Like the Branches of a Tree

The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said in his farewell khutbah: “O People! Your Lord is One, and your father (Adam alayhissalam) is one. Listen to me in earnest. An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab, nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also, a White has no superiority over a Black, nor a Black has any superiority over a White except by piety (taqwa) and good action. The noblest of you in Allah’s sight is the most god-fearing.”

When we think of brothers and sisters, we usually think of those born to the same parents. Apart from this brotherhood caused by blood relations, there is also the brotherhood of faith formed by belonging to the same religion.

Brotherhood in Islam is based entirely on iman. Allah says in the Qur’an: “The believers are but one brotherhood, so make peace between your brothers. And be mindful of Allah so you may be shown mercy.” (Al-Hujurat, 10)

Therefore, no matter where they live, what language they speak, what tribe they belong to, or what skin color they have, all believers are brothers and faithful friends with one another in the complete sense of the word. They do not have a love for those who attack their creed, no matter how close they are to them. In this sense, they only rely on the brotherhood of faith.

Every believer is one of us

As a necessity of being a Muslim, we should look at every other Muslim we encounter with love by saying, “Every believer is one of us,” without discriminating against any ethnic origin or nationality. It is the brotherhood of faith that unites hearts and eliminates hostilities that stem from ignorance. This is one of the most beautiful blessings bestowed upon us by our Lord:

“And hold firmly to the rope of Allah and do not be divided. Remember Allah’s favor upon you when you were enemies, then He united your hearts, so you—by His grace—became brothers. And you were at the brink of a fiery pit, and He saved you from it. This is how Allah makes His revelations clear to you, so that you may be ‘rightly’ guided.” (Ali Imran, 103)

In this verse, Almighty Allah reminds us how he made the members of the Banu Aws and Banu Khazraj, the two tribes notorious for their enmity with each other during the period of jahiliyyah, become brothers through their shared faith. Since brotherhood is based on faith in Islam, all kinds of divisions, fitnah, and conspiracies that would disrupt the relationship of believers with each other are forbidden. By replacing race, lineage, gender, and similar values of the jahiliyyah period, the period also known as the age of ignorance before the advent of Islam, with the principle of taqwa, it was ensured that social brotherhood and harmony would not be disrupted.

The following verse on this subject promptly and decisively puts an end to all manners of debates: “Indeed, the noblest of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you.” (Al-Hujurat, 13)

To be brothers is to be companions and faithful friends to one another. It is to show this with your actions, to love, show respect, trust, be compassionate, help each other, and be in solidarity. Without these essentials, any claim of brotherhood rings hollow. The brotherhood outlined by the Qur’an has a definition that encapsulates all these concepts.

Brotherhood in Islam is a way of life. The best example of brotherhood in religion was presented by the distinguished Companions, who lived in the same time period as the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). The relationship between the Muhajir and the Ansar is an excellent example that shows us the true meaning of brotherhood. The Ansar of Medinah cherished their Muhajir brothers, who came from Makkah, more than themselves and did not leave them alone or helpless in any respect. Almighty Allah says: “As for those who had settled in the city (Medinah) and embraced the faith before the arrival of the emigrants, they love whoever immigrates to them, never having a desire in their hearts for whatever of the gains is given to the emigrants. They give the emigrants preference over themselves even though they may be in need. And whoever is saved from the selfishness of their souls, it is they who are truly successful.” (Al-Hashr, 9)

The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “None of you will have complete iman (faith) until he desires for his brother what he desires for himself.” (Al-Bukhari)

Like beams and pillars that support each other

In brotherhood and friendship, believers are like a body whose every cell, every fiber, and every atom is connected. Just as the whole body feels discomfort when any part of the body gets sick, so should all the other brothers and sisters feel the pain and suffering of a single believer, even if that believer is half a world away. 

Our Prophet expresses the faithfulness of believers to each other as follows: “A believer to another believer is like a building whose different parts support each other.” Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari, who narrated the hadith, mentioned that the Messenger of Allah interlocked his fingers while saying this. (Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Al-Tirmidhi, Al-Nasa'i)

A believer must help his fellow believer in any situation. Our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Help your brother, whether he is an oppressor or an oppressed one.” He explained how to help the oppressors with the following striking words: “By preventing him from oppressing others. That is the help you must do.” (Al-Bukhari, Muslim)

One of the requirements of brotherhood is to warn those of our brothers who tend to oppress and persecute others and make efforts to correct their behaviors. This kind of help is of great importance for the well-being of individuals and communities. The following is stated in the verse: “Those who believed, emigrated, and strived with their wealth and lives in the cause of Allah, as well as those who gave them shelter and help—they are truly guardians of one another” (Al-Anfal, 72). Here, guardianship is interpreted as helping and advising.

The disaster of holding ill opinion of others

Many things can break the unity of brotherhood. All of these issues are clearly stated in the Qur'an and hadiths. In a verse, some that sever the bonds of brotherhood and thus cause damage to the individual and social harmony are mentioned as follows: “O, believers! Avoid many suspicions, ‘for’ indeed, some suspicions are sinful. And do not spy nor backbite one another. Would any of you like to eat the flesh of their dead brother? You would despise that! And fear Allah. Surely Allah is ‘the’ Acceptor of Repentance, Most Merciful” (Al-Hujurat, 12). In this verse, our Almighty Lord openly forbids believers from su’u adh-dhann, from investigating the secrets of their brothers, and from backbiting and gossiping.

On the other hand, our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) states the following regarding this: “Beware of suspicion, for suspicion is the worst of false tales; and do not look for the others’ faults and do not spy.” And in the 11th verse of surah Al-Hujurat, “O believers! Do not let some ‘men’ ridicule others; they may be better than them. Nor let ‘some’ women ridicule other women; they may be better than them. Do not defame one another, nor call each other offensive nicknames. How evil it is to act rebelliously after having faith! And whoever does not repent, it is they who are the ‘true’ wrongdoers,” it is emphasized that believers should be mindful of behaviors such as mocking, using bad nicknames, and the like, which are considered fisq (violation of the divine laws). 

Hatred, envy, and contempt are among the issues that are injurious to our cherished brotherhood. The state of believers in Paradise, which sets an outstanding example for all of humanity as a portrayal of the perfect brotherhood personified in the close affinity between perfect believers, is described in the Qur’an as follows: “We will remove whatever bitterness they had in their hearts. In a friendly manner, they will be on thrones, facing one another” (Al-Hijr, 47). Our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), on the other hand, gives the following advice: “Do not hate each other, do not envy each other, do not turn away from each other, O Allah’s worshippers! Be Brothers” (Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Al-Tirmidhi), and “It is enough evil for a man to belittle his Muslim brother” (Muslim).

A believer cannot be racist

Racism is among the possible causes that can worm its way through the shared brotherhood of Muslims and create a schism between them. It is an open wound that festers if left unattended because such attitudes inevitably bring with them division, conflict, and strife. Only through such acrimony can believers become enemies or turn against each other. In fact, in a hadith, it is pointed out that Shaytan always harbors hope in this regard: “Shaytan has lost all hope that worshippers will ever worship (him) in the Arabian Peninsula, but hopes to sow the seed of dissension among them.” (Muslim, Al-Tirmidhi)

Influencing us to make mistakes such as claiming the superiority of one race over another, or one tribe over another, or refusing to accept the existence of others and belittling them, are Shaytan’s means of fitnah. This kind of mindset rapidly infects the societies that it spreads to and destroys them. Such misconceptions need to be corrected to revive the spirit of brotherhood in faith and restore the strength that believers have lost.

Although the webs of hatred, anger, and envy keep being spun to extinguish the brotherhood of Muslims in a sea of strife and turn brother against brother, we should never lose hope that common sense and sound judgment will prevail. The best response we can give to Shaytan, and the people who cooperate with him should be our unshakeable commitment to the belief that “believers are brothers,” and we should expend our efforts and strength to serve the cause this message represents. We must not forget that to establish the brotherhood that the Qur’an calls for, we, as Muslims, must reintroduce the moral values of Islam that value selflessness, prioritizing others, avoiding backbiting and slander, and humility. This is our way out of the dark into the light. 

M. Ali Özkan