05.17.06

Islamic Unity: A Commandment from God

Posted in Essay at 10:44 am by Abbas

I wrote this essay for the newsletter. I am going to paste the entire essay for everyone to view. Its on islamic unity. Comments, feedback and discussion is always good and helpful.
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ISLAMIC UNITY: A COMMANDMENT FROM GOD

Unity is a pre-requisite to a group’s strength and potency. Unity is emphasized in the Qur’an and the traditions of the Prophet. God states in the Qur’an,

“And hold fast, all of you together, to the rope of Allah, and be not divided among yourselves.”

Muslim unity is based on two fundamentals.  Firstly, to uphold the Holy Qur’an as the constitution of life, which dictates our actions and secondly, to accept our social responsibility towards each other as fellow Muslims. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah grant him peace) has said:

“Whoever does not care about the affairs of the Muslims is not one of them,” and, “Whoever hears a man calling ‘O Muslims!’ and does not respond is not a Muslim.”

He (may Allah grant him peace) also used the parable of the human body to describe the Muslim ‘Ummah’ or nation.  He described that if one part suffers, the entire body will suffer. Furthermore, one of the greatest achievements of the Prophet (may Allah grant him peace) was to unite the hundreds of fragmented and hostile Arab tribes throughout the Arabian Peninsula into one strong nation.  When he united them, he did not eliminate differences of opinion amongst them, but rather he enabled them to have dialogue with each other and come to a sense of mutual understanding and compassion. Under this notion the Ummah was formidable in the past and only with this understanding will it be able to return to a respected position among other nations of the world and play a significant role as it did in the past.

When properly channeled, the differences of opinion help contribute to the intellectual growth of the Ummah and reflect the vitality of Islamic culture. The competition amongst the different scholars in the different schools encourages them to strive with their maximum effort and ultimately help them reach the Truth. Diversity does not necessarily entail division, but is a part of unity just as it was during the time of the Prophet.

The enemies of Islam have taken full advantage of the volatile situation of the Muslims. Islamophobia is on the rise. Many Muslims live under military occupation or oppressive civil regimes. The concept or idea of unity in the Muslim world has been misunderstood and misconstrued by many, including even those within the Muslim community.  Forging Islamic unity seems to be a very difficult and daunting task given the present state of affairs, however, it is definitely feasible and possible.

One may ask, “What does Islamic unity really mean?” Does it mean that one Islamic school of thought should be unanimously followed and others be set aside? Or does it mean that the commonalties of all Islamic schools of thought should be taken up and their differences be put away to make up a new denomination.  Some groups promote forming a single ‘madhab’ or school of thought and some state we should abandon the madhab system altogether and just follow the “authentic” Quran and Sunnah. Both approaches are unrealistic and irrational in nature. Both go against the very foundation of the Quran and the Sunnah and hold the prospect of unification as a carrot on a stick, offering no real compromise and, therefore, no real solution. God states,

“O humankind We [God] have created you male and female, and made you into communities and tribes, so that you may know one another. Surely the noblest amongst you in the sight of God is the most God fearing of you. God is All-knowing and All-Aware” (Quran 49:13).

As we can see from the above verse, when true Islamic Unity is promoted, it does not advocate either of the aforementioned approaches. Muslims have many things in common, which can serve as the foundations of a firm unity. We all follow the five pillars of faith. We all strive to establish families and similar ways of bringing up children and burying the dead. Apart from minor affairs, we share similarities in all the aforementioned cases. We, as Muslims, also share one kind of world-view, one common culture, and one grand, glorious, and long-standing civilization.
Unity in the world view, in culture, in the civilization, in insight and disposition, in religious beliefs, in acts of worship and prayers, in social rites and customs can well turn the weakened Muslim world into a unified nation to serve as a massive and dominant power. This is parallel to what the Quran teaches us. The Muslims are brothers and sisters, and special rights and responsibilities link us together. So, why shouldn’t we use all these extensive facilities accorded to us as the blessing of Islam?

In true Islamic unity there is no need for Muslims to make compromises on the primary or secondary principles in religion, even if differences arise. Avoiding such issues is a mere misconception.

However, we must be genuine and sincere.  We must avoid insulting and accusing each other and uttering fabrications, and abstain from hurting one another and going beyond the borders of logic, reasoning, and respect. The very least we should do is observe the limits that Islam places on us for interacting and inviting non-Muslims.

“Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good exhortation, and have disputations with them in the best manner… “(16: 125)

A scholar once said, “Sunni and Shi’i are like two streams that end in the same ocean and have originated from the same source.” We must come to an understanding that we live in a time in which all schools claim to follow the Quran and Sunnah. We must show respect even if there is a difference and we must return to the way of the Prophet (saw). The Prophet (pbuh) united the tribes into one nation, while acknowledging the myriad of differences and preserving the different customs, traditions and cultures. We must strive for the same ideals and unite like the Prophet and the Quran commanded us to.

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