Are We Really Brothers and Sisters in Islam? - Shaykh Wasim Kempson

This recording was produced by Green Lane Mustard. For more information on the activities and services the mosque provides, please visit www.greenlanemustard.org. Allah is the only one who has no partner. I bear witness that Muhammad, his servant and messenger, has sent him between the hands of the Hour, the Day of Resurrection, the Day of Judgment, and the Day of Resurrection. May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him and his family, the righteous and the righteous, and those who have been guided to the Day of Judgment. O you who believe, fear Allah's right to fight Him, and do not die except when you are Muslims. O you who believe, fear Allah and say a harsh word that will make your deeds and your sins disappear. And whoever obeys Allah and His messenger has already achieved great success. I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah. And I bear witness that Muhammad, peace be upon him and his family, is his final messenger. When the Prophet, peace be upon him, arrived in the Medina after making the Hijrah, there were a number of important foundations that needed to be established. And one of those was the matter of brotherhood. The brotherhood between the Muhajirun and the Ansar. I'm sure we've heard this before. We know that the Prophet, peace be upon him, chose one Muhajir and one Ansari and that they would be like brothers. And the very famous and well-known example of Sa'ad ibn Rabi' and Abdul Rahman ibn Awf, may Allah be pleased with them. Sa'ad ibn Rabi' from the Ansar, a well-off individual, was partnered and made a brother with Abdul Rahman ibn Awf, radiallahu anhu man. Sa'ad ibn Rabi' offered half of his wealth. No questions, no pausing, take half of my wealth. Abdul Rahman ibn Awf, radiallahu anhu, he responded, barakah Allahu laka fee ahlik wa malik. May Allah bless you in your family and in your wealth. La hajta li fee hada. There is no need for this. Do luni ala suq. But rather just show me where the market place is. And so here, Abdul Rahman ibn Awf, radiallahu anhu, with the small amount of wealth that he had, and of course the vast majority of what he had had been left back in Makkah. He took this small amount and he went and he did some business with it. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala blessed him in that. Now why I mention this incident and there are many, many other incidents and examples to be given about the importance of al-akhua, that we have different relationships with different people on earth. But there is one particular relationship, foundation that is fundamental in our deen. And that is al-akhua, brotherhood, sisterhood. What does that actually mean? Is it a verbal statement that we just say every now and again? Or is it something that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala emphasizes in many places in the book of Allah, there were many examples between the sahab, radiallahu anhu, that they would live this example of what it means to be a brother to one another, a sister to one another, to support, to be there, to help. Many a hadith emphasizing this point. So this point of brotherhood, sisterhood that we are all aware of, how is it that practically that we are supposed to implement this foundation of al-deen? It is a matter of faith. It is a matter of iman. Because Allah, the barakat, reminds us, iqwa, they believe us, men and women, they are none other than a brotherhood and a sisterhood based upon faith, based upon iman. And that is a gift from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to any community, to any area of Muslims that they recognize this importance of brotherhood, sisterhood, that they are there to willing to make a sacrifice, to support one another. This is from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, not something that we are able to just conjure up and do ourselves. In fact, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala reminds us about the blessing that was given to the sahaba, radiallahu anhu, when Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells us and that they are hearts. He subhanahu wa ta'ala is the one who joined their hearts together. لو أنفقت ما في الأرض جميعا, if you were to pay everything that you had from this earth in wealth to join the hearts of the people, ما ألفت بين قلوبهم. You would have never been able to join the hearts of people. Joining the hearts of people is not something that you pay for. This is from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, the sacrifice and the love that you have for your fellow brother, for your fellow sister, whether you know them or you don't know them. If they feel pain, you feel pain. The statement of the Prophet ﷺ, that the Muslims are like one body. If one part of the body feels pain, then the rest of the body feels that pain, feel just like the example of the body having a fever, that they are unable to sleep and the whole body feels that pain. This is not something that you can just put in your pocket and find. You find it and put it and I have it, no. This is from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and maybe there's a sign of the standards that we have in our communities. How far we are going to go, how far we are going to make a sacrifice to help one another. I'm living in a community and I walk from the masjid to a shop to purchase something after Juma'a, for example. 80% of the area are Muslims. If I leave my home and I'm out for 15, 20 minutes, half an hour, and I return to my home, I didn't give salam or I didn't receive a salam maybe once or twice, then maybe this is an indication of the standards that we have amongst ourselves. Why should I give salams every two seconds? Why should you? Maybe you're right, why should you? But this is complete contrast to what the Prophet, alayhis salatu salam, said when he arrived in Al-Medina, Afshu salam abaynukum, spread salams amongst yourselves. So it's not something you should feel shy of, it's not something you should belittle. But it is a sign of the relationship we have with one another, the level of brotherhood and sisterhood that we have. What standards have we set for ourselves in the very, very basic things? Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions also, and there are of course so many to mention, the relationship between the Ansar themselves, who prior to accepting Islam, al-Ausu wa al-Khazraj were fighting generation after generation, over the smallest of things. They may battle for 10 years over a small issue, killing one another subhanallah. However these two tribes, they embraced Islam. And the verses in Surah Ali Imran, Allah Jalilu ala reminds them and reminds us as well, that the person may be on the edge of the hellfire. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala saves you from that. And that he made you a brotherhood. These are the lessons that we take when reading from the book of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Wal mu'minuna wal mu'minatu ba'aduhum awliya'u ba'ut. That the believing men, the believing women, to themselves or between themselves are what awliya'u ba'ut. Awliya'u awliya'u a supporter, somebody who stands there, does what is necessary to make sure that you are, be khayr, that you are well and that you are not harmed. In the hadith of Abu Hurairah, radiallahu anhu, how to protect this brotherhood, this sisterhood. La taha sadhu, do not be envious of one another. Do not have this poisonous jealousy that I want this ni'mah, I don't want them to have that ni'mah. Wal a tanajashu, wal a tabagadu, wal a tadaabaru. That do not outbid or hate one another. Do not turn away from one another. Wa kunu ibadahallahi ikhwana. You should be servants of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, brothers, sisters. This is the advice, the practical advice of a Nabi, radiallahu aleyhi wa salam, how to protect this brotherhood, this mahabba that we should have for one another, and in turn for our ummah, for our Muslims, all around the world. This is a very important element of our faith that we cannot and should not be ghaafil or absent or heedless of, upset-minded or heedless of. If we find ourselves living together, but heedless of one another, living together, but not caring for one another, then the shaitan has established these barriers without us even feeling it. We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to protect us from that. Aqoolumma tasmaoon wasta ghaafirullah. Bismillah wa alhamdulillahi wa salatu wa salam wa aala rasoolillahi wa aalihi wa sahbihi ajma'in. So the verses in the book of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala are many. I mentioned just a couple. The many ahadith of the Prophet, assallallahu alaihi wa salam, about the importance of brotherhood, not harming one another, helping your brother who is a zalim, who is an oppressor. And then you may question him, well how do you help an oppressor? You help him by stopping his oppression and harming of others. But our standards for some of us, for many of us, maybe our standards have lowered. Our standards of what we are expectations of brotherhood should actually be sisterhood, what it should be, is not high enough. Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn al-Kawa, he said, he came to a man called al-Rabih ibn Khufayn, who was a famous Tabe'i. And he said to him, mana raka ta'ibu ahadan walatu zumu, that you are a person, that we don't see you saying bad things about people, or looking down upon people, and things like that. We don't see you indulging in such speech, which may be under the guise of commanding the good and forbidding the evil for others. And he responded to him, wa ila ka ibn al-Kawa, wo to you, O son of al-Kawa. If I am not satisfied with my own self, how can I indulge and start talking about other people? People, they fear Allah because they see the actions of other people. They see people involved in haram and say, oh, I fear Allah, but are satisfied with their own selves. He made it clear what his standards were with regards to protecting the honour of your fellow Muslim. And our standards on this, for some, is somewhat unclear. We may have learned a couple of principles that if somebody says something publicly, I am allowed to refute them publicly. Al-amru bil-ma'ruf, wa nahi wa-al-munkat, we are following the evil between the important principle – part of Au-deen. But you find that these individuals all are doing and they are publicly putting it on social media and other platforms. All they're doing is watching videos, for example, or content of other people and it is just slandering them, cursing them, saying bad things, you think what has happened to our standards? Yes, they may think it is under the principle of commanding good and forbidding evil, but then you find so much of what they are doing, 80, 90, 70% of their content is all indulged in looking at the videos of other people and saying bad things about other Muslims. In non-Muslim realms, you may have come across this, they call it the hate watch, where they watch the sports of other people, they don't watch that support, they don't follow that team, and then they're happy for them to fall down. They're happy to mock them about another team and all that. They call it hate watch. It's Muslims are falling into something so similar. They have hate watches on other Muslims. This is what will erode our brotherhood. This is what will erode the important foundations of Muslims coming together. Nobody is saying to stay away from commanding the good and forbidding the evil, but look at what we are doing within our communities, putting doubt, do you know about so-and-so? No, I don't know them. Al-amdu l-istifam, there's a question mark over them so they leave with you. A question mark or a doubt. Why is it that we have become like this with one another? That the starting point with any Muslims that we don't know anything about them, then there's some shak or there's some suspicion about them. A yakin wa dhan, as the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said, beware of suspicion of doubtful things for inna dhanum aqtib al-hadith because this suspicion is the most full false way of speech. The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam, he also said that a person, he will say something, she will say something, la yulqee lahabalan, not care about too much what they have said. What will be the cause of that? What were the consequences of that? They may earn the pleasure of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and in contrast to that they may also say something not really caring or thinking about what they are saying, that they earn the anger of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, yahwibiha ila jahannam, may cause them to be thrown into the fire. At times one of the important ways to protect our brotherhood and strengthen the ummah at close and far away, amsik aleyka lisannak, is just to hold your tongue. Even when Muslims there is achievements, you see the comments, you see the jealousy, you see the hatred, what has happened and where are our standards? It is upon us to go back to what Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has told us regarding the standards of brotherhood and sisterhood. And the example of our beloved Nabi Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa ala wa sallam and the Sahaba radiya allahu anhum and those who followed them with ihsan, how to live as brothers and sisters, not to allow the shaitan to separate us, to have hatred for one another, not to care for one another and then we complain. Look at the Muslims, look at the ummah, whom you are looking at ourselves and the relationships we have with one another. We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to protect us from this forqa. We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to join the ranks of the Muslims upon the book of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and the Sunnah of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa alaihi wa sallam. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala commands us in his kitab to send salutations upon our beloved Nabi Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa ala wa sallam. Inna allahu wa malaiqatuhu yusalloon aallan Nabi. Ya ayyuhal ladheen aaman usallu alaihi wa sallimu taslima. Allah musalli ala Muhammadin wa ala ala ali Muhammad. Kama sallayta ala Ibrahim wa ala ala ala Ibrahim. Inna kha hamidun majeeda. Allahum a'izzal islam wal muslimin. Allahum a'izzal islam wal muslimin. Allahum a'inna ala dhikrika wa shukrika wa husn ibadatika. Allahum ya musarrifal kulub. Sarrif kulubana ala ta'aatika. Allahum aghfiril muslimin wal muslimat wal mu'minina wal mu'minaat al-akhia'u minhum wal amwat Rabbana a'atina fad dunya hasana wa fil aakhirati hasana wa qina azaab al-naar wa'aqim ussala. This recording was produced by Green Lane Mushed. For more information on the activities and services the mosque provides, please visit www.greenlanemushed.org.