On the authority of Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased
with him) who said: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and
blessings be upon him) said, “Do not be envious of one another; do not
artificially raise prices against one another; do not hate one another;
do not turn one’s back on each other; and do not undercut one another in
business transactions. And be, [O] servants of Allah, bretheren. A
Muslim is the brother of a Muslim. He does not wrong him. He does not
fail him [when he needs him]. He does not lie to him. And he does not
show contempt for him. Piety is here” – and he pointed to his chest
three times. “It is enough of evil for a person to hold his brother
Muslim in contempt. All of a Muslim is inviolable to another Muslim: his
blood, his wealth and his honor.” (Recorded in Muslim)
“… do not hate one another…”
Continuing with our summary of this hadith, as explained by Jamal al-Din M. Zarabozo in his work ‘Commentary on the Forty Hadith of Al-Nawawi’,
we find that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
prohibited us from hating each other. This means that we cannot hate our
fellow Muslim over a difference of opinion, or due to their origin or
the colour of their skin and so forth. All of that type of hatred is
forbidden in Islam, and goes against the concept of Brotherhood.
It is clear from the Qur’an that one of the greatest blessings that
Allah gives the believers is togetherness and the love of Islam. This is
a very special kind of bond that transcends worldly things.
Allah says
in the Qur’an:
“And remember Allah’s favour upon you. You were enemies one to
another but He joined your hearts together, so that, by His grace, you
became bretheren. And you were on a brink of a pit of fire and He saved
you from it” (Surah ali-Imraan:103)
He, all praises and glory to Him, also says:
“And He has united their [the believers] hearts. If you [O
Muhammad] had spent all that is in the earth, you could not have united
their hearts. But it is Allah who has united them. Certainly, He is
All-Mighty, All-Wise” (Surah al-Anfaal:63)
We should never underestimate the importance of loving one another
for the sake of Allah. In another hadith the Prophet, peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him said:
“You will never enter Paradise until you believe. And you will
not believe until you love one another. Certainly, I shall guide you to
something that, if you do it, you will love one another: Spread the
greetings (of peace) among yourselves.” (Recorded in Muslim)
As we saw in the explanation of the evils of envy, spreading the salam
brings us closer together, and fosters love amongst the Muslims. We
should also be very careful to treat one another in the best of manners
so that we do not offend or hurt the feelings of our fellow Muslims, as
this can lead us towards the sin of hating one another. We should do our
best to be patient and overlook each other’s faults. This is especially
true of the husband and wife who have to deal with each other on a
regular basis. The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
said:
“A believing man should not hate a believing woman. If he dislikes one characteristic in her, he is pleased with another.” (Recorded in Muslim)
Highlighting the importance of love between the believers, Allah has
also forbidden acts that lead to enmity and hatred, such as alcohol,
gambling. He makes it clear that these are from the tools that Satan
uses to cause hatred between humans. Allah says:
“Satan wants only to excite enmity and hatred among you with
intoxicants and gambling, and to hinder you from the remembrance of
Allah and from the prayer. So will you not then abstain?” (al-Maaidah:91)
In the same way, Allah prohibits backbiting or speaking badly about
others. He, all praises and glory be to Him, also praises those who try
to reconcile the hearts
and make peace between two people who have been estranged. All of these
things work together to bring hearts closer together for the sake of
Islam.
Is Hatred Amongst Muslims Ever Permissible?
It is important to note that this hadith of the Prophet, peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him, does not mean that all forms of hatred
are forbidden in Islam. There is one type of hatred that is permissible,
hate for the sake of Allah. Indeed love and hate for the sake of Allah
is a very important aspect of our faith. As the Prophet, peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
“The one who loves for the sake of Allah, hates for the sake of
Allah, gives for the sake of Allah and withholds for the sake of Allah
has completed the faith.” (Recorded in Abu Dawood)
Sometimes some people follow a certain scholar, but do not realise that he could
in fact be wrong. They hate everyone who opposes his opinion. In such a
case, this hatred for others is not actually for the sake of Allah, and
is not correct according to the Sharee'ah.
So let’s remember to spread the salam, amongst those whom we
know and those who we don’t, to deal with each other with the best of
manners, and not to backbite or lie. Let’s try to overlook each other’s
shortcomings, and advise each other to what is best. Remember that the
only permissible form of hate is hate for the sake of Allah, and the
best form of love is love for His sake.
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