john313
warrior-poet
The True Nature of Brotherhood in Islaam
There was once a follower of the Ahlu-l-Bayt, a student of the A'mmah of the Prophet Muhammad's progeny, whose family would repeatedly argued bitterly with him. This bitter arguing was regarding his decision to enter the fold of the deenu-l-Fitrah, the Religion of Nature, which had been proclaimed by the Prophet Muhammad. For this man was very devote in his quest for knowledge, and he had followed truth wherever it led him. His brother would bicker and argue with him, as would his parents, yet no matter what he still loved them and prayed that one day they too would enter the deen as he had done. When they fought, his brother would say mean and spiteful things against him, as brothers often do. He would bring up things which he had done in his past which in hindsight proved very stupid decisions. "You never think anything through, remember when you did this, this and that? You are the stupidest person alive!" Time and time again conflict arose and venomous words were spit against him.
Nevertheless, his family would come to him the day after a large fight between them all. Time and time again he would forgive them, even though they were kuffar, quoting the teachings of his Imaam Muhammad al-Baaqir, saying: "The virtue that will force a Mu'min to enter into Jannah is rich moral behavior with parents."
His parents and brother were embarrassingly pleased with his forgiveness. His words would leave them in shame of their actions, and their adoration of the teachings of Islaam. Despite what they had done and said, he loved them and kept no account of their wrongs.
It was not too long before this man, this student of the Ahlu-l-Bayt was sitting in Hawza and heard the infamous words of Rasool Allah's final Khutbah at Ghadir Khumm: "A Muslim is a brother of another Muslim, so he should not oppress him, nor should he hand him over to an oppressor. Whoever fulfilled the needs of his brother, Allah will fulfill his needs; whoever brought his brother out of a discomfort, Allah will bring him out of the discomforts of the Day of Resurrection, and whoever screened a Muslim, Allah will screen him on the Day of Resurrection."
"Maa shaa' Allah. Maa shaa' Allah." Was heard subtly on the lips of students. "Allahu Akbar!" the student let out, in a more audible tone, feeling in his heart that he truly appreciated these words. Shortly after this the lesson for the day came to a close, the man gathered up his belongings and retired for the day.
The man went home reciting Ahadeeth along the way, stopping along the way to make Salaah right when the time arrived for it. He was admired for his taqwa, his piety and fear of Allah. He was known for his knowledge of the deen. Along the way the some friends who knew this man heard him coming. One of them broke away and called out to him: "Akhiy! Where were you last night?" He reminded the man that he had agreed to help him with something. But the man had completely forgotten about this and naturally apologized "Forgive me akhiy! I forgot all about this, I was so busy with work, and studies." But this had not been the first time he had failed this brother so the brother erupted at him: "I've had it with you! You are a good for nothing friend! I have helped you do so many things and yet you cannot keep a simple, singular commitment to me?"
The man who had asked for forgiveness responded angrily that he would not be spoken to in this manner, and with that he continued walking off...
The next day he came across some others that he knew and they asked him about this conflict, this fitnah. They said, "We heard that you and so and so had a big argument yesterday." The man grew angry at this old acquaintance and tore into him to these people.
As he continued he passed this man who had been so angry with him the day before. The man said "Akhiy, I do not want you to think that I am not upset with you breaking your commitment to me, or you being oblivious to this while I am aware of my commitments to you. Nevertheless, I do not want you to think that I meant any of that which I said. I was angry and this anger over took me, just as our Imaam `Aliyy once told us that 'Anger is a form of temporary insanity, which ends in remorse.' This is true akhiy, and indeed I feel remorse for this. I meant my criticisms of your actions, but I regret the anger with which I said these things. I wish for you to consider what I said, but please forgive how I spoke to you."
Yet this man would not hear of it. He said "No, I cannot do this. You are still my brother in Islaam, but I will never speak with you again."
The other man waited and waited for forgiveness to enter into the man's heart, but it never came. When he would see the man walking home from his hours of study in the Hawza he would plead: "Akhiy, this is not how we are supposed to be. Is it not narrated that Rasool Allah said: 'Do not be angry with each other and do not envy each other and do not turn away from each other, and be slaves of Allah, brothers. For it is not halaal for a Muslim to shun his brother for more than three nights?' Akhiy, it has been much longer than three nights, and still you shun me! Why do you forgive your kafir brother in blood, but reject your Muslim brother in spirit? Blood is perishable, but the spirit lives on. Akhiy, please forgive me, not in a conceptual way of merely uttering the words of forgiveness, but by truly feeling forgiveness and not shunning your Muslim brother."
The man said nothing in response but walked away holding a grudge and shunning his brother.
O Brothers and sisters, O Children of Adam, when there is conflict between brothers, it is not to be ignored. Islaam is the deen of Nature, the Natural Religion, and it is not natural for brother to turn against brother. The Ummah is a family unit. Family units are to be tightly knit, and when conflict flares up, it is allowed to burn itself out, and then any words, bitterness and even insults are forgiven. This is the nature of brotherhood that we see in families bound only by blood, and within the deen of Islaam, we are to see it displayed even more so.
Islaamic brotherhood is not hypothetical or conceptual. Muhammad said it clear that every Muslim is a brother to every other Muslim. He did not say "You are brother... IN ISLAAM" neither did he say "You are all LIKE brothers." Imaam `Aliyy was certainly not his BLOOD brother, and yet he said to him "You are my brother in this world and the next." Yes, he said in both this world of the Dunyaa' and in Akheerah, Imam `Aliyy was his brother despite the fact that `Aliyy neither came from the seed of his father, nor from the womb of his mother.
ÈÓã Çááå ÇáÑÍãä ÇáÑÍíã
There was once a follower of the Ahlu-l-Bayt, a student of the A'mmah of the Prophet Muhammad's progeny, whose family would repeatedly argued bitterly with him. This bitter arguing was regarding his decision to enter the fold of the deenu-l-Fitrah, the Religion of Nature, which had been proclaimed by the Prophet Muhammad. For this man was very devote in his quest for knowledge, and he had followed truth wherever it led him. His brother would bicker and argue with him, as would his parents, yet no matter what he still loved them and prayed that one day they too would enter the deen as he had done. When they fought, his brother would say mean and spiteful things against him, as brothers often do. He would bring up things which he had done in his past which in hindsight proved very stupid decisions. "You never think anything through, remember when you did this, this and that? You are the stupidest person alive!" Time and time again conflict arose and venomous words were spit against him.
Nevertheless, his family would come to him the day after a large fight between them all. Time and time again he would forgive them, even though they were kuffar, quoting the teachings of his Imaam Muhammad al-Baaqir, saying: "The virtue that will force a Mu'min to enter into Jannah is rich moral behavior with parents."
His parents and brother were embarrassingly pleased with his forgiveness. His words would leave them in shame of their actions, and their adoration of the teachings of Islaam. Despite what they had done and said, he loved them and kept no account of their wrongs.
It was not too long before this man, this student of the Ahlu-l-Bayt was sitting in Hawza and heard the infamous words of Rasool Allah's final Khutbah at Ghadir Khumm: "A Muslim is a brother of another Muslim, so he should not oppress him, nor should he hand him over to an oppressor. Whoever fulfilled the needs of his brother, Allah will fulfill his needs; whoever brought his brother out of a discomfort, Allah will bring him out of the discomforts of the Day of Resurrection, and whoever screened a Muslim, Allah will screen him on the Day of Resurrection."
"Maa shaa' Allah. Maa shaa' Allah." Was heard subtly on the lips of students. "Allahu Akbar!" the student let out, in a more audible tone, feeling in his heart that he truly appreciated these words. Shortly after this the lesson for the day came to a close, the man gathered up his belongings and retired for the day.
The man went home reciting Ahadeeth along the way, stopping along the way to make Salaah right when the time arrived for it. He was admired for his taqwa, his piety and fear of Allah. He was known for his knowledge of the deen. Along the way the some friends who knew this man heard him coming. One of them broke away and called out to him: "Akhiy! Where were you last night?" He reminded the man that he had agreed to help him with something. But the man had completely forgotten about this and naturally apologized "Forgive me akhiy! I forgot all about this, I was so busy with work, and studies." But this had not been the first time he had failed this brother so the brother erupted at him: "I've had it with you! You are a good for nothing friend! I have helped you do so many things and yet you cannot keep a simple, singular commitment to me?"
The man who had asked for forgiveness responded angrily that he would not be spoken to in this manner, and with that he continued walking off...
The next day he came across some others that he knew and they asked him about this conflict, this fitnah. They said, "We heard that you and so and so had a big argument yesterday." The man grew angry at this old acquaintance and tore into him to these people.
As he continued he passed this man who had been so angry with him the day before. The man said "Akhiy, I do not want you to think that I am not upset with you breaking your commitment to me, or you being oblivious to this while I am aware of my commitments to you. Nevertheless, I do not want you to think that I meant any of that which I said. I was angry and this anger over took me, just as our Imaam `Aliyy once told us that 'Anger is a form of temporary insanity, which ends in remorse.' This is true akhiy, and indeed I feel remorse for this. I meant my criticisms of your actions, but I regret the anger with which I said these things. I wish for you to consider what I said, but please forgive how I spoke to you."
Yet this man would not hear of it. He said "No, I cannot do this. You are still my brother in Islaam, but I will never speak with you again."
The other man waited and waited for forgiveness to enter into the man's heart, but it never came. When he would see the man walking home from his hours of study in the Hawza he would plead: "Akhiy, this is not how we are supposed to be. Is it not narrated that Rasool Allah said: 'Do not be angry with each other and do not envy each other and do not turn away from each other, and be slaves of Allah, brothers. For it is not halaal for a Muslim to shun his brother for more than three nights?' Akhiy, it has been much longer than three nights, and still you shun me! Why do you forgive your kafir brother in blood, but reject your Muslim brother in spirit? Blood is perishable, but the spirit lives on. Akhiy, please forgive me, not in a conceptual way of merely uttering the words of forgiveness, but by truly feeling forgiveness and not shunning your Muslim brother."
The man said nothing in response but walked away holding a grudge and shunning his brother.
O Brothers and sisters, O Children of Adam, when there is conflict between brothers, it is not to be ignored. Islaam is the deen of Nature, the Natural Religion, and it is not natural for brother to turn against brother. The Ummah is a family unit. Family units are to be tightly knit, and when conflict flares up, it is allowed to burn itself out, and then any words, bitterness and even insults are forgiven. This is the nature of brotherhood that we see in families bound only by blood, and within the deen of Islaam, we are to see it displayed even more so.
Islaamic brotherhood is not hypothetical or conceptual. Muhammad said it clear that every Muslim is a brother to every other Muslim. He did not say "You are brother... IN ISLAAM" neither did he say "You are all LIKE brothers." Imaam `Aliyy was certainly not his BLOOD brother, and yet he said to him "You are my brother in this world and the next." Yes, he said in both this world of the Dunyaa' and in Akheerah, Imam `Aliyy was his brother despite the fact that `Aliyy neither came from the seed of his father, nor from the womb of his mother.