الْأُخُوَّةُ

Hadith 35: be brothers From Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him): the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: لَا تَحَاسَدُوا، وَلَا تَنَاجَشُوا، وَلَا تَبَاغَضُوا، وَلَا تَدَابَرُوا، وَلَا يَبِعْ بَعْضُكُمْ عَلَى بَيْعِ بَعْضٍ، وَكُونُوا عِبَادَ اللَّهِ إِخْوَانًا "Do not envy one another, do not inflate prices against one another, do not hate one another, do not turn your backs on one another, and let none of you undercut the sale of another; be, servants of Allah, brothers. The Muslim is the brother of the Muslim: he does not wrong him, does not abandon him, does not lie to him and does not despise him. Piety is here," and he pointed to his chest three times. "It is evil enough for a person to despise his Muslim brother. All of the Muslim is sacred to the Muslim: his blood, his property and his honour." التَّقْوَى هَاهُنَا Source: Muslim 2564.

The commentary • Envy (al-ḥasad): wishing that another lose a blessing. Ibn Rajab distinguishes it from ghibṭa, wishing to have the same blessing without him losing it, which is permitted and even praiseworthy in good. • An-najsh: bidding up the price of goods without wanting to buy them, to deceive the buyer. Undercutting a sale: offering a better deal to a buyer already committed. The hadith protects fairness in trade. • Turning one's back: breaking off relations. Another hadith forbids shunning one's brother for more than three days (Bukhari 6077, Muslim 2560) [À VÉRIFIER : numéros]. • "Piety is here": An-Nawawi explains that a person's worth is in his heart, which only Allah knows; hence the prohibition of contempt.

In daily life • When envy comes, pray for the person, and ask Allah for the same blessing. • Reconcile before three days; take the first step, it is the better of the two. • Trade, online listings, auctions: be fair.

Hadith 36: whoever relieves a believer From Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him): the Prophet ﷺ said: مَنْ نَفَّسَ عَنْ مُؤْمِنٍ كُرْبَةً مِنْ كُرَبِ الدُّنْيَا نَفَّسَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ كُرْبَةً مِنْ كُرَبِ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ "Whoever relieves a believer of a distress of this world, Allah will relieve him of a distress of the Day of Resurrection. Whoever makes things easy for someone in difficulty, Allah will make things easy for him in this world and the hereafter. Whoever covers a Muslim, Allah will cover him in this world and the hereafter. Allah helps the servant as long as the servant helps his brother. Whoever takes a path seeking knowledge, Allah makes easy for him thereby a path to Paradise. People do not gather in one of the houses of Allah to recite the Book of Allah and study it together without tranquillity descending upon them, mercy covering them, the angels surrounding them, and Allah mentioning them among those who are near Him. And whoever is held back by his deeds will not be hastened forward by his lineage." وَاللَّهُ فِي عَوْنِ الْعَبْدِ مَا كَانَ الْعَبْدُ فِي عَوْنِ أَخِيهِ Source: Muslim 2699.

The commentary • The reward is of the same kind as the deed: relieving, easing, covering, helping. Ibn Rajab sees here a constant rule of the texts. • Making things easy for someone in difficulty: granting a delay to a debtor, or remitting part of the debt (2:280). • Covering: not exposing the fault of a person who hides it and repents; this is not covering an ongoing injustice against others, which must be stopped [À VÉRIFIER : formulation]. • Knowledge and Qur'an circles: the hadith promises four graces to those who gather in the mosque to study the Book of Allah, as in this course. • Lineage does not replace deeds: neither family nor origin moves forward one whose deeds have held him back.

In daily life • Choose one distress to relieve: an errand, a lift, a meal, a loan, a visit to a sick person. • Grant delays to your debtors; cancel a small debt when you can.

The text: Surah Al-Ḥujuraat (49), verse 10 إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌ فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَ أَخَوَيْكُمْ ۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ ﴿١٠﴾

Meaning: "The believers are but brothers, so make peace between your two brothers, and fear Allah, so that you may receive mercy." The verse and hadith 35 say the same thing: brotherhood is a fact of faith, and reconciliation a duty.

Arabic text: Tanzil Quran Text (Simple, version 1.0.2), © 2008-2010 Tanzil.net, Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence, reproduced without any change (http://tanzil.net). Each verse is on its own line, followed by its number; the basmala, which the Tanzil file places at the start of the first verse, is written on its own line.

Understanding the lesson

Explanation Hadith 35 lists what destroys brotherhood: envy, commercial deception, hatred, breaking off, unfair competition, oppression, abandonment, lying and contempt. Then it gives the root: "piety is here", in the heart, which only Allah sees; so no one has the right to despise another. Hadith 36 gives the positive side: relieving, easing, covering, helping, learning, gathering around the Qur'an. Every good given returns to its doer in the same form, from Allah, and far greater. These two hadiths make the mosque and the community a place of concrete mutual help, not a mere belonging.

Lessons to draw from it • Treat envy by praying for the other and asking Allah. • Be fair in trade: no fake bidders, no undercutting. • Never stay on bad terms for more than three days; take the first step. • Despise no one: worth is in the heart. • Relieve a distress, grant a delay, cover a repented fault, take part in study circles.

Key points to remember • Hadith 35 (Muslim 2564): لَا تَحَاسَدُوا… وَكُونُوا عِبَادَ اللَّهِ إِخْوَانًا; التَّقْوَى هَاهُنَا. • The blood, property and honour of the Muslim are sacred. • Hadith 36 (Muslim 2699): the reward is of the same kind as the deed. • وَاللَّهُ فِي عَوْنِ الْعَبْدِ مَا كَانَ الْعَبْدُ فِي عَوْنِ أَخِيهِ.

The main message Be brothers for real: drive out envy and contempt, and help others, for Allah helps whoever helps his brother.