وَمَضَاتٌ مِنْ صُوَرِ التَّكَـافُلِ : Glimpses of examples of solidarity

أَعُوذُ بِاللّٰهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ۔

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

In the name of ALLAH, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

وَمَضَاتٌ مِنْ صُوَرِ التَّكَـافُلِ

Glimpses of Examples of Solidarity

Praise be to Allah, who made the Muslims united and planted in their hearts love for all their brothers. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, without partner, and I bear witness that our master and prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is the servant of Allah and His messenger, who urged people to be empathetic towards others and to hasten to relieve the distress of those in distress. May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him, his family, and his companions, all of them, and all who follow his path until the Day of Judgment. This is the recited verse from Surah Aal E Imran and its translation:

أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فاعوذ باللہ من الشیطان الرجیم- بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم

وَٱعۡتَصِمُواْ بِحَبۡلِ ٱللَّهِ جَمِيعً۬ا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُواْ‌ۚ وَٱذۡكُرُواْ نِعۡمَتَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيۡكُمۡ إِذۡ كُنتُمۡ أَعۡدَآءً۬ فَأَلَّفَ بَيۡنَ قُلُوبِكُمۡ فَأَصۡبَحۡتُم بِنِعۡمَتِهِۦۤ إِخۡوَٲنً۬ا وَكُنتُمۡ عَلَىٰ شَفَا حُفۡرَةٍ۬ مِّنَ ٱلنَّارِ فَأَنقَذَكُم مِّنۡہَا‌ۗ كَذَٲلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمۡ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَہۡتَدُونَ

And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allâh (i.e. this Qur'ân), and be not divided among yourselves[], and remember Allâh's Favour on you, for you were enemies one to another but He joined your hearts together, so that, by His Grace, you became brethren (in Islâmic Faith), and you were on the brink of a pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus Allâh makes His Ayât (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.,) clear to you, that you may be guided.

Surah Aal E Imran – 103

O servants of ALLAH: Fear ALLAH and adopt piety and obey ALLAH with the piety of the believers who support one another, who stand with their brothers at all times and in all circumstances. As ALLAH says in Surah Aal E Imran

وَتَعَاوَنُواْ عَلَى ٱلۡبِرِّ وَٱلتَّقۡوَىٰ‌ۖ وَلَا تَعَاوَنُواْ عَلَى ٱلۡإِثۡمِ وَٱلۡعُدۡوَٲنِ‌ۚ

Help you one another in Al-Birr and At-Taqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety); but do not help one another in sin and transgression.

Surah Al Maeda – 2-Part

O Muslims: Know—may ALLAH unite your hearts—that among the beauties of this great religion is the mutual support we see among its followers, and the cooperation in times of ease and hardship among those who hold fast to its principles and follow its guidance. How could it be otherwise? Harmony among people is the secret to the progress of nations, and empathy for others is one of the reasons for reaching the highest peaks. O Allah, to You belongs all praise for the greatest blessing and the most magnificent favor, the blessing of Islam. And among the basic forms of solidarity – O servants of Allah – is that a person should not forget the rights of his family; for in the hadith: “The best of you are those who are best to their families.” So if he falls short in their rights, he will be even more likely to neglect the rights of others. And it has come from him, the Most Generous, that you should begin with those you support: your mother and father, your sister and brother, then those closest to you, and so on. Indeed, this right extends to relatives; they are included in the Muslim's mutual support and solidarity. ALLAH, whose names and attributes are most holy, says in Surah Al Isra:

وَءَاتِ ذَا ٱلۡقُرۡبَىٰ حَقَّهُ

And give to the kinsman his due

Surah Al Isra – 26-Part

One of the ways society can unite is by reconciling those who are quarreling, for this is one of the greatest rewards that brings one closer to the pleasure of the Forgiving Lord. ALLAH Almighty says in Surah Al Anfal:

فَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَأَصۡلِحُواْ ذَاتَ بَيۡنِڪُمۡ‌ۖ وَأَطِيعُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ ۥۤ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤۡمِنِينَ

So fear Allâh and adjust all matters of difference among you, and obey Allâh and His Messenger (Muhammad SAW), if you are believers.

Surah Al Anfal – 01-Part

So His Almighty saying:

إِن كُنتُم مُّؤۡمِنِينَ

if you are believers.

Surah Al Anfal – 01-Part

This is evidence that this is one of the foundations and conditions of Islam, not one of its optional acts and branches. Rather, the Chosen One called the corruption of relations between people “the shaver,” and he said: “It is the shaver. I do not say that it shaves the hair, but rather that it shaves the religion.” One of the forms of solidarity is that the Muslim should not forget the rights of his brothers and the people of his community, such as kindness to parents, maintaining ties of kinship, caring for relatives, being considerate of neighbors, honoring guests, and actively participating in all forms of cooperation and aspects of social solidarity that our upright religion has urged, while paying good attention to those in distress and the needy. Indeed, paying off the debts of those in debt and relieving the distress of those in hardship brings the greatest rewards and the most sublime recompense. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Whoever makes things easy for someone in difficulty, ALLAH will make things easy for him in this world and the Hereafter." So let us be united in times of ease and hardship. A society in which compassion and mutual support prevail among its members is a society with a firm foundation, protected from disintegration and humiliation.

O united Muslims: Among the aspects of mutual support that Islam has not overlooked is that, just as it has established rights for parents, it has also established rights for children. ALLAH Almighty says in Surah Al Baqara:

وَعَلَى ٱلۡمَوۡلُودِ لَهُ ۥ رِزۡقُهُنَّ وَكِسۡوَتُہُنَّ بِٱلۡمَعۡرُوفِ‌ۚ لَا تُكَلَّفُ نَفۡسٌ إِلَّا وُسۡعَهَا‌ۚ لَا تُضَآرَّ وَٲلِدَةُۢ بِوَلَدِهَا وَلَا مَوۡلُودٌ۬ لَّهُ ۥ بِوَلَدِهِۦ‌ۚ وَعَلَى ٱلۡوَارِثِ مِثۡلُ ذَٲلِكَ‌ۗ

And the father of the child shall bear the cost of the mother's food and clothing on a reasonable basis. No person shall have a burden laid on him greater than he can bear. No mother shall be treated unfairly on account of her child, nor father on account of his child. And on the (father's) heir is incumbent the like of that (which was incumbent on the father)

Surah Al Baqara – 233-Part

The Prophet, peace be upon him, said to Hind bint Utbah: “Take what is sufficient for you and your child in a reasonable manner.” Islam, in its commitment to the principle of mutual support, has also given special attention to orphans, as ALLAH Almighty says in Surah Al Baqara:

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَأۡڪُلُونَ أَمۡوَٲلَ ٱلۡيَتَـٰمَىٰ ظُلۡمًا إِنَّمَا يَأۡڪُلُونَ فِى بُطُونِهِمۡ نَارً۬ا‌ۖ وَسَيَصۡلَوۡنَ سَعِيرً۬ا

Verily, those who unjustly eat up the property of orphans, they eat up only a fire into their bellies, and they will be burnt in the blazing Fire!

Surah Al Baqara – 233-Part

And He promised the one who sponsors and cares for an orphan Paradise, which is the ultimate goal of the believers and the highest aspiration of the sincere and faithful, when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “I and the one who sponsors an orphan will be in Paradise like these two,” and he gestured with his two fingers.

So fear ALLAH, O servants of ALLAH, and support one another, and stand united, so that you may rise and prosper.

أقولُ مَا تَسْمَعُونَ، وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ العَظِيمَ لِي وَلَكُمْ، فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ يَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ، إِنَّهُ هُوَ الغَفُورُالرَّحِيمُ، وَادْعُوهُ يَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ، إِنَّهُ هُوَ البَرُّ الكَرِيمُ

I say what you hear, and I ask forgiveness from ALLAH Almighty for me and for you, so ask forgiveness from Him and He will forgive you, for He is the Forgiving and Merciful, and pray to Him and He will answer you, for He is The noble righteousness.

الحَمْدُ للَّهِ الَّذِي حَبَّبَ إِلَيْنَا كُلَّ خَيْرٍ، وَكَرَّهَ فِي قُلُوبِنَا الضَّرَّ وَالشَّرَّ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لا شَرِيـكَ لَهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ سَيِّدَنَا وَنَبِيَّنَا مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُ اللهِ وَرَسُولُهُ، أَحْرَصُ النَّاسِ عَلَى عَوْنِ الآخَرِينَ، وَأَسْرَعُهُمْ إِلَى مَا فِيهِ مَرْضَاةُ رَبِّ العَالَمِينَ صَلاةً وَسَلامًا دَائِمَيْنِ إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّينِ، وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَأَصْحَابِهِ الطَّيِّبِينَ، وَمَنْ سَلَكَ مَسْلَكَهُمْ إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّينِ

Praise be to Allah, who has endeared to us all that is good and made us abhor harm and evil. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, without partner. And I bear witness that our master and prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is the servant of Allah and His messenger, the most eager of people to help others, and the quickest to do what pleases the Lord of the worlds. May prayers and peace be upon him forever until the Day of Judgment, and upon his family and companions. The good people, and those who follow their path until the Day of Judgment.

O servants of ALLAH: There is nothing more pleasing to the heart of a Muslim than relieving distress and standing with people in times of crisis; for this is evidence of a person's love for his brother, as it is stated in the hadith: “None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.” ALLAH has promised to relieve the distress of people whenever a calamity befalls them, or a calamity afflicts them. In the hadith: “Whoever relieves a believer of a worldly distress, ALLAH will relieve him of a distress on the Day of Resurrection. And whoever makes things easy for someone in difficulty, ALLAH will make things easy for him in this world and the Hereafter.” Therefore, we must not forget, nor should we be absent from our reality, that we should stand with the needs of the oppressed, whether those needs are material or moral. As for the moral needs, it means that we should never forget them in our prayers and supplications, for it has been narrated in the hadith: “There is no Muslim servant who supplicates for his brother in his absence except that the angel says: ‘And for you the same.’”

So pray to ALLAH for them that He may alleviate their poverty and relieve their distress. As for the material aspect, it is to assist them with what they need to become self-sufficient and fulfill their needs, following legitimate means and trustworthy legal channels, for it has been said:

ALLAH is ever ready to help His servant as long as the servant is helping his brother)). Fear ALLAH, O Muslims, and let some of you be a support to others, for through cooperation goals are achieved, and through mutual support society enjoys goodness and virtue.