The importance of Brotherhood in Islam
The Islamic Shari’ah has been filled with clear-cut texts that obligate giving
victory to the oppressed Muslims [as well as obligating] the safeguard of their
honour and wealth and this has come in the framework of the five necessities
that all of the legislations have agreed upon, and they are the Din [religion],
the life, the intellect, the wealth and the honour.
The Most High said:
وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتُ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ بَعْضٍ
“The believing men and women are allies to one another.” [9: 71]
Al-Bukhari, Muslim, and others reported from the route of az-Zuhri, from Salim ibn ‘Abdillah, from his father who reported that the prophet Sallallahu ‘alayhi Wasalam said:
عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، عَنْ سَالِمٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ: الْمُسْلِمُ أَخُو الْمُسْلِمِ لاَ يَظْلِمُهُ وَلاَ يُسْلِمُهُ
“The Muslims is the brother of [his] fellow Muslim. He does not oppress him, nor does he surrender him.”
And he Sallallahu ‘alayhi Wasalam also said:
عن أنس رضي الله عنه: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: “انصر أخاك ظالمًا أو مظلومًا” فقال رجل: يا رسول الله أنصره إذا كان مظلومًا أرأيت إن كان ظالمًا كيف أنصره؟ قال: ”تحجزه (أو تمنعه) من الظلم فإن ذلك نصره..” رواه البخاري
“Help your brother, whether he is an oppressor or is oppressed”. A man enquired: “O Messenger of Allah! I help him when he is oppressed, but how can I help him when he is an oppressor?” He [saws] said: “You can keep him from committing oppression. That will be your help to him.” [al-Bukhari from the Hadith of Anas in Muslim from the hadith of Jabir]
This aid and help is from the beautiful things of Islam and is a door from the doors of Jihad. The Most High said:
وَإِنِ اسْتَنصَرُوكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ فَعَلَيْكُمُ النَّصْرُ
“And if they seek your assistance in the Din then you must help them.” [8: 72]
In that there is a strengthening of the bonds of love and firmness for those that believe. Therefore, there is no room for abandonment, idleness and sitting with those that lag behind. Certainly, when the bonds of love between them were strengthened and they assisted each other, Islam and its people were honoured, and its nation established, its affair made mighty and their enemies fierced them.
The prophet Sallallahu ‘alayhi Wasalam likened the believers, in their mutual love, concern and mercy to that body where if one part of it suffers the whole body suffers with sleeplessness and fever. This has been recorded from him in the Sahihayn [1] from the hadith of Nu’man ibn Bashir may Allah be pleased with him.
And in Sahih Muslim there appears [the hadith]:
عَنِ النُّعْمَانِ بْنِ بَشِيرٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم: ”الْمُسْلِمُونَ كَرَجُلٍ وَاحِدٍ إِنِ اشْتَكَى عَيْنُهُ اشْتَكَى كُلُّهُ وَإِنِ اشْتَكَى رَأْسُهُ اشْتَكَى كُلُّهُ..” متفق عليه
“The Muslims are like one man. If his eyes hurt him his whole body suffers and if his head hurts his whole body suffers.”
Islam calls for the unification of this brotherhood that is established upon the purity of ‘Aqeeda [Islamic Creed] and love, and it wages war against abandonment and disputations that tear apart the Ummah and drag it into humiliation and shame. In our current times, the legions of Kufr [disbelief] and the heads of the Devils [America, Britain and their allies] have struck an alliance to wage war against Islam and its people among the Taliban and the other Islamic lands, all under the guise or name: “The War on Terrorism.”
It is obligatory upon all of the Muslims, everyone according to his capacity, to assist our brothers, the Mujahideen in the Path of Allah with wealth, life and tongue. The Most High said:
انفِرُوا خِفَافًا وَثِقَالًا وَجَاهِدُوا بِأَمْوَالِكُمْ وَأَنفُسِكُمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
“March forth, whether light or heavy and wage Jihad with your wealth and lives in the Path of Allah. That is better for you if you but knew.” [9:41]
Abandonment of assistance to the weak Muslims is not permissible for that is humiliation, shame and oppression. As for aiding the Kufaar against the Muslim with any type of assistance is Nifaq [hypocrisy] and apostasy from the Din. The Most High said:
بَشِّرِ الْمُنَافِقِينَ بِأَنَّ لَهُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا الَّذِينَ يَتَّخِذُونَ الْكَافِرِينَ أَوْلِيَاءَ مِن دُونِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ۚ أَيَبْتَغُونَ عِندَهُمُ الْعِزَّةَ فَإِنَّ الْعِزَّةَ لِلَّهِ جَمِيعًا
“Give tidings to the Munafiqeen that for them there is a painful punishment, those that take the Kafirun as allies besides the believers. Do they seek honor with them? Verily all Honor is with Allah.” [4: 138-139]
And the Most High said:
وَمَن يَتَوَلَّهُم مِّنكُمْ فَإِنَّهُ مِنْهُمْ
“And whoever is an ally to them [the disbelievers] among you – then, indeed, he is [one] of them.” [5: 51]
Meaning: A Kafir like them and the people of Knowledge do not differ concerning that.
So beware! Beware of giving victory to the Kuffar against the Muslims with any type of victory for this is kufr, Nifaq, sickness in the hearts, and corruption. It is not from the conditions of Kufr that his Mudhaharah [2] of the Kuffar be out of love for their Din or pleasure with it. This condition is nothing. That is because loving the Din of the Kuffar and pleasure with it is major Kufr by the consensus of the people with out Mudhaharah of them against the Muslims for this is another case of Kufr. If the one performing Mudhaharah claimed to love the Din and hate the Kuffar and Mushrikun [we say]: Many of the Kuffar and apostates did not abandon the truth out of hatred for it nor out of displeasure with their Din. It is only that they have a wordly interest so they preferred it to the Din. The Most High said:
ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمُ اسْتَحَبُّوا الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا عَلَى الْآخِرَةِ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْكَافِرِينَ
“That is because they preferred the life of this world over the Hereafter and verily Allah does not guide the people that are the Kaffirun.” [16: 107]
In Sahih Muslim from the quote of Tariq ibn al-’Ala ibn ‘Abdir-Rahman from his father from Abu Hurayrah who narrated the the messenger of Allah Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wasalam said:
عَنِ الْعَلاَءِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ “ بَادِرُوا بِالأَعْمَالِ فِتَنًا كَقِطَعِ اللَّيْلِ الْمُظْلِمِ يُصْبِحُ الرَّجُلُ مُؤْمِنًا وَيُمْسِي كَافِرًا وَيُمْسِي مُؤْمِنًا وَيُصْبِحُ كَافِرًا يَبِيعُ أَحَدُهُمْ دِينَهُ بِعَرَضٍ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا ” . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ .
“Rush to good deeds before a tribulation like the dark nights comes wherein a person will awaken as a believer and enter the evening as a Kafir or will enter the evening as a believer and awaken as Kafir. He will sell His Din for a portion of the world.”
And the criminal legal verdict that was issued by some of the defeated ones that allow those that are counted among the Muslims working in the American government to participate in fighting the Afghan Mujahideen. [This legal ruling] is as far removed from the Fiqh of Islam and spirit of Iman as can be. It was not connected to the truth in any shape or form nor was it built upon principles of Fiqh and Usool. It is in opposition to the path of the believers, for the believers are in unanimous agreement that whoever assists a Kafir against a Muslim then he has commited a nullifiers from the nullifiers of Islam.
Justifying this with compulsion is not correct because the blood of the one who is killed is certainly not cheaper than the blood of the killer, nor is the blood of the killer more expensive than the blood of the one killed.
The jurists are in agreement that if a man compelled another man to kill a Muslim whose blood is sacred then it is forbidden for him to kill him. Hence, it is not allowed for the Muslim to safeguard himself from being killed by means of shedding the blood of others. The Most High said:
وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا النَّفْسَ الَّتِي حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ
“And do not kill the soul that Allah has forbidden except with right.” [6: 151]
And the Most High said:
وَمَن يَقْتُلْ مُؤْمِنًا مُّتَعَمِّدًا فَجَزَاؤُهُ جَهَنَّمُ خَالِدًا فِيهَا وَغَضِبَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَلَعَنَهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُ عَذَابًا عَظِيمًا
“And whoever intentionally kills a believer then his reward is Hell-Fire permanently residing therein and the anger of Allah is upon him and He has cursed him and prepared for him a tremendous punishment.” [4: 93]
I have established this issue in another place and I have pointed out the important issues in this area.
Now, in your hands is a precious book entitled: [At-Tibyan fi Kufr man a’an al-Amrikan التبيان في كفر من أعان الأمريكان ] by the Sheikh, Nasir Ibn Hamad al-Fahd may Allah grant him success and increase him in knowledge and action. In it, he warned the Muslims from being in assistance to the Jews and Christians against their Muslim brothers. Certainly, he has gathered himself and expended his strong effort in clarifying the ruling in this issue. He placed eager focus in gathering the words of the Imams, both the earlier and later ones, from them in order for the Muslim to be upon clarity in his Din and [so that] there is no dispute regarding the apostasy of those that perform Mudhaharah of the Kuffar against the Muslims.
In this valuable piece there are beneficial researches, rare points of benefit, and large meanings, not to mention its aid to the people of Tawheed and its justice to them as opposed to the people of dissension and Nifaq. Verily, this aid is a door from the doors of Jihad and a sign from the signs of Iman, so may Allah strengthen this Sheikh. How good it is that which his hands have written! It is worthy of a good reception from the People of Knowledge and seekers of the truth. So without further due, this is the book that has actualized ‘Aqeedah and Fiqh upon the path of those that have passed from the Imams of guidance and the People of Knowledge and Taqwa, and all praise is for Allah the Lord of the worlds.
Footnotes:
- Sahihayn – means the two Authentic Books of Hadith [Sahih Bukhari and Muslim].
- Mudharah [مظاهرة] - Giving aid, assistance, succour, victory, and relief to a person or a group of people. This is the maid word used by the author through out this book. For that reason, we have chose to leave it untranslated.
Written by: Sheikh Sulayman ibn Nasir ibn ‘Abdillah al-‘Alwan
8/10/1422 AH