AKHUWAT LITERAL MEANING:

Akhuwat Meaning from Urdu to English is Brotherliness, and in Urdu it is written as ‫اخوت‬.
This word is written in Roman Urdu. 1(Oxford English Urdu Dictionary)

AKHUWAT TECHNICAL MEANING:

The technical meaning of Akhuwat is that all the muslims are the brothers of one another.
They have equal rights and no is superior to the other in the terms of race, colour, culture they
can only be superior to one another on the basis of Taqwa and Eman.

Akhuwat in the Light of the Holy Quran:

Liberty and equality are the two fundamental pillars of human rights recognized by classical
democracy. Besides liberty in all its forms, equality constitutes the other scale in the balance
of fundamental human rights. It merits a special mention because of its close relation to peace
and the brotherhood of mankind. The principle of equality constitutes one of the sacred and
prominent axioms of Islam. Islam considers that all mankind are equal before the law, in their
rights as well as in their obligations, without any distinction of race, nationality, colour,
family or creed. Piety alone is the measure of dignity in Islam. Islam sees all human beings as
the creatures of God. All people are equal and enjoy the same degree of humanity. Equality
between people should be regardless their race, colors, creeds, and cultures. God says, “It is
He who has created you from a single person (Adam) and then He created from him his wife
(Eve) in order to that he might enjoy the pleasure of living with her”.6 The difference of
people is not to fight each other and override some of them over some, but to know each
other, God said, “O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female and made
you into nations and tribes so that you may know each other”.7 In fact, Islam is a religion
of blessings, kindness and tolerance for all humanity without any differentiation. Allah has
explained multiple times in the Holy Quran that the muslims are brothers, they should always
remain united and should care for each other in all ways possible. Islam teaches that all
mankind is but one family, as such all man and women are brothers and sisters. This verse
also clarifies that the criteria for judgment in the eyes of Allah do not depend on caste, color,
profession, gender or wealth, but on Taqwa, piety, and righteousness. Anyone who is
righteous and pious is honored in the eyes of Allah.
Allah said in another verse of Holy Quran: “Hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together
and do not become divided. Remember the favor of Allah upon you, when you were
enemies and he brought your hearts together and you became brothers by his
favor.” (Quran, 3:103). This verse clearly states that we should stay united as Allah
commanded in Quran because He made us brothers by creating love in our hearts. The level
of brotherhood involves purifying the heart of all enmity, hatred, and grudge for those who
have faith, including for the righteous predecessors of Islam, those who believed in the
previous prophets, and the general masses of believers throughout all of history. Allah says in
Quran: “They say: Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith and
put not in our hearts any resentment toward those who have faith. Our Lord, you are
kind and merciful.” (Quran, 59:10)
1
Urdu English Urdu Dictionary. Oxford University Press Karachi, 2003.
Akhuwat in the Light of Hadith:

The Holy Prophet (PBUH) also ordered and educated the muslims about the importance of
brotherhood and always told them to remain united. These are the following hadith in which
the Prophet (PBUH) talks about brotherhood:

1) Anas Ibn Mālik (radiyallāhu `anhu) narrated from Allāh’s Messenger (‫ )ﷺ‬that he said:
ِ ‫الَ يُْؤ ِمنُ َأ َح ُد ُك ْم َحتَّى يُ ِحبَّ َأل ِخي ِه – َأوْ قَا َل لِ َج‬
‫ار ِه – َما ي ُِحبُّ لِنَ ْف ِس ِه‬
“None amongst you believes (truly) until he loves for his brother” – or he said “for his
neighbour” – “that which he loves for himself.”2

2) It has been reported that the Holy Prophet (PBUH) said:

ُ‫طبَ ِة َأ ِخي ِه ِإالَّ َأ ْن يَْأ َذنَ لَه‬

3) Imām Ahmad (12734) reported from Ibn `Umar (radiyallāhu `anhumā) from the
Messenger (‫)ﷺ‬:
ِ َّ‫ال يَ ْبلُ ُغ ْال َع ْب ُد َحقِيقَةَ اِإل ي َما ِن َحتَّى ي ُِحبَّ لِلن‬
‫اس َما ي ُِحبُّ لِنَ ْف ِس ِه‬
“The servant of Allāh will not reach true imān until he loves for the people the good which
he loves for himself.”4

4) Abu Hurairah (radiyallāhu `anhu) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (‫ )ﷺ‬said:
‫ اَ ْل ُم ْسلِ ُم َأ ُخو‬,‫ َو ُكونُوا ِعبَا َد هَّللَا ِ ِإ ْخ َوانًا‬,‫ْض‬
ٍ ‫ض ُك ْم َعلَى بَي ِْع بَع‬ ُ ‫ َواَل يَبِ ْع بَ ْع‬,‫ َواَل تَدَابَرُوا‬,‫ َواَل تَبَا َغضُوا‬,‫اَل تَ َحا َسدُوا َواَل تَنَا َج ُشوا‬
‫َأ‬ َّ َ
‫ب اِ ْم ِرٍئ ِم ْن الشرِّ ْن يَحْ قِ َر‬ َ َ
ٍ ‫ص ْد ِر ِه ثاَل ث ِم َر‬
ِ ‫ بِ َح ْس‬,‫ار‬ َ ْ َ‫ اَل ي‬,‫اَ ْل ُم ْسلِ ِم‬
َ ‫ َوي ُِشي ُر ِإلى‬,‫ اَلتَّ ْق َوى هَا هُنَا‬,ُ‫ َواَل يَحْ قِ ُره‬,ُ‫ َواَل يَ ْخ ُذلُه‬,ُ‫ظلِ ُمه‬
ُ‫ضه‬ ُ ْ‫ َو ِعر‬,ُ‫ َو َمالُه‬,ُ‫ َد ُمه‬,‫ ُكلُّ اَ ْل ُم ْسلِ ِم َعلَى اَ ْل ُم ْسلِ ِم َح َرا ٌم‬,‫َأ َخاهُ اَ ْل ُم ْسلِ َم‬
“Do not be jealous of one another, do not artificially inflate prices against one another, do not
harbor hatred against one another, do not turn desert one another, one of you should not enter
into a transaction when the other has already entered into it; rather be brothers one to another
and servants of Allah. A Muslim is a brother to another Muslim. He does not wrong him, and
does not desert him, nor despise him. Piety is found here [pointing three times to his chest;
despising his Muslim brother is enough of an evil for any man to fall into. Every Muslim’s
blood, property and honor are unlawful to be violated by another Muslim.” 5

5) Imām Muslim (1844) reported from `Abdullāh Ibn `Amr Ibn al-`Ās (radiyallāhu
`anhumā)  that he said: “While we were with the Messenger of Allah on a journey, we
stopped to camp, and some of us were pitching tents, some were competing in shooting
2
Muslim, 45
3
Sahih Muslim. Kitab Bhavan, 2000
4
Muslim, 1412
55
Related by Muslim. See Bulooghul-Maram 1539
arrows, and some were taking the animals out to race them. Then the caller of the Prophet
called out: As-Salātu Jami`ah (call to prayer). So we gathered, and the Messenger of Allah (
‫ )ﷺ‬stood up and addressed us. He said:
‫ش ًّرا لَ ُه ْم َوِإنَّ ُأ َّمتَ ُك ْم َه ِذ ِه‬َ ُ‫ِإنَّهُ لَ ْم يَ ُكنْ نَبِ ٌّي قَ ْبلِي ِإالَّ َكانَ َحقًّا َعلَ ْي ِه َأنْ يَ ُد َّل ُأ َّمتَهُ َعلَى َما يَ ْعلَ ُمهُ َخ ْي ًرا لَ ُه ْم َويُ ْن ِذ َر ُه ْم َما يَ ْعلَ ُمه‬
‫ض فَتَ ِجي ُء ا ْلفِ ْتنَةُ فَيَقُو ُل‬ ٍ ‫ض َها لِبَ ْع‬ ُ ‫ق بَ ْع‬ ُ ِّ‫صيبُ ُه ْم بَالَ ٌء َوُأ ُمو ٌر يُ ْن ِك ُرونَ َها تَ ِجي ُء فِتَنٌ فَيُ َدق‬ ِ ُ ‫سي‬َ ‫آخ َرهَا‬ ِ َّ‫ُج ِعلَتْ عَافِيَتُ َها فِي َأ َّولِ َها َوِإن‬
َ‫َح َع ِن النَّا ِر َويُد َْخ َل ا ْل َجنَّة‬ َ ‫ب ِم ْن ُك ْم َأنْ يُ َز ْحز‬ َّ ‫شفُ فَ َمنْ َأ َح‬ ِ ‫شفُ ثُ َّم تَ ِجي ُء فَيَقُو ُل َه ِذ ِه ُم ْهلِ َكتِي ثُ َّم تَ ْن َك‬ِ ‫ا ْل ُمْؤ ِمنُ َه ِذ ِه ُم ْهلِ َكتِي ثُ َّم تَ ْن َك‬
‫َأ‬
‫س َما يُ ِح ُّب نْ يُْؤ تَى ِإلَ ْي ِه‬ ِ ‫ت ِإلَى النَّا‬ ‫ْأ‬
ِ َ‫ف ْلتُ ْد ِر ْكهُ َم ْوتَتُهُ َوه َُو ُمْؤ ِمنٌ بِاهَّلل ِ َوا ْليَ ْو ِم اآل ِخ ِر َو ْلي‬ … َ
“There has a never been a prophet before me who was not obliged to tell his nation of what
he knew was good for them, and to warn against that he knew was bad for them. With regard
to this Ummah of yours, its wellbeing has been placed in its earlier generations, and the last
of them will be afflicted with calamities and things that you will hate. Then there will come
tribulations which will make the earlier ones pale into insignificance, and the believer will
say: “This will be then end of me,” then relief will come. Then more tribulations will come
and the believer will say: “Surely, this will be the end of me,” then relief will come. Whoever
would like to be taken far away from the Fire and be admitted to Paradise, let him die
believing in Allah and the Last Day, and let him treat people as he would like to be treated
himself.6

Muakhat-e-Madinah:

The Ansar tried to outdo each other in making the Muhajireen comfortable in Madinah and
put themselves and their possessions at the service of the newcomers. Their generosity is
mentioned in the following Verse of the Qur’an: “The Ansar love the Muhajireen who sought
refuge with them, and there is no jealousy in their hearts for what the Muhajireen have been
given. The Ansar give the Muhajireen preference over themselves, although they were in
need of what the Muhajireen received.” (59: 9). The Prophet helped create a strong bond
between the forty-five immigrants and their hosts by assigning each immigrant to a particular
family in Madinah. Each immigrant, therefore, was declared a member of the family he was
assigned to. They were to share each other’s grief and suffering, and they were even allowed
to inherit from each other. Later, however, the permission to inherit from each other was
abrogated by a verse in the Qur’an limiting inheritance to blood kin. The brotherhood that
was born between the Ansar and Muhajireen was no superficial bond based on sufferance of
the Prophet’s instructions, but a deep sense of kinship that is difficult to imagine today. The
Ansar felt such a great responsibility for their Makkan protégés that once they even went to
the Prophet and offered to give half of their precious date groves to the Muhajirreen. When
the Prophet would not allow them to do so, they made a second suggestion: “The Muhajireen
can do some work in the groves and receive a share of the profits as compensation.” The
Prophet accepted this proposal. Sa’d bin Rab’i was a wealthy Ansari (singular form of
Ansar). He was paired with an immigrant, Abdul Rahman bin Auf. Sa’d not only offered
Abdul Rahman half of his possessions, but also one of his wives. “I have two wives,” he said.
“Tell me who is more pleasing to you and I shall divorce her so that you may marry her.”
 
Abdul Rahman did not take advantage of his host’s generosity. “May Allah bless your family
and your possessions! Just tell me where the market is.” Like most Makkans, he was a skilled
merchant, and soon he was able to support himself with his earnings from the market. Shortly
thereafter, he married a woman from the Ansar.7

6
The Muqaddimah. Pantheon Books, 1958
7
Rasoulallah.net