*Riyad al-Salihin* from the Words of the Master of the Messengers, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Chapter on the Sanctity of the Rights of Muslims,
Clarifying Their Rights, and Showing Them Compassion and Mercy.
On the authority of Ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both,
that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim: he neither wrongs him nor surrenders him to an enemy.
Whoever attends to the need of his brother, Allah will attend to his need.
Whoever relieves a Muslim of an affliction, Allah will relieve him of an affliction from the afflictions of the Day of Resurrection.
And whoever conceals the fault of a Muslim, Allah will conceal his faults on the Day of Resurrection."
Agreed upon.
"He neither wrongs him" means he does not unlawfully diminish his wealth or his rights, nor does he transgress against him.
"Nor surrenders him" means he does not abandon him to his enemy or to his haters to harm him.
"Relieves" means removes, and "an affliction" (*kurbah*) refers to severe distress and anguish.
Among the benefits of the hadith:
Muslims are brothers bound by mutual love and cooperative partners,
each complementing the other so that the communal structure is perfected and strengthened.
Striving to fulfill the needs of Muslims and relieve their distress is an act of drawing near to Allah,
and a means for one's own needs to be fulfilled, distress relieved, and sorrow dispelled.
It is forbidden to wrong a Muslim or abandon him to the mercy of oppressors and their accomplices.
A Muslim rightly aids his brother, restrains him from committing injustice, and never abandons him to his enemy.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim: he does not betray him, lie to him, or forsake him.
Everything belonging to a Muslim is inviolable to another Muslim: his honor, his wealth, and his blood.
Piety is right here.
It is evil enough for a man to look down upon his fellow Muslim."
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi.
"He does not betray him" means he does not withhold his right, which stems from treachery, the opposite of trustworthiness.
"He does not lie to him" means he does not falsely accuse him of lying,
nor does he report something contrary to the truth to him.
"He does not forsake him" means he does not withhold assistance from him.
"His honor" (*'ird*) refers to his personal dignity and noble reputation,
which must not be violated through reviling, backbiting, slander, or defamation.
"It is evil enough for a man" means looking down upon Muslims suffices as a profound evil.
Among the benefits of the hadith:
Muslims are brothers who are trustworthy and God-fearing,
mutually supporting one another in goodness and righteousness.
Holding Muslims in contempt is a sign of arrogance,
and arrogance is evil in its entirety.
The wealth, blood, and honor of a Muslim are inviolable without legitimate legal justification.
Piety (*taqwa*) toward Allah prevents wrongdoing, pride, and heedless insolence.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Do not envy one another, do not artificially inflate prices (*tanajush*),
do not hate one another, do not turn your backs on one another,
and do not undercut one another in trade.
Rather, be servants of Allah, brothers.
A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim:
he neither wrongs him, scorns him, nor forsakes him.
Piety is right here" —
and he pointed to his chest three times —
"It is evil enough for a man
to look down upon his fellow Muslim.
Everything belonging to a Muslim is inviolable to another Muslim:
his blood, his wealth, and his honor."
Narrated by Muslim.
*Najash* is to artificially raise the bidding price of an item
being auctioned in the marketplace or elsewhere,
having no intention of purchasing it,
but rather intending to deceive someone else;
and this is strictly forbidden.
*Tadabur* (turning one's back) means to shun a person,
boycott him, and treat him as though he were
cast behind one's back.
"Do not envy one another"
means let none of you envy the other;
envy (*hasad*) is wishing for the removal of a blessing.
"Do not hate one another"
means let none of you harbor hatred toward another for reasons other than for the sake of Allah.
Among the benefits of the hadith:
The prohibition of envy,
which is firmly established in the Book, the Sunnah,
and the consensus of the Ummah.
The prohibition of artificial bid-rigging (*najash*),
because it is rooted in cheating and deception,
hazard, and harm.
Boycotting among Muslims
that leads to alienation and severing ties is forbidden,
for Allah has made Muslims brethren,
and brothers are meant to love one another.
The prohibitions against this have multiplied
to the point of being mutawatir (mass-transmitted).
It is not permissible to inflict harm on a Muslim
in any manner whatsoever, whether by word, deed,
or unjustified gesture.
On the authority of Anas, may Allah be pleased with him,
from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who said:
"None of you truly believes
until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself."
Agreed upon.
And on his authority, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Help your brother, whether he is an oppressor or is oppressed."
A man said:
"O Messenger of Allah,
I help him if he is oppressed,
but have you considered if he is an oppressor, how should I help him?"
He said:
"By restraining him or preventing him from committing injustice;
that is indeed helping him."
Narrated by al-Bukhari.
Among the benefits of the hadith:
The obligation of coming to the aid of the oppressed.
Restraining the hand of the oppressor
is helping him overcome his own base desires and his devil.
The obligation of enjoining good and forbidding wrong.
The obligation of upholding the rights of faith-based brotherhood.
Islam transformed
the concepts of the pre-Islamic Jahiliyyah from destruction to constructive development;
for the people of the Jahiliyyah used to support one another blindly,
whether they were the ones oppressed
or were actively oppressing others,
based on pagan tribalism (*'asabiyyah*).
Islam taught its followers
to place matters in their proper perspective:
a Muslim helps his oppressed brother
by reclaiming his right and deterring his oppressor,
never leaving him free to devour the wealth of Allah's servants,
tear down their honor, or shed their blood.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him,
that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
said:
"The rights of a Muslim upon a Muslim are five:
returning greetings of peace, visiting the sick,
following funeral processions,
accepting invitations, and responding to the one who sneezes."
Agreed upon.
In a narration by Muslim:
"The rights of a Muslim are six:
when you meet him, greet him with peace;
when he invites you, accept his invitation;
when he seeks your sincere counsel, advise him;
when he sneezes and praises Allah, pray for Allah's mercy upon him;
when he falls ill, visit him;
and when he dies, follow his funeral procession."
That is, these are obligatory and binding duties.
Responding to the one who sneezes (*tashmit*)
is your saying to whoever sneezes and praises Allah:
"May Allah have mercy on you" (*yarhamukallah*).
Among the benefits of the hadith:
Returning the greeting of peace is an individual obligation (*fard 'ayn*)
when the person greeted is alone,
while it suffices for one person to respond on behalf of a group.
Visiting the sick is among his established rights over fellow Muslims.
Accompanying funeral processions from their place of departure,
praying over them,
and burying them are communal obligations (*fard kifayah*).
The obligation to accept invitations,
provided they do not involve sin.
Responding to the one who sneezes is an individual obligation,
according to his saying, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him:
"It is a duty upon everyone who hears him."
The one who sneezes does not merit this response unless he says:
"Praise be to Allah" (*al-hamdu lillah*).
Offering sincere advice to whoever seeks it
is an obligatory duty upon the one consulted.
The greatness of the Islamic methodology
in reinforcing the bonds of society
and strengthening the ties of mutual love among its members.
On the authority of Abu 'Umarah,
al-Bara' ibn 'Azib, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said:
"The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, commanded us with seven things
and forbade us from seven:
he commanded us to visit the sick,
to follow funeral processions,
to pray for the one who sneezes,
to help fulfill the oath of one who adjures us,
to support the oppressed,
to accept the invitation of the host,
and to spread greetings of peace.
And he forbade us from wearing gold rings,
from wearing silk-embroidered garments (*al-qasiyy*),
and from wearing plain silk, heavy brocade (*istabraq*), and ornate silk (*dibaj*)."
Agreed upon.
In another narration:
"and announcing lost items" is mentioned among the first seven.
*Al-Mayathir*
is the plural of *maytharah*, which is a cushion made of silk
stuffed with cotton or similar filling,
placed upon saddles and camel litters.
*Al-Qasiyy*
refers to garments woven from a blend of silk and linen.
"Announcing lost property"
means seeking out its owner by advertising it.
"Helping fulfill the oath"
means complying with and validating the request of one who implores you by oath
to perform what he asked of you,
provided it is lawful and within your capability to do.
*Dibaj* is a variety of pure, thick silk.
*Istabraq*
is thick, coarse brocade made of silk.
Among the benefits of the hadith:
The obligation upon anyone capable of aiding an oppressed person,
by restoring his rights to him
and deterring his oppressor from harming him.
The prohibition of using gold and silver vessels.
The prohibition against men wearing gold rings.
The prohibition against men wearing silk.
and on searching for lost property in the mosques,
from *Riyad al-Salihin*.