Testimony to the Truth

Requirements of Worship The third aspect of this mission concerns Muslims themselves. Allah wants to see a spirit within the Muslim community where members are well-wishers for one another, not living only for themselves but continually working for the guidance and well-being of those around them. Just as professionals might form a trade union based on common interests, the shared devotion among worshippers of Allah urges them to unite and dedicate themselves to each other’s improvement and progress. This command has two levels of implementation: individual and collective. Individually, it means that every Muslim should actively engage in the betterment of other Muslims, using their own abilities and capacities. As expressed in the Bible, “He became his brother’s keeper” (Genesis 4:9). This concept is also mentioned in the hadith as al-deen al-nasihah (Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith No. 4944), meaning that one part of faith is for Muslims to be well-wishers of one another. Regarding the pledge the Prophet œ took from him upon accepting Islam, Hadrat Jarir ibn ‘Abdullah said: “I pledged allegiance to the Messenger of Allah œ on three things: establishing prayer, giving zakat, and being sincere to every Muslim.” (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 529)