Class 6
SINCERITY TOWARDS MUSLIMS
The Prophet ﷺ said,
“Religion is sincerity, religion is sincerity, religion is sincerity.”
They said; “To whom, O Messenger of Allah?”
He ﷺ said: “To Allah, to His Book, to His Messenger, to the imams of the Muslims and to their common folk.” (Sahih Muslim)
Sincerity to General Muslims
It is…
To guide them to what is beneficial for them, both in the Hereafter and in this life.
To keep harm away from them.
To help them by words and actions.
To hide their faults and to fulfil their needs and wants.
To remove that which is harmful to them, and to bring that which is of benefit to them.
To order them with good and to forbid them from evil, with gentleness, sincerity, and compassion for them.
To love the good things for them, which he would love for himself.
To hate the bad things for them, which he would hate for himself.
To protect their wealth, and reputation, and other than that, with sayings and actions.
Above all to fulfill their rights.
Rights of a Muslim on another
The Prophet ﷺ said,
“The rights of one Muslim over another are five: returning the greeting of Salam, visiting the sick, attending funerals, accepting invitations, and saying Yarhamuk Allah (may Allah have mercy on you) to one who sneezes.” (Bukhari & Muslim)
“The rights of one Muslim over another are six: ‘If you meet him, greet him with Salam; if he invites you, accept the invitation; if he asks for advice, give him sincere advice; if he sneezes and praises Allah, say Yarhamuk Allah (may Allah have mercy on you); if he falls sick, visit him; and if he dies, attend his funeral’.” (Sahih Muslim)
Ash-Shawkani (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “What is meant by the words “The rights of the Muslim” is that they should not be omitted and doing them is either obligatory, or encouraged to such an extent that it is very similar to being obligatory and should not be omitted. The word “right” (Haqq) may be used in the sense of obligatory, as was mentioned by Ibn Al-`Arabi.” (Nayl Al-Awtar, 4/21)
1. Returning the greeting of Salam
’A man asked the Prophet ﷺ, “What Islamic traits are the best?” The Prophet ﷺ said, “To give food, and to greet everyone, whether you know or you do not.” (Bukhari & Muslim)
The Prophet ﷺ urged the Muslims to foster love between one another by exchanging gifts and food, and by spreading salam, and he forbade the opposite, namely forsaking one another, turning away from one another, spying on one another, seeking out information about one another, stirring up trouble and being two faced.
It is obligatory if the greeting is given to one person. If it is given to a group, then it is obligatory upon the group (Fard Kifayah or communal obligation; if one of the group returns the greeting, the obligation has been met). With regard to initiating the greeting, the basic principle is that it is encouraged.
“Initiating the greeting is Sunnah Mu’akkadah (a confirmed Sunnah) because the Prophet ﷺ said, “The person nearest to Allah is one who is the first to offer greeting.” [Abu Dawud].
2. Visiting the sick it is a communal obligation.
Visiting the sick is considered a communal obligation upon the Ummah. One of the rights that every Muslim has over another is to be visited when ill. There are many narrations which mention the virtues of visiting the sick. The Prophet ﷺ said,
“When the Muslim visits his (sick) Muslim brother, he is harvesting the fruits of Paradise until he returns.” (Sahih Muslim)
“Whoever visits a sick person or visits a brother in Islam, a caller cries out to him: ‘May you be happy, may your walking be blessed, and may you occupy a dignified position in Paradise’.” (At-Tirmidhi, classed as hasan by Albani.)
“There is no Muslim who visits a (sick) Muslim early in the morning but seventy thousand angels send blessings upon him until evening comes, and if he visits him in the evening, seventy thousand angels send blessings upon him until morning comes, and he will have a garden in Paradise.” (At-Tirmidhi, classed as hasan by Albani.)
SubhanAllah! These narrations should be more than enough incentive to us to seek out the ill in our community and to visit them, both with the sincere intention to cheer them up and for the rewards that Allah has promised us.
3. Attending funerals
The Funeral Prayer is a communal obligation (Fard Kifaayah) that must be offered for anyone who dies and was apparently a Muslim, even if he or she commited Major sins.
An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Offering the funeral prayer for the deceased is a communal obligation with no difference of opinion among us, which means there is (scholarly) consensus.
Also there is great reward in it. The Messenger of Allaah ﷺ said: “Whoever attends a funeral until he offers the (funeral) prayer will have one qiraat (of reward) and whoever attends until the burial is done will have two qiraats.” It was said: “What are the two qiraats?” He ﷺ said: “Like two great mountains.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1261; Muslim, 945)
Offering Funeral Prayer is also a means of benefitting the Dead. When the Muslims pray janazah for their deceased brother, they are granted intercession for him. The more the number of Muslims who join in the prayer, the more beneficial it is for the deceased.
Since those Muslims who associated with him did not find any major problem to prevent them from supplicating for him, Allaah the most generous accepts that and agrees to forgive many of his hidden sins that they did not know. Allaah’s Messenger ﷺ said, “Whenever a Muslim man dies, and forty men stand for his janazah prayer, all of them not joining anything with Allaah in worship, Allaah grants them intercession for him.” (Muslim and others).
In another narration, the number 100 was mentioned instead of 40
So strive to offer Funeral prayers and try and get as many Muslims to attend the Funeral prayer and request them to pray for the deceased.
4. Accepting Invitations
It is the right of a Muslim to have his invitation accepted by his fellow Muslim. The Prophet ﷺ said, “Whoever does not accept the invitation has disobeyed Allah and His Messenger”. (Bukhari & Muslim). This is only when there is no sin or disobedience involved.
The scholars have stipulated conditions for accepting an invitation; if these conditions are not met then it is not obligatory or commendable to accept the invitation, rather it may be prohibited to attend. These conditions were summed up by Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Uthaymin (may Allah have mercy on him), who said:
There should be nothing objectionable in the place where the party etc. is to be held. If there is something objectionable and it is possible to change it, then it is obligatory to attend for two reasons: to accept the invitation and to change the objectionable thing. If it is not possible to change it then it is prohibited to attend.
The host should not be someone who openly commits immoral actions or sin, where forsaking him may be of benefit in bringing about his repentance.
The host should be a Muslim. If he is not, then it is not obligatory to accept the invitation, because the Prophet ﷺ said: “The rights of a Muslim over his fellow Muslim are five…”
The food offered should be permissible for us to eat.
Accepting the invitation should not lead to neglecting a more important duty like Salah etc; if that is the case then it is prohibited to accept the invitation.
It should not cause any trouble to the person who is invited. For example, if he needs to travel or to leave his family who need him there, and so on. (Al-Qawl Al-Mufid, 3/111)
In general, accepting invitations strengthens bonds and supports Muslims in both joyous and difficult times and so we should be eager to accept invitations and be part of good and bad times of our brothers and sisters.
5. Saying Yarhamuk Allah
Saying “Yarhamuk Allah (may Allah have mercy on you)” to a person who sneezes, if he says “Al hamdu Lillah (praise be to Allah),” is a communal obligation, in the sense that if one person says it, the obligation is waived for the others.
The Prophet ﷺ said: “When one of you sneezes, let him say, ‘Al-hamdu-Lillah (Praise be to Allah),’ and let his brother or companion say to him. ‘Yarhamuk Allah (May Allah have mercy on you).’ If he says, ‘Yarhamuk-Allah,’ then let (the sneezer) say, ‘Yahdikum Allah wa yuslihu balakum (May Allah guide you and rectify your condition).’” (Sahih Bukhari)
Also the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “The one who sneezes may be told Yarhamuk Allah three times; if he sneezes more than that, he has a cold.” (Ibn Majah; classed as sahih by al-Albani)
6. Sincere Advice
Giving sincere advice is one of the prominent characteristics of Islamic brotherhood; it is part of perfect faith and Ihsan, for a Muslim’s faith cannot be perfect until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself, and until he hates for his brother what he hates for himself. This forms the motive for giving sincere advice.
In Surah Al-Asr Allah says, “By time, indeed, mankind is in loss, except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience.”
Al-Bukhari (57) and Muslim (56) narrated that Jarir ibn `Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I gave my oath of allegiance to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, pledging to establish regular prayer, pay Zakah and be sincere towards every Muslim.
Etiquette of giving advice in Islam
There is a general etiquette for giving sincere advice to which the one who is compassionate towards the Muslims should adhere. This includes the following:
His motive for giving advice should be love of good for his brother and hating for anything bad to befall him.
He should be sincere when giving advice ,
The advice should be given in a spirit of brotherhood and friendship, with no element of rebuke or harshness.
It should be done on the basis of knowledge and clear proof.
The advice should be given privately, not out loud in front of people, unless doing so serves a clear interest that outweighs any negative consequences.
Choose the best words & phrases, deal gently and speak kindly to him.
Bear with patience any harm that may result because of his advice.
Respect confidentiality and conceal the faults.
Choose an appropriate time to give advice.
Practice what you preach.
Please join our free online certificate course STRENGTHEN & UNITE, to learn about how to strengthen yourself, your family and the Ummah. Learn what helps and harms the unity in the Ummah amongst other topics.
“STRENGTHEN & UNITE” : https://learn-islam.org/strengthen-and-unite
Note this is not part of the ongoing course, it is an independent course that can be done at your own pace and at your own convenience.
May Allah bless us all who gathered to gain knowledge for His Sake with strength and sabr. May Allah give us all the understanding to help the Ummah to unite and not fall into the traps of Shaitaan and cause hate and separation.
We ask Allah to grant us the hidayah to worship Him, and obey Him as He deserves – we ask Him to forgive us and show us His mercy, grant us strength and success over the oppressors. And all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. And may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon the Messenger, his family, his Companions and followers.
TIPS FOR THE TEST
Do not have to memorise the ayahs or hadeeths word for word and their references, but remember their meanings and the msg being given.
Remember the rights
ASSIGNMENT
There will be an Assignment Question asked in the Test. Marks will be given based on the following: -
I. Invite atleast 10 people to the course (can invite via WhatsApp, Facebook, Email, telegram or word of mouth) 4 Marks. (check the note below for exceptions)
Note:
Those who have already invited whether on Whatsapp, Email or FB, do not need to invite again.
It does not matter, whether people join or not, our job is to invite.
II. Talk to 5 people (friends or family) about any three topics from the course - (5 Marks)
III. Pray for the Ummah, pray for the ease of all the poor & oppressed Muslims and Maghfirah of the Muslims who passed away. Pray that Allah make us all strong in imaan and give us the hidayah to work for the aakhirah and to help each other. - 1 Mark
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