The rights of Muslims upon one another
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Your Eminence, the Shaykh! In the hadith: (The right of a Muslim upon another Muslim is six.
) Some of them are clearly from the Sunnah, such as the greeting of peace, but some differ and are ambiguous as to whether they are obligatory or a recommended practice. The hadith says: (The right of a Muslim upon another Muslim is six: if you meet him, greet him with peace; if he seeks your advice, advise him; and if he invites you, accept his invitation) And what is the meaning of the hadith: following the funeral procession, visiting the sick, and if he sneezes and praises Allah, then respond to him?
These rights mentioned by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) include what is obligatory and what is a recommended practice. The default ruling for a right is that it is obligatory,Because the word "right" means: established, and establishment is among the attributes of the obligatory. However, if other evidence indicates that this matter is not obligatory, we act according to that evidence; otherwise, the default is obligation.For example: (If you meet him, greet him with peace) Initiating the greeting of peace: we do not say it is obligatory, nor do we say it is not obligatory. It is permissible to boycott one’s brother for up to three days, but anything beyond three days is forbidden. Accordingly, the greeting of peace that ends the boycott is obligatory, and it is not permissible to leave it.By the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): (It is not permissible for a believer to boycott his brother for more than three days; they meet, and this one turns away and that one turns away, and the best of them is the one who initiates the greeting of peace) , and on this occasion, I would like to clarify that boycotting among Muslims is forbidden; this is the default ruling. However, the Lawgiver granted a dispensation for boycotting for three days; because a person may have some dispute, conflict, or difference of opinion with his brother and become angry with him, so the Lawgiver allowed him three days for what is in his heart to subside. Otherwise, the default is that boycotting is forbidden.
If someone were to say: Is boycotting the people of sins obligatory?Answer: We say: if boycotting them benefits their repentance from the sins, then boycott them; and if it does not benefit, do not boycott them; because boycotting only adds to the trouble and does not increase this sinner except in persisting in his sin, as is observed. Boycotting is a medicine; if it is beneficial, use it, otherwise do not.
And as for responding to the sneezer if he praises Allah, it is obligatory,By the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): (It is obligatory upon everyone who hears it to say to him: May Allah have mercy on you) meaning: if he sneezes and praises Allah.
And as for visiting the sick, the correct view is that it is a collective obligation, and it is not permissible for Muslims to have a brother who is sick and for none of them to visit him; rather, he must be visited,But it is a collective obligation: if someone does it who suffices, it drops from the rest.
And as for following his funeral procession, it is also a collective obligation, so it is necessary to follow his funeral procession, wash him, shroud him, pray over him, and bury him, and it is not permissible for Muslims to neglect that.
So these rights mentioned by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) include what is obligatory and what is not obligatory, and the default is that they are obligatory.
) Some of them are clearly from the Sunnah, such as the greeting of peace, but some differ and are ambiguous as to whether they are obligatory or a recommended practice. The hadith says: (The right of a Muslim upon another Muslim is six: if you meet him, greet him with peace; if he seeks your advice, advise him; and if he invites you, accept his invitation) And what is the meaning of the hadith: following the funeral procession, visiting the sick, and if he sneezes and praises Allah, then respond to him?
These rights mentioned by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) include what is obligatory and what is a recommended practice. The default ruling for a right is that it is obligatory,Because the word "right" means: established, and establishment is among the attributes of the obligatory. However, if other evidence indicates that this matter is not obligatory, we act according to that evidence; otherwise, the default is obligation.For example: (If you meet him, greet him with peace) Initiating the greeting of peace: we do not say it is obligatory, nor do we say it is not obligatory. It is permissible to boycott one’s brother for up to three days, but anything beyond three days is forbidden. Accordingly, the greeting of peace that ends the boycott is obligatory, and it is not permissible to leave it.By the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): (It is not permissible for a believer to boycott his brother for more than three days; they meet, and this one turns away and that one turns away, and the best of them is the one who initiates the greeting of peace) , and on this occasion, I would like to clarify that boycotting among Muslims is forbidden; this is the default ruling. However, the Lawgiver granted a dispensation for boycotting for three days; because a person may have some dispute, conflict, or difference of opinion with his brother and become angry with him, so the Lawgiver allowed him three days for what is in his heart to subside. Otherwise, the default is that boycotting is forbidden.
If someone were to say: Is boycotting the people of sins obligatory?Answer: We say: if boycotting them benefits their repentance from the sins, then boycott them; and if it does not benefit, do not boycott them; because boycotting only adds to the trouble and does not increase this sinner except in persisting in his sin, as is observed. Boycotting is a medicine; if it is beneficial, use it, otherwise do not.
And as for responding to the sneezer if he praises Allah, it is obligatory,By the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): (It is obligatory upon everyone who hears it to say to him: May Allah have mercy on you) meaning: if he sneezes and praises Allah.
And as for visiting the sick, the correct view is that it is a collective obligation, and it is not permissible for Muslims to have a brother who is sick and for none of them to visit him; rather, he must be visited,But it is a collective obligation: if someone does it who suffices, it drops from the rest.
And as for following his funeral procession, it is also a collective obligation, so it is necessary to follow his funeral procession, wash him, shroud him, pray over him, and bury him, and it is not permissible for Muslims to neglect that.
So these rights mentioned by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) include what is obligatory and what is not obligatory, and the default is that they are obligatory.