Fraternity
and Cooperation in Islam

In the Name of
Allah,

The All-compassionate, The
All-merciful

Praise belongs to Allah, the
Lord of all being;

the All-compassionate, the
All-merciful;

.the Master of the Day of
Judgement;

nee only we serve, and to
Thee alone we pray

for
succour;

Guide us in the straight
path;

the path of those whom Thou
hast blessed,

not of those against whom
Thou art wrathful,

nor of those who are
astray.

-------------------------------

O' Allah send your blessings
to the head of

your messengers and the last
of

your
prophets,

Muhammad and his pure and
cleansed progeny.

Also send your blessings to
all your

prophets and
envoys.

Dear Reader,

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Publication Secretary,
World Organization for Islamic Services.
(WOFIS).
***********

FRATERNITY
IN ISLAM

One of the strongest links joining people together
is the relationship of brotherhood. People love and sympathize with
each other and share in the delights and miseries of their fellow
brethren.

There is the possibility of occasional differences
between them, but soon it is changed into love and affection through
forgiveness.

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.

Islam regards the Holy Prophet Muhammad
(s.a.w.a.w.)*
as the father and all Muslims as his children; therefore the Muslims
are brothers to each other.

This feeling of brotherhood of Islam knows no
boundary whatsoever, and all Muslims irrespective of their colour,
place of birth and language, are equal and brothers to each
other.

---------------------------

*(s.a.w.a.w.) is the
abbreviation of Arabic phrase sail Allahu 'alayhi wa alihi wa
sallam (may Allah's peace and benediction be upon him and his
progeny).

The Quran dictates:

The believers are but brothers to each

Other, so make reconciliation between

Your two brothers, and fear Allah that

You may receive mercy. (49:10)

AS is evident from History, the pre-Islamic period
was full of hatred, enmity and strife amongst people. Islam, through
its teachings, infused a new life of fraternity in humanity, thus
giving rise to Islamic brotherhood.

The Qur'an again emphasizes this point:

And hold fast all together by the rope of
Allah and be not divided among yourselves, and remember
Allah's bounty on you, for you were enemies and He joined
your hearts in love, so that by His Grace, you became
brethren; and you were on the brink of the pit of fire; and He saved
you from it . . . (3:103).

Islam has laid down the mutual rights and
obligations of Muslims towards each other and they are obliged to
discharge the same.

al - Imam Zaynu 'I -Abidin
(a.
s.)* has writ ten in his Risalatu
'1-huquq:

-------------------

*(a.s.) is the abbreviation of Arabic
phrase 'alay-hi/ha /himu 's-salam (may peace be upon
him/her/them).

And it is the duty of your fellow co-religionists
in gereral to have peaceful feelings amongst them,, and to spread the
wings of mercy upon them; to be gentle towards the wrong doers among
them and to reform them (by earning their love); to be grateful to
those who are virtuous in their character or are generous towards
you; because their righteousness of character (without any
apparent of benefits to you) is in itself a generosity towards
You, as they have thus 1,d you from their misbehaviour
and spared you the effort of Protecting yourself from them,
and kept their troubles away from you.

Therefore, pray, while you Pray, for
all of them and treat all Muslims according to their Proper
Position. Keep the elders in the position of your
father, the Youngers in the place of your child, the
contemporaries in the position of your brother.

Thus, treat any of them who comes to
you with grace and love; and convey to Your
(Muslim) brother whatever is incumbent

on a brother from a brother.
(Tuhafu1uqul, p.195)

The sixth Imam, Ja'far al-Sadiq (a.s.)

said: A Muslim is brother of another Muslim, and
he is his eyes (to look through good and evil) and his mirror (to
point out his merits and demerits) and his guide. Never does he
betray him nor does any injustice to him nor deceives him nor tells
him any lie nor backbites him. (al-Kafi, vol. 2, p. 166)

The Holy Prophet said about the mutual rights of
Muslims towards each other:

..(A Muslim) must forgive the mistakes

(of his fellow Muslim) and should symphathize
(with him) in his distress; should cover his defects and pardon his
slips; should accept his apology, protect him in his absence (against
his backbiters) and continue giving him good advices; should preserve
his friendship ... visit him in sickness ... accept his invitation
and gift, and equally compensate his favour; should have regard for
his affection; talk to him gently . . . and love his friends and
should not be jealous of them ... should not leave him in the thick
of miseries and (lastly) should like for him whatever good he likes
for himself, and should hate for him whatever evil he hates for
himself. (Biharu 1-anwar, Kitabu l-ishrah, vol. 74, p.
236)

The sixth Imam, Ja'far al-Sddiq (a.s.)
said:

Like for your Muslim brother what you like for
yourself. In the event of need, ask from him, and if he asks for
something give it to him. Do ' not be reluctant in doing a good to
him and he should not be reluctant in doing a good to you. Be his
support because he is your support. Protect him in his absence and
visit him when he is present. Respect him and have regard for him
since he is from you and you are from him. If he becomes angry do not
break off your relation with him, but accept his excuse instead. If
good befalls him, thank Allah (on his behalf ) , and if he is in
trouble, rush to his help. If his enemies deceive or try to trap him,
help him and protect him from victimization. (al-Kafi, vol.3, p.
170)

The above examples show how Islam has emphasized
the fraternal rights of Muslims.

Apart from these general rules, Islam has laid
down detailed rules which deal with the duties of Muslims towards
each other in all walks of life and which have been much emphasized
by the leaders of Islam.

COOPERATION
(MUWASAT) IN ISLAM

"muwasat" means helping brethren in Islam and
extending material support to them. It has a great importance in
religion due to the reason that it plays a vital role in the
betterment of depressed classes and creates feeling of love amongst
Muslims. It is considered as an essential virtue of every Muslim and
brings divine blessings in return.

Al-Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (a.s.) said:

Seek nearness to Almighty Allah through helping
your (Muslim) brothers. (al-Khisal by ash-Shaykh as-Saduq, vol. 1, p.
8).

The Holy Prophet in one of his testaments to 'Ali
ibn Abi Talib (a.s.) said:

The most commendable are three deeds:-

First is being just to the people even against
yourself.

Secondly, cooperation and material help to
(Muslim) brothers.

Thirdly, rememberance of Allah in all
circumstances. (al-Khisal, vol. 1, p. 125)

al-Imam 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s.) said:

Helping the brothers-in-Allah (fellow Muslims)
increases sustenance. (al-Khisal, vol. 2, P. 505)

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-Mamun hearing this unique story called
me, and I narrated the whole event. al-Mamun awarded us two thousand
Dirhams each and one thousand to my wife.

" (Muruju 'al-dhahab by Mas'udi, Beirut 1966,
vol.3, p.446)

This historical event describes the feeling of a
few Muslims who had learnt their lessons from the Qur'an. See how the
spirit of cooperation and fraternity had enlivened their lives as a
result of Islamic teachings.

The early history of Islam is full of such events
which clearly show the spirit of fraternity and brotherhood which
governed the whole life of the Muslims.

In the battle of Uhud, which was one of the most
hard-fought battles of Islam, the Muslims set high examples of
self-sacrifice and many of them were martyred, fighting
bravely.

Many of them fell in the battlefield half-alive
amongst them were seven stalwarts, fatally injured every breath
seemed the last breath. All of them were feeling the pangs of thirst.
Someone came to them with a small quantity of water, hardly sufficent
for a single soul.

The water-bearer offered drink to one of them but
he directed him towards the next Muslim brother lying by his
side.

This second soldier sent him to the third one who
directed him to the fourth; and so it went on till he reached the
seventh soldier. When the seventh soldier was approached, he told him
that since the first soldier was very thirsty, he should be given
water first.

The, water-bearer then returned to the first
soldier and found that he had died. Then he went to the second and
third who also had expired. This happened with each of them, till
approaching the last soldier he found that meanwhile he also had
died. All of them died thirsty setting excellent Practical example of
Islamic brotherhood and self-sacrifice.

This is a lesson from the school of the Holy
Prophet which was followed by his true followers in every walk of
life even under the most difficult circumstances.

It is an irony of fate that we have abandoned such
spiritual teachings and golden principles and drifting with the
current of non-cooperation and selfishness which are undoubtedly the
gift of un-Islamic societies. Let us keep in mind that this trend is
a violation of Islamic idealogy, and Muslims should never turn deaf
ears to the hardships and problems of their
fellow-Muslims.

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.
163)

al-Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (a.s.) said:

The best amongst you are those who are generous
and the worst are the misers; one of the most desired deeds is to do
good to Muslim brethren and try to fulfil their needs. This deed
weakens Satan, safe-guards against the Fire (of Hell) and leads one
to Paradise. (Amali, ashShaykh al-Tusi, vol.l,p.66)

A man approached the Holy Prophet of Islam and
complained of hunger.

The Holy Prophet sent someone to the houses of his
families but, unfortunately, none of the families had any
food.

The Holy Prophet then turned to those who were in
his presence and asked, "Who can host this man tonight?" al-Imam 'Ali
(a.s.) offered his services, took his hand and left for his
house.

Then he asked his wife, Sayyidah Fatimah (a.s.),
"What food do we have?" She replied, "A little provision enough for
children only." 'Ali (a.s.) told her, The guest must be considered
first before ourselves and the children.,,

Fatimah (a.s.) had to make a great effort to put
her children to sleep since they were hungry. 'Ali (a.s.) offered the
guest whatever he had, and, pretending to set the lamp right, put it
out; he invited the guest to the food in the darkness of the room and
himself sat there pretending he was also eating, though, in fact, he
did not take a single morsel. 'Ali, Fatimah and their children fed
the guest for the pleasure of Allah and remained hungry
themselves.

Allah praises their sacrifice in these
words:

.. And they give (others) preference over
themselves, even though poverty be their own lot . . . (Qur'an,
59:9)

Of course, this type of self-denial is not
possible for every one; and only a man like 'Ali (a.s.) could perform
such deeds. Islam, there-fore, does not compel its followers to do
similar deeds. What actually Islam has made compulsory is brotherhood
and cooperation, which means that a Muslim must help his Muslim
brother if he is in hardship and trouble.

A part of his resources should be reserved for the
benefit of needy persons. He must visit sick persons and sympathize
with them, should be like a father to orphans, and should participate
in all works of general welfare, and should be helpful to
those in distress.

A Greek remained with 'Ali (a.s.) for a
considerable period, making inquiries about Islam. Once he was
convinced of the truth of Islam, he embraced Islam at the hands of
'Ali (a.s.). Then, 'Ali (a.s.) informed him about his duties as a
Muslim. During that discourse, he said:

I direct you to help your brethren who are the
followers of Muhammad peace be upon him and his progeny)
and mine, assist them. from the wealth which Allah has given you,
fulfil their needs, redress their troubles and behave with them, with
friendship and love. (al-Ihtijaj,al- Tabarsi,vol.l,p.354)

al-Imam 'Ali ibn Musa al-Rida (a.s.)
said:

It is the duty of a believer towards another
believer to have his love in his heart, to assist him with his
wealth, and to stand by his side against one who does injustice to
him . . . He should never trouble, deceive, cheat, abandon or
backbite him, nor tell a lie to him . . . One who presents a dress to
his Muslim brother, Allah will reward him with a robe of paradise;
and one who lends money to his Muslim brother for the pleasure of
Allah, gets the reward of charity in return; and one who relieves his
religious brother from pain and distress, Allah will relieve him of
the pain of the next world. (Biharu1a1-anwar, vol. 74, pp.
232-233)

Safwan al-Jammal narrates:

" While I was sitting with al-Imam
Ja'far

al-Sadiq (a.s.) a Meccan arrived and told him that
he had no money to return to his home. The Imam directed me to help
that person. After great efforts, I arranged the fare for him and
returned to the Imam. The Imam asked, 'What did you do about your
brother?' 'By the grace of Allah his need was fulfilled,' I replied.
The Imam said, 'Know that helping a Muslim brother is more liked by
me than doing tawaf (circumambulation) of the House of Allah for
seven times. The Imam then added:

"'A man approached al-Imam al-Hasan (a.s.) with
the request of help. The Imam at once put on his shoes and went with
him. They passed on the way a place where al-Imam al-Husayn (a.s.)
was engaged in prayers. al-Imam al -Hasan asked the person, "Why did
you not approach al-Husayn to alleviate your troubles?' He replied,
'O son of the Messenger of Allah, I wanted to go to him; but I was
informed that he was in i'tikaf (meditation), therefore, I did not go
to him.' The Imam said, 'Had he got the opportunity to help you it
would have been far better for him than one month's i'tikaf.
(al-Kafi, vol.2, p.198)

al-Imam Ja'far as-Sddiq (a.s.) said:

Whenever a Muslim fulfils the needs of a Muslim
brother, Allah says, "Your reward is upon me, and I will not be happy
with less than Paradise for you. " ((Qurbu l'Iisnad, p.
19)

A Shia of Kufah (Iraq) named 'Abdul l-Ala left for
Medina.

The followers of al-Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (a.s.)
gave him their problems in writing and asked him to bring the replies
from the Imam. Also they asked him to request the Imam to explain the
rights which a Muslim has upon other Muslim brethren.

'Abdul l-Ala says that when he reached the Imam,
he replied to all the questions but did not say anything about the
rights of Muslims upon each other. He went to the Imam several times,
but still there was silence. At the end of his stay he went to take
leave of the Imam and said that that particular question of that day
was still unanswered.

The Imam said: "I deliberately avoided this
issue." 'Abdul l-Ala asked, "Why?" The Imam said, "Because I am
afraid that if I tell you the

same and you do not follow it faithfully, you will
go against the religion of Allah." Then, the Imam
explained:

"Very, the most difficult of the things which
Allah has obliged his servants to do, are three things : -

" First, doing justice between himself and others;
it means that he should do to others as he wants done to
himself.

"Second, he should help his Muslim brethren by
assisting them with his wealth.

"Third, he should always remember Allah. And when
I say 'should remember Allah,,' I do not mean that he should always
recite subhana'llah (Glory to Allah) and al-hamdu lillah (Praise
belongs to Allah). But I mean that if he intends to do an unlawful
deed, he must remember Allah and refrain from that sin." (al-Kafi,
vol. 2,p.170; Biharu 1-anwar, vol. 74, p. 242).

These teachings had such an influence on the lives
of the followers of Islam that their noble behaviour could not be
compared with any other nation, as we have seen some examples in the
preceding pages; history is full of stories of such brotherhood and
cooperation.

Centuries have passed since the dawn of Islam and
the world has achieved what is called technical and scientific
development; but these human virtues are conspicuous by their absence
in those so-called advanced countries.

One of the writers, writes about mutual
relationship of the Europeans:

" Relationship between the people is cold and
devoid of deep-rooted affection. Sincere and heart-felt love, which
is one of the noble emotions and brightens the life, appears to be
lost in the machine-wheels of industries. They are not aware of
sympathy, let alone self-sacrifice, and probably the friends of an
individual may be counted on fingers.

"When I was admitted to a hospital in Germany the
number of my visitors was not great; still it could be said that I
had more visitors than all the patients in that hospital. This was a
matter of wonder and interest to the staff of the hospital, because
it was extremely rare that a German came to visit any sick person
even of his own family.

"It will be pertinent to mention an interesting
incident which is a living example of "love" and "fraternity" in
civilized nations.

"A few years ago, a professor of a German
University, embraced Islam at the hands of the President of Islamic
Community at Hamburg. After sometime, he became sick and was admitted
in a hospital for treatment.

"The President of Islamic Community came to know
of his illness and went to see him at the hospital. He found the
professor in a sad and pathetic mood, and asked him to explain the
cause of so much sorrow.

"The professor, who had not said a single word yet
and seemed lost in his foreboding, now narrated this incredible
story:

"'Today my wife and son came to see me.

They were informed by the officials of the
hospital that I was suferring from cancer. While departing they told
me that since cancer had brought me at the verge of death and I could
not survive more than a few days, they bid me good-bye and wished to
be excused from visiting me again.' Then the patient continued. 'My
spiritual torture and apparent sorrow is not because the door of hope
is shut before me and I am expecting to die soon; but it is because
of the unjust and inhumane attitude of my wife and son which is more
torturing than the warrant of death.'

"The President of Islamic Community was greatly
touched by his pitiable condition and told him: 'Islam has emphasized
on visiting the patients; and I will keep on visiting you whenever I
get some free time, and will perform my religious duties. These words
consoled the tortured professor to a great extent.

"His condition was fast deteriorating and he died
after a few days. The President of Islamic Community made arrangement
for his burial according to Islam and some Muslims went to the
hospital and brought the dead body to the graveyard.

"While burial was in progress, a young man in a
furious mood came rushing and enquired about the dead body of the
professor.

"'But what relation do you have with the
deceased?' People asked him. Well, he was my father and I have come
to hand over his dead body to the hospital, because just before his
death, I had sold his body to the hospital for thirty
Marks.'

"Though he tried to create much trouble, as the
Muslims did not yield, he had to surrender.

When asked of his occupation, the young man said
that he worked in a factory in the mornings and decorated dogs in the
afternoons."

This bitter incident shows how much the so-called
civilized world has become devoid of human affection and
love.

Today, retrogression of humanity from the view
point of moral values and the overwhelming evils of society cannot be
glossed over. Great thinkers, while admitting this bitter fact, are
looking to find a remedy; and are very much worried because of this
undesirable condition. They realize the malady and appreciate that a
new world can only be created if the present day lawlessness and
permissiveness are removed and the foundation of the new society is
laid upon faith and virtues.

The people surrounded by this type of society
admit that their life is an empty one; and that this kind of living
cannot bring humanity to any good. It will be better for you to hear
this 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."

When one looks at these facts, one is bound to
stand respectfully before the Law-giver of Islam.

The Law-giver, giving full consideration to all
materials, spiritual and natural requirements of human beings, has
brought the excellent laws which are in complete harmony with basic
human nature and fulfil all its needs.

These laws have been acted upon for centuries and
have produced happy results.

The laws were not just some letters in books; but
were enforced both in letter and spirit, and their enforcement did
not create any problem.

In the end, it should be remembered that all
Muslims are duty-bound to propagate the teachings of Islam in their
prestine purity. Especially, they must acquaint their youths with
this divine teachings, so that the spirit of brotherhood and
cooperation (which is a living factor of Muslim society) becomes
stronger and stronger; and under the protection of that brotherhood
and cooperation we march forward to prosperity and
happiness.

----------

* Translated from
the Persian
THE END