Minimal requirements for being considered a brother in islam?

[nadeem]

Peace,

The title says it all.

I also have a specific scenario If a person is the Qurans most ardent critic on one hand, but possess many of the qualities that a muslim should have, is he a brother, or not? In fact, if the only thing wrong about him was his opinions, while his acts were well aligned with the Quran, should we consider him a part of the Islamic brotherhood or not?

Nadeem

[Jack]

Peace brother,

We are all brothers whether we are part of 'islam' or not.

Remember how terribly Noah was rejected...

Here's what the narrator says,

26106 When their brother Noah said to them "Will you not be righteous?"

The narrator already knew that Noah was rejected, threatened etc... like no other but they are still referred to as his brothers. Think about that. There are many examples of brother used this way just search 'their brother' into a quran search engine.

To answer your question, is he peaceful/promoter of peace?

[nadeem]

Thank you Brother -)

[Wakas]

peace,

see chapter 9.

I would say though, tentatively, that being called "brother" is different to being called "brother in islam".

[phoenix1]

peace
The truth is the truth, no matter where it's found.
The followers of truth are the followers of truth no matter how they came to follow it.
If belief in God is what matters (god is the ultimate truth), then the disagreement over the quran is a minor one.
What's more important, the physical ink and paper or the message?

[Wakas]

I had limited time earlier to reply. See this article on chapter 9 http//free-minds.org/articles/quranic/salat_wakas.htm In it, the term akhw (commonly translated as 'brother' is examined)

'Dictionary of the Holy Quran' by Abdul Mannan Omar
Male person having the same parents as another or a male only having one parent in common; person of the same descent/land/creed/faith with others; brother; friend; companion; match; fellow of a pair; kinsman; intimately acquainted.

'The Arabic English Lexicon' by Edward W. Lane
A brother. Signifying the relation of a brother - brotherhood/fraternity. Act in a brotherly manner. An associate/fellow. Sister, female friend. When it does not relate to birth, it means conformity/similarity and combination/agreement or unison in action.

Clearly, according to the dictionaries, akhw has a much wider meaning. In fact, 'the reading' itself confirms this understanding