Brotherhood – The Unlimited Bond

There are many ways to enter Paradise. Some may say that performing the prayers will lead you to Paradise. And we say yes to this. Some may say that reciting the Quran will lead you to Paradise. We also say yes to that. Some may say that fasting in the month of Ramadan and obeying your parents are two means of gaining Paradise, and we say of course, and yes to both. Another reason why a large number of people will enter Paradise is due to a true, strong sense of brotherhood, known in Arabic as ukhuwwa. 
Allah created all of the believers as brothers. He tells us in the Quran: 
إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌ فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَ أَخَوَيْكُمْ ۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّـهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ  
“The believers are but brothers, so make settlement between your brothers. And fear Allah that you may receive mercy.” [49:10] 

What is brotherhood? Is it the same as normal friendship? Ukhuwwah, brotherhood, is a friendship that is established for the sake of Allah. It is a strong friendship, and to be honest, it is one of strongest bonds you can imagine. 

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ actually told us what true brotherhood is,"The connection between Muslims is like that of a strong building, one part strengthens another. The Prophet then showed this by interlocking the fingers of one hand with those of the other.” [Bukhari] 

Our brotherhood should be like that of the different parts of a building, one part supporting all the other parts. If you imagine a building with five floors, the building will have pillars to keep it stable. Each floor will take the pressure from the above floors. Moreover, the material the building is made out of has to resist pressure coming from all directions. If we took out some of the pillars, or if we removed one of the middle floors, or if the building was made out of the wrong material, then the whole building would collapse. Likewise, my brothers, our brotherhood reach a level in which we are constantly helping each other. Our brotherhood should reach a level in which we support each other to do good, and whenever we slip, we should remind each other in a polite manner. We should strengthen and complement one another by supporting each other. We are all brothers and, therefore, we shouldn’t lie or cheat one another. 
We need to have the type of brotherhood that would please Allah. We need to have the type of brotherhood that would cause angels to say to Allah, “Yes, they met each other for Your sake and did good deeds to please You.” We need to have the type of brotherhood we can brag about the days in Paradise. 

What are some of the ways we can strengthen brotherhood? 

1) Dua- brothers should make dua for each other. In a hadith, the Prophet ﷺsaid, “The supplication of a Muslim for his brother in his absence will certainly be answered. Every time he makes a supplication for good for his brother, the angel appointed for this particular task says: `Ameen! May it be for you, too.” [Muslim] 

The reward for you making dua for your brother is that the angels will make the same dua for you. SubhanAllah, imagine that, the angels making dua for you. 

2) Should you love a brother, tell him so. The Prophet (ﷺ) advised us by saying,“If one of you loves his brother, let him tell him.” [Tirmidhi] 

3) When you meet one of your brothers, hasten to smile and shake hands with him. Spread the Salam. The Prophet (ﷺ) said,“I swear by the one in whose hand lies my soul that you will not enter Paradise until you believe. And you shall not believe until you love one another. Shall I tell you something, that if you practice it, you will love another? Spread the (Salam) Islamic greeting amongst yourselves.” [Muslim] 

4) Visit your brothers regularly. 

5) Eat together in groups, for this is a sunnah and source of blessings. 

6) Buy each other gifts. No gift is too small or too big. 

I’ll leave you all with the quote of one of the righteous predecessors who said, "Stick to brotherhood, for it is of great help in this world and the next." (Ali Ibn Abi-Talib) 

We ask Allah to strengthen our ties of brotherhood and to help us fulfil each others’ rights. We ask Allah to give us the tawfeeq to internalise ukhuwwa and to make it a means for us to enter Jannah.