Article: The Importance of Brotherhood in Islam

The Islamic Sharee’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 Deen [religion], the life, the intellect, the wealth and the honour.

The Most High said:

وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتُ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ بَعْضٍ…

The believers, men and women, are Awliya’ (helpers, supporters, friends, protectors) of one another… [at-Tawbah 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 (ﷺ) said:

‏ الْمُسْلِمُ أَخُو الْمُسْلِمِ لاَ يَظْلِمُهُ وَلاَ يُسْلِمُهُ

The Muslims is the brother of [his] fellow Muslim. He does not oppress him, nor does he hand him over.

And he (ﷺ) also said:

انصر أخاك ظالمًا أو مظلومًا

Help your brother, whether he is an oppressor or is oppressed.

A man enquired:

يا رسول الله أنصره إذا كان مظلومًا أرأيت إن كان ظالمًا كيف أنصره‏؟‏

O’ Messenger of Allah! I help him when he is oppressed, but how can I help him when he is an oppressor?

He (ﷺ) said:

‏تحجزه (أو تمنعه) من الظلم فإن ذلك نصره…

You can keep him from committing oppression. That will be your help to him. [Narrated by al-Bukhari]

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…

…But if they seek your help in religion, it is your duty to help them… [al-Anfal 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 feared them.

The Prophet (ﷺ) 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]:

‏الْمُسْلِمُونَ كَرَجُلٍ وَاحِدٍ إِنِ اشْتَكَى عَيْنُهُ اشْتَكَى كُلُّهُ وَإِنِ اشْتَكَى رَأْسُهُ اشْتَكَى كُلُّهُ

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 ‘Aqeedah [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 اللَّـهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ

March forth, whether you are light (being healthy, young and wealthy) or heavy (being ill, old and poor), strive hard with your wealth and your lives in the Cause of Allah. This is better for you, if you but knew. [at-Tawbah 9:41]

Abandonment of assistance to the weak Muslims is not permissible for that is humiliation, shame and oppression. As for aiding the Kuffar against the Muslim with any type of assistance is Nifaq [hypocrisy] and apostasy from the Deen. The Most High said:

بَشِّرِ الْمُنَافِقِينَ بِأَنَّ لَهُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا ﴿١٣٨﴾ الَّذِينَ يَتَّخِذُونَ الْكَافِرِينَ أَوْلِيَاءَ مِن دُونِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ۚ أَيَبْتَغُونَ عِندَهُمُ الْعِزَّةَ فَإِنَّ الْعِزَّةَ لِلَّـهِ جَمِيعًا ﴿١٣٩﴾

Give to the hypocrites the tidings that there is for them a painful torment. Those who take disbelievers for Awliya’ (protectors or helpers or friends) instead of believers, do they seek honour, power and glory with them? Verily, then to Allah belongs all honour, power and glory. [an-Nisa 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. [al-Ma’idah 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 Deen or pleasure with it. This condition is nothing. That is because loving the Deen 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 Deen 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 Deen. It is only that they have a wordly interest so they preferred it to the Deen. The Most High said:

ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمُ اسْتَحَبُّوا الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا عَلَى الْآخِرَةِ وَأَنَّ اللَّـهَ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْكَافِرِينَ

That is because they loved and preferred the life of this world over that of the Hereafter. And Allah guides not the people who disbelieve. [an-Nahl 16:107]

In Sahih Muslim from the route of Tariq ibn al-’Ala ibn ‘Abdir-Rahman from his father from Abu Hurayrah who narrated that the messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

بَادِرُوا بِالأَعْمَالِ فِتَنًا كَقِطَعِ اللَّيْلِ الْمُظْلِمِ يُصْبِحُ الرَّجُلُ مُؤْمِنًا وَيُمْسِي كَافِرًا وَيُمْسِي مُؤْمِنًا وَيُصْبِحُ كَافِرًا يَبِيعُ أَحَدُهُمْ دِينَهُ بِعَرَضٍ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا

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 Deen 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 Usul. 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 اللَّـهُ إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ…

…And kill not anyone whom Allah has forbidden, except for a just cause (according to Islamic law)… [al-An’am 6:151]

And the Most High said:

وَمَن يَقْتُلْ مُؤْمِنًا مُّتَعَمِّدًا فَجَزَاؤُهُ جَهَنَّمُ خَالِدًا فِيهَا وَغَضِبَ اللَّـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَلَعَنَهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُ عَذَابًا عَظِيمًا

And whoever kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell to abide therein, and the Wrath and the Curse of Allah are upon him, and a great punishment is prepared for him. [an-Nisa 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 Shaykh, 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 Deen 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 Shaykh. 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 Taqwah, and all praise is for Allah the Lord of the worlds.

Taken from the Shaykh’s introduction to The Exposition Regarding the Disbelief of the one that Assists the Americans.

Written by: Shaykh Sulayman ibn Nasir ibn ‘Abdillah al-‘Alwan

8/10/1422 AH