The Brother and the Friend
The presence of a genuine friend—one devoid of grudges and deceit—is an invaluable treasure in life. Moreover, having a brother who embodies the role of a friend, companion, and secret keeper enhances the joy of our moments together. A brother stands by our side during the most challenging times, transforming sorrow into joy, sharing laughter, and creating memories. He is our partner in childhood adventures, and in this article, we present some of the most beautiful quotes and verses articulated by authors and poets celebrating friendship and brotherhood.
Beautiful Quotations on Friendship and Brotherhood
- Friendship is the true treasure.
- Friendship is like an umbrella; the harder it rains, the more we need it.
- Your brother is the one who cherishes you in your absence.
- Friendship is a rose, its fragrance is honesty and love.
- The truly wealthy are those with loyal friends.
- True friendship is a partnership of mind and heart.
- A wise enemy is better for you than a foolish friend.
- Associating with the righteous brings good, while the company of the wicked brings woe.
- Talking to a friend in times of trouble brings me joy.
- Friendship is a single mind residing in two different bodies.
- If you find a good brother who guides you towards goodness, hold onto him dearly.
- Distances do not unite or separate people; only hearts can do that.
- A true friend remembers you in their prayers.
- A friend is a small homeland and a brother whom your mother did not give birth to.
- Friendship is not about staying together, but about staying true to the bond.
- Forgiveness and honesty are the roots of friendship; it’s not about the years spent together, but the sincerity of moments shared.
- Friendship is a precious stone, its value increases with time.
- Sometimes a brother is the one your mother did not give birth to.
Thoughts on Friendship and Brotherhood
First Reflection:
My brother, when life takes a consistent course, like a blackbird that cannot leave the branch until it returns, and like a mill resting beside a lonely river, the river preserves its path, easing its solitude. He brings joy amidst its painful monotony. This is how my brother appears—soft like September, gentle like an Andalusian breeze, and light like a fleeting light. He carries burdens of human trials, yet refuses to bow, embodying the nobility of Arab values. He remains a lantern through which I navigate the shadows of my aging memory to the comforting garden of the present, from the whirlpool of the past to the light of a beacon illuminating the shores of near dreams. He extends a rope of hope and a flock of lofty dreams that cannot settle for anything less than the heights, guiding us along like the verses of an Andalusian poet serenading the breezes of Granada and Cordoba, expressed in the melodious morning songs of Fairuz filled with wonder. Such is my brother—a beautiful gift from God and his most exalted blessing.
Second Reflection:
My friend, you will always be the one who comforts my solitude and fills my quiet moments, dispelling my fears. You are the most beautiful flower in my garden—may you never wilt and remain a rose every year, my joy and delight that keeps tears at bay. Come, tie a ribbon of my sincerity and affection around your wrist, you who possess my heart and enrich my world. I have missed you dearly. Let us remain friends, defying distance, so our poems echo with laughter, our words remain in love with our conversations, and silence never becomes the core of our dialogue. Let’s stay friends, no matter what may happen, so we do not betray the memories with forgetfulness and keep our emotions alive for all to see. Let’s not let fleeing from the past be a prelude to time. Let us remain devoted friends, to remember each other’s names upon meeting, with our hearts overflowing with purity, avoiding the bitter taste of separation. Let us be united in moments of farewell, ensuring our shared days are beautiful and unique, our memories glorious and everlasting, transforming our past pains into joyful verses. Even after separation, let’s cherish our thoughts of each other with longing, and may our tears flow without a whimper nor parting last for years. Let us uphold our friendship to the end of our lives, never letting the years mar our existence and ensuring our days remain devoid of the disgrace of parting. Let us stay friends even after I leave, so you can say one day in peace, goodbye, my dearest person.
Poetry on Brotherhood and Friendship
Poem: Brotherhood
The poet Semeih Al-Qasem, one of the most prominent Palestinian poets, was born in 1929 in the city of Zarqa, Jordan. His work is distinguished by its focus on Palestinian suffering and struggle, with notable collections like “The Poems of Semeih Al-Qasem,” among others. He penned a poem titled “Brotherhood,” in which he states:
Oh, you who ask in defiance and strength,
Do you seek? Where are the songs of brotherhood?
Your dark poems are a volcano of hatred,
A cauldron of fire, wrath, and cruelty.
Where is peace, and where is harmony?
Do you reap ecstasy from hatred and fire?
Your harsh, wounded voice,
We are weary of its gloomy echo and its sorrow.
So, why not cast off the cloak of contempt
And sing the sweetest songs of love?
Oh, you who inquire! Let go of the reproach,
Do you blame a wounded one who moans?
I am your brother! Did you break the chains that
You engraved over my arms with scars?
I am your brother! Who do you think hurled me
Into the darkness without a shred of light?
I am your brother! Who do you believe has kept me
Away from home, the vineyard, and the field, that label you?
You burden me with types of torment
Beyond my capacity, and then you curse me.
You teach your child to curse a prophet in the land of prophecy,
You complain about my tears when I weep,
You are lavish in your suspicions, if I take a single step.
You tally my weary glances,
So one day I pointed and on another I collapsed.
And if one rises, among your kin, aware,
He will clear me of your bitterness.
Criticizing his “foolishness,”
You announce where I am headed!
And if I complain, then from you to yourself,
To rule how my desires within you appear.
How can I sing songs of love,
And peace, when hatred and war dominate?
And I chant poetry of freedom,
To the bars of my great, distorted prison?
Oh, my reproacher! You are the most deserving of blame!
If you wish, you can be the brother.
Poem: Letters to a Friend from the Old Neighborhood
The poet Muhammad Muwafaq Wahba, born in 1941 in Damascus, has three poetry collections: “Shahrzad,” “Purple Lips,” and “Birds of Dreams.” His poem “Letters to a Friend from the Old Neighborhood” expresses:
My dear friend,
A greeting filled with longing from my heart that remains
Loyal to the old friend.
For memories that continue to thrive within us warmly,
For a life we shared in our old neighborhood.
Today, my dear friend,
I’ve reached an inevitable conclusion
Which had been hidden from my sight.
I realized that everything wisdom and religions called out
About the bond of brotherhood,
It weaves love for us as its fabric:
An outstretched hand of tenderness.
That flew away,
Into nothingness
And that what had fortified man with another man
In ancient times
Were wings of a tender bird
That stretched over our worries.
Its slogan: love among people is the worship of the Merciful.
And when man disowned his fellow man,
And evil overcame goodness,
And he set the universe ablaze in his aggression,
And love was destroyed, its covenant betrayed,
This dear bird fled from our confines,
Tears could not convince him to return.
How many times we prayed for his return!
Now there is nothing left in humanity but a shadow of man,
Filled with malice, grudges, and ambitions.
Plummeting into a terrifying regression towards oblivion,
And once lived among us in the playground of life,
In the meadow of loyalty, gratitude, and kindness.
Yet when anger overshadowed him in his vile actions,
His kin concealed him in the grave of oblivion.
We no longer hear of him or see him today.
When we ask about him, the answer is that he once lived
In the times of long-past eras,
Among us, a true human being.
He was cast down from his elevated status from the world of purity,
From the realm of virtue,
From the realm of beauty,
Into the mucky depths today, my dear friend,
I realized that everything wisdom and religions echo
About a bond that unites the inhabitants of the earth
They name it brotherhood,
Woven by goodwill,
An outstretched hand of tender support
That flew into nothingness.
All that remains is a lingering sorrow in the hearts of people,
So I said when the eyes saw nothing but disappointment and despair:
Oh, where is my wonder…!
Branches stripped bare of their white blossoms,
Despair has consumed what was once green and vibrant in our meadow.
With poisoned daggers of hatred invading,
Tearing apart bodies and souls,
Oh, my wonder at a world where humanity has become an outlaw against man…
To his blood, wealth, and honor:
Oh, my wonder at those whom God shaped from mud and water…!
He has become a tyrant over peers,
His heart was made of flint—stone cold.
Oh, my wonder! As if those living on our planet
Are not children of humanity!
As if those living among us
Are from the legions of Satan and the progeny of hell!
My dear friend,
You ask me about memories yet fresh in my mind,
Fragrant and lush like the most beautiful dreams,
What an intriguing question…!
And you who shared with me my joyous childhood,
Which not even the sharp blades of days,
Could erase the wonder from its face, it remains a life newly born;
It remains a shaded garden,
Dewy, blooming, and beautiful,
Resting in the yellowed pages of memory.
I remember we knew nothing but love and peace.
Disagreements never drew us
Away from our laughter and our halals of joy
More than a fleeting moment,
No matter how much we quarreled with children
In other neighborhoods or distant alleys,
Peace would surely reign in the end,
We must gather in peace,
We must be embraced to the chest of harmony.