UNITY AMONG MUSLIMS

I start with the name of Allah.  I praise Allah and thank Him for the blessings of Islam.  I humbly ask Allah to raise the rank of Prophet Muhammad and his kind Al and Companions and to protect his nation from that which he fears for them.  Thereafter:

Solidarity, cooperation, and standing by one another are important and basic elements for constructing a sound, united Islamic society.  If the sincere Muslim was to take a brief look at the situations of Muslims at large throughout different parts of the world, it would be enough to make him active in establishing unity among Muslims.  Moreover, a quick glance at the situation prior to and after the renewal of the call to Islam by Prophet Muhammad would shed bright light on the sound foundation for unity among Muslims.

The last prophet before Prophet Muhammad was Prophet ^Isa (Jesus), peace be upon him.  The followers of Prophet ^Isa who adhered to the Religion of Islam started diminishing in numbers after Prophet ^Isa was raised to the sky, and ignorance started to become more evident among the people.  Before Prophet Muhammad renewed the call to Islam, the people were living in an era of ignorance.  It was a period of time when widespread ignorance prevailed.  During that time, the Arabs in the Arabian peninsula were scattered tribes, dispersered throughout the land, fighting and robbing one another.  The intensity of the wars that took place among them drove some people to bury their daughters alive–to escape the scandal should their daughters be captured by warring tribes.

The strong did injustice to the weak.  Women were considered worthless just because they were female.  Drinking alcohol was prevalent.  Men could have tens of wives under them.  The people unrightfully worshipped many stones and idols.  Some even worshipped idols made from dates, and when they would get hungry, they would eat them!!  Many people buried their children out of fear of poverty.  Prostitution became widespread.  Unjust tribal solidarity prevailed.  This was the situation that prevailed before the Prophet came with his Message.  The people were living in dungeons of ignorance and darkness.

When the Prophet received the Revelation of Prophethood, he began to call the people to Islam.  The Prophet made reference to the state of ignorance prevalent at that time in a hadith related by Muslim and others.  He said:

بدأ الدين غريبا وسيعود غريبا كما بدأ فطوبى للغرباء قيل ومن الغرباء يا رسول الله

قال الذين يصلحون ما أفسد الناس من سنتى

which means:  <<When this Religion started, it was strange to the people, and it shall be strange again as when it started.  Extremely blessed at that time will be the strangers–those who correct what other people have contravened among the laws of the Prophet.>>

At first the people felt the Religion was strange due to the rampant state of ignorance in which they were living.  They were used to ignorantly and unrightfully worshiping many idols at the time the Prophet came to tell them to worship one and only one God–Who does not resemble the creation.  They felt this was so strange because of the ignorance in which they were drowning.

In this same hadith the Prophet established that this Religion would again become strange to many people‑-because ignorance would again prevail.  He also established when that time comes, there would be people who would stand up and correct the misconceptions in the minds of others; those who would again teach the people what the Prophet came with, and who would warn against those who contravene his laws.

What was the result when the Prophet established his call?  The people united and their hearts and hands joined together.  Those who immigrated from Makkah to al‑Madinah were graciously received by the Ansar (the people of al-Madinah.)  The bonds of brotherhood were established to such an extent that a member of the Ansar would offer to split his wealth and his belongings with a Muslim brother from Makkah.  They united together; and they sacrificed their money, wealth, and efforts. They accepted many hardships for the purpose of raising the banner of Islam–the message the Prophet brought to them.  Within a few years they had become one body expressing solidarity.  As a result, they became united in the Arabian peninsula; they opened Makkah; and they went far beyond the Arabian peninsula teaching about Islam.

Allah said in Surat Al-^Imran, Ayah 103:

{ واعتصموا بحبل الله جميعا ولا تفرقوا واذكروا نعمة الله عليكم إذ كنتم أعداء فألف بين قلوبكم فأصبحتم بنعمته إخوانا }

which means:  [Adhere to the true Religion of Allah and do not disunite.  Recall the endowment of Allah upon you‑‑that you were enemies and Allah mended your hearts together.]  Hence, they became one nation which did not regard disunity.  The lack of adhering to the true Religion of Allah causes disunity.  Moreover, adhering to the true Religion of Allah requires one to be knowledgeable about it.

The era in which these achievements were brought about was undoubtedly characterized by knowledge.  It was characterized by that knowledge of the Religion the Prophet brought to the people.  Hence, we can draw clear images, clear facts, and clear conclusions.  When ignorance prevailed, the people were disunited and enmity was widespread between them.  When the Prophet brought the knowledge of the only true Religion to the companions, they accepted it, implemented it, and consequently became united.

What did the Prophet bring to his people?  He came to them and told them the only true and acceptable Religion to Allah is Islam, and he who elects for himself a religion other than Islam will be a loser in this life and in the Hereafter.  He called the people to worship one and only one God Whose Name is Allah.  He taught the people Allah exists and His existence is without a beginning and His existence is without an ending.  He taught the people Allah does not resemble any of the creation, and hence, He is not a body;  He is not a soul;  He does not occupy places;  He is not subject to time;  He cannot be imagined in the minds;  delusions do not conceive Him.  He taught the people Allah does not need any of the creation.  He taught the people Allah is attributed with the perfect, befitting attributes.  He is attributed with Power, Will, Knowledge, Hearing, Sight, Life, and Speech.  None of His attributes are similar to the attributes of the creation.  None of His attributes develop or change.  None of His attributes fall in a sequence;  there is no one attribute before another or one after another.  In the Qur’an, Allah attributed to Himself, “Nothing is like Him.”  Surat ash-Shura, Ayah 11:

{ لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شىءٌ }

means:  [Nothing is like Allah.]  From that, the scholars of Islam established a well-known statement.  Dhun-Nun al‑Misriyy (Ibrahim Ibn Tawbah) and Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal said:

مهما تصورت ببالك فالله بخلاف ذلك

This means:  “Whatever you imagine in your mind, Allah is different from it.”  This is because what one imagines in his mind is a creation of Allah, and Allah does not resemble the creation.

The Prophet taught the people he was the messenger and the slave of Allah, and the Prophet was truthful in all he conveyed from Allah.  He taught all the Prophets before him were prophets of Islam; they all came with the basic message–la illaha illallah.  They all called the people to worship one and only one God–Allah.  Prophet Muhammad taught all the prophets have befitting attributes and are clear of all non-befitting attributes.  Hence, they are attributed with befitting attributes such as courage, beauty, and intelligence;  they are clear of non-befitting attributes such as stupidity, illnesses that cause others to repel from them, and vileness;  and they are clear of handicaps which impede their ability to deliver their message to the people.  He taught the prophets are impeccable from committing blasphemy, enormous sins, or small mean sins before and after the office of prophethood.

The Prophet taught the people about the tortures of the grave and the enjoyments of the grave and about the balance on which the deeds of the people will be weighed.  He taught the people there is the Resurrection and the Assembly and about the Bridge (as‑Sirat) that extends over Hellfire.  The Bridge will be between the changed earth and Paradise, and all will pass over it–some successfully, either walking on or flying over, and others will fall from it into Hellfire.  The Prophet taught there is Hellfire and Paradise, and the enjoyments of Paradise and the tortures of Hellfire are not allegoric–rather they are by body and soul.  He taught the people there is a Day of Judgment after which there is no more death.  On that day, death will come in the shape of a lamb and will be slaughtered, and there will be no death after that.  He taught those who enter Paradise will be there forever, and those who are blasphemous and doomed to Hellfire will be there forever.  The Prophet taught the people about the belief in the Books that were revealed; the belief in the Angels and the Messengers of Allah; and the belief in destiny–that which is good and that which is evil.

The Prophet also taught the believers in Paradise will be rewarded.  Among the many rewards is they will see Allah without Allah being in a place or a direction and without distance between themselves and Allah.  They would see Allah not like the creature is seen, because Allah does not resemble any of the creation, and hence, Allah is not in a place.  Allah is not a body and is not a body of light.  Whatever one imagines in his mind, Allah is different from it.

The Prophet came and invited the people to worship one and only one God.  He planted in them the correct creed of Ahl us-Sunnah and brought them the highest level of ethics and manners.  He taught the people how to deal with one another; how to observe the rights of others;  how to fulfill one’s obligations and responsibilities;  how to be obedient to Allah; how to refrain from all sins.  The Prophet taught the people those who carry the correct conviction in Islam and die with that status shall be winners on the Day of Judgment.  Those who carry this correct conviction, are obedient to Allah, and refrain from sinning are pious people and shall have a very high reward on the Day of Judgment.

The Prophet praised the status of knowledge.  He gave the people incentives to acquire knowledge, to better themselves, and to excel.  He taught them with knowledge, implementation, and sincerity one could attain high levels of belief, and thereby earn high levels of reward on the Day of Judgment.

This is what the Prophet brought to the people which inspired and established the change in the society.  This did away with the enmity that existed during the Era of Ignorance and replaced it with a state of unity and bonding among the Muslims–which led to a time of accomplishments as well as propagating Islam.  It led to one nation–all united under the banner of the correct creed–the creed of Ahl us-Sunnah.

Hence, the theme is clear.  Those who advocate the unity of Muslims and do that in sincerity, need to know unity among Muslims is only established and founded on the correct creed of Ahl us-Sunnah–the same creed the Prophet came with–and on the methodologies the Prophet prescribed and implemented himself.  Unity among Muslims is founded on adherence to those principles, following the teachings of the Prophet, and on following the scholarly consensus (ijma^) and the sayings of the reputable and dependable scholars of Islam.  On the other hand, enmity and disunity result from ignorance and the departing and detaching of oneself from those principles.

Disunity and enmity are a result of ignorance, as we have clearly seen.  This is why during their conferences and assemblies, the enemies of Islam have openly declared the following:  “If you want to defeat the Muslims, take the Qur’an away from them.”  By this message, the enemies of Islam are telling one another, if you want to disunite the Muslims and defeat them, take them back to a state of ignorance.  As long as the Qur’an is between their hands, they will have the knowledge of the Rules of the Religion reminding them of the message of the Prophet and uniting them around one sound and consistent creed.”

To weaken the Muslim body, the enemies of Islam adopted many methods to distort Islamic teachings and take the Muslims back to ignorance.  They started injecting poison in the stream.  They launched groups who claim they are Muslims but teach misguidance and preach ignorance in the name of Islam.  They teach people erroneous matters claiming they teach the creed of Ahl us-Sunnah.  Such groups emerged erroneously teaching “Allah resembles the creation”–and this is blasphemy.  Today you will find many groups of people, particularly the Wahhabis, the followers of Muhammad Ibn ^Abdul Wahhab, who liken Allah to the creatures.

The Prophet taught the people “There is nothing like Allah.”  The scholars taught the people “Whatever you imagine in your minds Allah is different from it.”  The Wahhabis came to destroy that conviction so they started injecting poison in the stream.  In their hope to disunite the Muslims, they spread dangerous falsehoods like:  “Allah has a shape,” “Allah sits,” and “Allah is in a direction, which is above.”

Others, like Ibn Taymiyah, also came to liken Allah to the creatures and to associate partners to Allah.  He said the world, by its kind, exists without a beginning–similar to Allah.  This is blasphemy and another attempt to inject in the stream that which is contrary to the Religion of Islam–to serve as another element to disunite the Muslims.

Some of the people who claim to be Sufis believe Allah dwells in things.  They call it the divine dwelling (al‑hulul.)  They believe the hand moves because Allah is in the hand.  They believe Allah is in whatever good thing you see around you.  Some of them say about themselves:  “I am Allah.”  They believe man attains the attributes of Allah and unites with the Self of Allah.  They believe their shaykhs of misguidance are reflections of Allah to humanity–and all of that is blasphemy!  By that, those people are injecting into the stream what is contrary to the Religion.  They are planting the seeds of ignorance and are disuniting the Muslims.

Some people attribute to the prophets that which does not befit them.  Sayyid Qutb came to tell the people Prophet Musa was a wishy-washy, hesitant person who was irritable, tense, and a reactionary human being–and this is clear blasphemy.  He said Prophet Ibrahim worshipped the planets, the sun, the moon, and the stars, and this is all blasphemy.  He said Prophet Yusuf was about to commit adultery–this is also blasphemy. He claimed the Muslims at large are blasphemers for not revolting against their rulers– including those who call for prayers on the minarets.  By this, he renders the blood shed of all those who do not follow him as lawful.

Some, like Hizb at-Tahrir, the followers of Taqiyyudin an-Nabahaniyy, teach the people Allah is not the Creator of the voluntary actions of the slaves.  This is clear blasphemy.   Others, like the Qadiyaniyyah, claim there is a prophet after Prophet Muhammad–again, clear blasphemy.

These are a few examples of those who inject in the stream what is contradictory to the Religion of Allah in an attempt to reestablish ignorance.  All these are elements for disuniting the Muslims.  The true unity is by adhering to the correct knowledge the Prophet brought to us and implementing it–all in sincerity to Allah.

Among the teachings of the Prophet is Surat Al ^Imran, Ayah 11:

{ كنتم خير أمة أخرجت للناس تأمرون بالمعروف وتنهون عن المنكر وتؤمنون بالله }

It means:  [You are the best of the nations that were brought to the people commanding the lawful and forbidding the unlawful.]  The Prophet taught us it is an obligation to order the lawful and forbid the unlawful.  Al‑Bayhaqiyy related the Prophet said:

حتى متى ترعون عن ذكر الفاجر اذكروه بما فيه حتى يحذره الناس

which means:  <<Until when will you hold back from exposing the one who commits enormous sins?  Mention about him that which is in him so the people will be cautioned against him.>>  Also, al-Hakim related the Prophet said:

إذا رأيت أمتى تهاب أن تقول للظالم ياظالم فقد تودع منهم

which means:  <<If you see my nation fearful of telling he who is unjust, ‘You are unjust,’–then know the support of Allah is withdrawn from them.>>

In the following hadith related by Ibn Hibban, the Prophet ordered us to command the lawful and forbid the unlawful.

ليس منا من لم يوقر كبيرنا ويرحم صغيرنا ويأمر بالمعروف وينه عن المنكر

It means:  <<He who does not respect the elderly among us, is not merciful to the youngsters among us, and does not command the lawful and forbid the unlawful is not following our methodology.>>

Knowing these hadiths makes it clear when the people of Ahl us-Sunnah stand up to defend the creed of the Prophet, they do so to fulfill the obligation of commanding the lawful and forbidding the unlawful.  Commanding the lawful and forbidding the unlawful is an element protecting the unity of Muslims–not an element disuniting them.

However, because ignorance prevails today, you find many people in North America and other places claiming those who order the lawful and forbid the unlawful are disuniting the Muslims.  Yet, when they freely inject in the stream what is contradictory to the Religion, they claim they unite the Muslims.  This is what the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, meant when he said:  <<This Religion started as strange to the people and shall be strange again as it started.>>

In conclusion, the message is simple and clear–the unity of Muslims is founded on the teachings of the Prophet.  The creed of Ahl us-Sunnah is not a loose-ended creed, rather, it is well-preserved.  The scholars among the Muslims established rules and set methodologies to protect this creed.  Hence, it is not open for anyone to say whatever he desires about the Religion. Those who speak in ignorance will be exposed because the Religion has rules.  The Religion of Islam is the Religion of sound intellect, not a religion of delusions.  Those who want to unite the Muslims need to acquire the Obligatory Knowledge of Islam, teach it, implement it, order the lawful, forbid the unlawful, and stand as protectors of the creed of Ahl us-Sunnah–all in sincerity to Allah.  Those are the people whom the Prophet named the ghuraba’ (the strangers).  He said the ghuraba’ are those who correct what others have distorted among the teachings of the Prophet.  They are the people who will bring about the unity among the Muslims.  The endeavors of M.A.R.C.H. are centered around this concept of unity.  They endeavor to acquire the knowledge from its authentic sources, teach that knowledge, implement that knowledge, order the lawful, forbid the unlawful, follow the sayings of the reputable scholars, and adhere to the scholarly consensus (ijma^)–all in sincerity to Allah and without fearing anyone in doing so.

We ask Allah to guide us to what is acceptable, enable us to be always steadfast on the path of the Prophet.  We ask Allah for all of us to be wise and active in propagating the true message of Islam to the people

and Allah knows best.

{ واعتصموا بحبل الله جميعا ولا تفرقوا واذكروا نعمة الله عليكم إذ كنتم أعداء فألف بين قلوبكم فأصبحتم بنعمته إخوانا }

Surat Al-^Imran, Ayah 103:

means:

[Adhere to the true Religion of Allah and do not disunite.

Recall the endowment of Allah upon you‑‑that you were

enemies and Allah mended your hearts together.]