Help a Muslim—Allah Will Help You in Return

Source: Sharḥ Kitāb al-Jāmiʿ from Bulūgh al-Marām by Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī
Translation: Ḥāfiẓ ʿAbd al-Salām bin Muḥammad Bhaṭwī

✦ Ḥadīth​

عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال:
قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم:
من نفس عن مسلم كربة من كرب الدنيا نفس الله عنه كربة من كرب يوم القيامة، ومن يسر على معسر يسر الله عليه في الدنيا والآخرة، ومن ستر مسلما ستره الله في الدنيا والآخرة، والله في عون العبد ما كان العبد في عون أخيه.
[رواه مسلم]


"Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
Whoever relieves a believer of a hardship from the hardships of this world, Allah will relieve him of a hardship from the hardships of the Day of Resurrection.
Whoever eases the situation of a debtor in difficulty, Allah will ease his affairs in this world and the Hereafter.
Whoever conceals (the fault of) a Muslim, Allah will conceal him in this world and the Hereafter.
And Allah continues to help the servant as long as he helps his brother."
[Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim – Kitāb al-Dhikr wa al-Duʿāʾ / 38]
Also see: Tuḥfat al-Ashrāf 9/375

❖ Important Terms​

نَفَّسَ – From tanfīs al-khannaq, meaning to loosen a suffocating grip — that is, to relieve distress.
كُرْبَةٌ – An overwhelming sorrow or anxiety that burdens the soul and constrains the heart, suffocating one's emotional state.

❖ Key Lessons​

➊ Relieving a Muslim's Hardship Ensures Relief in the Hereafter​

• Hardships could be financial, emotional, legal, social, or physical.
• Helping may include:
  ◈ Offering money or a loan
  ◈ Using influence to assist
  ◈ Defending against oppression
  ◈ Supporting in medical needs, etc.

Imām Nawawī commented:


This glad tiding of relief in the Hereafter only applies if the person dies upon īmān.

➋ Making Things Easy for the Needy​

Allah says:


﴿ وَإِن كَانَ ذُو عُسْرَةٍ فَنَظِرَةٌ إِلَىٰ مَيْسَرَةٍ ﴾

"And if the debtor is in hardship, then [grant him] time until ease."
[al-Baqarah 2:280]


✔ Easing a debtor’s burden can take the form of:

• Granting more time
• Forgiving the debt (preferred)
• Supporting him financially to repay it

Example: A merchant who would forgive debts of the poor was himself forgiven by Allah.
[Bukhārī & Muslim – Mishkāt: Kitāb al-Iflās]

➌ Allah Will Make Life Easy for the One Who Shows Ease to Others​

• Opposite is also true: those who are harsh will be met with harshness.
• If the debtor is wealthy but delays unjustly, it is permissible to demand and even discipline him.
• If genuinely poor, he deserves compassion and reprieve.

➍ Covering the Faults of a Muslim Brings Allah's Covering in This World and the Next​

• The one who sees a believer’s mistake but conceals it for the sake of correction — Allah will hide his own faults.
• This applies to private sins, not those committed publicly or defiantly.

Note: Open sinners must be reported to those who can stop them — otherwise, it is aiding sin:


﴿ وَلَا تَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ ﴾

"Do not help one another in sin and aggression."
[al-Māʾidah 5:2]

➎ Exceptions: When Hiding Is Not Permitted​

• Weak ḥadīth narrators whose faults may distort religion
• Treachery involving the Muslim public’s wealth
  These must be exposed for the preservation of dīn.

➏ Concealing One's Own Faults​

• A believer should also avoid publicizing his own sins.
• Repent privately and seek forgiveness from Allah.

➐ As Long as You Help Your Brother, Allah Helps You​

• Allah’s special help is with those who help others.
• It is not limited to the specific task — it extends to their own needs as well.

If you want Allah’s support in your matters — make helping others your way of life.

➑ Bringing Joy to a Muslim is Among the Best Deeds​

Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:


"The best of deeds is to bring happiness to your believing brother,
to pay off his debt, or to feed him bread."
[Qaḍāʾ al-Ḥawāʾij by Ibn Abī al-Dunyā; Ṣaḥīḥ al-Jāmiʿ / 1494]

➒ Divine Justice Mirrors Our Actions​

• Whoever conceals, Allah conceals them
• Whoever relieves, Allah relieves them
• Whoever helps, Allah helps them
• Whoever disgraces, Allah disgraces them

✿ Summary​

Relieve Muslims of their hardships—Allah will relieve yours in the Hereafter
Ease the burden of others—Allah will ease yours in both worlds
Cover others' faults—Allah will conceal yours
Continue helping others—Allah will continue helping you