [i.e. Iman, sincerity etc] and hoping for reward from Allah. And you abandon disobedience to Allah upon a light from Allah and fearing the punishment of Allah”. This is the best of that which has been stated regarding Taqwa, for indeed there has to be an aim and a goal behind every deed. A deed cannot be considered an act of obedience to Allah and an act that gets one close to Allah until it is based on Iman, so that which leads to the performance of that deed is solely due to Iman– neither [Un-Islamic] customs nor [evil] desires, neither seeking praise nor status and other than it; rather it should be solely based on Iman and the aim behind it should be to attain Allaah’s reward and seeking after Allaah’s Pleasure. (4)

Finally, we remind ourselves of this hadeeth in which the Messenger [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] said, “There are not two people who love each other for the sake of Allaah, and then they split from each other, except that it is due to a sin of one of them”. (5)

Al-Allamah Zaid Bin Haadi Al-Mad’khali [may Allaah have mercy upon him] stated in Awnul Ahadis Samad Sharhu Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 1/445-446:

This Hadith shows that to love one another, the religious and worldly benefits it contains is legislated in the Sharee’ah. Regarding the religious benefits of this love, (it brings about) co-operation upon righteousness and piety. As for its worldly benefits, it (leads to the attainment) necessities of life that are sought after. Those who love one another are attached to each other and remain upon that until one of them commits a sin that leads to the destruction of this legislated love- the love that was established for the sake of Allaah and for the sake of Islamic brotherhood. Therefore, it is a good thing that the person (i.e. the one at fault) abandons the sin he committed, which was the cause of separation between them, so that brotherhood for the sake of Allaah is restored as it was before, and so that both the religious and worldly benefits of that brotherly love can continue. The basis of the sin committed by one of them may have occurred without any external influence (i.e. was solely the person’s fault), or it may have occurred due to tale-bearing and instigated by some of the devils amongst mankind- those who hasten to caused corruption in the earth.

Loving one another for the sake of Allah [The Mighty and Majestic] carries reward that has been mentioned in the Sharee’ah texts. Abu Hurairah [may Allah be pleased with him] reported that the Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be upon him] said, “Allah will give shade to seven on the day when there will be no shade but His”…and amongst those people are: “Two people who love each other only for the sake of Allaah and they meet and part in Allaah’s cause only”. (6)

Anas [may Allah be pleased with him] reported that the Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be upon him] said, “Whoever possesses the following three qualities will have the (delight) of faith: The one whom Allah and His Messenger become dearer to him than anything else; the one who loves a person and he loves him only for the sake of Allah, and the one who hates to revert to disbelief as he hates to be thrown into the fire”. (7)

Therefore, O Muslim! After you have understood this, then take a severe warning regarding the causes – both statements and deeds- that will ruin the love that has been legislated for the Muslims to have for one another – both males and females. Hasten towards the virtue of brotherhood and love for one another for the sake of Allaah due to its great and numerous rewards. Abu Hurairah reported that the Messenger of Allaah said, “Allaah will say on the Day of Judgement: ‘Where are those who love each other for the sake of My Glory? Today, I will shelter them in my shade on a day when there is no shade but mine [i.e. the shade from Allaah’s Throne (Ref A)]'”. (8)

We ask Allah to include us amongst those distanced from everything that will corrupt the sound love that is beloved to Him Aameen.

1: Sunan Tirmidhee 1997. Declared saheeh by Imaam Albaani in his checking of Tirmidhee]

2: An-Nihaayah 5/284

3: Majmoo Al-Fataawaa. 28/15-17. paraphrased]

4: An Excerpt from ‘Badaa’i At-Tafseer Al-Jaami Limaa Fassarahu Al-Imaam Ibnul Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah’ Vol 1 pages 307-311. Publisher: Daar Ibn Al-Jawziyyah 2nd Ed, 1431AH- Slightly paraphrased

5: Reported by Imaam al-Bukhaari in Al-Adabul Mufrad (401) and authenticated by Imaam Albaani (rahimahullaah) in As-Saheehah (637)

6: Saheeh Al-Bukhaari 660

7: Al-Bukhari Number 16]

A: Fat-hul Baaree 4/63] [Also Shaikh Rabee (hafidhahullaah) has a Risaalah on this topic. Visit link: http://www.rabee.net/ar/articles.php?cat=8&id=149

8: Saheeh Muslim 2566