Brotherhood and Sisterhood in Islam (importance of it and why we need it in our lives)

1. Definition of brotherhood
a. An association of people united in some kind of common belief
i. Thakwa or fear of Allah
1. The prophet Muhammad said that Allah saying that “my love is a
right for those who visit each other for my sake. And my love is a
right for those who support each other for my sake” (minhaj al
Muslim).
a. We need to take time out of our schedule for Allah
i. Developing this brotherhood is considered as a act
of worship
ii.And worshipping Allah is the only way to achieve
the jannah
iii.Just building the brotherhood will not promise the
jannah, but it is an important factor in the faith or
the iman
b. To receive compassion from Allah, one must make
sacrifices in his name
i. We have to do things for the sake of Allah
ii.Five pillars of Islam
1. You do not do it for other people. You
follow these pillars and apply them in our
lives to obtain the mercy of Allah
2. Shahada, salat, zakat, saum, and hajj
a. Each is very important for the
Muslim
3. I do not want to go into detail with the
pillars but just as we need to complete the
 pillars of Islam, we also need to build up this
brotherhood
b. We assume the meaning of brotherhood is based on faith and respect
i. There are three types of brotherhood
1. Biological related
a. Example: laws of inheritance in Islam
2. Descendents of Adam
a. Allah says: “we have honored the children of Adam and
have carried them over land and sea and have provided for
them good things and have preferred the over much of what
we have created”.(bani Israel, ayah 70)

ۡ ‫َحرِ وَرَز َۡقن َٰـهُم مّنَ ٱلطّيّب َٰـتِ وَفَض ّۡلن َٰـه‬
‫ُم‬ ۡ ‫َٱلب‬
ۡ ‫ٱلبَرّ و‬
ۡ ‫ُم فِى‬
ۡ ‫ِى ءَادَمَ وَحَم َۡلن َٰـه‬
ٓ ‫ّمنَا بَن‬
ۡ ‫َد كَر‬
ۡ ‫وَلَق‬
٧٠ ) ً۬‫)عَلَىٰ ڪَثِيرٍ۬ مّمّنۡ خَلَقۡنَا تَفۡضِيل‬
b. Allah has given the general mercy
i. Allah has treated all humanity equally and does not
allow discrimination and has given everybody there
rights
1. Allah has given everybody the chance to
receive the mercy of Allah

2. Allah says in surah fathiha ۡ

‫ٱهدِنَا‬
َ‫ٱلصّرَٲطَ ٱلۡمُسۡتَقِيم‬
a. Guide us towards the straight path
b. This surah is a Dua and we should
only ask help from Allah
c. Nobody is perfect in this world, but
asking Allah to help you will bring
you closer to him and his rewards
3. Based on belief and religious identity
 a. This means brotherhood was formed by the virtue (maroof)
of their Islam and love for one another
i. So for the sake of Allah and fear of Allah, he loves
his brother. The brother loves his brother for Allah
b. Allah’s messenger (pbuh) said: “A Muslim is the brother of
another Muslim, so he should not oppress him, forsake him,
or despise him”.
i. Be kind to your brother. Treat your brother the way
you want to be treated
c. When Qabeel threatened to kill Habeel, Habeel said “if you
do stretch your hand against me to kill me, I shall never
stretch my hand against you to kill you: for I fear Allah, the
lord of the alameen” (al maidah, 28).

ٓ ‫كَ إِن‬
ّ‫ّى أَخَافُ ٱلَّ رَب‬ ۖ‌ َ‫طٍ َيدِىَ إِلَيۡكَ لِ َۡقتُل‬
۬ ِ‫لَٕٮِنۢ بَسَطتَ إِلَىّ يَدَكَ لِت َۡقتُلَنِى م َٓا أَن َ۟ا بِبَاس‬
٢٨ ) َ‫ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِين‬
i. [be like him] Habeel showed good morals and
perfect piety and feared only Allah and only
thought of Allah’s punishment if his brother
attacked him
1. We should have that mentality or mind set
a. We should think before we act.
When I say this, I mean remember
Allah before you do anything. Allah
has sent the Quran as a reminder to
the mankind to remember there duty
to Allah as a well as themselves.
Allah does not need us, we need
Allah
4. Abu bakar reported Allah’s messenger saying: when two Muslims
confront each and one of them attacks the other with a weapon,
 they both go to the hell fire. Reason is that they both had the
intention of killing their companion.
a. Even the slightest misguided intention in your heart can
lose the paradise and feel the wrath of the hellfire
2. Brotherhood as a whole
a. A single united body
i. One part injured, the whole body feels it
ii.Brotherhood
1. Provides stability in a troubling world
a. We are living in a foreign country. I am from Pakistan.
Some people are from Asia, Middle East, and Africa.
b. Making the brotherhood in our own countries may have
been easier but here, there is a different language, different
culture, and different way of life. We must try harder.

3. ۡ ‫ُم ت‬
َ‫ُرحَمُون‬ ۡ ‫ُم وَٱتّقُواْ ٱلَّ لَعَلّك‬
ۚ‌ۡ ‫إِنّمَا ٱلۡمُؤۡ ِمنُونَ إِخۡوَ ۬ةٌ فَأَصۡلِحُواْ ب َۡينَ أَخَو َۡيك‬
١٠))
i. “The muminoon are but a single brotherhood”(49:10)
b. Believers are one brotherhood
i. You see a believer in Islam. No matter if you know him. He is your
brother in Islam. Allah shows the duties of the believers in a ayah in the
Quran:

ۡ ‫َعرُوفِ َوي َۡنه‬

4. َ‫َون‬ ۡ ‫ِٱلم‬
ۡ ‫ضٍ ي َۡأمُرُونَ ب‬
ۚ‌۬ ‫َع‬
ۡ ‫َولِيَآءُ ب‬
ۡ ‫ُم أ‬
ۡ ‫وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنَـٰتُ بَعۡضُه‬
ِ‫عَنِ ٱلۡمُنكَر‬
i. “ The believers, men and women, are protectors of each other and they
enjoin the maroof, and forbid all the munkar”(9:71)
1. Promote halal, demote haram
2. The ummah needs to come together for the message of Allah to
prevail. To be dominant
 ii.As related by huzaifa (R.A) the prophet (S.A.W) said, “Whoever does not
take an interest in the affairs and problems of the Muslims, he is not of
them. And whoever’s state is such that, each morning and evening, he is
not loyal and earnest to Allah, his Apostle, his book, the Islamic ruler, and
towards the Muslims, as a whole, he is not of them”
iii.So, anyone who claims to be a Muslim, but is lacking in this aspect, he
does not have true faith(iman)
1. Brother and sisters, we need to take care of our masjid. Any
problems that go on must be fixed. It is our duty and to keep this
status of being a Muslim, we must get involved and be part of the
ummah that started all the way back in the time of the prophets
b. The prophet said” you shall not enter paradise until you have faith; and you
cannot attain to faith until you love one another”
i. Look in the Quran

5. ۬ ‫ّرصُو‬
ٌ‫ص‬ ۡ ‫نٌ م‬
۬ ‫إِنّ ٱلَّ يُحِبّ ٱلّذِينَ يُق َٰـتِلُونَ فِى سَبِيلِهِۦ صَ ۬فّا كَأَنّهُم ب ُۡني َٰـ‬
٤ ))
i. In surah as- saff ayah 4, this brotherhood, this ummah, is like a solid
cemented structure or a brick wall, which is a defense in the service of
right and against wrong
1. Again this ummah’s duty is to fight against evil, and promote good
2. Each and every person in the masjid is apart of this ummah. If one
fails, this wall will collapse. To prevent this, help your brother in
need
6. Problems we face including discrimination and cultural barriers and hurting our brothers
i. Prophet Muhammad’s last Khuthba
1. All mankind is from Adam and eve, an Arab has is no better than a
non-Arab, nor a non- Arab is better than a Arab: a white person is
not better than a black person and a black person is no better than a
white person except by piety and good. Learn that every Muslim is
 a brother to every Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one
brotherhood”
a. The Muslim believes in the brotherhood and to believe in it
means that you have to protect it from any kind of harm
like discrimination, racism, and sexism
b. Anybody can be accepted into Islam: black, white,
handicapped, male, female, and anybody from any culture
2. Islam takes every measure to preserve humanity from division and
it’s a fact that many African Americans have converted to Islam
because of this color blindness
i. And they see that Islam is a universal religion and
to fear Allah is the best path for living and
achieving the jannah
b. I would like to give an example of the past in which racism
was occurring and discuss about how it was dealt with
i. Racism did not just start in the 1800s or 1700s but
has affected lives since the time of the prophets
c. In early days of Islam, one of the greatest honors is to call
the azan or be the muezzin. Muhammad Ibn Abdullah gave
this honor to bilal in Mecca. Some prideful Arabs said, he
should not be calling the azan. The prophet made a sermon
saying that men are divided in two categories
i. The pious and god fearing
ii.Transgressors and disbelievers
d. Brother and sisters look and read the Quran. Allah says,
Surah hujarat ayah 13, that the best among in the eyes of
Allah is the most pious

ۡ‫إِنّ َأۡڪرَمَكُمۡ عِندَ ٱلِّ أَتۡقَٰٮكُم‬

i. Allah does not see black, white, yellow, green, or
any other color but rather he sees what is in the qalb
or heart
1. Allah sees our bad deeds, our good deeds
and what we have done in our lives
ii.Prophet (S.A.W) strongly condemned hatred among
brothers like suspicion, contempt, jealousy,
backbiting etc. and warned the ummah of the
painful consequences of such habits
1. It is related by Abu hurairah (R.A) that the
prophet of Allah (S.A.W) said “do not be
suspicious, for suspicion is the height of
falsehood, not bear a grudge or enmity
against each other, nor be jealous of each
other, nor indulge in backbiting nor dig into
secrets of one another, but o slaves of Allah!
Live like brothers as the lord has
commanded
a. Respect your brother and sister. They
have rights on you. Allah commands
you to be like brothers, so then do it.
Allah says in surah bakarah, ayah
285,

‫‌ۖا‬ ۡ ‫ِعنَا وَأَط‬

َ‫َعن‬ ۡ ‫سَم‬
b. We hear, and we obey
1. This is what a good Muslim
should believe in
2. If Allah tells us to be
brothers, just do it. No
questions asked
 3. That is a true Muslim
ii.Keep with your brother
1. This means staying with your brother. No matter what the
consequences are and abiding by the rules of Allah together
2. “A Muslim is the brother of another Muslim. He does not oppress
him, nor does he leave him at mercy of others (sahih Muslim book
32, number 6219)
a. Never take advantage of your brother or be taken advantage
of. There is no higher class or lower class just the piety of a
Muslim
3. The Prophet said, “Do not be envious of one another; do not inflate
prices by overbidding against one another; do not hate one another;
do not turn away from one another; but be you, o slaves of Allah,
as brothers. All things of a Muslim are sacred for his brother in
faith: his blood, his property, and his honor.”[related by imam
Muslim]
a. Respect the property of your brother; do not cheat your
brother. Surah falaq, ayah 5 Allah says

7. َ ‫) َومِن‬
٥) ‫شرّ حَاسِ ٍد إِذَا حَسَ َد‬
i. Here it says to ask Allah for protection from the
envy of an envious person
1. Allah does this for a purpose
2. Envy can break the brotherhood so we must
be careful to avoid this
b. The prophet said that you cannot be a true believer unless
he desires for his fellow-brother what he desires for himself
i. This is the true test of faith in that a person is not
selfish or greedy rather in the name of Allah, he
wants his brother to have success and with this will
lead you towards the jannah
 ‫‪2. In the sahih, it is said that the prophet said that do not under rate‬‬
‫‪any good act even its meeting your brother with a cheerful face‬‬
‫)‪(muslin 4:2026‬‬
‫‪a. Even the smallest act of pleasing your brother maybe huge‬‬
‫‪in the eyes of Allah and should always kept in mind‬‬
‫‪8. Ummah‬‬
‫‪a. Allah has shows many times in the Quran how Muslims are one‬‬
‫‪i. In surah An- nur ayah 61, Allah says greet yourself rather then greet each‬‬
‫‪other.‬‬

‫ٱلمَرِيضِ حَرَجٌ۬ وَلَ‬

‫َعرَجِ حَرَجٌ۬ وَلَ عَلَى ۡ‬
‫ٱلأ ۡ‬
‫لّيۡسَ عَلَى ٱلۡأَعۡمَىٰ حَرَجٌ۬ وَلَ عَلَى ۡ‬
‫َو بُيُوتِ ءَاب َٓا ٕٮِڪُمۡ أَوۡ بُيُوتِ أُمّهَـٰتِكُمۡ أَوۡ بُيُوتِ‬
‫ُم أ ۡ‬
‫ِن بُيُوتِڪ ۡ‬
‫عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِڪُمۡ أَن تَأۡكُلُواْ م ۢ‬
‫َعمَـٰمِڪُمۡ أَوۡ بُيُوتِ عَمّـٰتِڪُمۡ أَوۡ بُيُوتِ أَخۡوَٲلِكُمۡ‬
‫ِخوَٲنِڪُمۡ أَوۡ بُيُوتِ أَخَ َوٲتِڪُمۡ أَوۡ ُبيُوتِ أ ۡ‬ ‫إ ۡ‬
‫ۡ‬
‫ۥۤ أَوۡ صَدِيقِڪُمۡ‌ۚ لَيۡسَ عَلَيۡڪُمۡ جُنَاحٌ أَن‬ ‫أَوۡ بُيُوتِ خَـٰلَـٰتِڪُمۡ أَوۡ مَا مَلَڪتُم مّفَاتِحَهُ‬
‫ُم تَحِيّ ۬ةً م ۡ‬
‫ّن عِندِ ٱلِّ‬ ‫سك ۡ‬
‫أَشۡتَاتً۬ا‌ۚ فَإِذَا دَخ َۡلتُم بُيُوتً۬ا فَسَلّمُواْ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُ ِ‬ ‫تَأۡڪُلُواْ جَمِيعًا أ ۡ‬
‫َو‬
‫مُبَـٰرَڪَةً۬ طَيّ َبةً۬‌ۚ ڪَ َذٲلِكَ يُبَيّنُ ٱلُّ لَڪُمُ ٱلۡأَيَـٰتِ لَعَلّڪُمۡ تَعۡقِلُونَ )‬
‫)‪٦١‬‬
‫‪ii.In hujarat ayah 11 Allah says do not defame yourself instead of do not‬‬
‫‪defame each other.‬‬

‫ُم َولَ نِس َٓا ۬ءٌ مّن‬

‫َى أَن يَكُونُواْ خ َۡي ۬رًا مّنۡہ ۡ‬
‫عس ٰٓ‬ ‫َو ۬مٌ مّن ق ۡ‬
‫َومٍ َ‬ ‫َر ق ۡ‬
‫َسخ ۡ‬
‫ي َٰٓـأَيّہَا ٱلّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لَ ي ۡ‬
‫ِٱلأ َۡلق َٰـبِ‌ۖ ب ِۡئسَ‬
‫ُم وَلَ تَنَابَزُواْ ب ۡ‬
‫ُواْ أَنفُسَك ۡ‬
‫نّ وَلَ تَلۡمِز ٓ‬
‫َى أَن يَكُنّ خ َۡي ۬رًا مّنۡہُ ‌ۖ‬
‫عس ٰٓ‬
‫نّس َٓاءٍ َ‬
‫ُب فَأُوْل َٰٓـٕٮِكَ ُهمُ ٱلظ ّٰـلِمُونَ‬
‫ّم يَت ۡ‬
‫نِ وَمَن ل ۡ‬
‫ٱلإِيم َٰـ ‌ۚ‬
‫َعدَ ۡ‬
‫ٱلفُسُوقُ ب ۡ‬
‫ِٱسمُ ۡ‬
‫ٱل ۡ‬
‫))‪١١‬‬
‫‪iii. In surah nissa ayah 29, Allah says do not kill yourself rather then do not‬‬
‫‪kill each other‬‬
 ً‫ِٱلب َٰـطِلِ إِلّٓ أَن تَكُونَ تِج َٰـرَة‬
ۡ ‫يَـٰٓأَيّهَا ٱلّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لَ تَأۡڪُلُوٓاْ أَمۡ َوٲلَكُم بَيۡنَڪُم ب‬.9
) ‫عَن تَرَاضٍ۬ مّنكُمۡ‌ۚ وَلَ تَقۡتُلُوٓاْ أَن ُفسَكُمۡ‌ۚ إِنّ ٱلَّ كَانَ بِكُمۡ رَحِيمً۬ا‬
(٢٩

1. This may seem a coincidence but has a purpose

a. Whatever happens to the brotherhood, we are effected by it
and any aggression to any part of it is an aggression to all
of it
b. “Whoever relieves from a believer some grief in this world, Allah will relieve
some grief from him in the hereafter. Whosoever alleviates the difficulties of a
needy person who cannot pay his debt, Allah will alleviate his difficulties in both
this world and the hereafter. Whosoever conceals the faults of a Muslim, Allah
will conceal his faults in this world and the hereafter. Allah will aid a servant (of
his) so long as the servant aids his brother”
i. Brother and sisters, we need to help not only our brother, but the people
around us who are in need. We all want to receive the jannah, but the one
way is to help your brother out. When he is in need, help him. When he is
not in need, spend time with him. Only this will unite the ummah as one.
c. Abu Hurairah related that the prophet has said “there is five claims of a Muslim
on a Muslim
i. Return his greetings when he greets
ii.Visit him when he falls ill
iii.Attend his funeral
iv.Accept his invitation to a meal and to pray for him
v.When he sneezes saying yarhumukallahh (may the mercy of Allah be on
you)
1. These are the responsibilities of a Muslim on his brother or sister
And we as a ummah need to work on applying these claims in our
lives to achieve any kind of reward or achievement of the jannah
10. Conclusion
1. For us to build a true ummah, we must stand with our brothers
when there right and stand against them when their wrong
2. “When any one of you sees anything that is disapproved (of by
Allah), let him change it with his hand. If he is not able to do so,
then let him change it with his tongue. And if he is not able to do
so, then let him change it with his heart, though that is the weakest
kind of faith”.
a. If one of our brothers is going in the wrong path, we should
help them and guide them to the straight path
b. And if our brothers are doing good for the sake of Allah,
we should give them our total support and help them do
this good
c. Anas (ra) said, The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said
"Help thy brother whether he is the doer of wrong or wrong
is done to him."They (his companions) said, O Messenger
of Allah! We can help a man to whom wrong is done, but
how could we help him when he is the doer of wrong? He
said: "Take hold of his hands from doing wrong."
i. Stop your brother from doing wrong. Don’t just
watch, do something about it
ii.Allah on the Day of Judgment will ask us why we
did not do anything when we saw something wrong
being done.
iii.It is our duty to fix mistakes that are being done.
1. But, If you do not have knowledge about a
certain subject, just say I don’t know when
you are asked about it
2. Imam maliki said, saying I don’t know is
half the knowledge
 3. If he/she asks for your help on a certain
subject and you are not familiar with it, just
tell him u don’t know.
4. You will be accounted for misguiding your
brother or sister
ii.If there are any other problems in the community, let us work together to
resolve it
a. It is not permissible for a Muslim to have bad relations with
his brother for more than three days
i. Resolve any kind of division
b. Stop these cultural barriers between Pakistanis, Arab, and
Africans
i. We are all one and to receive the jannah, we must
all work hard together
1. Get involved in the Masjid and spend more
time with our brothers
a. Activities like salat thul thasabeeh,
qiyam ul layl, and halaqas
b. Things that can destroy the ummah is
backbiting
1. Talking about your brother
behind his back. This is
haram and is considered a
sin.
2. So brothers and sisters, a lot of things are going in the masjid and
half the people here do not know what is going on. How is this
brotherhood? How is this unity? How is this a true ummah? We
need to resolve this by spending more time in the masjid. We
should be in the masjid more then once in a week. The masjid is a
place of worship and building this brotherhood is a type of
worship. We need to remember, in Islam, keeping this ummah
together is important and every Muslim is responsible for doing
this. We can accomplish this one step at a time. Look at your
brother or sister to the left and to the right. You and I both are
responsible for taking care of them and they are responsible of
taking care of us. Always remember what the Quran and Sunnah
has said and we should try with the best of our ability to
understand it, apply it, and teach it to others.