Uh my brothers and sisters allah indeed the believers are one brotherhood and the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam had said be o servants of allah brothers each muslim is the brother of a muslim these statements the statement of allah and of his prophet muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam remind us that we
Are a part each and every one of us is a part of a great brotherhood that brotherhood is known as abadullah the servants of allah which is why prophet muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam had said the best of names to allah is abdullah the best of names and not in the sight of allah
Is abdullah the servant of allah so we are one great brotherhood a brotherhood of faith this is not a brotherhood of ethnicity ethnicity because we come from all parts of the world it is a brotherhood of faith a brotherhood whose goal primarily is to please allah by serving him and to worship him
By doing whatever is pleasing to him knowing full well that whatever is pleasing to allah subhanahu ta’ala is what is good for us it is not something disconnected from our day-to-day needs whatever allah has prescribed he hasn’t prescribed it out of any need for himself as he has no need
Whatever he has prescribed is for a need which we have either as individuals or as communities as a part of the world community of humanity so what we find in the basic prescriptions this principle of but of of brotherhood of faith embodied in each requirement of the religion the most basic requirements
Most basic of requirements is salah so we can see in salah itself the brotherhood manifest we don’t have any special places in the masjid for special people whoever gets to the first line the front line first gets there in other systems in other religions there are special places
If you have money if you belong to a certain caste or something like this then you have a special place in the temple or in the church or in the synagogue there’s special places for special people but for us it is an equality based on the faith that we are equally responsible
Before allah based on whatever allah has given us in this life because of course the responsibility of a ruler is not the same as the responsibility of a citizen but in his own way he is equally responsible to allah as each and every citizen is responsible
And even the the one who leads the prayer one might say but he has a special position but we know from what prophet muhammad sallallahu islam taught and what his followers understood that that special position the one of leading the prayer this had to do with one who knew the quran
The most because the prayer consists primarily of quranic recitation so the one who knows it the most is the one who should be there and that principle is applied so precisely that one of the companions of the prophet by the name of salama he explained that when prophet muhammad
Had accepted his delegation from his tribe to to accept islam they had come to accept islam he accepted islam from them as a delegation and then he told them after they spent some time with him learning the religion then he told them when you go back the one who knows the
Most quran should lead so when they went back and the time for prayer came and they checked amongst themselves who knew the most quran salama said it turned out that i knew the most so they had me lead the prayer and i led the prayer from then onwards and i was
Six years old at the time and i was six years old at the time so it’s no special place for special people it is about the religion the faith uh the understanding the practice the sincerity we find also in zakah in zakah the principle of obligatory charity the brotherhood there that every muslim
Who has surplus wealth has to take out 2.5 of it and give to other needy muslims in other systems in other religions this money which is taken from the people called the tithe for example in christianity this is given to the church to special people the poor people don’t necessarily receive it
And in other systems likewise it isn’t the system of the rich helping the poor it is a system by which money is taken from everybody rich or poor and used to benefit the priest class or a certain segment of the society only but in islam allah prescribes that it is taken
From those with surplus with surplus wealth and disredistributed amongst the needy of the community to keep wealth in circulation in the society and of course in hajj hajj represents again the biggest example of that brotherhood where people are reduced to a common dress white garments regardless of people’s status position
That’s et cetera no matter who you are you’re reduced to two garments one to cover your lower part of your body and on the upper part of your body and we all do the worship and the act various acts of worship together as one brotherhood so islam stresses
The importance of this importance of this brotherhood that it is the natural consequence of a common faith a common belief in one god who we alone serve at the same time we are told to avoid anything which undermines that feeling of brotherhood so we find many statements of the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam
Prohibiting envy prohibiting deception prohibiting nationalism backbiting name-calling treachery lies contempt all of the various characteristics evil characteristics which undermine that brotherhood and unfortunately many of these characteristics are present amongst us today so it is not surprising to see the impact of these negative characteristics on that brotherhood and whatever strengthens the brotherhood
Is emphasized in order to emphasize all of the good things that we should do to support that brotherhood prophet muhammad made a statement to his companions on one occasion a statement which was actually a slogan from the pre-islamic times a slogan well known amongst them from the pre-islamic times he said
Help your brother support your brother whether he is oppressing others whether he’s doing evil to others or evil is being done to him or he is oppressed immediately when he said that his companions said to him o messenger of allah we can understand helping our brothers when they are oppressed when evil has
Been done to them but how can we help them or help him when he is oppressing others they understood that this somehow cannot be a part of islamic teachings so they questioned the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam and he said that particularly for them to question him he said you help your brother
When he is oppressing others by taking hold of his hands and stopping him from oppressing others not that you join in with him in the oppression of others but that you take hold of his hands and stop him from oppressing others in doing that you help him so we know that when we
Speak about the brotherhood of islam it is not a brotherhood which cooperates in evil as allah said cooperate with each other in righteousness and piety but don’t cooperate with each other in sin and enmity so it is not just an open door that we say help brothers anyhow anyway
As you find for example in the old testament where it is stated supposedly god instructed the jews that they should not take usury they should not take interest from their brothers but they may take it from the others their brothers meaning you don’t take it from fellow jews
Not allowed for you to take interest from fellow jews but from the the non-jews you can take interest this is not a part of islamic teachings unfortunately some muslims have gotten this idea i’ve even find muslims in different parts of the world and giving lectures and talking about you know islam and its
Practices people asking me at different points in time usually they’re businessmen traders they will ask can we cheat the non-muslims can we cheat them they’re going to hell anyway right this wealth is not really going to benefit them so can we give one price to muslims or muslim brothers
And then we give another prize to the non-muslims can we do that i said no of course not islam doesn’t permit it honesty justice fairness this is not something limited to the brotherhood all of the principles within the brotherhood which our universal principles are applied universally and that’s why
We find for example in the quran we find allah saying stand out firmly for justice as witnesses to allah even though it be against yourselves your parents and your kin so fairness and justice even if it means harm what would be considered harm coming to our parents
Who can be closer or our close relatives blood relatives much less our brothers in faith islam does not permit it justice is justice for everybody and that’s how islam ruled a system of justice which took into account the needs of the society all elements of the society whether males whether females that’s why
When we look into the teachings of islam with regards to females who muslims today are accused of oppressing muslims today are accused of oppressing females however when we actually look at the system of islam for example one of the obvious elements that people hold as a symbol of oppression
Is that when inheritance is divided two portions go to the male and one portion goes to the female it’s divided into three portions two thirds goes to the male one third goes to the female son and daughter they say look at this this is oppression this is unfair of course
Nobody stops to look at the state of the world when 1 400 years ago when this law came which said one third of the inheritance goes to the woman and it is her right completely to own to use to spend when the rest of the world didn’t even consider women as human beings
Being without souls or being evil creatures who should not inherit anything i mean in the west and west that makes the biggest noise today the right for women to own property didn’t come to them until the turn of the century 20th century so 1 400 years ago when that right was established
This was a revolution this was something unheard of so islam recognized that right and established it in its book of revelation allah revealed it as verse in the quran but at the same time because of responsibilities the natural responsibilities within family where males are held responsible for females a son and a daughter
That son inherits from the parent as the daughter inherits but the son also has a responsibility to look after his sister if the father is dead to look after the mother if her husband his father is dead he has additional responsibility and that is built in within the islamic system
Following the natural order some want to say today but no it should be equal 50 50. but that is unnatural yes society western society in particular has promoted this concept equal responsibility in that regard so males and females are on their own in society each one has to fend for himself or herself
Whereas that is not the natural way and islam preserves that natural way giving responsibility to the males over the females so as a result of that response additional responsibility in the inheritance that is taken into account so that is justice it is not oppression it is justice it
Established a right unknown in the rest of the world and protected that right but it gave the right in a way which would support the natural family with the natural responsibilities of family members so islam calls to this one brotherhood and calls each and every member to help each other prophet muhammad said
His servant as long as he helps his brother muslim we talked about that in the previous we want allah’s help then we have to be there to help our brothers our sisters muslims wherever they may be so i ask allah to give us a realization of this brotherhood
To bring it alive in our hearts and in our actions to give us a real concern and a real care for our brothers and sisters in faith that allah bring us back to that unified ummah that unified nation of believers which we read about in the past
But which we lack today ask allah to remove the barriers the obstacles whether internally in our hearts or externally through nationalism etc to remove these obstacles and to bring us back together as one brotherhood as allah said in the minuna indeed the believers are one brotherhood as we said the brotherhood
Is one which we as individuals have to participate in it is one which we have to actively be engaged in keeping alive by doing those things which will strengthen it and avoiding those things which will weaken it and among the requirements of the brotherhood as allah said in surah and phal verse 72
And if they seek your help in religion it is your duty to help them and elsewhere we find allah saying and what is wrong with you that you do not fight in the cause of allah and for those weak ill-treated oppressed among men and women and children
Whose cry is our lord rescue us from this town whose people are oppressors and raise from us one who will protect and raise and raise for us from you one who will help these verses remind us of the call today in raza our brothers and sisters there are suffering are being slaughtered
Massacred they are struggling they’re standing in spite of the might the most powerful military machine in the middle east which has defeated the arab nations in the past gathering on the basis of arabism and failing yet a few thousand fighters fighting for the sake of allah has withstood their might till the evil
Of what is being perpetrated there has reached the airs and the eyes of many in the world a wake-up call for us a wake-up call for the brotherhood to come to their aid to come to their help and if we hear of this struggle and we see the images
And it does nothing to us our hearts don’t feel anything then this speaks out or speaks or addresses the state of our faith our faith in and our faith in the brotherhood of islam in the past whenever muslims came under attack anywhere in the world
The rest of the ummah came to their aid but today with the world cut up in splintered scattered divided then each portion can be attacked it’s members citizens our muslim brothers and sisters can be murdered and the rest of the ummah shakes its head turns and looks the other way tries to forget
One might say well there’s not much that we can do whoever relieves one of his belief one of the believers worldly distresses allah will relieve him of one of his distresses on the day of judgment this is the promise of allah all of us know that we will be faced with great
Distress on the day of judgment when we are resurrected and have to stand before god and whatever can be removed from us can we can be excused from we will wish for it on that day the prophet saws had said whatever we do today to alleviate the distress
The trials that our brothers and sisters face in gaza it will benefit for us on a day where nothing else will benefit so it is our duty to come to their aid in whatever way that we can in whatever way is possible whether it is financial
Or it is offering skills that we might have or it is at the least dua to pray for them to pray sincerely for them prophet muhammad every muslim who prays for his brother in his absence an angel will say and the same for you this is the time
When we need to sincerely turn to allah and all of the opportunities that we have to make special prayers whether getting up in the middle of the night or praying while traveling or praying between the adhan and the akama all of the preferred times for making dua we should avail ourselves of them
And to sincerely turn to allah seeking help for our brothers and sisters there and whatever means that we have in terms of wealth donations are being given collections are being made then we should give whatever we can knowing full well that whatever we give will come back to us multiplied many times
And this was the example which prophet muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam set and called us to this was the way of the believers of the past and this has to be the way of believers present if we are to succeed if we are to live lives that are pleasing to allah
We may not be called upon to do what we cannot do allah will not ask us to do what our rulers require to do but because we can’t do what they can do doesn’t mean that we have nothing to do allah has given each and every one of us a means
And it is for us to use that means to help our brothers in gaza so i ask you all to turn sincerely to allah in prayer for our brothers and sisters in gaza to ask allah to protect those who are fighting for the sake of allah
To keep the faith alive there in gaza we ask those who are suffering we ask that allah relieve their suffering we ask that allah protect the women and the children those who have fallen under the onslaught of israel we ask allah to forgive the sins of the ummah brothers and sisters
Fathers mothers and children and we ask that allah forgive the sins of those in and strengthen and support them we ask that allah hold back the force of that army an army of enemies that seeks to destroy islam in raza we ask that allah protect them and awaken in our hearts the spirit
Of brotherhood to provide for them the source a source of help that we have failed to do in the past we ask allah to bring alive in the hearts of the believers here and around the muslim world a care and a compassion for our brothers and sisters suffering in gaza in iraq
In afghanistan in chechnya throughout the various segments of the muslim world and we ask allah that he allow us to leave this world in a state of faith in a state pleasing to allah and to give us at the end of this life paradise i mean me ah
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