Thus, the noble verse, which embodies that sense splendidly,...

Thus, the noble verse, which embodies that sense splendidly, says: “Muhammad, the Apostle of Allah, and those who are with him are hard against the faithless and merciful amongst themselves [6] .” There are some intimate relationships between the believers, which have been united by divine love, and this love has made them indeed a powerful bloc against the enemies of God.

Truthfulness in divine love can be achieved through two things: The first is obedience to God the Mighty in His commands and prohibitions since one cannot be deemed truthful if they claim to love but do not obey the beloved. As for God, He loves us and His plentiful favours overwhelm us too.

The second is that divine love requires performing some social duties such as obedience to the parents, obtaining their satisfaction, maintaining blood ties, and showing goodness and kindness to the neighbours, the needy, and the poor, in addition to dissociation from the enemies of God. The noble Qur’an specifies the starting point as regards the relations with the enemies. The Most High says: “O you who have faith!

Do not take the faithless for friends instead of the faithful [7] .” Similarly, the Mighty also says: “O you who have faith! Do not take My enemy and your enemy for friends [8] .” Thus, the covenant of Islamic brotherhood is nothing but an affection out of the love of God between the believers. According to the noble Qur’an, the covenant of brotherhood relies upon faith in God as well as His obedience, while the other materialistic considerations are thoroughly worthless and unimportant.

It, therefore, transcends all materialistic considerations such as colour, race, position, and so on. In light of this, the early period of Islam witnessed this kind of brotherly bond wherein the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his household) was usually sitting with the slaves at a single table.

While the tribes in the Arabian Peninsula were boasting about the number of camels, children, and properties, and while they preferred the Arabs to others and the white persons to the black ones, the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his household) cancelled those empty considerations. The only criterion of superiority in Islam is nothing but piety. Thus, it can be observed that among his companions were Bilal who was from Abyssinia, Suheib who was from Rome and Salman who came from Persia.