in his honor, nor in his family. In other words, he must not wrong him in any manner whatsoever. “Nor does he hand him over,” meaning that he never leaves him at the mercy of someone who would oppress him; instead, he steps in to protect and defend him. Hence two obligations are gathered in one:

First: he does not wrong him himself.
Second: he does not abandon him to someone who would wrong him; rather, he defends him.

For this reason the scholars—may Allah have mercy on them—have stated that a person is duty-bound to defend his brother in three areas: his honor, his person, and his property. As for his honor: if you hear someone reviling or backbiting him, it becomes obligatory for you to defend him. As for his person: if someone attempts to assault your Muslim brother and you are able to repel the aggressor, it is obligatory for you to defend him. And as for his property: should someone try to seize it, you are likewise obliged to defend him.

He ﷺ then said: “Allah will be attending to the need of the servant so long as the servant is attending to the need of his brother.” That is, when you occupy yourself with fulfilling your brother’s need and helping him accomplish it, Allah Most High assists you in your own need and aids you in obtaining it—perfect recompense for your deed.

It is therefore understood that if a person wrongs his brother, his brotherhood is deficient; if he abandons him to one who would oppress him, his brotherhood is deficient; and if he fails to see to his brother’s needs, he deprives himself of the tremendous blessing that Allah would have been in his own need.

Then he ﷺ said: “Whoever relieves a Muslim of one of the distresses of this world, Allah will relieve him of a distress from the distresses of the Day of Resurrection.” A distress is something that constricts a person, weighs heavily upon him, and fills his heart with worry and grief. When you lift such a distress from your brother, Allah will lift from you a distress