 Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem, in the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful, respected viewers, As-salamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuhu, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon you. Hello and welcome to the 16th episode of the Treaties of Rights series. Today we will discuss the right of the brother. Regarding this, the Imam Sajjad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, has said, and the right of your brother is that you should know that he is your hand that you extend and you're back to whom you seek refuge and your power upon whom you rely and your might with which you compete. Take him not as a weapon with which to disobey God nor as a means with which to violate God's rights and do not neglect to help him against his own self and support him against his enemy and intervene between him and his devils and give him good counsel and associate with him for God's sake. Then if he obeys his Lord and is responsible towards him properly it is defined. Then if he obeys his Lord and is responsible towards him properly it is fine else God should be more preferable and more honorable to you than he is. Imam Sajjad, peace and blessings be upon him, points out very important points regarding one's brother. A brother is one's helping hand. He is our supporter and he makes us stronger. We should not use this power in order to commit sins. We should be his assistant and support him against his enemies and finally we should release him from the captivity of Satan and direct his attention towards God. If he does not accept we should follow God's decrees and not obey our brother. Brotherhood is one of the most important issues in Islam. There are two forms of brotherhood. One is a blood relationship that is being born of the same parents. That is the closest kind of relationship that results in either one inheriting from the other. This is considered the second level of those who inherit from us according to Islamic jurisprudence. There are certain decrees in this regard. The second form of brotherhood is through common belief. It is the form of brotherhood that has related all the Muslims together. It has become the source of unity of all the Muslims in the world. The Arabic word for brother is ach. Its real meaning is brother, friend or companion. It really refers to two people who have the same mother, father or both. It is also used for someone who has been breastfed by one's mother. In a more general sense it is also used for one's partner in industry or trade. One who is from the same tribe or one having the same beliefs. There are several instances in the Holy Quran when this world is used to refer to our real brothers or believing brothers like in chapters Yusuf and Nisa. Imam Ali Peace be upon him has beautifully expressed this idea through his words to Malik Al-Ashtar as he was about to go to Egypt. And he says, man is either your brother in faith or your brother in humanity. This quote beautifully sums up the idea of Maman Sajjad is trying to portray. In Islam brotherhood is extremely important. This is greatly embodied through the verses and sayings of the Imams. The Holy Quran says the believers are but a single brotherhood. So make peace and reconciliation between your two contending brothers and fear God that he may receive mercy. The Holy Quran Al-Hujarat chapter 49 verse 10. This verse expresses one of the most important slogans of Islam. Islam has put such a strong bond between the Muslims and has made them so close that it has called them brothers. Thus Islam considers all Muslims to belong to one family. This is completely felt during the religious and political ceremonies of the pilgrimage of the Kaaba. All the people who attend these ceremonies feel to be brothers to each other even though some have come from the west and others have come from the east. Let us consider what the Prophet has said in this regard. A Muslim is the brother of other Muslims. He never oppresses them. He never abandons them. He never leaves them alone in the face of calamities. Imam Sadiq Peace be upon him said a believer is the brother of other believers. He acts as their eyes and as their guide. He will never cheat or oppress them. He will never deceive them or act against his promises to them. In another tradition we read Abu Basr narrated that he heard from Imam Sadiq say a believer is the brother of other believers. They are all parts of the same body. If one part hurts, other parts will feel the pain. Their souls are also derived from one spirit. A believer's soul is so strongly attached to God's spirit that it is like the attachment of the sun's rays to the sun. Imam Ali eloquently describes the types of brothers he says there are two groups of brothers, real brothers and superficial brothers. Real brothers are like your hands, wings, relatives or property. Once you find such brothers, you can help them. Give them from what you own, be friendly with their friends and be the enemy of their enemies. Hide their secrets, cover up their faults and reveal their good points. Be aware that they are very aware. However, use your superficial brothers. Do not stop your friendship and your associations with them. However, do not expect any more than this from them. When they treat you kindly and talk nicely with you, respond with gentle treatment and nice words. Here, Imam Ali clearly outlines our duties to our real friends as well as our superficial friends. He has set limits of our encounters with them and the degree to which we must help them and benefit from their assistance. Time for a quick short break. Stay tuned, my dear viewers. Welcome back. There are many rites of brotherhood. Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him and his pure family, explains this in one of his sayings. In it, peace be upon him says, There are 30 rites for each Muslim incumbent upon his believing brother. He cannot be relieved from them unless he honors them or is forgiven by his brother. They are as follows. He must forgive his brother's faults. He must be kind to his brother during hard times. He must hide his brother's secrets. He must compensate for his brother's faults. He must accept his brother's apologies. He must defend his brother against those who gossip behind his back. He must always advise his brother. He must safeguard his brother's friendship. He must honor his brother's covenants. He must honor his brother's covenants. He must visit him when his brother gets ill. He must visit him when his brother gets ill. He must attend his brother's funeral procession. He must accept his brother's invitations. He must accept his brother's gifts. He must return his brother's favor. He must be grateful for his brother's blessings. He must try to help his brother. He must guard his brother's honor. He must fulfill his brother's needs. He must intercede on behalf of his brother. He must say, God bless you when his brother sneezes. He must guide his brother's lost ones. He must respond to his brother's readings. He must welcome his brother's words. He must welcome his brother's kindness. He must accept his brother's swearing. He must like his brother's friends. He must not treat his brother with animosity. He must help his brother whether he is an oppressor or an oppressed one. He should not leave his brother alone in the face of calamities. He must like for his brother whatever he likes for himself and dislike for him whatever he dislikes for himself. We can clearly notice the Prophet, peace be upon him, his family greatly emphasizes on the rights of brotherhood. This topic should not be taken lightly as it is the building blocks of our society. Building strong relationships with each other in return builds a strong community and that is exactly what Islam has worked towards. Humans are social creatures by nature. They're always in need of friends and companions. Both of our lives depend on interaction with others. Strong individuals are the core of a strong community, something that Muslims should always strive for. So on what basis do we choose a friend? Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, his pure progeny, who has the most noble character and dealings with fellow humans, gave us a very clear and simple message and advice in regards to friendship. We should always attach ourselves to people who bring us closer to God and the Ahlul Bayt, peace be upon them. And so the people who believe in them and obey their orders. And we should stay away from who is not well mannered and gives no attention to what Islam is about or what pleases or displeases Allah SWT. It is through friendship that we please Allah and enter heaven and it's through friendship that we displease Allah and enter hell. In today's society we have heard many stories regarding this topic. Many well mannered and behaved teenagers have gone astray because of the crowd they surround their self with. In an authentic hadith, Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, his pure progeny said, Man is influenced by the faith of his friends, therefore be careful of whom you associate with. When choosing our friends we should ask ourselves first, are they going to help us achieve the purpose for which we were brought to life or will they take us away from it? Will they desire for us Allah SWT's pleasure or is that completely irrelevant to them and not their concern at all? Are they leading us to the paradise or to the hell? These are all questions we should ask ourselves before choosing a friend. Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was asked, who is the best among people? Prophet Muhammad replied, who when you look at him you remember Allah SWT. Such a friend reflects qualities of love, mercy, honesty, service, patience, optimism, professionalism and the entire lifestyle taught by Islam. A friend is someone who should add positivity in your life and encourage good values in you. A friend should speak up when you're doing something wrong, Prophet Muhammad stated. The believer is like a mirror to other believers in truthfulness. Like a mirror your friend gives you an honest image, he forgives your mistakes, but does not hide or exaggerate your strength and weaknesses. It is better that someone befriend someone who is better than them, so that they are constantly learning when they are around them. Imam Ja'far Sadiq, peace and blessings be upon him, says, be the friend of him who may grace you, not of one whom you are better than. Imam Ja'far Sadiq also says, my most beloved brother is he who makes me aware of my faults. Therefore, a friend should be a blessing, not a source of trouble and hardship. They should always remind you of Allah and the Ahlul Bayt, peace be upon them. With this, we conclude this episode. Stay tuned for another episode on the Treaties of Rights series. Thank you all for watching and may Allah hasten the reappearance of our beloved Imam Mahdi. Wassalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.