Dear Muslims,
By His mercy and kindness, Allah the Almighty has endowed upon the human being the blessing of having a siblings, the latter thus being a priceless gift from Him. The Most Exalted illustrated this in His holy Book in the story of Musa (Moses) pbuh, for He says, "and We gave him out of Our mercy his brother Aaron as a prophet." (Mariam: 53). This gift was awarded by Allah the Almighty in response to the supplication of Musa pbuh to his Lord to make his brother Haroon (Aaron) a helping hand for him in his life affairs. So, he invoked Him saying, "increase through him my strength. And let him share my task." (Taha: 31-32).
Indeed, a brother to a brother is a protection shield, aid and a source of strength. They stand by one another and help each other with all that which they can afford. As such, a brother becomes the refuge to which his brothers can seek while facing the burdens of life, embodying in this the perfect and most beautiful and honourable bonds. Through their firm ties, brothers impart happiness and tranquillity to the hearts of their parents, consolidation and harmony to their families as well as solidarity and peace to their society.
This brings us to a question on what the duties of a brother towards his brother ?
O Servants of Allah,
The answer to this question was clearly explicated by the Messenger of Allah pbuh. He has advocated us that one's brother, whether a biological one or a milk kinship, are the most people worthy of one's kindness and honouring after parents and sisters. To this, the Prophet pbuh said, "Do acts of goodness towards your mother, your father, your sister, your brother, then the next closest, and then the next closest." As for the aspects of goodness towards brother, they involve asking about him, about his children and family members, as well as checking about his conditions, showing love to him, visiting him and sharing with him every happy and sad moment in life.
Unquestionably, brothers are strongly bonded by the blood relationship. They have been raised up in one house, gathered around one dining table and, thus, share sweet memories of their childhood times with unforgettable occasions during childhood and youth. Brothers remain united with the bonds of love and cooperation as long as they live. In this sense, the essence of the sincere connection amongst brothers is that each one of them should love for his brother that which he loves for himself. Accentuating this principle, the Messenger of Allah pbuh once said to one of his companions, "Do you love Paradise?" The man said, "Yes." The Prophet said, "Then you should love for your brother what you love for yourself."
This means, wish for your brother the prosperity and wellbeing that you wish for yourself, for a brother would not only innately hope that his brother attain all that is good, but also strive to benefit him as much as possible. A good example on this is the one of Al Waleed Ibn Al Waleed, may Allah be pleased with him, when he sent to his brother, Khalid Ibn Al Waleed, a letter inviting him for what benefits him, raise his status and cause him to be successful. Khalid, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "When I received the letter from my brother... I went to the Messenger of Allah pbuh, greeted him and embrace Islam."
Furthermore, one other aspect of the splendid relationship between brothers is that each one of them is a mirror for the other. If one of them sees a flaw in the other, he hastens to correct it; when he finds in him a shortcoming, he strives to perfect it; and when he gives him a piece of advice, he will be honest and sincere in doing so. On this account, the Prophet pbuh said, "If one of you was asked for advice by his brother, he should do so."
So, one should advise his brother about the best virtues and deeds and consult him in his matters. The righteous ancestors have set good example in sharing their best knowledge and righteous opinions with their brothers. For instance, it was reported that Abdullah Ibn Al Mubarak, may Allah have mercy on him, was once asked, "What is the best thing a person is ever given?" He replied, "Innate intelligence." He was then asked, "And if not that?" He replied, "Good conduct." He was then asked, "And if not that?" He replied, "A compassionate brother to consult."
O Servants of Allah,
Brothers have rights towards each other. Younger siblings should be grateful for the favours of their older ones and, hence, show due to respect to them and attribute to them the status they attribute to their parents in reverence and honouring. The Prophet pbuh said, "Whoever does not show respect to our elders is one of us." Another good example that can be brought here is the one of a grandchild of Umar Ibn Al Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him. He was a scholar with vast knowledge of Hadith and whenever he was asked about a Hadith, he used to refer the questioner to his elder brother, in respect to and appreciation of his status.
Similarly, the elder brother has duties to be fulfilled towards his younger siblings. They should show sympathy towards them, take care of them and teach them. The messenger of Allah pbuh said, "Whoever does not show mercy on our youngsters is not one of us." The elder brother is also compassionate and tolerant so that when a disagreement occurs with his younger siblings, he will hasten to mend it, re-connect the bonds and strengthen the relationship. Elder brother is forgiving, for forgiveness is a noble quality as illustrated by a renowned poet when he said what it meant, "And do not break off with a brother of yours because of a mistake, for forgiveness is an action that only a noble man will take."
O Worshipers,
A loving and compassionate brother cooperates with his siblings, hastens to ease their matters in a caring manner, and generously support them financially at times of difficulty. Our Master Muhammad pbuh urged brothers to take care of each other and provide for one another as he said, "The hand which gives is the upper hand. One should start giving first to his dependents: your mother, your father, your sister and your brother."
Another token of love that a brother can offer to his siblings is the gift. Giving presents is really conducive to augment sentiments of love in the hearts of brothers. For this reason, giving gifts was an act that the companions of the Prophet pbuh, many Allah be pleased with them, ensured to do. In this context, it was narrated that Ibn Omar, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah pbuh once sent a beautiful garment as a gift to Umar Ibn Al Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, so Umar gave it as a gift to his brother. Thus, the first person that Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, has preferred over himself was his brother, so he sent the gift to him.
More to the point, a gift should not necessarily be a material one. It can also be moral. In this sense, amongst the best gifts that a brother may give to his brother is a righteous supplication in his absence, for it returns with welfare and blessings on both of them. About this, the Messenger of Allah pbuh said, "The supplication of a man for his brother in his absence will be answered. By his head there is an appointed angel, and every time he prays for his brother, the angel says: "Amin! May it be for you, too'."
Dear Muslims,
In the holy Quran, Allah the Almighty has emphasised the special status of a brother as being a means of support to his siblings. An illustration of this can be found in the story of Musa (Moses) pbuh in which Allah the Most Exalted tells him, "We will strengthen your arm through your brother." (Al-Qasas: 35). That is to say: We will boost your position and give you supremacy by means of your brother. Undoubtedly, a brother is the closest person to the human being and one who cares the most for his siblings' safety and interests, helping them sincerely and stand by their side with honest will.
For this reason, Musa chose his brother Horoon to support him in his mission and share with him the honour of Prophethood. So he invoked Allah the Almighty to grant him forgiveness and show mercy on him. About this, the Most Exalted says, "[Moses] said, 'My Lord, forgive me and my brother and admit us into Your mercy, for You are the most merciful of the merciful'." (Al-Aaraf: 151). In this Aya, Musa pbuh asks his Lord to forgive them their sins by His grace, and with His vast mercy that He endows upon the believers to show mercy on them. Some scholars suggested that there was no one more graceful towards his brother than Musa was to Haroon pbuh, for the former pleaded to Allah the Most Merciful until He made his brother Haroon a prophet.
Allah the Almighty has mentioned this story for us to take lessons from it and example from the two brothers. Ultimately, it shows us the great status of brother and inspires each one of us to maintain their brothers' affection and strive in the way of doing good to them.
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