the wrong place; indeed, when you refuse to bring your father something that would harm him, you are actually being dutiful to him, not disobedient, for this is the very essence of kindness. The greatest kindness is to shield your father from whatever harms him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Support your brother whether he is the wrongdoer or the one wronged.” They asked, “Messenger of Allah, how do we support him when he is the wrongdoer?” He replied, “Prevent him from wrongdoing—that is your support for him.”

Accordingly, when the author entitles this chapter “Fulfilling the Muslims’ Needs,” he is speaking of lawful needs. You should help your brother meet such needs, for Allah is in your aid so long as you remain in your brother’s aid.

The author then cites hadiths that we have already discussed, so there is no need to repeat them, though a few phrases require comment. One of them is: “Whoever eases the hardship of a debtor in difficulty, Allah will ease his hardships in this world and the Hereafter.” Thus, when you see someone in straitened circumstances and you make matters easier for him, Allah will make matters easier for you in this world and the Hereafter. For example, you may observe a man who lacks the means to buy food and drink for his family—while not yet at the point of dire necessity. If you relieve his burden, Allah will relieve yours in this life and the next.

Likewise, if you are a creditor dealing with a debtor in genuine hardship, you are obliged to grant him respite, for Allah the Exalted says, “And if the debtor is in hardship, then grant him time until ease” (Q 2:280). The scholars—may Allah have mercy on them—have ruled that anyone whose debtor is in difficulty is forbidden to demand payment, to press him for it, or to refer his case to