carries the Quran or the Sunnah yet derives no benefit from them is like a donkey laden with tomes. We ask Allah to grant me and you beneficial knowledge and righteous deeds.

From this hadith we also learn the Prophet’s ﷺ warning to his ummah against fighting one another. Sadly, however, the sword did fall between them, and turmoil has raged ever since the time of ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān (may Allah be pleased with him) up to the present day. These tribulations are still ongoing among people: sometimes they erupt on a wide scale, and at other times they are confined to specific regions. We ask Allah for well-being.

Even so, it is incumbent upon the Muslim to safeguard his brother’s blood as much as he can. If, however, a person is tried by an assailant who attacks him—his life, his property, or his honour—he may defend himself, but he must start with the least force necessary and escalate only when required. If the assailant cannot be repelled except by killing him, he may kill him; if he kills him, the assailant is in the Fire, and if the defender is killed, he is a martyr, as has been reported from the Prophet ﷺ.

This hadith likewise contains a warning regarding the honour of Muslims: it is not permissible for a Muslim to violate his brother’s reputation, whether truthfully or falsely. If his words are true, he has backbitten him; if they are false, he has slandered him. Therefore, when you see in your brother something you wish to criticise—concerning his worship, his character, or his dealings—you must advise him, for that is one of his rights over you. Offer him counsel privately, either face-to-face or through correspondence; by doing so you clear yourself of responsibility.

There is, however, one indispensable point: if you wish to advise him by letter