THE UNDERSTANDING OF BROTHERHOOD IN ISLAM

Praise be to Allah, who made believing men and women allies, joined their hearts, and made them brothers. Allah says in his wise revelation thus: “The believers are but brothers, so make settlement between your brothers. And fear Allah that you may receive mercy.. " ( 49: 10) . We praise and thank Him, we believe and depend on him. We seek his refuge from the evil of ourselves and our deeds. Whomever Allah guides is truly guided and whomever He misleads none can guide. I testify there is no god but Allah alone and that our leader- Muhammad (pbuh) is his servant and messenger who came to plant the tree of brotherliness among Muslims, and joined as brothers between the Muhajirun and the Ansar. O Allah shower peace and blessings on him, his household, companions and whoever follow their guidance and footsteps till the day when- “Close friends, that Day, will be enemies to each other, except for the righteous” (43: 67) " الْأَخِلَّاءُ يَوْمَئِذٍ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍ عَدُوٌّ إِلَّا الْمُتَّقِينَ" (الزّخرف: 67 ). Having said that, Worshipers of Allah, I enjoin you and myself to fear Allah, the Almighty- this is a basic foundation for faith in the hearts of believers. Allah says: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ (آل عمران: 102). " O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims [in submission to Him]. " ( 3: 102 ) . يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ مِنْ نَفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالًا كَثِيرًا وَنِسَاءً وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ الَّذِي تَسَاءَلُونَ بِهِ وَالْأَرْحَامَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيبًا " (النَّساء: 1) " O mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul and created from it its mate and dispersed from both of them many men and women. And fear Allah, through whom you ask one another, and the wombs. Indeed Allah is ever, over you, an Observer (4:1). يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَقُولُوا قَوْلًا سَدِيدًا (70) يُصْلِحْ لَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَمَنْ يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ فَازَ فَوْزًا عَظِيمًا " (الأحزاب: 70- 71) O you who have believed, fear Allah and speak words of appropriate justice.( 71 ) He will [then] amend for you your deeds and forgive you your sins. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly attained a great attainment.(33: 70- 71) Dear Muslims, being the fourth sermon in the month of sofar, we shall talk on the meaning of brotherhood in Islam, as the second pillar in the establishment of a new society having discussed the first pillar which was the erection of a mosque. The meaning of brotherhood Linguistically it means to associate as brothers. Your brother is one related to you through your father or mother or both. Or someone you both shared breast milk, a partner, a friend, a representative, or a companion. In other words, close relations among brothers and sisters, associates, or friends. The Arabs say: “Your brother is he who comforts you”, they also say: “many of your brothers whom were not born through your mother” and also: “Brothers of friends are closer than brothers of birth” A brother, truly is the one who accompanies and stays with one. it could be on a journey, geographical affiliation, General understanding of brotherhood In the Qur’an, the word “brother” and all its derivatives is repeated in the ninety- two times with all classified under five broad interpretations: 1- Brotherhood by birth, Allah says: (لَقَدْ كَانَ فِي يُوسُفَ وَإِخْوَتِهِ آيَاتٌ لِلسَّائِلِينَ " (يوسف: 7)) “Certainly were there in Joseph and his brothers signs for those who ask” (12:7) "وَإِنْ كَانُوا إِخْوَةً رِجَالًا وَنِسَاءً فَلِلذَّكَرِ مِثْلُ حَظِّ الْأُنْثَيَيْنِ " (النِّساء : 176) “If there are both brothers and sisters, the male will have the share of two females.” (4:176) 2- Brotherhood by tribe or country: Allah says: ("وَإِلَى عَادٍ أَخَاهُمْ هُودًا قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مَا لَكُمْ مِنْ إِلَهٍ غَيْرُهُ أَفَلَا تَتَّقُونَ " (الأعراف:65)) “And to the 'Aad [We sent] their brother Hud. He said, "O my people, worship Allah; you have no deity other than Him. Then will you not fear Him?" (7: 65) “And to the Thamud [We sent] their brother Salih. He said, "O my people, worship Allah; you have no deity other than Him.” (7: 73) “And to [the people of] Madyan [We sent] their brother Shu'ayb. He said, "O my people, worship Allah; you have no deity other than Him.” (7: 85) “And 'Aad and Pharaoh and the brothers of Lot” (50: 13) 3- Brotherhood of humanity: Allah says: ("يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ مِنْ ذَكَرٍ وَأُنْثَى وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوا إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ "(الحجرات :13)) This verse emphasis the unity for humanity and that variation or difference in nations and tribe is not for preference or honour of a tribe or race over the other rather it is for recognition, mutual understanding, that men could live together. Tribal or national association or affiliation should only be considered the way people affiliate with houses, communities but piety alone gives honour. Islam wage war against all form of separatist association including racism, tribalism, nationalism, , regarding it as self-centredness. The Prophet said: “He is not part of us, he who invites to tribalism, or fight for the sake of tribalism, or die in the cause of tribalism: (Abu Dawud). “The Arab has no preference over the non-arab, nor the Non-Arab over the Arab, Nor the white over the black, or the black over the white, except with piety, you all are from Adam (AS) and Adam is from the soil” Allah says: "وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ خَلْقُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلَافُ أَلْسِنَتِكُمْ وَأَلْوَانِكُمْ إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِلْعَالِمِينَ " (الرّوم: 22) . “And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your languages and your colors. Indeed in that are signs for those of knowledge.” (30:22) 4- Brotherhood of disbelief, hypocrisy, and wastefulness: " يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَقَالُوا لِإِخْوَانِهِمْ إِذَا ضَرَبُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ أَوْ كَانُوا غُزًّى لَوْ كَانُوا عِنْدَنَا مَا مَاتُوا وَمَا قُتِلُوا لِيَجْعَلَ اللَّهُ ذَلِكَ حَسْرَةً فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ وَاللَّهُ يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ " ( آل عمران 156) “O ye who believe! Be not like the Unbelievers, who say of their brethren, when they are travelling through the Earth or engaged in fighting: "If they had stayed with us, they would not have died, or been slain." This that Allah may make it a cause of sighs and regrets in their hearts. It is Allah that gives Life and Death, and Allah sees well all that ye do.(3:156) وقال تعالى : " إِنَّ الْمُبَذِّرِينَ كَانُوا إِخْوَانَ الشَّيَاطِينِ وَكَانَ الشَّيْطَانُ لِرَبِّهِ كَفُورًا " (الإسراء :27) . Verily spendthrifts are brothers of the Evil Ones; and the Evil One is to his Lord (himself) ungrateful.(17:27) They are brothers due to their involvement in disbelief, hypocrisy and wasteful spending. 5- Brotherhood of Islam. Allah says: إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌ فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَ أَخَوَيْكُمْ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ "(الحجرات:10) The believers are but brothers, so make settlement between your brothers. And fear Allah that you may receive mercy. (49: 10) وَالَّذِينَ جَاءُوا مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْ لَنَا وَلِإِخْوَانِنَا الَّذِينَ سَبَقُونَا بِالْإِيمَانِ وَلَا تَجْعَلْ فِي قُلُوبِنَا غِلًّا لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ رَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ " (الحشر :10) “And [there is a share for] those who came after them, saying, "Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith and put not in our hearts [any] resentment toward those who have believed. Our Lord, indeed You are Kind and Merciful." (59: 10) Specific focus on the understanding of the brotherhood of Islam In Islamic history and the practice of our pious predecessors and those after them, brotherhood had several meanings some of the following are as follow: - A fraternity of faith based on the system laid by Allah flowing from piety and the clinging to the rope of Allah - A social fraternity - An attribute of faith in Allah. We shall stop here to continue next on the role of brotherhood in societal reformation. SECOND KHUTBAH All praises are due to Allah who says: “Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve [lunar] months in the register of Allah [from] the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, four are sacred. That is the correct religion, so do not wrong yourselves during them..” May the peace and blessing of Allah be upon Prophet Muhammad, his household, companions and believers till the end of time. Shaikh Zuhailiy said in At-Tafseerul- Muneer: “The number of lunar month is twelve in Allah’ knowledge and wisdom, and in his commandment in the guarded platelet, from the day of the creation of the heavens and earth. Allah established these months and named it in the manner he has arranged it from the day he created the heavens and earth, according to his divine practice and perfect, most wonderful system. He revealed that to the Prophets, his judgement remains eternally. The change in the names orchestrated by the polytheists cannot make any impact. The intention here is obedience to Allah’s order and rejection of the position of the people of ignorance on the interpolation of the names of the months and fabrication of norms on the innovated names of the months. - Using the lunar months in all our endeavours including the worship as against the Gregorian even if it is twelve months. It is a pathetic scenario to find muslims- male, female, young, old, scholars and Islamic organizations displaying great concerns and attachment to the Gregorian calendar more that the lunar months, they celebrate the idolatry festivals, they organize special tahajud on January 1st, adorning new clothes with their entire family. In addition to the fact that the Gregorian calendar has a lot to do with idolatry. Oh Allah descend peace; flowing with continuous tranquility and security upon Nigeria and all other Muslim nations. O Allah accept the worship of the pilgrims of hajj and Umrah, and grant us all Your pleasure, And the last of our call will be, "Praise to Allah, Lord of the worlds!"