His Eminence Sheikh Salah Al-Budair, may Allah preserve him, delivered the Friday khutbah entitled, “The Muslim’s Duty towards His Fellow Muslims”, in which he talked about the solace and support that a Muslim should give to his fellow Muslims in times of adversity and hardship. He said that one of the most important duties of the Muslim towards his Muslim brothers is to enquire about their condition and provide them with all possible help and consolation in times of distress, referring to the calamities, disasters, and trials and tribulations that have befallen Muslims in some countries. He urged Muslims to fulfil their duty and provide financial support for their brothers, warning them against extravagance and wastefulness.
Praise be to Allah. Praise be to Allah, the Bestower of gifts, and the Repeller afflictions. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, Who has no partners. He has imposed upon us the duty of providing consolation to our Muslim brothers in times of disasters, famines, and catastrophes. I also bear witness that our prophet and master Muhammad is His servant and messenger, and the most honourable of all creation. May Allah bestow His peace and blessings upon him, his family, and his Companions, who rose above all shameful traits and had sincere purposes and intentions, constantly and perpetually until the Day of Judgement.
O Muslims!
Fear Allah, the Protector, for it is by fear of Allah that distress is relieved. Allah says:
"And Allah will deliver those who are the Muttaqun (pious) to their places of success (Paradise). Evil shall touch them not, nor shall they grieve." (Az-Zumar: 61)
O Muslims!
A Muslim shares his brother’s grief, consoles him in times of distress, and feels sorry for his pains and grievances. One of the traits of generous people and of Muslims in general is that they come to the rescue of those who call for help and bring forth relief to them.
Some Muslims have been hard hit with serious afflictions, extreme hunger, devastating disasters, severe blizzards, deadly hurricanes, and fierce wars that have caused them a great deal of pain and distress. They have been overwhelmed by the severity of such afflictions that have dealt them a severe blow so much so they have lost all hope, lived in constant fear, and their bodies have become emaciated. The pain of life has become far greater for them than that of death. They escape from destruction only to find themselves on the road to hell and death. There is nothing left but ghost towns, dead bodies, grieving children, complaining souls, and crying voices. Their complaints break our hearts and their afflictions fill our eyes with tears. As the poet said:
I remembered children afflicted with the severest calamities,
Who had been left out in the cold until they froze to death.
So frozen were the bodies of these young children,
That the ice from snowstorms became their deathbed.
Entire nations are pushed into the abyss of fear, hunger, disease, homelessness, and loss. O Kind-hearted and generous people! O people of piety and faith! Give whatever you can in charity, no matter how small it may be.
"… Truly, Allah does reward the charitable." (Yusuf: 88)
O People of help and relief! Save your fellow Muslims from the abyss of humiliation and utter defeat. Abdullah ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with him and his father, narrated that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “A Muslim is the brother of his fellow Muslim; he should not wrong him or hand him over to whoever wrongs him. If anyone fulfils the needs of his brother, Allah will fulfil his needs; if anyone relieves one of the hardships of a Muslim, Allah will relieve one of his hardships on the Day of Resurrection; and if anyone covers the faults of a Muslim, Allah will cover his faults on the Day of Resurrection” (Agreed upon).
O Muslims, O Believers!
Give due care to your fellow Muslims. Relieve their distress, help pay off their debts, feed them against hunger, ease their pain, and offer them whatever will benefit them. Ibn Abd al-Barr, may Allah have mercy on his soul, said, “Providing consolation for someone in trouble or coming to the relief of a hungry man is unanimously considered a communal obligation [i.e. an obligation that must be discharged by at least part of the Muslim community, and if all fail to discharge it, every individual Muslim will be guilty of sin].” Have Muslims really discharged this communal obligation?
Are the help and solace we have shown commensurate with the horrors of the catastrophe and the tragedy?
O Wealthy People! Do acts of kindness. Come to the rescue of the needy, soothe the grieved, provide help and solace to the oppressed, relieve the downtrodden, show mercy to those in distress, and offer help to the afflicted. Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said,
“Allah, Might and Majesty be to Him, will say on the Day of Resurrection, ‘O Son of Adam! I fell ill, but you did not visit Me.’ The son of Adam will say, ‘O my Lord! How could I visit You when You are the Lord of the Worlds?’ Allah will then say, ‘Did you not know that My servant (and He will name the servant) fell ill but you did not visit him? Did you not know that if you had visited him, you would have found Me with him? O son of Adam! I asked you for food, but you did not feed Me.’ The son of Adam will say, ‘O my Lord! How could I feed You when You are the Lord of the Worlds?’ Allah will say ‘Did you not know that my servant (and He will name the servant) asked you for food but you did not feed him? Did you not know that if you had fed him you would surely have found that [the reward for doing so] with Me? O son of Adam! I asked you to give Me to drink but you did not.’ The son of Adam will say, ‘O my Lord! How could I give You to drink when You are the Lord of the Worlds?’ Allah will say, ‘My servant (and He will name the servant) asked you to give him to drink, but you did not. Had you given him to drink, you would have surely found that [the reward for doing so] with Me.’” (Reported by Muslim)
O Allah! Be with the weak, the poor, and the afflicted. O Allah! Be with the weak, the poor, and the afflicted. O Allah! Be with the weak, the poor, and the afflicted. O Allah! Give them enough of Your bounties so that they will not turn to Your servants. O Allah! Provide them with Your gifts so that they will not lose their dignity as a result of asking others, for You are the Most Merciful, the Most Generous, the Most Great, and the Most High.
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