22. Separation
Separating oneself from people
'Awf ibn al-Harith ibn at-Tufayl, the nephew of 'A'isha, reported that 'A'isha was told that 'Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr had said about something which 'A'isha was selling - or giving away as a gift, "By Allah, if she does not stop, I will debar her from disposing of her property!" She asked, "Is that truly so?" "Yes," they replied. 'A'isha exclaimed, "I vow to Allah that I will never again speak a single word to Ibn az-Zubayr!"
Separating oneself from Muslims
Anas ibn Malik reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Do not hate one another nor envy one another nor shun one another. Slaves of Allah, be brothers! It is not lawful for a Muslim to refuse to speak to his brother (Muslim) for more than three nights." Abu Ayyub, the Companion of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "It is not lawful for anyone to cut himself off from his Muslim brother for more than three nights so that when they meet, one of them turns his face away in avoidance and the other one turns his face away as well. The better of them is the one who initiates the greeting." Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Do not hate one another nor contend with one another. Slaves of Allah, be brothers." Anas reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Two people do not love each other in Allah Almighty or in Islam if the first wrong action that one of them does creates a split between them." Hisham ibn 'Amir al-Ansari, the cousin of Anas ibn Malik whose father was killed in the Battle of Uhud, that he heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, "It is not lawful for a Muslim to snub another Muslim for more than three nights. As long as they are cut off from each other, they are turning away from the Truth. The first of them to return to a proper state has his expiation for that inasmuch as he was the first to return to a proper state. If they die while they are cut off from each other, neither of them will ever enter the Garden. If one of them greets the other and he refuses to return the greeting or accept his greeting, then an angel returns the greeting to him and Shaytan answers the other." 'A'isha mentioned that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, told her, "I can see you when you are angry or pleased." She asked, "How do you see that, Messenger of Allah?" He replied, "When you are pleased, you say, 'Yes, by the Lord of Muhammad.' But when you are angry, you say, 'No, by the Lord of Ibrahim.'" She said that she replied, "Yes, I only cut out your name."
A person who cuts himself off from his brother
Abu Khirash al-Aslami reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, "Whoever snubs his brother for a year has split his blood." 'Imran ibn Abi Anas reported from a man of Aslam who was one of the Companions of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Snubbing a believer for a year is like spilling his blood."
Those who refuse to speak to one another
Abu Ayyub al-Ansari reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "It is not lawful for a Muslim to refuse to speak to his (Muslim) brother for more than three days so that when they meet, one goes this way and the goes that way. The better of the two is the one who initiates the greeting." Hisham ibn 'Amir heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, "It is not lawful for a Muslim to snub another Muslim for more than three nights. As long as they are cut off from each other, they are turning away from the Truth. The first of them to return to a proper state has his expiation for that inasmuch as he was the first to return to a proper state. If they die while they are cut off from one another, neither of them will ever enter the Garden."
Generosity
Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Do not hate one another and do not envy one another. Let the slaves of Allah be brothers." Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "You will find that the worst of people in the sight of Allah on the Day of Rising will be the two-faced person who presents one face to a group of people and another face to a different group of people." Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Beware of opinion. Opinion is the most lying form of speech. Do not try to ensnare one another (in sales) nor envy one another nor hate one another nor shun one another. Rather be the slaves of Allah and brothers." Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The gates of the Garden are opened on Mondays and Thursdays. Every person who does not associate anything with Allah is forgiven except for someone who has enmity between existing between him and another man. It is said, 'Leave these two until they make peace.'" Abu'd-Darda' said, "Shall I tell you about something better for you than sadaqa and fasting? Improving the state of friendship. Hatred is what shaves things away." Ibn 'Abbas reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Three things are not concealed and He forgives everything else to whomever He wills: the one who dies and has not associated anything with Allah, the one who was not a sorcerer nor a follower of the sorcerers, and the one who did not have rancour towards his brother."
The salam makes up for shunning
Abu Hurayra reported that he heard the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, "It is not lawful for a Muslim man to refuse to speak to a believer for more than three days. When three days have passed, he should meet him and greet him. If he returns the greeting, they share in the reward. If he does not return the greeting, the one who gives the greeting is innocent of having severed relations."