Part I

 

1. Initial Supplication

 

I seek refuge with Allah from the Accursed Shaytan

In the Name of Allah Most Gracious Most Merciful

All Praise is due to Allah, Lord of the Worlds

And peace be upon the greatest among the prophets and messengers

Our master and leader Muhammad…..

 

And upon his righteous and pure progeny. 

 

As-Salaam Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuho!

The Peace, Mercy of God and the Blessings of God be on you!

 

2. Starting with a verse from the Holy Qur’an (the Final Testament)

 

Bismillah Hir Rahman Nir Raheem

In The Name of God, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful

  

إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌ فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَ أَخَوَيْكُمْ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ

 

The believers are but brothers to each other, so make reconciliation between your two brothers, and fear Allah that you may receive mercy. (49:l0)

 

3. Fraternity

1. One of the strongest links joining people together is the relationship of brotherhood
2. People love and sympathize with each other and share in the delights and miseries of their fellow brethren
3. As Islam aims at solidarity of society and strengthening human relations, it has fostered this relationship and has declared that all Muslims and believers are brothers to each other
4. Example - one of the first things we do in a group of strangers is to find someone we share something in common with; when we find such a person, we are delighted and instantly connect with them emotionally

    

4. Cooperation - a step above fraternity

   1. Means helping brethren in Islam and extending material support to them

   2. Plays a vital role in the betterment of depressed classes and creates feeling of love amongst Muslims

   3. Considered as an essential virtue of every Muslim and brings divine blessings in return

   4. Al-Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (a. s.) said: Seek nearness to Almighty Allah through helping your (Muslim) brothers (al-Khisal, by ash-Shaykh as-Saduq, vol. l, p.8)

    

5. Touching story about cooperation amongst Muslims

   (from Muruju 'dh-dhahab by Mas'udi, Beirut l966, vol.3, p.446)

1. Al-Waqidi, the famous historian of al-Mamun's period, narrates: "I had two very close friends, one of whom was a Hashimite. Truly speaking, we were one spirit in three bodies. Once, on the occasion of `id (Islamic festival), I was reduced to poverty. My wife told me that we could face together all the hardships boldly, but her heart was burning for the children. They were looking at other children wearing new dresses and making jubilant preparation for `id; whereas their lot was worn and torn clothes. She asked me, if possible, to arrange some money for buying dresses for them.

   I thought and thought but could not find any way of obtaining money. At last, I wrote a letter to my Hashimite friend for help. My friend sent me a sealed packet containing one thousand Dirhams. Before I could open the packet, a message came from my second friend with a request of help, I sent him the same packet intact and went to the mosque, heart-broken and depressed, I passed the whole night in the mosque as I could not bring myself to face my wife. But when I went home next morning, to my great surprise, my wife welcomed me with a smiling face and expressed her unbounded pleasure for the help I had rendered to my friend.

   It was then that my Hashimite friend came to me and asked me what I had done with the money he had sent me the day before. I narrated to him the whole story. He bent his head for a moment, then told me that on receipt of my message, he had sent me whatever he had, but then to meet his own requirements he wrote to the third friend for help. The third friend sent him the same sealed packet. My first friend was extremely puzzled by this mystery, till I solved it."

   Al-Waqidi further adds: "Then we divided that amount equally amongst us at the rate of three hundred Dirhams each, and the remaining one hundred Dirhams was the share of my wife. Caliph al-Ma'mun hearing this unique story called me, and I narrated the whole event. Al-Ma'mun awarded us two thousand Dirhams each and one thousand to my wife"

 

6. Other Hadith and evidence

1. The Holy Prophet said: One who starts his day without caring (about) the affairs of the Muslims, is not a Muslim (al-Kafi, vol. 2, p.l63)

2. Also confession from General Dwight D. Eisenhower, as U.S.A. President, when he was taking the oath of his office: "Our affluent society rests on shaky moral grounds. We reach the moon and pollute the earth. We long for peace and go to war. An age that has split the atom must heal the splits in humanity. Empty hands must be filled with work, empty stomachs with food, and empty hearts with satisfaction. To cure the moral crisis that blights our world, each of us need only look to ourselves. If we each listen to the still small voice of conscience we shall soon perceive that simple basic things, like goodness, purity, unselfishness, love, integrity, are our greatest and most priceless treasure."

    

7. Why is brotherhood important to the Islamic faith?

   1. It is something Allah s.w.t. has put in place…

      وَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِهِمْ لَوْ أَنفَقْتَ مَا فِي الأَرْضِ جَمِيعاً مَّا أَلَّفَتْ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَلَـكِنَّ اللّهَ أَلَّفَ بَيْنَهُمْ إِنَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ

      And (moreover) He hath put affection between their hearts: not if thou hadst spent all that is in the earth, couldst thou have produced that affection, but Allah hath done it: for He is Exalted in might, Wise (8:63)

       

   2. Any aggression against any part of the Brotherhood is an aggression against all of it. When giving commands regarding the Islamic Brotherhood, the Qur'an uses a beautiful style with a profound message. Instead of saying, "greet each other" it says, "greet yourself." [An-Nur 24:61]. Instead of saying, "do not defame each other," it says, "do not defame yourself." [Al-Hujurat 49:11]. Instead of saying, "do not kill each other," it says, "do not kill yourself." [An-Nisaa 4:29]. The message is clear: Whatever is happening to others in the Brotherhood, is actually happening to yourself.

   3. Without brotherhood there is a real possibility of destruction of mankind through nuclear war, atrocities as they are committed worldwide, human selfishness, ignorance; Brotherhood is the antidote: to expand our sympathies to include all people, and indeed all life, so that we contribute our portion to the cosmic pattern of compassion and love

       

In the end, it should be remembered that all Muslims must uphold the spirit of brotherhood and cooperation so it becomes stronger and stronger; and under the protection of that brotherhood and cooperation we move forward to prosperity and happiness

 

Glossary

s.w.t. = May He be Glorified and Exalted

a.s. = Upon him be Peace

p.u.b.h.&f = Peace be Upon him and his family

 

- Mujtaba Khambatti, Nov. 2, 2007