I was sick & You didn't visit me (The Rights of Brotherhood)

The Rights of Brotherhood *
By Wa’il Shihab
Islamic Researcher— Egypt

On the authority of Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be on him) said, "The right of the Muslim on the Muslim are six." It was said, "What are they, Messenger of Allah?" He said, "When you meet him, salute him; when he invites you, respond to him; when he seeks counsel, give him advice; when he sneezes and praises Allah, say to him: Allah has mercy on you; when he is sick, visit him; and when he dies, follow his funeral." (Muslim)
According to the above Prophetic hadith, Muslims have these rights on their Muslim brothers and sisters:

1. To greet them in the Islamic manner when they meet (that is, "as-salamu `alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh")

2. To accept their invitation (when offered)

3. To advise them (when the situation calls for it)

4. To seek Allah's mercy for them when they sneeze and praise Allah

5. To visit them when they are sick

6. To follow their funeral when they die

1. To Greet Them in the Islamic Manner When They Meet
The greeting of peace is a cause of love, which results in producing faith, which results in the person entering Paradise.
Allah says,
[But when you enter houses, give greetings of peace upon each other — a greeting from Allah, blessed and good) (An-Nur 24:61)
Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be on him) said,
"You will not enter Paradise until you have faith, and you will not have faith until you love each other. Shall I direct you to something which if you fulfill you will love one another? Spread peace among yourselves" (Muslim)
The greeting of peace is one of the virtuous characteristics of Islam. For verily each of the people who meet each other supplicates for the other for safety from evils, and mercy, and blessing that brings about every good. And what follows this is a cheerful face and appropriate words of greeting, which result in unity and love, and a removal of feelings of estrangement and cold disassociation. It is part of rights of brotherhood for Muslims to put on a smiling face when they meets their brothers or sisters in faith. Allah's Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said,
"Do not belittle any good deed, even to meet your brothers with a smiling face." (Muslim)
He also said,
"Your smile in the face of your brothers is an act of charity."
That is why the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) had a smiling face all the time.
Thus, giving the greeting of peace is the right of the Muslim, and it is obligatory upon the person who is greeted to return the greeting with a similar greeting or o*ne that is better. And the best of the people are those who start the greeting of peace first.
2. To Accept Their Invitation
This means that when brothers or sisters invite you to a social event or food, then fulfill the request of those who have drawn near to you and honored you with the invitation. Accept their invitation unless you have an excuse. By this, Islam cements the social relations between members of the Muslim community.
3. To Advise Them
When your Muslim brothers and sisters seek your advice regarding something, you have to sincerely advise them.
In this regard, Tamim Ad-Dari reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said,
"Religion is founded on sincere advice." We said, "To whom?" He said, "To Allah and His Book, and His Messenger, and to the leaders of the Muslims and their common folk." (Muslim)
Therefore, Muslims should not hesitate to advise their Muslim brothers and sisters. However, when advising someone, you have to take care of the following ethics:
a. It should be in secret; that is to say, one should advise in secret, not in public so as not to embarrass the person.
b. Advice should be given in a kind and gentle manner.
c. The adviser should explain to the person any wrongdoing and support his or her stance with proofs from Shari`ah.
4. To Seek Allah's Mercy for Them When They Sneeze and Praise Allah
This is because sneezing is a favor from Allah. Thus the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recommended that the person praise Allah for this favor, and he ordered for his brother/sister to say to him/her, "May Allah have mercy upon you." He also commanded the person who sneezed to answer his brother/sister by saying, "May Allah guide you and set right your affairs."
Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Whenever one of you sneezes, let him say, 'Praise be to Allah.' And then, let his brother say, 'May Allah have mercy upon you.' And then he should reply to him saying, 'May Allah guide you and set right your affairs.'" (Al-Bukhari)
However, those who do not praise Allah do not deserve that others pray for mercy upon them, and in this case, they (the sneezers) cannot blame anyone except themselves. For they are the ones who caused themselves to lose the two blessings: the blessing of praising Allah, and the blessing of their brother or sister's supplication for them that is a result of the praising.
On the authority of Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say, "If one of you sneezes and praises Allah, then say to him, 'May Allah have mercy upon you.' But if he does not praise Allah, then do not invoke Allah's mercy for him." (Muslim)
5. To Visit Them When They Are Sick
Visiting sick Muslims is highly encouraged. This is based on a hadith qudsi, indicating that Allah would say to His slaves on the Day of Judgment,
"My slave, I was sick and yet you did not visit Me?" The slave would exclaim, "How can I visit You when You are the Lord of the worlds?" Allah would answer, "Did you not know that My slave so-and-so fell ill; don't You know that had you visited him you would have found Me with him?" (Muslim)
`Ali ibn Abi Talib (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say, "When a Muslim visits a sick Muslim at dawn, seventy thousand angels keep on praying for him till dusk. If he visits him in the evening, seventy thousand angels keep on praying for him till the morning; and he will have (his share of) reaped fruits in Jannah (Paradise)." (At-Tirmidhi)
On visiting their sick brothers and sisters, Muslims are supposed to make du`aa' for them.
`A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: When the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) visited any ailing member of his family, he would touch the sick person with his right hand and would supplicate, "O Allah! The Lord of mankind! Remove this disease and cure (him or her)! You are the Great Curer. There is no cure but through You, which leaves behind no disease." (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
6. To Follow Their Funerals When They Die
Following Muslims' funerals is one of their rights upon their brethren. Those who follow the funeral until the deceased's body is prayed over will receive great reward. And if they follow the funeral procession until the body is buried, then they will receive more reward. Following the funeral procession fulfills a right for Allah, a right of the deceased, and a right of the living relatives of the deceased.
Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Whoever follows the funeral procession and offers the funeral prayer for it will get a reward equal to one qirat, and whoever attends it till burial will get a reward equal to two qirats." It was asked, "What are two qirats?'' He (peace and blessings be upon him) replied, "Equal to two huge mountains." (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
Also, Muslims must keep good ties with the deceased's family and take care of their needs. Here we would like to clarify that women may offer the funeral prayer for their Muslim brothers and sisters, but it is not a duty upon them. Offering the funeral prayer is a fard kifayah (communal duty) on men. This means that it is a duty for the Muslim community to perform that prayer. If a Muslim dies in a community and some Muslims offer the funeral prayer for the deceased, then the duty will be deemed as being discharged from every one else. However, failing to offer such a prayer incurs sin on the whole community, due to negligence. According to Imam Malik, women are allowed to follow the funeral procession.
* A Friday khutbah delivered on Ramadan 21, 1427 (October 13, 2006), in NorthernNevada Muslim Community (NNMC).


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