What is True bond of friendship ?
“…And lower your wing for the believers (be courteous to the fellow-believers).” (Al-Hijr 15:88)
The Prophet (SAW) said, “None of you has Iman (faith) until he desires for his brother (or sister) Muslim that which he desires for himself (or herself).” (Bukhari and Muslim)
He (SAW) also said, “The Muslims in their mutual love, kindness and compassion are like the human body where when one of its parts is in agony the entire body feels the pain, both in sleeplessness and fever.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
I love you for the sake of Allah (SWT) …
The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said,
“On the Day of Judgement, Allah, the Most High, will announce, ‘Where are those who love each other for the sake of My pleasure? This day I am going to shelter them in the shade provided by Me. Today there is no shade except My shade.” (Muslim)
I will be sure to tell you of my love, Insha-Allah …
The Prophet (SAW) said, “If a person loves his brother, he should inform him of this fact.” (Abu Dawud and Tirmidi)
I will be merciful and compassionate toward you, Insha-Allah …
Allah (SWT) says, “Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those who are with him are severe against the disbelievers, and merciful among themselves…” (Al-Fath 48:29)
The Prophet (SAW) said, “Do not be envious of other Muslims; do not overbid at auctions against another Muslim; do not have malice against a Muslim; do not go against a Muslim and forsake him; do not make an offering during a pending transaction. O’ servants of Allah, be like brothers (or sisters) with each other. A Muslim is the brother (or sister) of another Muslim; do not hurt him (or her), or look down upon him (or her) or bring shame on him (or her). Piety is a matter of heart (The Prophet (SAW) repeated this thrice). It is enough evil for a person to look down upon his Muslim brother (or sister). The blood, property and honor of a Muslim is inviolable to a Musilm.” (Muslim)
The Prophet (SAW) said, “Keep company with a believer only, and let your food be eaten only by the righteous.” (Abu Dawud and Tirmidi)
He (SAW) also said, “A person is likely to follow the faith of his friend, so look whom you befriend.” (Abu Dawud and Tirmidi)
The Prophet (SAW) said, “One who helps a fellow Muslim in removing his (or her) difficulty in this world, Allah will remove the former’s distress on the Day of Judgement. He who helps to remove the hardship of another, will have his difficulties removed by Allah in this world and in the Hereafter. One who covers the shortcomings of another Muslim, will have his faults covered up in this world and the next by Allah. Allah continues to help a servant so long as he goes on helping his own brother (or sister).” (Muslim)
Allah (SWT) says, “The believers, men and women. are Auliya (helpers, supporters, friends, protectors) of one another, they enjoin (on people) Al-Ma’ruf (i.e. Islamio Monotheism and all that Islma orders one to do), and forbids (people) from Al-Munkar (i.e. polytheism and disbelief of all kinds, and all that Islam has forbidden); they offer their prayers perfectly (Iqamat-as-Salat); and give the Zakat and obey Allah and His Messenger. Allah will have His mercy upon them. Surely, Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise.” (At-Tauba 9:71)
When the Prophet (SAW) instructed, “Help your (Muslim) brother (or sister) when he commits a wrong and when a wrong is committed against him, someone asked, “O Messenger of Allah, I understand how I can help him if a wrong is committed against him, but how can I help him if he is himself committing a wrong?” At that the Prophet (SAW) answered, “Stopping him from committing the wrong is helping him.” (Bukhari)
The Prophet (SAW) said, “A Muslim owes six obligations towards another Muslim: when you meet him (or her), salute him (or her) saying ‘Assalamu Alaikum; when he (or she) invites you, accept his (or her) invitation; when he (or she) solicits your advice, advise him (or her) sincerely; when he (or she) sneezes and praises Allah, respond with the supplication Yarhamuk Allah (Allah have mercy on you); when he (or she) falls sick, visit him (or her); on his (or her) death, join his (or her funeral).” (Muslim)
He (SAW) also said, “When a Muslim visits his (or her) Muslim brother (or sister) who is sick, he (or she) certainly gathers the fruits of Paradise until he (or she) returns (from visiting).” (Muslim)
“… And remember Allah’s Favour on you, how you were enemies but He joined your hearts together, so that, by His Grace, you became brothers, and you were on the brink of a pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus does Allah make His verses clear to you, that you may be guided.” [Aal-‘Imraan: 103]
“And We shall remove from their breasts any sense of injury – brothers, facing each other on thrones.” [al-Hijr: 47]
******************
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “If someone loves his brother, then he should tell him.” [Sunan al-Tirmidhî]
Once when the Prophet (peace be upon him) was with someone, a man passed by and said: “O Messenger of Allah, I love that person.”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked: “Have you told him?”
He replied: “No.”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Then do so.”
So the man went to the other and said: “I love you for the sake of Allah.”
The other replied: “May He love you for whose sake you love me.” [Sunan Abî Dâwûd]
Narrated Anas: Allah’s Apostle said, “Help your brother, whether he is an oppressor or he is an oppressed one. People asked, “O Allah’s Apostle! 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.”
Narrated ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar: Allah’s Apostle said, “A Muslim is a brother of another Muslim. So he should neither oppress him nor hand him over to an oppressor. And whoever fulfilled the needs of his brother, Allah will fulfill his needs.” Sahih Bukhari
Ibn ?Umar (May Allah bepleased with them) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, “A Muslim is a brother of (another) Muslim, he neither wrongs him nor does hand him over to one who does him wrong. If anyone fulfills his brother’s needs, Allah will fulfill his needs; if one relieves a Muslim of his troubles, Allah will relieve his troubles on the Day of Resurrection; and if anyone covers up a Muslim (his sins), Allah will cover him up (his sins) on the Resurrection Day”. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu ‘alayhe wassallam) said: “The Blood of a Muslim is worth more than the Ka’aba.” (Sunan Ibn Majah; El Targheeb wal Tarheeb)
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “A Muslim’s supplication for his brother in secret is answered. At his head an angel is appointed, and whenever he supplicates for his brother with something good, the angel appointed to him says: ‘Âmîn, and likewise for you’.” [Sahîh Muslim (2733)]
Abu Hurayrah (radhiyallaahu ‘anhu) narrated that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “The rights of the Muslim upon the Muslim are six.” It was said, “And what are they Oh Messenger of Allaah?” He replied:
1) When you meet him, give him the greeting of peace
2) when he invites you, respond to his invitation
3) when he seeks your advice, advise him
4) when he sneezes and praises Allaah, supplicate for mercy upon him
5) when he becomes ills, visit him, and;
6) when he dies follow him (i.e. his funeral).
“During the Second Pledge of Aqabah, Abul Haitham At Taihan, interrupted and said “O Prophet of Allah! Between us and the Jews, there are agreements which we would then sever (by signing the pledge)! If Allah grants you power and victory, should we expect that you would not leave us, and join the ranks of your people (meaning Quraish)? “He (saw) smiles and replies : “Nay, it would never be; your blood will be my blood. In Life and death I will be with you and you with me. I will fight whom you fight and make peace with whom you make peace.”
Narrated ‘Abdullah bin Umar: Allah’s Apostle said, “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 (Muslim) 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 . “
Muhammad sal Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: “Believers are like a structure, parts of which support other parts.” (different wording) He said: “The believers to one another are like one solid structure where one part strengthens another.” Bukhari and Muslim. See Sharh al-Sunnah, 13/47, Kitab al-birr wa’l-silah, bab ta’awun al-mu’minin wa tarahumuhum.
And he said: “The similitude of the believers in their mutual love, compassion and sympathy is like that of a body: when one part hurts then the rest of the body calls out in sleeplessness and fever.” [Ibid]
In the hadeeth of Mu’adh reported by at-Tirmidhi, the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said: “Allah said: ‘Those who love one another for My glory, will have minbars of light, and the Prophets and martyrs will wish that they had the same” [hasan saheeh hadeeth]
There are three things that whoever attains them will find the sweetness of faith: if Allah and His Messenger are dearer to him than anyone else; if he loves a person solely for the sake of Allah; if he would hate to return to kufr after Allah has rescued him from it, as much as he would hate be thrown into the Fire.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
In Muslim it is reported our beloved Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said: “Do not think little of any good deed, even if it is just greeting your brother with a cheerful countenance.”
Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet(sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said, “Allah will give shade, to seven, on the Day when there will be no shade but His. (These seven persons are) a just ruler, a youth who has been brought up in the worship of Allah (i.e. worships Allah sincerely from childhood), a man whose heart is attached to the mosques (i.e. to pray the compulsory prayers in the mosque in congregation), two persons who love each other only for Allah’s sake and they meet and part in Allah’s cause only, a man who refuses the call of a charming woman of noble birth for illicit intercourse with her and says: I am afraid of Allah, a man who gives charitable gifts so secretly that his left hand does not know what his right hand has given (i.e. nobody knows how much he has given in charity), and a person who remembers Allah in seclusion and his eyes are then flooded with tears.” Saheeh Bukharee
Your smiling at your brother is an act of charity (sadaqah)” [reported by at-Tirmidhi who said it is hasan gharib)
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah radhiAllahu ‘anhu, the Messenger of Allah salAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: … A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim. He neither oppresses him nor humiliates him nor looks down upon him. The piety is here, (and while saying so) he pointed towards his chest thrice. It is a serious evil for a Muslim that he should look down upon his brother Muslim. All things of a Muslim are inviolable for his brother in faith: his blood, his wealth and his honour. [saheeh muslim]
******************
Abu Qulamah al-Jirmee was an eminent tabee’ and a distinguished Imaam and jurist. He once said in a sermon: ” If you hear something that you do not like about your brother, then try your best to seek out an excuse for him. And if you do not find an excuse for him, then say: “Perhaps, my brother has an excuse that I do not know about”
Ibn Rajab narrated: “Muhammad bin Wasi’ was selling a donkey to a man, so, the man asked him: “Are you pleased with this donkey?” Ibn Wasi’ replied: “If I was not pleased with this donkey, then I would not be selling it to you.”” [‘Jami’ al-‘Ulum wal-Hikam’; 1/305]
‘Ali bin Abi Talib said: “A man who desires that even the straps of his shoes are better than those of his friend enters into those mentioned in this verse: {“And this is the abode of the Hereafter: We prepare it for those who do not seek high status or mischief in the land.”} [al-Qasas; 83].” [Reported by at-Tabari in ‘Jami’ al-Bayan’; 20/122]
al-Fudayl bin ‘Iyad said: “If you love for the people to have exactly what you have (and nothing more), then you have not been true to your Lord. So, how is it when you secretly wish for them to have less than what you have?” [‘Jami’ al-‘Ulum wal-Hikam’; 1/309]
Ibn ‘Abbas said: “Verily, I come across a verse of the Book of Allah, and I wish that all of the people had the knowledge of it that I have.” [‘Hilyat al-Awliya”; 9/119]
Ibn ‘Abbas also said: “Verily, I become happy when I hear that a land inhabited by the Muslims has received some rainfall, even if I personally have nothing to gain from that rainfall.” [‘Hayat as-Sahabah’; 2/743]
Abu Nu’aym reported: “When ‘Utbah would provide the people with food to break their fast, he would say to some of those present: “Bring me some of your water and dates to break my fast with, so that you would have the same reward as me.”” [‘Hilyat al-Awliya”; 6/235]
ash-Shafi’i said: “I wish that all of the people would learn this knowledge, without any credit being given to me for that.” [‘Siyar al-A’lam an-Nubala”; 10/55]
Abu ‘Abdullah bin al-Khatib narrated: “Abu Hamdun (one of the Tabi’in) had a scroll on which was written the names of three hundred of his close friends, and he used to supplicate for them – one by one – every single night.” [‘Sifat as-Safwah’; 1/492]
Ja’far bin Muhammad said: “What a terrible friend one is: he whose brother does not feel comfortable opening up his bag of belongings in his absence and taking what he needs without asking his permission.” [‘Min Akhlaq as-Salaf’; p. 70]
Abu Sulayman ad-Darani said: “If I were to give the world and all that is in it to a brother of mine, then I would wish that I could give him more.” [‘Ihya’ ‘Ulum ad-Din’; 2/211]
