The issue of brotherhood is twofold:
In Surat al-Shu'ara', God revealed (Q. 26:106-109): {كَذَّبَتْ قَوْمُ نُوحٍ الْمُرْسَلِينَ * إِذْ قَالَ لَهُمْ أَخُوهُمْ نُوحٌ أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ * إِنِّي لَكُمْ رَسُولٌ أَمِينٌ * فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ} (The people of Noah treated the messengers as liars. * When their brother, Noah, said to them: “Will you not safeguard yourselves? * I am for you a trustworthy messenger. * So fear God and obey me.”)
According to both al-Bukhari and Muslim, The Prophet (PBUH), to whom this and other similar verses were revealed, said: لَا يُؤْمِنُ أحَدُكُمْ حَتَّى يُحِبَّ لِأَخِيهِ مَا يُحِبُّ لِنَفْسِهِ (“None of you believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.”)
Based on these two quotations, who is the brother of the believer? Is it anyone from his community, regardless of belief as the Qur'an suggests in numerous verses (e.g. Q. 7:65, 73, 78 & 85; Q. 11:50, 61 & 84; Q. 26:107, 124, 142 & 161; Q. 27:45; & Q. 29:36)? Or is it his fellow believer, as generations of Muslims have been taught based on the following hadith, recorded in Sahih Muslim? لَا تَحَاسَدُوا وَلَا تَنَاجَشُوا وَلَا تَبَاغَضُوا وَلَا تَدَابَرُوا وَلَا يَبِع بَعْضُكُمْ عَلىَ بِيْعِ بَعْضٍ، وَكُونُوا عِبَادَ اللهِ إخْوَاناً. الْمُسْلِمُ أَخُو الْمُسْلِمِ، لَا يَظْلِمُهُ وَلَا يَخْذُلُهُ وَلَا يَكْذِبُهُ وَلَا يَحْقِرُهُ. التَّقْوَى ههُنَا – وَيُشِيرُ إلىَ صَدْرِهِ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ – بِحَسْبِ امْرِئٍ مِنَ الشَّرِّ أَن يَحْقِرَ أَخَاهُ الْمُسْلِمَ. كُلُّ الْمُسْلِمٍ عَلىَ الْمُسْلِمِ حَرَامٌ: دَمُهُ وَمَالُهُ وَعِرْضُهُ (“Don't envy each other. Don't cheat each other. Don't hate each other. Don't turn your backs on each other. And let none of you swindle another by underselling. O servants of God, be like brothers. Muslims are brothers to each other, not wronging, deserting, lying to, or despising each other. Fear of God (taqwá) lies here (and he –peace and blessings be upon him– pointed three times to his chest). It is bad enough for a man to despise his fellow Muslim. Every part of a Muslim is unlawful to other Muslims: his blood, his property, and his honour.”)
Of course, we could say that the sort of brotherhood referred to in the above hadiths is that mentioned in the following verse (Q. 49:10): {إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌ فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَ أَخَوَيْكُمْ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ} (Believers are nothing but a brotherhood; therefore bring reconciliation between your brothers, and fear God, so that perhaps you may be shown mercy.) Yet if we restrict the meaning in this way, what difference remains between the Muslim and those criticised in this final verse (Q. 3:75): {وَمِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ مَنْ إِنْ تَأْمَنْهُ بِقِنْطَارٍ يُؤَدِّهِ إِلَيْكَ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ إِنْ تَأْمَنْهُ بِدِينَارٍ لَا يُؤَدِّهِ إِلَيْكَ إِلَّا مَا دُمْتَ عَلَيْهِ قَائِمًا ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَالُوا لَيْسَ عَلَيْنَا فِي الْأُمِّيِّينَ سَبِيلٌ وَيَقُولُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ} (Among the People of the Covenant is the one who, if you entrust him with a large weight in gold, he will return it to you; and among them is the one who, if you entrust him with a single gold coin, he will not return it to you unless you remain standing over him. That is because they have said: “We are not bound by the Law in our dealings with gentiles.” And they knowingly utter lies against God.)
- towards whom should I behave as a brother? and
- on whom can I depend as a brother?
In Surat al-Shu'ara', God revealed (Q. 26:106-109): {كَذَّبَتْ قَوْمُ نُوحٍ الْمُرْسَلِينَ * إِذْ قَالَ لَهُمْ أَخُوهُمْ نُوحٌ أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ * إِنِّي لَكُمْ رَسُولٌ أَمِينٌ * فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ} (The people of Noah treated the messengers as liars. * When their brother, Noah, said to them: “Will you not safeguard yourselves? * I am for you a trustworthy messenger. * So fear God and obey me.”)
According to both al-Bukhari and Muslim, The Prophet (PBUH), to whom this and other similar verses were revealed, said: لَا يُؤْمِنُ أحَدُكُمْ حَتَّى يُحِبَّ لِأَخِيهِ مَا يُحِبُّ لِنَفْسِهِ (“None of you believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.”)
Based on these two quotations, who is the brother of the believer? Is it anyone from his community, regardless of belief as the Qur'an suggests in numerous verses (e.g. Q. 7:65, 73, 78 & 85; Q. 11:50, 61 & 84; Q. 26:107, 124, 142 & 161; Q. 27:45; & Q. 29:36)? Or is it his fellow believer, as generations of Muslims have been taught based on the following hadith, recorded in Sahih Muslim? لَا تَحَاسَدُوا وَلَا تَنَاجَشُوا وَلَا تَبَاغَضُوا وَلَا تَدَابَرُوا وَلَا يَبِع بَعْضُكُمْ عَلىَ بِيْعِ بَعْضٍ، وَكُونُوا عِبَادَ اللهِ إخْوَاناً. الْمُسْلِمُ أَخُو الْمُسْلِمِ، لَا يَظْلِمُهُ وَلَا يَخْذُلُهُ وَلَا يَكْذِبُهُ وَلَا يَحْقِرُهُ. التَّقْوَى ههُنَا – وَيُشِيرُ إلىَ صَدْرِهِ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ – بِحَسْبِ امْرِئٍ مِنَ الشَّرِّ أَن يَحْقِرَ أَخَاهُ الْمُسْلِمَ. كُلُّ الْمُسْلِمٍ عَلىَ الْمُسْلِمِ حَرَامٌ: دَمُهُ وَمَالُهُ وَعِرْضُهُ (“Don't envy each other. Don't cheat each other. Don't hate each other. Don't turn your backs on each other. And let none of you swindle another by underselling. O servants of God, be like brothers. Muslims are brothers to each other, not wronging, deserting, lying to, or despising each other. Fear of God (taqwá) lies here (and he –peace and blessings be upon him– pointed three times to his chest). It is bad enough for a man to despise his fellow Muslim. Every part of a Muslim is unlawful to other Muslims: his blood, his property, and his honour.”)
Of course, we could say that the sort of brotherhood referred to in the above hadiths is that mentioned in the following verse (Q. 49:10): {إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌ فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَ أَخَوَيْكُمْ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ} (Believers are nothing but a brotherhood; therefore bring reconciliation between your brothers, and fear God, so that perhaps you may be shown mercy.) Yet if we restrict the meaning in this way, what difference remains between the Muslim and those criticised in this final verse (Q. 3:75): {وَمِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ مَنْ إِنْ تَأْمَنْهُ بِقِنْطَارٍ يُؤَدِّهِ إِلَيْكَ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ إِنْ تَأْمَنْهُ بِدِينَارٍ لَا يُؤَدِّهِ إِلَيْكَ إِلَّا مَا دُمْتَ عَلَيْهِ قَائِمًا ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَالُوا لَيْسَ عَلَيْنَا فِي الْأُمِّيِّينَ سَبِيلٌ وَيَقُولُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ} (Among the People of the Covenant is the one who, if you entrust him with a large weight in gold, he will return it to you; and among them is the one who, if you entrust him with a single gold coin, he will not return it to you unless you remain standing over him. That is because they have said: “We are not bound by the Law in our dealings with gentiles.” And they knowingly utter lies against God.)
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