Support your brother whether he is an oppressor or oppressed
Narrator in the source: Anas
Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Support your brother whether he is an oppressor or oppressed." A man said: O Messenger of Allah, I support him if he is oppressed, but how should I support him if he is an oppressor? He said: "Stop—or prevent—him from oppression. This is indeed supporting him."- Grade in the source
- Authentic
- Reported by
- Narrated by Al-Bukhāri
- Source entry
- HadeethEnc · 4236 ↗
Original Arabic wording
عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «انْصُرْ أَخَاكَ ظَالِمًا أَوْ مَظْلُومًا». فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، أَنْصُرُهُ إِذَا كَانَ مَظْلُومًا، أَفَرَأَيْتَ إِذَا كَانَ ظَالِمًا كَيْفَ أَنْصُرُهُ؟ قَالَ: « تَحْجُزُهُ -أَوْ تَمْنَعُهُ- مِنَ الظُّلْمِ؛ فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ نَصْرُهُ».Understand this hadith
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) commanded the Muslim to support his fellow Muslim, whether he is an oppressor or oppressed. A man then said: O Messenger of Allah, I support him if he is oppressed by removing the injustice from him, but what if he is the oppressor? How can I support him then? He said: Stop him, restrain him, and prevent him from committing injustice, for it is indeed supporting him against his devil and his own soul that commands evil.
Lessons from the hadith
- A reminder of one of the rights of faith-based brotherhood among Muslims.
- Restraining the oppressor and preventing him from committing injustice.
- Islam stands in opposition to the concepts of the pre-Islamic era, where people would support one another whether they were oppressed or oppressors.
References (original Arabic)
صحيح البخاري (3/ 128) (2443). شرح رياض الصالحين، لابن عثيمين (2/ 589). بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، لسليم الهلالي (1/ 326).