Imam Ali’s (A) Advice On Nurturing The Bonds Of Brotherhood

Bismillah Al-Rahman Al-Rahim. I want to thank the organisers for this invitation, and it's a long time since I've been up here maybe a couple of years. So it's a pleasure and an honour to be able to be here to share something on Amir Al-Mu'minin, alayhi as-salam [Allahumma Salli 'ala Muhammad wa aali Muhammad].

InshaAllah, we will be talking tonight about the ethics and spirit of brotherhood, which I think is quite relevant today, especially again thinking about the events in the last couple of days. With the violence that has occurred in London.

Bismillah Al-Rahman Al-Rahim, thanks and praise be to the One reality which brought us into being and to which we will return, and salutations to the Messenger who was sent to inform us of this reality, Muhammad, the chosen one, and to his Purified Progeny who protected the message [Allahumma Salli 'ala Muhammad wa aali Muhammad].

The ethics and spirit of brotherhood are one of the foundations of Islam, and an integral part of Walayah, consisting of love and loyalty to the Imam, and love and loyalty to those who also love and are loyal to the Imam, alayhi as-salam.

Such ethics can be seen in the bond that existed between the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, and Imam Ali, alayhi as-salam, and also in the teachings of Imam Ali, alayhi as-salam, to his Shi'a. So this discussion examines the importance of cultivating and nurturing the bonds of brotherhood in light of the sacred knowledge that the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, transmitted to his noble successor, Amir Al-Mu'minin Ali Ibn Abi Talib, alayhi as-salam [Allahumma Salli 'ala Muhammad wa aali Muhammad], and just before I begin, I wanted to also just stress that when I say brotherhood, I also mean sisterhood, of course.

So we can see this concept of of brotherhood in the Holy Qur'an, Chapter 49, 10, where it says: "Bismillah Al-Rahman Al-Rahim. Innama al-mu'minoon ikwuatun, fa'aslihu bayna ikhwaikum, wa attaqu Allah la'allakum tarhamoon.(49:10). Indeed the believers are brothers. So make peace between your brothers and be wary of Allah so that you may receive His mercy.(49:10)

And there are many narrations in this tradition that speak of the sacred nature of the bonds of brotherhood in Islam. The Holy Prophet, peace be upon him and his family has said in Bihar Al-Anwar: "looking at the brother you love for the sake of Allah is I'badah". In speaking of the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him and his family himself, Imam Ali, alayhi as-salam, has said: "through him [the Holy Prophet] Alla buried mutual rancour, and put off the flames of revolt, and through him, He, Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala, gave them affection like brothers and separated those who were together through unbelief.

So we only have to look at the bond of brotherhood between the Holy Prophet peace be upon him and his family and Imam Ali, alayhi as-salam, to see an example of perfect mutual trust and an enduring bond of mutual protection throughout life.

It can also be seen how the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, some 30 years older than Imam Ali, alayhi as-salam, saw the qualities in him of someone who will be worthy of bearing the knowledge that the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, had to ensure was safely transmitted and implemented. So this was a friendship and a brotherhood that went against the norms of the time.

As we know, it was considered laughable by Quraysh that Imam Ali, alayhi as-salam, should be selected as wasi' of the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, and that the elders of Quraysh should follow him. But again, it shows the clear and strict Islamic ethics of evaluating a human being by the qualities of their character and nothing else.

Imam Ali, alayhi as-salam, has spoken about Love, Muhabba, which is also worth reflecting on in light of the rivalries and jealousies that can exist amongst the people of this Ummah. Love for one's brother or sister on the path is again shown to be something sacred. He says that, the Imam says that muhabba, love is purified through cultivating friendship for the sake of Allah, Subhana wa Ta'ala. A friendship based upon supporting each other in attaining knowledge, and in assisting each other to be better human beings, is therefore the zakat of love.

As we know, the Imam has spoken about zakat of many things, the purification of many things. So the Zakah of learning something is that you teach it, and the Zakah of of loving or having love is to love for the sake of Allah, Subhana wa Ta'ala. So many friendships we know, are cultivated because of a shared sense of humour, or the love of sport, or the same movies, or the same, having the same enemies even sometimes. Or the same hatred of certain people will bring other people together in love. This is not a sacred love, the love that exists in the Ummahis meant to be a sacred love.

This love, now, we also know that there is love cultivated in the community. For example, if someone wants to improve their social status, they might try to cultivate a love for somebody because that person can assist them with moving up the social ladder. Friendship for the sake of Allah, is no easy task, a friendship that is built solely upon the love of Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala, the love of Islam, the desire to elevate the soul. This is a challenge, but this is what forms the fabric of the Ummah.

The Brotherhood of the Ummah is not one where individuals are punished by being boycotted or not spoken to. I have come across families where the parents might decide not to speak to the children for a while or the children might decide not to speak to the parents for a while. Where relations have broken down to the extent that the child has disappeared and the parent doesn't even know where the child is. This is a friendship between parent and child that has completely broken down.

The same can happen also between friendship with when people aren't related. Where two people were once almost as close as blood brothers and visited each other all the time and trusted each other and supported each other. Suddenly, something arises in the heart of one of them and the love turns to bitterness and eventually the two people who shared their lives no longer speak. And in the end, one doesn't know what the other one is and one doesn't know where the other one is, dead or alive.

Part of cultivating love for the sake of Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala is to try to retain some kind of softness of heart, in case there may come a day where relations can be repaired, I'm sure many of you have read the narration syster Nazmina there will be familiar with this one having translated it. Where Imam Ali alayhi as-salam, has said, if you want to cut off relations with your brother or your sister, make sure to leave a place for him in your heart so that he can return to it one day if he wishes. And this is in Nahjul Balagha, in letter 31.

But then let us think about people who are close to each other and supposedly brothers or sisters sharing a love of Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala and Islam, but one deceives and betrays the other, even putting the fellow men in danger, causing him stress and distress, upset and anxiety and illness. The Brotherhood in the Ummah is not unconditional. The Imam warns that the one you need to safeguard yourself against is not your brother. Just because someone may have a beard like you have a beard or someone has a hijab like you have a hijab, doesn't mean that they are necessarily your sister or necessarily your brother. What qualifies someone as a sister or brother is that you don't have to guard yourself against them.

So a brother is not just someone who shares a love of the Deen, but someone who, as Imam Ali, alayhi as-salam, was to the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him and his family [Allahumma salli ala Muhammad wa aali Muhammad]. Someone has to be trustworthy. A brother or a sister in Islam is someone with whom one can find peace and security and shelter. Who one knows will never knowingly betray one or go out of their way to hurt someone or put their life in danger.

The believer has a right to guard themselves against a believer who has two faces. So in looking at the letters of Imam Ali, alayhi as-salam, in Nahjul Balagha, this is where you can find how much the Imam values brotherhood. Threaded throughout these sermons are the prime themes of loyalty and treachery, and even though he was an Imam supported by Allah, Subhana wa Ta'ala, we can see how at the material level of existence where matters operate according to the laws of cause and effect, how much he needed the support of good companions to assist him in his cause, and how much he lamented that those who first paid allegiance to him then turned away.

The bonds of brotherhood are therefore the building blocks of the citadel of Islam. Without firm bonds of brotherhood, matters fall into disarray and the citadel begins to collapse. Neither is this a brotherhood founded upon the trite idea of unity. Rather, it is founded upon the noble qualities of the Shi'a and genuine support and love for one another, which derives from one's understanding of one's place in maintaining this citadel. If we do not maintain these bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood, there is not going to be any Islam.

In looking at Nahjul Balagha, we learnt that true brotherhood is founded upon sincere intentions in Sermon 12, it is narrated that at the time of the victory of the battle of the Camel, one of the Imam's companions approached him and he said, I wish my brother had been present and he, too, would have seen what success and victory Allah has given you. And the Imam said: did your brother consider me a friend? And the companion said yes, and the Imam said: in that case he was with us. Rather, in this army of ours, even those persons were also present who are still in the loins of men and the wombs of women, shortly time will bring them out and faith will be strengthened through them.

So this means that being a brother or a sister, even to the Imam himself, is possible for the followers of the Imam today, his brothers and sisters in Islam are not just the people who lived in his own time. Brotherhood with the believers and here brotherhood with the Imam is not confined by the limits of time. The bonds of brotherhood in the Ummah are transcendent. Hearts are connected beyond time and space through this sincerity of intention.

This is a spiritual brotherhood where those who have not been born yet are companions of the Imam. Again, through their character and through their upholding continuity in struggling for the cause of the sacred message. So anyone today who has sincere intention towards the Imam, who wishes they could be with the Imam, and who is still working for the Imam, and for the cause of the Imam, is a brother or a sister to the imam today.

The Imam, alayhi as-salam, teaches his Shi'as about the attitude that they need to have towards one another in order to have this sincerity. In Sermon 23, he reminds them that: "verily divine orders descend from heaven to earth like drops of rain, bringing to everyone what is destined for him, whether plenty or paucity". So if any one of you observes for his brother plenty of progeny or wealth, it should not worry him. So long as a Muslim does not commit such an act that if it is disclosed, he has to bend his eyes in shame, and by which low people are emboldened, he will be secure.

So in other words, just as the Holy Qur'an tells the believers not to stretch their eyes towards the bounties that certain couples have been given, the Imam affirms this to those who are united in brotherhood around him. Be free of envy. Don't be insecure because someone has more children and wealth than you. What is important is that you live a life of honour in the sight of Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala that your actions are honest and noble and that your conscience is clear. And this is freedom and wealth.

He reminds his comrades of the fact that all human beings need the support of comradeship in this world. He says: "oh, people surely no one, even though he may be rich, can do without his kinsmen and their support by hands or tongues. They alone are his support from the rear and can ward off from him his troubles. And they are the most kind to him when tribulations befall him". In times where we see people going out of their way to cause distress and tribulation to their kinsmen and brothers and sisters in faith, we can see here the divinely ordained model set out by the Imam, alayhi as-salam.

Wealth cannot protect the human being from being in need of faithful and trustworthy companions, and these companions are the ones who are meant to go out of their way to protect him and to assist him if he is in trouble. And this is the true brotherhood of the believers. We can see the Imam alayhi as-salam's love and praise for his true brothers in Islam, where he addressed them, saying: "you are the supporters of truth, and brethren in faith, you are the shields on the day of tribulation and my trusties amongst the rest of the people. With your support, I strike the runner away and hope for obedience of him who advances forward".

And again, in the midst of the chaos and dissension around him, we see how he misses his true brothers in faith, who have sacrificed or are willing to sacrifice their lives in standing beside him. There is a very tragic and heartbreaking sermon in Nahjul Balagha, where he says: "where are those who were invited to Islam and they accepted it? They read the Qur'an and decided according to it? They were exhorted to fight and they let towards it as she-camel's leap towards their young, they took their swords out of their sheets and went out into the world in groups and rose. Some of them perished and some survived. Their eyes have turned white with weeping. Their bellies are emaciated because of fasting, their lips are dry because of constant praying, their colour is pale because of wakefulness. Their faces bear the dust of the God fearing. These are my comrades who have departed. We should be justified if we long for them and miss their separation".

Again, we see how much the imam himself values this brotherhood. And this is a lesson for us in how we should also value our companions and our friends and our brothers and sisters in the religion of Allah. I find that whenever the Imam, alayhi as-salam, speaks about the battlefield, I see this as a metaphor for life. Of course, we know that the Imam is involved in wars, he was on the battlefield for most of his life, and he has a lot of advice for his companions who are going out onto the battlefield. And I see these ahadith and pieces of advice as very relevant to life in general.

One of my favourite hadith, which I found of the imam, again translated by sister Nazmina, he says: "when you face your enemy in battle, lessen your speech and increase in your remembrance of Allah". This is really a whole philosophy and recipe for how to get through the challenges of life. I've mentioned this again in previous talks, but I'm saying again, which is a letter in Nahjul Balagha, which I'm sure you have read, where again, he is giving advice to his comrades on how to support each other in the battlefield.

This letter is, again, a philosophy for how our attitude towards our brothers and sisters should be. In 722, he says: "whoever among you feel spiritedness of heart during the action, and finds any of his companions feeling disheartened, should ward off the enemies from him, just as he would do from himself, because the superiority that he enjoys over the other, because of his superiority that he enjoys over the other, for if Allah had willed, He would have made the former also like him". In short, when the brothers are on the battlefields, the one who is strong does not look at the one who is weak: Akh, look at his Iman, he is so weak, ukh, look at how he holds his sword, he can't even hold his sword properly. And he's stumbling on his...

No! The strong one has to support the weak one, bearing in mind that had Allah wiled, you could have been the weak one and the brother could have been the strong one. And this again is a piece of advice for how we should be encouraging each other to remain steadfast in this path. He says everyone should deal with his adversary and also help his comrade with his own life by Allah, even if you run away from the sword of today, you would not remain safe from the sword of the next world. We might feel that we are escaping inconvenience by not supporting someone who is in trouble. But if we escape that sword of today, that inconvenience, we can't escape the sword of the Akhira. This is something to bear in mind that the Imam says.

So the Holy Qur'an, the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, have also stressed the importance of fulfilling pledges. Being true to one's word is part of the ethics of brotherhood and part of upholding the honour of brotherhood. Here again, the Imam reminds people of its sacred importance, he says: surely the fulfilment of the pledge is the twin of truth. If we are on a path of truth and we love truth, then we should do our best to fulfil the pledges that we make. Because fulfilling of the pledge is the twin of truth, as he said. He said, I don't know a better shield against the assaults of sin than it. One who realises the reality of the return to the next world never betrays. The one who has a full ma'arifah, full cognisance of what it really means to face the Akhira, to face death, if we really know what that reality is, we wouldn't dare to betray. We wouldn't dare to go back on our word.

And again, he laments the treacherous behaviour of those of the times in which he was living, which can be seen reflected in our own times. He says, we are in a period when most of the people regard betrayal as wisdom. In these days, the ignorant call it excellence of cunning. What's the matter with them, may Allah destroy them! We can see from this the perfection and beauty of remaining true to one's word, of acting according to one's promise and of not disappointing one's brother or sister.

And more importantly, we can see how betrayal, whether in word or deed, can be taken lightly. One who reneges on his word to his brother may not consider as something of any consequence. Yet one who reneges on his word, who goes back to his word, according to the ethics of brotherhood in Islam cannot be considered a true believer or true brother to another believer. Iman and betrayal cannot go together. The one who betrays you or who deliberately goes back on their word is not your brother in Islam or sister in Islam.

One of the actions most deplored and spoken about by the Imam, alayhi as-salam, as mentioned above, is the betrayal in different forms committed by those around him, by their sheer lack of trustworthiness. And he says something, a very powerful image here. He said to those people around him, if you read into the history the nightmare that he had with so many different parties, not listening to him, not following him, arguing with him, belittling him, he actually says to them here, even if I give you charge of a wooden bowl, I fear you would run away with this handle. We can see the duplicity and fickleness of those who had been called companions.

He says: you are brethren in the religion of Allah. Dirty natures and bad consciences have separated you. Consequently, you do not bear the burdens of each other, nor advise each other, nor spend on each other, nor love each other. And he warns them: you should derive lessons from your occupying the places of those who were before you and from the departure of your nearest brothers. In other words, to reflect upon those who have perished before us, to reflect upon those who have been reduced to nothing.

Thinking about, again, the illnesses that take place in this world. High proportion of people these days are suffering all kinds of illnesses, and I am sure many of us have seen people disabled by these illnesses, something to reflect upon. Someone, a human being who had pride, and who had dignity, is reduced in their last days to a child, to someone whose mind can't think in a in a rational way, who's lost their dignity. This is possibly facing most of us, and this is what he is saying, reflect upon the brothers who've gone before you.

We can conclude again by turning to the example of love and brotherhood that existed between the Imam, alayhi as-salam, and the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, where the Imam remembers his younger days. And again, this beautiful passage, which you probably all know, he says, about the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, I used to follow him like a young camel, following in the footprints of its mother. Every day he would show me in the form of a banner, some of his high traits and commanded me to follow it. Every year he used to go into seclusion to the hill of Hera, where I saw him and no one else saw him.

So on the special occasion of the birthday of Amir Al-Mu'minin, Imam Ali, alayhi as-salam [Allahumma Salli 'ala Muhammad wa aali Muhammad], we pray that the hearts can be purified of rancour and envy and that tranquillity and trust can be instilled amongst the brothers and sisters in the religion of Allah, and that on the last day we can greet him as one of those who he mentioned in his speech who were not yet born in his time, but who are his brothers and sisters in the dean through purified actions and intentions, Ameen... Allahumma salli ala Muhammad wa aali Muhammad.

Thank you very much for the talk. Just quickly, before we have questions and answers for five minutes, there's a VW Golf, B ... And a Nissan .... which are blocking. So if the owners could please move on, that would be great. Any questions for either side?

We have a question here from a sister. Yeah. Just the mike is going to be passed through. There is a mike here. Thank you for your lecture, it was very well done. There's a lot of knowledge that I've gained, which I've not researched it anywhere. Just like to ask when he said brother in Islam, you just said brother in Islam, you know that it would be trustworthy and that. I find that we far, far away from the Muslim people. How long is it going to take us to build this trust and be unity? Because trust is part of unity. Yeah. How far away are we from 50 years, 60 years, 100 years, Sunni, Shi'a? When? Because I have been searching for this answer for a long time. So I don't know what does Imam Ali say, when will Muslims brothers really learn to trust each other? If I know you are a Muslim out of work I would employ you, you know, I would have to interview you.

We would be that close. If I know you're in need, I'll pour out money to you, or give you advice, whatever I can. It's that love of God, we share that bondage which I don't find unfortunately. I find people praying namaz, people wearing hijab, people coming to the mosque, talking about Islam, you know, in Hyde Park Corner, friends, uni, college, work, but the action is far away from what we are doing. So when is this going to come about? Did Imam Ali say in the Nahjul Balagha is going to come out in year 2020 or when?

Um, well, to be honest, um, looking at, reflecting on the narrations that I've read, um, things are unlikely to improve until the reappearance of the Imam of our time, alayhi as-salam. But that doesn't mean that we stop trying. And, um, yeah, there's also a narration where the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him and his family said: one of the things he feared more for the Muslims, it wasn't, he did not fear for them that they would kill each other. This was something that. He said what he actually feared for the Muslims would bring the downfall of the Muslims was the love of Dunya and perhaps we get into the lifestyle of Islam, it becomes a lifestyle and we forget that it is actually based on behaviour and it is based on truth, not saying like, you know, it's not easy to try to be a truthful person, you know, that's that's not easy. Easier said than done.

But perhaps, there needs to be an emphasis in teachings of Islam on working on the Self, on overcoming the the weaknesses of the Self, because the betrayal and the self-interest and bad Akhlaq, is coming from the Nafs, coming from putting the Self first before anything. And lack of forgiveness and inability to see the bigger picture. And I think the only thing we can do, is as Imam Zayn Al-Abidin, alayhi as-salam said, you know, Allahumma salli ala Muhammad wa aali Muhammad, when the.. who was it who returned the sword to him that had killed Imam Husayn, alayhi as-salam? There is that narration slipped my mind, um, or he know he'd Yeah. No he he said one of the nations he said, that's right, was that even if someone gave me the sword that killed my father as an Amana, I would return that sword. Which shows that the fulfilling of rights always comes first, regardless of our own issues.

There is also the other narration, which I'm sure people can tell me better, which is that the narration where someone came to him and he treated them, he treated them well, and this person said, yeah, but I was in the army of, how come you're treating me like this? I was in the army of Yazid and he said: you are responsible for your actions and I am responsible for my actions. And we need to get out of this cycle of this cycle of vengefulness, revenge and vengefulness, and tit for tat, and nursing grievances and nursing grudges, and to focus on whatever that person has done, number one Allah permitted, it is part of my destiny.

And number two whatever happens to me, I am responsible for my actions. Whatever someone did to me, however they treated me, at the end of the day, I am the one who's responsible for how I respond to that. And something that has occurred to me, so it's gonna be, something that has occurred to me recently about the nature of victory when people say, oh, what happened to Ahlul Bayt, so terrible, you know, why?

The victory is not in the battlefield, but the victory comes from not being a victim of what anyone has done to you. That is why they were victorious, Ahlul Bayt, alayhum as-salam, because they weren't victims of what happened to them. They were free people, even though they were imprisoned, poisoned on the battlefield, they were free. And that's the victory, and we can see that a victory is available to all of us. So whatever rotten situation you've been in for X number of years, things not working out for you, this person did this, this person did that, you're not a loser, you have got the choice.

I'm not going to be a victim of this. I'm going to be responsible for my actions and I'm going to make sure my actions are ethical, you know, and just and that I can face Allah, after I leave. So but when is, only Allah knows, but I think it doesn't stop us from making that effort, you know. Don't get down hearted, just think every one person can make a difference. The actions your actions can make a difference to your family, that which will make a difference to their friends, which will make a difference and so on. OK, well, what I think I'm OK, yes, [Allahumma salli ala Muhammad wa aali Muhammad.]