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Help your brother, whether he is an oppressor or he is an oppressed one
Anas, May Allah be pleased with him, narrated:
Allah's Messenger (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "Help your brother, whether he is an oppressor or he is an oppressed one. People asked, "O Allah's Messenger, It is all right to help him if he is oppressed, but how should we help him if he is an oppressor?" The Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "By preventing him from oppressing others."
In this commandment there are two rules to establish justice concerning the oppressor and the oppressed.
First: the prevention of aggression, and the second: the response to aggression.
The Prophet, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: "Help your brother, whether he is an oppressor or he is an oppressed one." The meaning of the second phrase is clear. Yet, the first one is ambiguous; therefore, they wondered how to help the oppressor. The Messenger of Allah ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) answered them, so as to remove the ambiguity; to prevent him from oppressing the others, this is the way to help him. When he is angry, the oppressor does not know what to do. Then it is a must on those who are able to prevent him from the oppression, as well one must not slow down to prevent the oppression. Otherwise, he will have a share of the oppression.
This Prophetic commandment indicates the obligation is contingent on the ability to do so, it addresses those are capable of preventing the oppression, the same applies for enjoining good and forbidding evil, it is an obligation for those who are able to do so with their hands or tongues, as we previously mentioned in one of the Prophetic commandments.
If one is not able to support the oppressor or the oppressed even with the good advice and fair preaching, then let he reject the oppression with his heart, and for the oppressed to be supported.
Obedience is proportionate to the capacity, and Allah does not does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity.
The second is the settlement in the help between the oppressor and the oppressed so that one helps each of them fairly. One may not favor one of them over the other. He is like a judge between them, saying to the unjust that you are unjust, or do not oppress such and such who does not harm you, and the soft words that absorb his anger and bring back his mind, and warns him of the consequences of injustice with wisdom and good exhortation.
The support of the oppressor and the oppressed is a type of cooperation on righteousness and piety without doubt, every Muslim should be in the service of his Muslim brother and in his help whenever he is able to do so; Allah will remain in the help of the slave as long as the slave helps his brother.
