the father, and in case the father passes away, then he still fulfils his responsibilities duly even after his father’s demise.

So many favours of the elder brother require the younger siblings to also respect him. They should honour him. They should give him the rank of their parents in the absence of their parents. They should consider him as their guardian. They should refrain from backbiting him, tale-telling against him and having ill-assumptions about him. They should try their utmost to obey his permissible desires and commands, and they should always keep good ties with him. In case there is any dispute among them, then the younger brother should come forward and apologise to the elder brother himself and try his best to reconcile with him.    

Treat the elder brother nicely

Sayyiduna Jareer bin Haazim رَحْمَةُ اللهِ عَلَيْه said:

I once had a dream, in which I saw my head separate from my body and held in my hands. For the interpretation of this dream, I relayed it to Sayyiduna Imam ibn Sirin رَحْمَةُ اللهِ عَلَيْه (who had great expertise in this field). He asked me if anyone of my parents were alive, and I replied by saying no. He then asked if I had an elder brother, and I responded by saying yes. ‘Fear Allah Almighty in his matter’, he said, ‘treat him well and abstain from cutting ties with him.’^[1]

Dear Islamic brothers! You see that the status of the elder brother in terms of respect he deserves, is like that of the father. However, after listening to his excellences, the elder brother should also not develop a mind-set that only younger siblings should respect him, no matter if he speaks to them harshly, humiliates them in front of others whenever he desires, or swears at them if they make a mistake.

Remember! Islam has illustrated the rights and etiquettes of everyone. While the young ones have been urged to show respect to the elders, at the same time, elders have also been commanded to treat the young ones with affection. In this relation, listen to two blessed Hadith of the beloved Prophet صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم: