About Abdurrahman Bin Auf a moeslem Entrepreneur
Abdurrahman Bin Auf
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As Muslims, our faith is not
complete, and our worship is not sufficient, until we have built the strong
bonds of brotherhood amongst ourselves. This fact is frequently forgotten by
many Muslims, and these bonds are broken over minor disputes and arguments.
This article discusses the importance of brotherhood in Islam, with evidence
from the Quran, Sunnah and the Seerah.
Most Muslims focus on the
ritualistic worship aspects of Islam, while neglecting the core values that
Islam promotes. Prayers, fasting, charity, hajj, remembrance of Allah (swt) and
similar acts of worship form the basis of Islam. They are extremely important
to firmly establish the faith of the Muslim, and to build their relationship with
Allah (swt) and increase their piety.
However, Islam also teaches us
another important aspect of our faith, which is the manners of how to deal with
others. These manners are often neglected by Muslims. Unfortunately, it is all
too common to find Muslims who perform their prayers and fasting perfectly, yet
they lack the basic etiquettes taught to us by Prophet Mohammad (pbuh). We as
Muslims need to perfect both our worship and our manners in order to be
successful and gain the pleasure of Allah (swt).
One of the most important
pillars of our dealings with others, is the concept of brotherhood in Islam.
This concept is emphasized in the Quran and in the Sunnah, and through the
practical actions of the Prophet Mohammad (pbuh). This brotherhood that is established
by Islam places upon us certain rights and responsibilities that we must
fulfill towards our Muslim brothers. Before we proceed any further, it must be
made clear to anyone reading this that although we use the term
"brotherhood" in this article, it is meant to encompass both genders,
and to include sisterhood between Muslim sisters as well.
The first important point to
note is that this brotherhood between believers was established by Allah (swt)
Himself, in the Quran: "Believers are indeed brothers" (Al-Hujurat,
verse 10). Allah (swt) revealed this verse from above seven heavens to
establish this bond of brotherhood between the believers. So it should be taken
very seriously.
Allah (swt) also tells us in the
Quran how important this brotherhood between the believers is:"And adhere
to the Bond of Allah, together, and do not be divided. And remember the Favor
of Allah that was bestowed upon you: how you were enemies, and how He united
your hearts, so that by His Favor you became brothers. And how He saved you
from the Pit of Fire when you were on the brink of it. And so Allah makes plain
to you His verses, in order that you will be guided." (Al-Imran, 103).
This verse contains many
important lessons that are relevant to our discussion. First of all comes the
command from Allah (swt) for the believers to adhere closely to the "Bond
of Allah" together and not to be divided. This "Bond of Allah"
is the religion of Islam, and the oath that Allah (swt) has taken upon the
believers, that they are brothers and that they are to love one another. It is
this brotherhood, and this unity between the believers.
Allah (swt) then asks the
believers to remember how they were enemies, and He united their hearts so they
became brothers. Allah (swt) counts this as a great blessing and favor that He
has done for the believers. This shows how important indeed this brotherhood
is. It is so important that Allah (swt) is counting it as a great blessing that
He bestowed about the believers!
Allah (swt) then informs us that
this unity and brotherhood is what saved them from the brink of falling into
the fire! Therefore, doing the contrary, which is to be disunited, to hate each
other, to be divided into groups, and to lack the sense of brotherhood amongst
ourselves, this will cause us to fall into the fire, may Allah (swt) save us
and all the believers from it.
Allah (swt) also says in the
Quran: "The believers, both men and women, are awlia (helpers, supporters,
allies) to each other." (Al-Tawbah, 71)
Allah (swt) warns us against disunity,
and how being divided and having disputes with each other will result in
failure and loss: "Obey Allah and His Messenger and do not dispute with
one another, otherwise you will fail and lose your strength. Have patience -
Allah is with those who are patient." (Al-Anfal, 46)
There are many other verses in
the Quran that reiterate this message of how important it is for Muslims to be
united, to be brothers, friends, allies and supporters of each other, and to
avoid disunity and division amongst each other. The emphasis on this concept in
the Quran shows how important this issue is in the view of Allah (swt).
There are also numerous ahadith
from the Sunnah of Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) that emphasize this concept as well.
The following are just a few examples.
Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) said:
"You will not enter paradise until you believe, and you will not believe
until you love one another." (Sahih Muslim). He also said: "You will
not be a believer until you love for your brother what you love for
yourself" (Sahih Al-Bukhari).
Prophet Mohammad (pbuh)
considered brotherhood between the Muslims and their love for one another to be
a requirement for them to be considered believers. Without this brotherhood,
they would not enter paradise, because they would not be true believers. The
second hadith goes even further. It does not just require that we love our
Muslim brothers. No, we must in fact love for them exactly what we love for
ourselves. This is the highest level of love, that you would love that someone
has all the good things that you have.
Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) also
told us how Allah (swt) on the day of judgement will shade those believers who
loved each other only for the sake of Allah (swt): "Allah (swt) will say
on the day of Judgement: Where are those who loved each other for my sake? I
will shade them today, when there is no shade but mine!" (Sahih Muslim).
In fact, this feeling of love
and brotherhood between the Muslims brings us joy in our life as well. It will
give us this wonderful feeling of the sweetness of faith, a feeling of true
pleasure and satisfaction. Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) said: "There are three
things that if one has them, he will find the sweetness of faith. That Allah
and His messenger be more beloved to him than anything else, that he love a
person for no reason other than for the sake of Allah, and to hate to go back
to disbelief as much as he hates to be thrown into fire." (Sahih
Al-Bukhari)
Our love for our Muslim brothers
should extend beyond just feelings. Itshould be manifested in our actions as
well. This brotherhood should push us to help each other in any way we can, and
to push ourselves very hard to help our brothers. If we do this, Allah (swt)
will reward us greatly, as Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) said:
"Whoever relieves a calamity
that has struck a believer in this world, Allah will relieve for him one of the
calamities of the day of Judgement, and whoever makes things easy for a person
in trouble, Allah will make his matters easy in this life and in the hereafter,
and whoever shields the faults of a Muslim, Allah will shield his faults in
this world and the hereafter, and Allah will help and support his servant as
long as he is helping and supporting his brother" (Sahih Muslim)
Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) also
told us how to become the most beloved people to Allah (swt). Would you like to
be one of them? Such that Allah (swt) loves you and in fact you become among
the most beloved to Allah (swt)? The way to achieve this is to help people,
bring them benefit and happiness, and relieve them of their problems:
"The most beloved people to
Allah (swt) are those who help and benefit others the most, and the most
beloved actions to Allah (swt), is pleasure and happiness that you cause to
enter the heart of a Muslim, or to solve one of his problems, or to pay off his
debt, or to prevent him from being hungry, and working to help my Muslim
brother is more beloved to me than making I’tikaf in this masjid for a month,
and whoever controls his anger, Allah will conceal his faults, and whoever controls
his ill feelings, Allah (swt) will fill his heart with contentment on the day
of Judgment, and whoever strives to help fulfill a need for his Muslim brother,
Allah will make his feet steadfast on theday of Judgment, and bad manners ruin
good deeds just like vinegar ruins honey." (Sheikh Al-Albani said it is a
sound hadith)
In fact, adhering to this
brotherhood provides safety for us as well, physically and in terms of our
faith. Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) said: "Stay with the group (of righteous
Muslims), for the wolf eats the sheep that strays away from the herd"
(Ahmad and Al-Tirmidhi)
Prophet Mohammad (pbuh)
implemented this concept of brotherhood practically amongst the Muslims. At the
time when the Muslims were being persecuted in Makkah, and they were being
tortured, insulted, humiliated and attacked, for no reason other than being
Muslims, the Prophet (pbuh) used the bonds of brotherhood to help them get
through these difficult times. Many of the people who had entered Islam were
even being attacked by their own families, and they had lost the support and
backing of their blood relatives. So Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) would select
individuals from Muslims and make them brothers, so that they would take care
of each other and help each other during the ordeal that they were going
through.
This brotherhood between the
Muslims transcends all racial and tribal barriers, and it is upheld by their
common faith in Allah (swt), making it stronger than any other type of
relationship, even blood relationships. When we look at the Muslim community in
Makkah, we see such a beautiful example of brotherhood that spans many races,
tribes and languages. Hamza, the uncle of Prophet Mohammad (pbuh), was an Arab.
Salman Al-Farisi was a Persian. Bilal was an African from Ethiopia.
Sohaib was of European origin.
All these people were from different races, languages and even continents. Yet
they were united as brothers by Islam! Such harmony has never been achieved by
any other religion, law or nation. Even in our modern world today, we commonly
hear about racism and discrimination based on ethnicity, color of skin and
language. Yet Islam had overcome all of this by implementing the concept of
brotherhood in Islam.
When the Muslims immigrated to
Al-Madinah, the Prophet (pbuh) implemented another brotherhood, this time
between the Muhajireen (the immigrants from Makkah) and the Ansar (those who
lived in Al-Madinah). The Muhajireen had left Makkah with few possessions, and
had to leave behind all of their wealth and belongings. They were in need of
assistance in order to start their lives over again from scratch. So
establishing the brotherhood between them and the Ansar was one of the first
things Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) did in Al-Madinah, along with building the
masjid, and it was one of the cornerstones of building a healthy, strong and
successful Muslim nation.
One of the amazing stories of
this brotherhood is that of Adbul Rahman ibn Awf, who was one of the
Muhajireen. Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) made him brothers with Sa’ad ibn Al-Rabee,
who was one of the wealthiest people among the Ansar. Upon hearing that Abdul
Rahman was assigned to be his brother, Sa'ad told him: "Half of my wealth
is yours". Adbul Rahman replied: "May Allah (swt) bless your wealth.
Is there a market where you trade?" Sa'ad led him to the market where he
immediately began to work. After some time, Abdul Rahman had built his own
wealth and he got married and started his life again. He never took anything
from Sa’ad.
This story shows us how
seriously they took their brotherhood, and how willing they were to really put
themselves in hardship to help their brothers. Sa’ad was willing to give up
half of his wealth in order to help his brother. How many of us do this today?
When we hear about a disaster that struck a Muslim nation, or we see Muslim
refugees on TV living in tents and in very harsh conditions. How many of us
send half of all of our wealth to help them? Indeed, Sa'ad is an example of
generosity that we need to learn from.
At the same time, Abdul Rahman
didn’t take advantage of the generosity of his brother. He did not just become
lazy and take the wealth and live happily ever after. He appreciated the
generosity of his brother, yet
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