sisters respect him, give him the status of parents in their absence, or at least consider him to be their guardian. They should refrain from backbiting, tale-telling and holding bad presumptions about him. They should, as far as possible, act upon his permissible wishes and instructions. They should always maintain a good relationship with him and if he ever becomes angry, they should take the initiative and apologize to him and try their best to bring him round.

Treat the elder brother well

Sayyidunā Jarīr b. Ḥāzim  رَحْمَةُ اللهِ عَلَيْه  has stated:

I once had a dream in which I saw that my head was in my hands. In order to find out the interpretation of this, I related my dream to Imam Ibn Sīrīn رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه (who was an expert in interpreting dreams). He asked me: “Are any of your parents alive?” I replied in the negative. He then said, “Do you have an elder brother?”. I replied in the affirmative. He  رَحْمَةُ اللهِ عَلَيْه  said, “Continue fearing Allah Almighty, treat him well and refrain from breaking ties with him.”^[1]

Affection for children

Dear Islamic brothers! While Islam has taught the young to respect their elder brother, it has also ordered the elders to show love and affection to their younger brothers and sisters. For encouragement, let us listen to two blessed sayings of the Holy Prophet   صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم  :

1.Whoever has three daughters or three sisters, or two daughters or two sisters, and he treats them well and fears Allah Almighty in relation to them, then Paradise is for him.^[2]

2.He is not from us who does not show mercy to our young ones, does not respect our elders and does not recognise our rights.^[3]

صَلُّوۡا عَلَى الۡحَبِيۡب                 صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلٰى مُحَمَّد