Fifteenth Ramadan Lecture Presented by Al-Sayyid Abdul Malik Badruddin Al-Houthi, 1443 A. H.
‘Cooperate with one another in righteousness and Taqwa, and do not cooperate in sin and transgression’
I seek refuge in Allah from Shaytan, the outcast.
In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
Praise is to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. I believe that there is no god but Allah, the Sovereign and the Manifest Truth, and that Muhammad, our master, is His servant, Messenger, and Last Prophet.
O Allah, confer Your salat and blessings upon Muhammad and the Family of Muhammad as You conferred Your salat and blessings upon Ibrahim and the Family of Ibrahim. You are Owner of Praise, Owner of Glory! And be pleased with Muhammad's good companions and all Your righteous servants and mujahidin.
Brothers and sisters, peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
O Allah, guide us and grant us acceptance, for You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing; accept our repentance, for You are the Relenting and the Merciful.
Allah (Glory be to Him) says in the Holy Quran, {‘Cooperate with one another in righteousness and Taqwa, and do not cooperate in sin and transgression. And fear Allah. Surely, Allah is severe in punishment’}. As He addressing us, believers, all Muslims, He included a great, important principle of Islam in His saying, {‘Cooperate with one another in righteousness and Taqwa.’} The Ummah needs this principle for its good in religion and life.
Islam is a collective religion that builds the Ummah and unifies it in holding to the greatest, most sacred, and loftiest values, morals, and goals. It also identifies the collective responsibilities of the Ummah that require the Ummah to join forces, organizes its movement in the march of its life in a way that matches its affiliation to faith, maintains its human dignity, and eventually leads to fruitful, great results: righteousness and Taqwa, which leads to the wellbeing of the Ummah's life.
In general, cooperation means joining collective efforts to accomplish a specific goal, to perform a specific work, or to carry out a specific responsibility. It is well known to all humans that collective effort (in terms of the level of accomplishment, the level of integration, the level of reducing the individual cost, and the level of capacity and capability) is greater and essential for accomplishing most duties, responsibilities, and major activities that require collective effort.
Individual effort cannot go beyond the limits of the person's abilities and capabilities, at the level of one person. These capabilities differ, whether at the material and moral levels, the mental and physical levels, or the level of capabilities and means. They differ from one person to another, and in all cases, individual effort remains limited: A person's ability to accomplish work and to discharge duties cannot go beyond a specific level. However, in reality—because the life of human society, is an interconnected life, and it contains common interests and responsibilities, and great goals—there is no way these can be accomplished through individual effort. It is impossible for some to be accomplished through individual effort: They require cooperation, and this is a realistic matter which is noticed in the life of human societies.
Human societies are organized and come in the form of states, entities, communities, tribes, or other forms. People in every human society, regardless of its form, have common goals, common life, and common interests and share collective effort and collective concerns, so they even coordinate individual effort according to a collective policy and orientation. This is of a real-life occurrence; however, it varies from one society to another in its occurrence and its fruit.
The most successful, strongest, and most achieving societies are those which have been able to raise the level of cooperation and orient the state of cooperation to a better level, a stronger level, and a greater level, in accordance with a correct vision. When there is a correct vision backed by collective effort and general activities coordinated to serve a common goal, great results will be achieved in the end. This is a well-known matter in reality, and it is applicable (as we mentioned) in our era as well as in all the past periods of time.
The Ummah has become the weakest because of neglecting
the principle of cooperation
The negative state in the reality of Muslim society is that it's less cooperative in everything (at the level of what is beneficial for it in its life, what is in harmony with its religion, and what helps it achieve great benefits in all fields). The current state that suffers from dispersal of efforts, fragmentation, and division and sees attempts aimed at encouraging individual effort and selfishness and making the Ummah lose its social connections and its collective emotions, orientations, attitudes, responsibilities, and concerns has helped to a great extent strengthen the individual vision and orientation of many people in the Ummah. This is what weakened Muslims in an era where they could possibly be of the strongest nations, if not the strongest. That is because they have capabilities, capacities, wealth, and manpower, besides the light and guidance of Allah, which is the best of what the Ummah can gather around. It is the most perfect, the most elegant, the highest, and the most guiding thing the Ummah can gather around so that it obtains goodness in its life and the Hereafter and plays a constructive, fruitful, positive, and righteous role in leading other human societies and having influence over them.
Western societies, for example, European countries and America, and some other societies in other continents, such as Asian societies like China, have taken the concept of cooperation to heart and shared the same concern, orientation, attitude, and interests. That is despite the fact that societies in the West are capitalist societies that prioritize the individual and the interest of the individual. Although they have this belief and principle of capitalism, which hugely concentrates on the individual and acts according to what is in the interest of the individual without paying attention to the public interest, they have recognized that even when seeking to achieve the best interest of the individual, the benefits and advantages the individual can gain through collective effort and cooperation are much greater than what s/he can gain when following an individual approach. They have also recognized that the interests of all societies (economic, political, security, and social interests) are connected in reality. Therefore, it is clear that it is possible to coordinate cooperation and to organize collective effort in a way that ensures individual privacy and does not ignore other considerations such as Islam's family-related instructions: {‘But blood relatives are nearer to one another in the Scripture of Allah’}.
They have realized that and benefited a lot from it. Therefore, huge entities were established, and their abilities and capabilities have increased, making them hugely productive. They always have a lot of firms and foundations in all fields, even at the level of research where thinkers and theorists join their efforts, as well as at the level of economic activity—different firms and foundations. Most activities in all various fields depend on foundations, firms, and groupings where capabilities, capacities, and talents are joined, leading to the best, greatest results.
In contrast, we, as Muslim society, live in a state of chaos where orientation towards individual effort is at its highest. We no longer share the same concern and cause that make all people join forces. We have also lost our common responsibility that we recognize as a burden that we all should shoulder and move to fulfil in an appropriate way.
Nowadays, in Western society, even at the level of huge projects, different countries cooperate together. You can notice how many countries have cooperated in space-related activities, for example, and the international station: space exploration, satellites, space-based observations, and activities that have to do with monitoring geographical and environmental changes on the earth, etc.! They cooperate in many things despite the capabilities of each country of them. Each country has great capabilities, but it prefers to cooperate with other countries in many expensive matters. This has a great importance in reducing expenses so that no single country cannot but bear what is a heavy burden and can affect its other interests and concerns.
This is truly regrettable!
Anyway, the other countries, societies, and entities in the world have succeeded in benefiting from the principle of cooperation with one another in their interests, even in building their conspiracy against our Ummah, and even in their cooperation in sin and transgression. They have succeeded in that to a great extent in a way that cannot be compared to the state our Ummah has fallen into by not cooperating in righteousness and Taqwa for the good of its religion and life. This is truly regrettable, and its consequences have harmed the Ummah and led it to what it is now: disintegration, chaos, loss, and division as well as many obstacles that reinforced the state of separation between the people of this Ummah, between one another, and between their efforts as well! So kafirin have benefited from cooperation in everything.
However, as a Muslim Ummah Allah commands to {‘Cooperate with one another in righteousness and Taqwa’}—we are those for whom Allah has prescribed and presented the greatest principles, which are the best for an ummah to gather around and the best for all humans as well: great principles, sacred goals, and great, noble values and morals. He also provided us with what can help us educationally to achieve brotherhood, cooperation, harmony, understanding, and agreement, making it possible for us to enjoy the highest level of cooperation. Allah tells this Ummah, {‘And all of you must hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not be divided’}. Our Ummah has this responsibility, {‘Let there be a group among you who call to goodness, enjoin what is good, and forbid what is wrong—it is they who will be successful’}—collective responsibilities. However, we did not make use of all of this in spite of these unifying principles. A lot of divine instructions show us the fruit of collective effort, cooperation, and its results and benefits in this life and the Hereafter.
However, the effort of those who seek to promote division with the use of all means and all banners (at the intellectual level, cultural level, political level, and all other levels) is huge, and it has a considerable impact on the reality of the Ummah, leading our Muslim society into a state that is completely different to the state of other societies. It did not benefit from cooperation in anything. a huge ummah: Muslims are more than a billion Muslims; their abilities, capacities, and wealth are great; and they are not an ummah that Allah has left without wealth or resources in its land, left it without anything, left with zero provision, or given it nothing. It has its share of Allah's generosity: {‘We provide both these and those from the bounty of your Lord. And the bounty of your Lord can never be withheld’}. Allah bestowed His bounty upon the Ummah, and even Allah provided it with a lot of resources. Indeed, it has a lot of capabilities and human and material wealth. It has (if it goes back to its correct vision) the great, blessed light and guidance from Allah, which could have raised the Ummah to the highest levels.
Abandoning this principle has made the Ummah a loser
at all levels
We notice how great the loss of the Islamic Ummah is when it abandoned this principle in its reality. At the military level, the Islamic Ummah seems to be too militarily weak before its enemies even to address the Palestinian issue. We all know that if the efforts and capabilities of Muslims combined, and an honest will, serious efforts, and reliance on Allah (Glory be to Him), Palestine would not be usurped, and enemies would not be defiling the blessed Aqsa Mosque, which is one of the Muslims' sanctities. Also, the Palestinian people, who are part of Muslims, part of the Ummah, and part of the Arabs, would not be suffering persecution, injustice, oppression, and unjust procedures day after day by their enemies and the enemies of the Ummah: daily suffering and all kinds of persecution (killing, wounding, jailing, destruction, indecent assault, uprooting olive trees, destroying farms, usurping the territory, looting of property, beating, etc.). All kinds of persecution exist in reality and have been taking place against the Palestinian people for decades now.
The Ummah stands helpless as if it could not end this injustice, save that people, regain part of what belongs to it , part of its sanctities, and part of its territory and land, and save part of it, part of its entity, people, and sons. In the face of the great collaboration the Israeli enemy enjoyed (the clear Western collaboration with the Israeli enemy), the Muslims showed much less cooperation among themselves. This is just one example! In the face of other challenges and dangers, we all know that if Muslims join forces and cooperate to push dangers away, they would have been a great power in the world, and their situation would be different.
At the economic level, Muslims do not have a single currency. Europeans have made themselves a single currency (Euro), so it has become a significant currency with great value and international importance. Western society has, to a great extent, adopted the dollar, and then Arabs and oil-producing Arabian countries adopted the dollar , making it an international currency. They made the English language an international language, and they made their policies international due to the division of Muslims and the complete subordination of some regimes to them, to the enemies of the Ummah. They have followed Western society and cooperated with it instead of cooperating with their Ummah.
There is no common market for Muslims. Indeed, the Muslims do not have a common market. Their economic relations and trade exchange cannot go beyond the roof determined by America and do stand ready to act according to the US' instructions, sanctions, and blockade against any people of the Islamic Ummah. Therefore, Muslims have lost a lot of what they would have gained if they had cooperated and had understandings at the economic level, at the military level, and at the political level. Furthermore, the Ummah does not have political influence compared to its size, its capabilities, and its capacities. At all levels, at the charitable level, misery would not have spread in any country of the countries of this Ummah if they had cooperated at the charitable level. The same is true for every field: The loss of Muslims is great. That is because they have turned away from the principle of {‘Cooperate with one another in righteousness and Taqwa.’}
Instead, some regimes, countries, and entities turned to cooperate with their enemies and to subject their powers, capabilities, wealth, as well as their attitudes and positions, to serve the enemies of the Ummah. This is a clear issue about some regimes in their total subordination to America, in their service to America, and in their service to the West, and eventually to Israel, the Israeli enemy. They have gone into declared relations and the so-called normalization, lifting many restrictions—the same kind of restrictions they impose on other Islamic peoples and Arabian countries. They have provided nationalities to Israelis and removed customs duties. Also, they have opened the doors for them to come in, go out, and move into their countries without restrictions and with all facilitations, including trade facilitations and so on. They have even directed their efforts into investment activities to support them. This way, they have done them a favour that they have never done to the peoples of their Ummah or to the countries of the Islamic world. This is a clear state of great deviation.
Today, talking about all Muslims cooperating or hoping for it has become like talking about impossible. That is, this matter is no longer hoped for due to Muslims' problems, obstacles, differences, division, hollowness, chaos, and separation, as well as obstacles and boundaries imposed by regimes and governments, who perfectly play this role along with misleaders and spoilers who direct their negative efforts to strike the Ummah from the inside. People should not await cooperation and unity to take place among all Muslims when seeking to achieve great or important work or great because this is almost impossible.
What can be relied on to revive this principle?
What can be relied on and can produce is what the free and the conscious of this Ummah do. However, this, in the beginning, requires raising this kind of awareness among the Ummah, and enhancing Islamic affiliation among Muslims, which serves as a unifying title for Muslims to gather around as one ummah that has collective responsibilities and shares the same destiny and concerns. Then, it is the time for cooperation, coordination, and coming to understanding regarding the most prominent issues. Any level of cooperation that can take place at the current circumstance is important and required: It is required at the level of the good-doers among this Ummah, who have a sense of responsibility; the righteous among the people of this Ummah; and the people of consciousness among this Ummah, who carry the burden of the Ummah and care for the reality of the Ummah, the suffering of the Ummah, the destiny of the Ummah, and the future of the Ummah, and who put their trust in Allah (Glory be to Him) and recognize and believe in the greatness of the Islamic and Quranic principles. Whatever cooperation occurs between them in any fields related to the great questions of the Ummah and its collective responsibilities, is required. It also exists now after Allah has distinguished between the munafiqin and the righteous among this Ummah—{‘Allah would not leave the believers in the condition you were in, until He distinguished the evil from the good’}—in the midst of what is recently taking place regarding the normalization of ties with the Israeli enemy and other issues.
Therefore, at the level of the people of awareness among the Ummah, cooperation can be enhanced. The same is true at the level of the good-doers, at the level of the countries, and at the level of active actors among the Ummah, who share this kind of direction that is principal, ethical, and humanitarian in its nature. This direction is the wise, correct direction that goes in line with human nature and should be adopted by the people of the Ummah.
Then at the internal level, at the level of every nation, we, the Yemeni people as an example, are a Muslim society, and our identity is an identity of faith: ‘The belief is that of the Yemenites, and sagacity is that of the Yemenites.’ Our society (Thanks to Allah) still holds to its principles, values, and morals to a great extent. It interacts with the guidance of Allah (Glory be to Him) and is aware of the greatness of the instructions of Allah (Glory be to Him), although to different levels among people, for they are not all the same in their awareness of these matters nor in their interactions with them.
Today, as we remain faithful to our principal, moral, and value-based position that calls for independence and refuses subordination to kafirin and munfiqin (our position that calls for independence out of our awareness that we are an ummah that has its own principles, values, morals, and cultural project based on which it should move), we have to thoroughly recognize that, especially as we have seen and lived the result of cooperation in the face of challenges: the great challenge represented in the aggression, the aggression of the coalition of sin and transgression. The American and Saudi aggression against our county is an international, regional aggression that enjoyed the participation of munafiqun and traitors among the people of our nation and launched its attacks and massive aggression on our country with clear goals: occupying our country as a whole and completely taking control over it and its people. It used all means of destruction in its aggression against our country, and it was keen to break the will of this people through committing the most horrible crimes against this people and through the suffocating, tough blockade against this nation. However, what is it the thing, after depending on Allah (Glory be to Him) and putting trust in Him (the Almighty), that has contributed to the steadfastness and unity of our people till today? seven years, in which the coalition of the aggression has achieved nothing but hopelessness, failure, and the acknowledged defeat, the defeat that different countries have talked about, including the entities sponsoring this aggression. It has become well known that they have failed in their aggression, in achieving their goals. This is the fruit of the cooperation among the people of this nation when they cooperated in carrying out their collective responsibilities represented in performing Jihad in the cause of Allah and standing up to this aggression.
At the military level, the positive result of this aggression appeared when the free people and heroes among our people from all different governorates and tribes mobilized enormous efforts, rushed into the battlefield, and shouldered their responsibilities. That cooperation has led to a great outcome. Also, cooperation at the level of charitable activities has led to great results. Similarly, cooperation in finding solutions for social problems has had substantial outcomes in reality. In all fields where cooperation has taken place, there have been good and positive results.
Islam pushes us to cooperate with one another to the degree that it points out collective responsibilities that require cooperation: Jihad in the cause of Allah, for example, is a collective responsibility that requires cooperation; enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong is also a collective responsibility that requires cooperation; and doing good contains collective responsibilities that require cooperation. Cooperation is beneficial and has great fruits; therefore, what if it occurs at a broader level that covers all fields in addition to our collective responsibilities like Jihad in the cause of Allah? It depends on cooperation: The better cooperation is achieved within Jihad, the greater the results will be. This is a very essential matter that we have to understand and be aware of. Prosperity lies in collective efforts and cooperation; whenever cooperation is available at broader and larger levels, it has greater and more enormous results. Therefore, we—as Yemeni people in particular and the Ummah in general— have to realize the importance of the principle of cooperation in righteousness and Taqwa. We should be aware of the fact that accomplishing our collective responsibilities requires cooperation, so we need to work seriously to achieve this in reality.
How can we build our economy?
When we come to all fields, the economic field—the economic field has become one of the main fields of conflict, where paying efforts with good, conscious intention and sincere devotion is a kind of Jihad in the cause of Allah. That is because the enemies are launching a multi-faced and comprehensive war against our people and Ummah in all fields, and a great part of their efforts is focused on the economic field through blockade. The issue that helps them in our blockade is the people's reliance on importing goods, which poses a problem in having foreign currency (dollar), decreases the value of local currency, and increases prices. Another problem is transferring commodities into the country, in addition to the problems caused by the international and regional instability, which can bring about an extra rise in prices and increases the people's suffering.
What can we do to strengthen the economy in our country? our reliance on Allah (Glory be to Him), trust in Him, and cooperation, for individual efforts can go nowhere. Local capital is low because the majority of our people are poor or from the low-income who may not be able to provide for the basic needs of their families. So how can they participate in commercial or investment activities in order to solve their economic problem? The solution is capital accumulation through cooperation. The cooperative effort in the economic field is one of the most important strategies that improves economy and solves livelihood-related problems, which are a source of concern and anguish for lots of families and paterfamilias, whose primary concern is to meet the basic needs of their families and to work hard to achieve that.
What do people around the world do? They establish commercial, economic, and investment institutions and share-based companies where capital can be collected from a million citizens, for example, five hundred thousand citizens, fifty thousand citizens, or any number of people till it becomes huge capital in order to be effectively invested in any field. This helps addressing the economic situation on one hand, strengthening domestic production, addressing the problem of unemployment, and on the other hand benefiting from labour. In some frauds that happened in our country, swindlers were able to collect billions. In one of these cases, as we were told, the total sum mounted to more than forty billion riyals, collected under the title of investment and commercial activity; it had been collected through fraud and deceptive ways from the low-income people who participated by shares—some paid five thousand riyals. Thus, very huge sums were collected.
However, when it comes to the investment activity that depends on investment companies, institutions, and projects, it should be established on a solid foundation under official sponsorship or initiatives sponsored by well-known, reliable, and trustworthy entities from the sons of the Yemeni people so that a person would not become a victim of frauds or respond to any unknown or anonymous person who might be a swindler or a fraudster calling for any investment or a cooperative activity. Share-based investment could solve the problem of poverty in our country to a large extent, improve the economic situation, increase domestic production, and gather a lot of capital, even from low-income individuals. This is an easy way for them; it is used abroad as well.
There are some fields where the government may also cooperate with merchants and citizens who are shareholders. There is a great opportunity for citizens to participate in investment fields of large income and boost the trade movement. This is what the official side and people should work on. There are a lot of good people who have high spirit and great care and are aware of the importance of these matters and of the need to work and pay efforts. What harms people is laziness. Whatever capacities our nations have, they always complain about poverty, as if they did not have any resources. You can see, for example, the situation in Yemen and Sudan. Even though it is one of the best countries when it comes to its agriculture wealth and agricultural production potential, which can make it exceed all Arab nations in agricultural production, it suffers severely, for there is no good regime there that takes care of the interests of this nation through beneficial activities.
Here in Yemen, the aggression has come to represent a very big pressure. The economic field has become one of the fields of conflict, where we should pay efforts while relying on Allah, turning to Him (Glory be to Him) for relief, and adhering to His instructions and commands. This is what can help people obtain blessings and providence from Allah (Glory be to Him).
In addition, at the level of orientations and policies, one of the most important things we need with regard to domestic production is seeking to reduce costs and improve quality. Farmers need to be aware of this, and production companies and institutions that might be established should seek to achieve this: finding a way to reduce the cost lower and ensure a good quality capable of competing foreign products.
Then come the policies that oblige merchants to focus on supporting and marketing domestic products and keep away from causing any harm to the internal production through foreign products. In such a case, cooperation—supported by policies, orientations, and procedures at the official level and the popular level—becomes fruitful and useful and addresses lots of problems at the economic level: It addresses misery and deprivation, reduces the level of unemployment, and tackles the phenomenon of beggary without neglecting Zakat, alms, and spending. All of this requires work, production, and economic investment effort. So if cooperation is applied in the economic field in accordance with Allah's instructions, it will have marvelous and big results.
The importance of cooperation in the service and social sectors
When it comes to services and service projects, cooperation is one of the most important things that we need. It helps in solving a very big problem in this field. There are many villages in need of paved roads. How has this problem been solved in some areas? It has been solved through social initiatives where people cooperate, work, and pay efforts together, funding and contributing as much as they can. Then, they enjoy official or philanthropic support. This way makes many important projects a success and greatly gets many problems solved. More effort can be made in this particular field, and more cooperation can be sought to expand its range beyond the village, tribe, and district—in some cases, it may cover a governorate. Sometimes, the range may get broader when good and righteous merchants cooperate with official entities to reduce the costs, raise the production, and achieve great, enormous, and substantial results.
Social initiatives are a successful way and need to be enhanced, strengthened, expanded, organized in a better way, more supported, and taken care of based on the principle of cooperation due to its importance and great results. At the social level, when it comes to social problems, cooperation is a must. Indeed, it is fruitful in solving social problems and in promoting Taqwa, as it helps in reducing the negative phenomena and behaviours that usually aim to corrupt society. When there is social awareness to reject such phenomena and to fight, prevent, and limit them through cooperation and unity among all the people in society, this protects our society from infiltration by the enemies.
In this period of history, our Muslim society is targeted in its ethics, values, chastity, purity, and righteousness. It is highly targeted by various means, such as the internet, social media, and many different means. So if society itself cooperates in righteousness and Taqwa, it will limit (with its state of cooperation and harmony) corruption and negative phenomena. This is how it can protect itself.
In addition, by preserving deep-rooted values and good habits in society. Our society (thanks to Allah) has a great inheritance of deep-rooted values, which are tribal, Islamic, and innate values. If society sticks to them, they will preserve, immunize, and protect it from infiltration. They preserve its identity, strength, unity, and affiliation to faith.
Also, with regard to facilitating marriage, it is part of cooperation in righteousness and Taqwa; it requires cooperation: There needs to be a determined line that should not be crossed. In addition, the poor who are married need to be supported.
Cooperation at the tribal level is a well-grounded habit in our Yemeni society, and every tribe has its own norms require the tribe to cooperate and to shoulder financial burdens. This solves many problems, and it has important results. Therefore, many of them should be preserved, for they go in line with Islamic teachings. We should also amend what does not go in line with the Sharia of Allah, Allah-prescribed way of life, and His instructions.
Cooperation is the reflection of great values such as mercy, goodwill, and unselfishness. It also indicates consciousness: A person who is aware of the importance of cooperation definitely realizes that it is a profit for society in every respect. Even selfish people who only care about themselves, they realize that cooperation benefits them. Cooperation does not deprive a person of his/her privacy or ownership of his/her personal properties. Cooperation is not like communism or socialism, which existed before and deprived the individual of the right to ownership; cooperation is in the best interest of the individual as well as the interest of society. It includes direct contribution and coordination of efforts to be directed at one destination. So cooperation has its benefits, importance, and value in everything—that is cooperation in righteousness and Taqwa.
The serious consequences of cooperating in sin and transgression
After that, Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {‘And do not cooperate in sin and transgression’}. As much as cooperation in righteousness and Taqwa has its importance, human and moral value, great positive impact, good outcome, blessed result, and positive effect for the benefit of society in its religion and life, there is on the other hand a great danger, great negativity, and too bad consequences for cooperation in sin and transgression. Sin is various types of misdeeds and wrongdoings. Transgression is to commit aggression against people unjustifiably.
Cooperating in sin in order to spread a specific crime, wrongdoing, or corruption by all means and in any way (through material capabilities, media, or direct practices and activities) multiplies crime, sin, and burden. At the same time, that also represents a greater danger. Sometimes, for instance, individual activities are often easy to fight and limit. However, what spreads corruption, what spreads wrongdoing, and what makes it spread widely is cooperation in doing it, promoting it, and contributing to it with collective activity, collective effort, and collective coordination, so it is definitely considered terrible, horrible, and too serious.
As for transgression, we notice entire countries cooperating in aggression in the reality of our Ummah and the reality of our people. States and entities have cooperated in the aggression against our people, so this has led to enormous crime and injustice. It led to extremely big, damaging effects that have reached a high level of criminality. Accordingly, we can see many countries of kafirin and munafiqin, as well as other entities, cooperate in oppressing the Palestinian people. In addition, many Arabian regimes contribute to the injustice practiced against the Palestinians, in one way or another. As for those who have normalized ties, they have been directly involved in cooperating in the aggression against the Palestinian people.
Cooperating in sin and transgression at any level (at the level of countries, entities, or communities) and to any extent it gets (at the level of specific tribe or specific community) is forbidden according to Sharia and is not allowed whether committed out of prejudice, ambitions, whims, or relations in any way. Indeed, cooperation in sin is a grave sin and leads to serious consequences, and cooperation in aggression is a grave sin and leads to serious consequences.
People have to cooperate in Taqwa , to abide by Allah's instructions, and to carry out His teachings. In any nation, entity, field, or work, this principle should be the primary principle that controls your effort with others, your cooperation with others, and your relationship with others: to cooperate only in righteousness and Taqwa.
you should keep away from cooperating with others, whoever they are (your friends, your party, your group, your tribe, or your nation, at any level). Your cooperation with friends should follow the measure of righteousness and Taqwa; do not cooperate with them in sin and transgression. Whoever is the person you are cooperating with (whatever the name and whatever the position), do not cooperate with him/her in sin and transgression. However big or small the state of cooperation is, it is of very serious consequences when it is in sin and transgression. However, it is important, fruitful, blessed, and positive and enjoys great reward, bounty, and results (‘Allah is with the congregation’) when people cooperate in righteousness and Taqwa.
Because it is a great crime to cooperate in sin and transgression, the blessed verse is concluded with Allah's saying, {‘And be mindful of Allah. Surely, Allah is severe in punishment’}. Allah is severe in punishment. If cooperation in sin and transgression makes those who are involved in such a process more tyrant and violent in their injustice and leads to widespread effects, the severe punishment of Allah (Glory be to Him) will be what awaits them (it will be what awaits them). So we must be aware of the seriousness of cooperation in sin and transgression in everything and every field. Even in social media, there is much cooperation in sin and transgression! Anyone can tweet to attack a specific person—s/he may slander him/her or exaggerate in his/her position against him/her. So as a result, many supporting tweets may follow. The same is true even at the level of a certain sin, for there are those who support, participate, and contribute. Social media has become of the places where cooperation in sin and transgression takes place. As a result, many people commit sins that could make their good deeds worthless, including Salat and fasting. Also, it has become one of the fields in which it is necessary to cooperate in righteousness and Taqwa and to coordinate this cooperation in order to ensure strong, active, positive, effective, and useful presence.
Speaking about applying what is related to cooperation in righteousness and Taqwa is a very broad subject; it is as wide as our life itself and the field of our deeds. At the same time, speaking about the negative aspects and consequences of cooperation in sin and transgression is so broad that it has to do with all fields and every detail. This has only to do with drawing attention to the importance of this matter.
We ask Allah (Glory be to Him) to grant us success in seeking what pleases Him. O Allah (Glory be to You), have mercy on our martyrs, heal the wounded among us, set free our captives, and grant us victory. You are All-Hearing!
Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.