Severing Ties with a Fellow Muslim. It is haram for Muslims to shun, break ties, or turn away from a fellow Muslim. If two Muslims quarrel with each other, they may be allowed a cooling-off period of 3 days at the most, after which they must seek reconciliation and peace, overcoming their pride, anger, and hatred.

Settling Disputes. While it is incumbent upon disputants to settle their differences in an Islamic fashion, the Muslim community also has a responsibility in this regard. As it is based upon mutual caring and cooperation, it cannot stand by passively and watch its members dispute and quarrel with each other, and thereby permit the conflict to grow larger. Those who command respect and authority in the community are obliged to come forward to set things right with absolute impartiality and without allowing themselves to become emotionally involved with either side.

“Let Not Some People Mock Other People.” In 49:10-12, God prescribes several things related to preserving Muslim brotherhood and sisterhood and what this implies with regard to that which people consider sacred. The first of these is the prohibition of mocking, deriding, and scoffing at others.

“Do Not Slander.” The second prohibition is against lamz, which literally means “piercing and stabbing.” Here it is used to mean finding faults, as the person who finds faults in others is doing something similar to piercing them with a sword or stabbing them with a dagger – and perhaps the wound inflicted by the tongue is more lasting. The form of prohibition expressed in 49:11 (Do not slander yourselves) is very subtle, for it means not to slander each other. This meaning is derived from the Qur’an’s viewing the Muslim community as one body in its mutual concerns and responsibilities, so that whoever slanders a fellow Muslim in effect slanders himself or herself.

Suspicion. Islam seeks to establish its society on a clearn conscience and mutual trust, not on doubt, suspicion, accusation, and mistrust. Hence it mentions the fourth prohibition designed to safeguard what people hold sacred: O you who believe, avoid (indulging in) much suspicion. Truly some suspicion is a sin (49:12).

Sinful suspicion is defined as ascribing evil motives to others. Muslims cannot impute such motives to fellow Muslims without justification and clear evidence. Given that the basic assumption that people are innocent, mere suspicion should not be allowed to cause an innocent person to be accused.

Spying. Mistrust of others produces evil thoughts in the mind, while outwardly it leads a person toward spying. But since Islam establishes its society upon inner and outer purity, just as spying follows suspicion, the prohibition of spying comes immediately after that of suspicion. Prying into other peoples’ private affairs and spying on their secrets is not permitted, even if they are engaged in sin, as long as they do it privately.

Backbiting. The sixth evil forbidden in the verses cited above is backbiting (ghiyba): And do not ... backbite one another (49:12). The verse likens it to eating of one’s dead brother’s (sister’s) flesh. The Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, wanted to drive home the meaning of backbiting to his Companions through questions and answers. He asked them: “Do you know what backbiting is?” They replied: “God and His Messenger know best.” He said: “It is saying something about your brother (sister) which he (she) would dislike.” Someone asked: “What if I say something about my brother (sister) that is true?” The Messenger replied: “If what you say of him (her) is true, it is backbiting; if it is not true, you have slandered him (her).” (Muslim, “Birr,” 70; ABu Dawud, “Adab,” 40)

Spreading Gossip. Another evil, which usually accompanies backbiting and is strictly forbidden by Islam, is gossiping. This is defined as passing on to others what you hear from someone in such a way that will cause dissension among people, sour their relationships, or increase already-existing bitterness between them.
The Sacredness of Honor. Islamic teachings safeguard human dignity and honor, and, in fact, regard them as inviolable and sacred. Once while looking at the Ka‘ba, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar remarked: “How great and sacred you are! But the sanctity of a believer is greater than yours.” A Muslim’s sanctity includes the sanctity of his or her life, honor, and property.

The Sacredness of Life. Islam has made human life sacred and has safeguarded its preservation. According to its teachings, aggression against human life is one of the greatest sins, second only to denying God. The Qur’an regards killing a person unjustly as equivalent to killing all people (5:22). Since the human race constitutes a single family, an offense against one member is an offense against all of humanity. The crime is more serious if the killed person was a believer in God:

And for the one who kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell, to abide therein. And the wrath of God is upon him and His curse, and a tremendous punishment has been prepared for him. (4:93)

The Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, said: “The passing away of the world would mean less to God than the murder of a Muslim” and: “God may forgive every sin, except for one who dies as an idolater (and an unbeliever) or who kills a believer intentionally.” (Nasa’i, “Tahrim,” 1:2) On the basis of these verses and Traditions, Ibn ‘Abbas deduced that God will not accept any repentance done by the murderer.

The Sanctity of the Lives of Allies and Non-Muslim Residents. Thus far we have quoted texts that warn Muslims against killing or fighting fellow Muslims. But let no one think that the life of a non-Muslim is not safe in a Muslim society, for God has declared the life of every person to be sacred, and He has safeguarded it.
This applies as long as the non-Muslims do not fight the Muslims. If they fight the Muslims, the Muslims can fight them in retaliation for their deeds. However, if the non-Muslims have a treaty with the Muslims or are dhimmis (non-Muslim residents of an Islamic state), their life is sacred and the Muslims cannot attack them.

Suicide. Whatever applies to murder also applies to suicide. Whoever takes his or her own life, regardless of the method used, has unjustly taken a life that God has made sacred. Since people did not create themselves, not even one single cell, their life does not belong to them but is a trust given to them by God, the All-Merciful. They are not allowed to diminish it, let alone to harm or destroy it.

Islam requires Muslims to be resolute in facing hardships. They are not permitted to give up and run away from life’s vicissitudes when a tragedy befalls them or some of their hopes are dashed. Indeed, they are created to strive, not to sit idle; for combat, not for escape. Their faith and character do not permit them to run away from the battlefield of life, and they possess a weapon that never fails and ammunition that is never exhausted: the weapon of unshakable faith and the ammunition of moral steadfastness.

The Sanctity of Property. Muslims are permitted to earn as much as they desire, as long as they do so through lawful means and increase their wealth through lawful investments, and pay the due on it such as zakat. However, Islam warns against attachment to wealth and the world and leading a luxurious, dissipated life, and exhorts believers to spend in God’s way for the needy and God’s cause.

Since Islam sanctions the right to personal property, it protects it, through moral exhortation and legislation, from robbery, theft, and fraud. The Messenger mentioned its sanctity in the same sentence with the sanctity of life and honor, and considered stealing as contradictory to faith: “A thief is not a believer while he (she) is engaged in stealing” (Bukhari, “Ashriba,” 1; Muslim, “Iman,” 24) and: “It is haram for a Muslim to take (so much as) a stick without its owner’s consent.”

Racial and Color Discrimination. There is no special distinction for people with a certain skin color or who belong to a particular “race” of humanity. Muslims cannot be a partisan of one race against another, and of one people against another.