وَكَذَلِكَ كُلُّ مُكْرَهٍ يَخَافُ ، فَإِنَّهُ يَذُبُّ عَنْهُ الْمَظَالِمَ وَيُقَاتِلُ دُونَهُ ، وَلَا يَخْذُلُهُ فَإِنْ قَاتَلَ دُونَ الْمَظْلُومِ فَلَا قَوَدَ عَلَيْهِ ، وَلَا قِصَاصَ وَإِنْ قِيلَ لَهُ لَتَشْرَبَنَّ الْخَمْرَ أَوْ لَتَأْكُلَنَّ الْمَيْتَةَ أَوْ لَتَبِيعَنَّ عَبْدَكَ أَوْ تُقِرُّ بِدَيْنٍ ، أَوْ تَهَبُ هِبَةً وَتَحُلُّ عُقْدَةً أَوْ لَنَقْتُلَنَّ أَبَاكَ أَوْ أَخَاكَ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ ، وَمَا أَشْبَهَ ذَلِكَ وَسِعَهُ ذَلِكَ ، لِقَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الْمُسْلِمُ أَخُو الْمُسْلِمِ ، وَقَالَ بَعْضُ النَّاسِ : لَوْ قِيلَ لَهُ لَتَشْرَبَنَّ الْخَمْرَ أَوْ لَتَأْكُلَنَّ الْمَيْتَةَ ، أَوْ لَنَقْتُلَنَّ ابْنَكَ أَوْ أَبَاكَ أَوْ ذَا رَحِمٍ مُحَرَّمٍ لَمْ يَسَعْهُ لِأَنَّ هَذَا لَيْسَ بِمُضْطَرٍّ ، ثُمَّ نَاقَضَ ، فَقَالَ : إِنْ قِيلَ لَهُ لَنَقْتُلَنَّ أَبَاكَ أَوِ ابْنَكَ أَوْ لَتَبِيعَنَّ هَذَا الْعَبْدَ أَوْ تُقِرُّ بِدَيْنٍ أَوْ تَهَبُ يَلْزَمُهُ فِي الْقِيَاسِ ، وَلَكِنَّا نَسْتَحْسِنُ وَنَقُولُ الْبَيْعُ وَالْهِبَةُ وَكُلُّ عُقْدَةٍ فِي ذَلِكَ بَاطِلٌ فَرَّقُوا بَيْنَ كُلِّ ذِي رَحِمٍ مُحَرَّمٍ ، وَغَيْرِهِ بِغَيْرِ كِتَابٍ وَلَا سُنَّةٍ ، وَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ، قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ لِامْرَأَتِهِ هَذِهِ أُخْتِي وَذَلِكَ فِي اللَّهِ ، وَقَالَ النَّخَعِيُّ إِذَا كَانَ الْمُسْتَحْلِفُ ظَالِمًا فَنِيَّةُ الْحَالِفِ وَإِنْ كَانَ مَظْلُومًا فَنِيَّةُ الْمُسْتَحْلِفِ .
And if he swore an oath out of fear that if he did not swear, some oppressor would kill him or inflict some other punishment upon him, then likewise, anyone who is forced and is afraid, it is obligatory upon every Muslim to help him, to repel the oppressor’s oppression from him, to fight for his rescue, and not to leave him in the hands of the enemy. Then, if he fought in support of the oppressed and, with the intention of rescuing him, killed the oppressor, then retaliation (qisas) will not be obligatory upon him (nor will blood money be obligatory). And if someone is told: “Drink wine, or eat carrion, or sell your slave, or admit to such-and-such a debt (or write its document), or give such-and-such a thing as a gift, or annul a contract, otherwise we will kill your religious father or brother,” then it is permissible for him to do these things, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “A Muslim is the brother of another Muslim.” And some people say: If he is told: “Drink wine, or eat carrion, otherwise we will kill your son or father or a close relative—brother, uncle, maternal uncle, etc.—then it is not permissible for him to do these things, nor will he be considered compelled (mudtar). Then, some of these people contradicted themselves in another issue. They say: If someone is told: “We will kill your father or son unless you sell this slave of yours, or admit to such-and-such a debt, or give such-and-such a thing as a gift,” then by analogy, all these transactions are valid and effective. But in this issue, we act upon benevolence (ihsan) and say that in such a situation, the sale, gift, and every contract, admission, etc., will be invalid. Some of these people have also differentiated between blood relatives and non-blood relatives, for which there is no evidence from the Qur’an or Hadith. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said that Ibrahim (peace be upon him) said to his wife Sarah: “She is my sister in the way of Allah, in terms of religion.” And Ibrahim al-Nakha’i said: If the one demanding the oath is an oppressor, then the intention of the one swearing is considered; and if the one demanding the oath is oppressed, then his intention is considered.
حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ بُكَيْرِ حَدَّثَنَا اللَّيْثُ عَنْ عُقَيْلٍ عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ أَنَّ سَالِمًا أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: «الْمُسْلِمُ أَخُو الْمُسْلِمِ، لاَ يَظْلِمُهُ، وَلاَ يُسْلِمُهُ، وَمَنْ كَانَ فِي حَاجَةِ أَخِيهِ، كَانَ اللَّهُ فِي حَاجَتِهِ».
Narrated `Abdullah bin `Umar: Allah's Apostle said, "A Muslim is a brother of another Muslim. So he should neither oppress him nor hand him over to an oppressor. And whoever fulfilled the needs of his brother, Allah will fulfill his needs."
Explanation & Benefits
Maulana Dawood Raz
Hadith Commentary:
According to this very hadith, the people of Allah have strived for other needy individuals as much as was within their capacity.
May Allah, Lord of all the worlds, grant every brother and sister who studies Sahih al-Bukhari the ability to act upon this noble hadith.
Ameen.
Source: Sahih Bukhari: Commentary by Maulana Dawood Raz, Page: 6951
Shaykh Abdul Sattar al-Hammad
Hadith Commentary:
(1)
This hadith encourages that Muslims should cooperate with one another and deal with each other in a good manner, and if a sin is committed by someone, it should be concealed. However, regarding those sins which a person may commit and there is a risk that if a Muslim brother is not warned in time, he may fall into sin, then it is necessary to prevent him from such a sin.
The matter of criticism and validation (jarh wa ta'dil) regarding the narrators of hadith is different from this. In this context, one should not act with concealment, because criticizing them is not considered backbiting (ghibah).
Similarly, if one has to give testimony about someone, then one should give accurate testimony, because correct testimony is the right of society. In such situations, trying to hide someone from the law and concealing the criminal is itself a crime.
(2)
This hadith also indicates that a person should not backbite (ghibah) another, because this exposes someone’s faults, and in this way, a person himself becomes deprived of Allah’s concealment (satr).
(Fath al-Bari: 5/121)
Source: Hidayat al-Qari: Commentary on Sahih Bukhari, Urdu, Page: 2442
Shaykh Maulana Abdul Aziz Alvi
Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues:
From this hadith, it is understood that assisting a Muslim brother in a lawful matter, fulfilling his need, is in reality fulfilling one’s own need and requirement. Because if we fulfill someone’s lawful need, Allah Ta’ala will fulfill our needs. Similarly, if we solve someone’s difficulty, or in any way—by wealth, by action, by word—assist him in his time of distress, then Allah Ta’ala will remove our distress on the Day of Resurrection.
In the same way, if a person individually ever commits a mistake, and this slip is not his habit or practice, and others are not affected by it, and he himself is ashamed of it, then concealing his mistake is desirable.
But if he repeatedly commits it and harms others, then exposing him is preferable.
Source: Tuhfat al-Muslim: Commentary on Sahih Muslim, Page: 6578
Shaykh Dr. Abdur Rahman Freywai
Explanation:
1:
The statement of Allah Ta'ala:
﴿إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌ﴾ (Al-Hujurat: 10) also carries this very meaning.
Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhi – Majlis ‘Ilmi Dar al-Da‘wah, New Delhi Edition, Page: 1426
Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi
Benefits and Issues:
One should keep informed about the conditions of other Muslim brothers and sisters, relatives, neighbors, and friends.
Especially in times of difficulty, becoming indifferent to them and leaving them to their circumstances is against the Shari‘ah and a very bad trait.
Source: Sunan Abu Dawood – Commentary by Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi, Page: 4893