His Eminence Sheikh Hussein ibn Abdul-Aziz Al-Sheikh, may Allah preserve him, delivered the Friday sermon entitled, “Brotherhood among Muslims”, in which he talked about the necessity of establishing brotherhood among Muslims and promoting kindness in Muslim societies. He warned against being taken in by the enemies’ conspiracies to divide Muslims, shatter their unity, and sow dissension among them, referring to some Qur’anic verses and Prophetic hadiths to this effect.

Praise be to Allah, the Protector of believers. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, the True King, the Manifest, and that our prophet, Muhammad, the Trustworthy Prophet, is His servant and messenger. O Allah! Bestow Your prayers, peace, and blessings upon him and upon all his Household and Companions.

O Muslims!
I advise you and advise myself to fear Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He. This is the best advice; for the fear of Allah is the best provision for the Day of Judgement.

Brothers in Islam!
One of the fundamentals of faith and principles of Islam is to establish the spirit of brotherhood in faith among Muslims and promote kindness in the believers’ societies. Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He, says:

"The believers are nothing else than brothers (in Islamic religion). . ." (Al-Hujurat: 10)

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “A Muslim is the brother of his fellow Muslim.”

Fellow Muslims!
This great principle and important fundamental of Islam requires a number of rights, duties, responsibilities and obligations. Our Lord, Glorified and Exalted be He, says:

"The believers, men and women, are Auliya’ (helpers, supporters, friends, protectors) of one another, they enjoin (on the people) Al-Ma’ruf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one to do), and forbid (people) from Al-Munkar (i.e. polytheism and disbelief of all kinds, and all that Islam has forbidden). . ." (At-Tawbah: 71)

Such brotherhood requires a Muslim to treat his fellow Muslims in an honourable manner. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “None of you will be a true believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.”  

It is the kind of brotherhood that reflects heartfelt truthfulness in bringing about what is good and beneficial to Muslims and keeping evil and harm away from the believers. Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He, says:

"And those of you who annoy believing men and women undeservedly, they bear (on themselves) the crime of slander and plain sin." (Al-Ahzab: 58)
The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, also said, “A Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hands the Muslims are safe.”

Brothers in Faith!
Brotherhood in faith is one of the greatest principles of Islam that a Muslim applies in his relations with his fellow Muslims and his society as a kind of worship and as a symbol of faith. A Muslim practises such brotherhood as a great duty, not motivated in the least by any opportunist goals or personal interests. In this way, the Muslim society becomes like a building whose different bricks support each other, just as the great religion wants it to be. As the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “A believer to a believer is like the bricks of a building which support each other,” and he interlaced the fingers of his hands to demonstrate this.

It is a kind of brotherhood that requires sacrifice and self-denial, empathy and compassion, tolerance and kindness, among other lofty qualities and good manners to which the Chosen Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, called when he said, “In their mutual kindness, compassion, and sympathy, the believers are like one body. When one of the limbs aches, the whole body responds to it with sleeplessness and fever.”

Fellow Muslims!
Based on these premises of faith and Islamic fundamentals, the Muslim nation is now required to preserve its Islamic unity and beliefs, and to be wary of the enemy’s wicked plots to cause dissension in their ranks, shatter their unity, and spread feelings of animosity and hatred among them.
"They desire to harm you severely. Hatred has already appeared from their mouths, but what their breasts conceal is far worse. . ." (Al-Imran: 118)
The current state of affairs, in which the Muslim nation is beset by disunity and in which the spread of hostility and hatred among its members has become so rife that some of them have taken up arms against one another, is really serious and is not at all pleasing to the Lord of the Worlds. It contradicts the precepts of religion and goes against the teachings of the master of all mankind, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “He who takes up arms against us is not one of us.” He also said, “None of you should point out towards his Muslim brother with a weapon, for he does not know, Satan may tempt him to hit him and thus he would fall into a pit of Hellfire.”

O Muslim Nation!
Beware of the causes of discord, and avoid the factors that lead to sedition. Beware of those acts that are bound to trigger countless evils, such as shedding blood, dishonouring others, destroying their property, sowing the seeds of discord, and causing the Muslims to lose their respect, while their enemies are watching happily and gloating over their misfortune. This is exactly what is happening now to the Muslim nation, and this is the very aim that the enemies of Islam desire and hope to see happening. As Allah, Exalted be He, says:

"Had they marched out with you, they would have added to you nothing except disorder, and they would have hurried about in your midst (spreading corruption) and sowing sedition among you, and there are some among you who would have listened to them. And Allah is the All-Knower of the Zalimun (polytheists and wrong-doers, etc.)." (At-Tawbah: 47)

Brothers in Islam!
One of the greatest causes of sedition which we must be wary of and must avoid is the tendency of some to charge the majority of Muslims with disbelief without any evidence whatsoever from the Qur’an or any guidance from the Prophet, driven as they are by mere religious sentiment that is not substantiated by any legal evidence or divine proof. Calamities and examples of past punishments have only afflicted Muslims throughout history as a result of such erroneous ideologies and crooked paths.

Addressing the Muslims in a categorical manner that is understood by everyone, the  Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Whoever prays as we pray, faces our qiblah, and eats our slaughtered animals is a Muslim who is under the protection of Allah and His Messenger” (Reported by Al-Bukhari). The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, also said, “A Muslim is the brother of his fellow Muslim; he should not oppress him, fail him, or look down on him. The whole of a Muslim is inviolable for another Muslim: his blood, his property, and his honour.”

Fellow Muslims!
One of the signs of divine assistance and indications of happiness is to bring about unity among Muslims and help them achieve agreement. Conversely, one of the signs of divine rejection and indications of disappointment and loss is to sow the seeds of discord among Muslims and set them against one another. Our Lord, Glorified and Exalted be He, says:

"There is no good in most of their secret talks save (in) him who orders Sadaqah (charity in Allah’s Cause), or Ma’roof (Islamic Monotheism and all the good and righteous deeds which Allah has ordained), or conciliation between mankind…" (An-Nisa’: 114)

He also says:
"The believers are nothing else than brothers (in Islamic religion). So make reconciliation between your brothers." (Al-Hujurat: 10)

And He says:
". . . and adjust all matters of difference among you. . ." (Al-Anfal: 1)

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Shall I not inform you of something more excellent in degree than fasting, the prayer and sadaqah (almsgiving)?” The people replied, “Yes.” He then said, “It is putting things right between people.”

Brothers in Islam!
While Islam stresses the inviolability of brotherhood of faith, it certainly forbids Muslims to show hatred and enmity towards fellow Muslims and brothers of faith, which only triggers off countless trials and tribulations. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Do not harbour grudges against one another, nor envy one another, nor turn your backs on one another, nor desert one another.” The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, also said, “The gates of Paradise are opened on Mondays and Thursdays, and then every slave [of Allah] who does not associate anything with Allah in worship is forgiven except for someone who has enmity between him and his [Muslim] brother. It is said, ‘Leave these two until they are reconciled.’”

Therefore, every Muslim must strive to purify his heart from any rancour against His Muslim brothers, no matter how different their viewpoints may be. He should wish them every good and benefit. Our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Whoever wishes to be delivered from Hellfire and admitted to Paradise should die believing in Allah and the Last Day and should treat the people as he wishes to be treated by them.”

May Allah bless you and me with what we have heard. I have said this, and I ask forgiveness of Allah for myself, for you, and for all Muslims, for any sin we have committed. Ask Allah for forgiveness, for He is the Most Forgiving and the Most Merciful.