Interesting article
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Establishing Unity of Purpose
Building Muslim unity on the basis of the general precepts that we have outlined is the best way to ensure that it lasts, because those precepts are clear and unambiguous and because all other matters of religion are referred back to them. Equally important is that these principles are permanent and unchanging and leave no room for doubt or criticism. Therefore, if we go forward on these principles, we will not have to worry about falling into dispute about them a few years down the road. Unity built on such Islamically sound principles is strong and enduring and impervious to disintegration. When unity is not built on these principles, it is threatened with collapse whenever the people involved grow in understanding or their circumstances change. The same can be said for unity that is built on the right principles if extra conditions or opinions are imposed as part of the basis for that unity.
Take , for instance, students of Islam. When they first embark on their studies, they take the opinions and judgments of their sheikh as statements of fact, because they do not yet have the ability to investigate matters on their own. However, when they advance in their studies and grow in knowledge to the level where they can investigate matters for themselves, they start disagreeing with the personal judgments and opinions of their sheikh. The unity of opinion that once existed between the sheikh and his students ceases to exist. Therefore, unity cannot be based on matters of opinion that are subject to review and change. When unity is based on sound, definite principles, then it can endure.
Unity based on something as ephemeral as staunch adherence to a particular opinion is a fragile unity. The same goes for unity based on a specific way of applying the general principles of Islam to a particular set of circumstances.
Take for instance, a group of people that unite around the idea of resting between the two prostrations in prayer, or reading aloud in prayer, or performing qunût, taking their issue of choice to be a fundamental condition of faith. Some of them go so far as to make this issue - though it is not obligatory in itself - a badge of distinction that sets them apart from the Muslim masses. This is wrong, because Muslims should never strive to set themselves apart from the rest of the Muslims. They should only allow this to happen if standing for the truth sets them apart, but of course, without the intention of being different. When unity is based on something like this, it is destined to fall apart. The same goes for the dubious unity achieved by declaring those who hold opposing views on controversial matters as being outside the fold of Islam. With the passage of time, people's ideas change. They learn other points of view and the evidence upon which those points of view are based. Those seeking the truth objectively will change their views when they are convinced that another opinion is more correct, breaking up the unity based on commonality of opinion that once existed.
People can never come together unless they can learn to tolerate differences of opinion. Even prophets differed with each other, in spite of the fact that revelation from Allah would come to them day and night. Look at the story of Mûsâ and his brother Hârûn (Moses and Aaron, peace be upon them) when Mûsâ left him with the people while he went to speak with his Lord. Mûsâ (peace be upon him) instructed his brother, saying: "Act on my behalf among the people. Do right and follow not the way of those who do mischief." [Sûrah al-A`râf: 142]
But after Mûsâ departed, the Israelites took a calf for worship. "The people of Mûsâ in his absence took for worship the body of a calf which they made out of their golden ornaments." [Sûrah al-A`râf: 148] Hârûn (peace be upon him) forbade them from this, warning them that their deeds were from Satan and exhorting them to follow his brother. All the same, he remained with them.
When Mûsâ (peace be upon him) returned and saw what he saw, he became angry. "He threw down the tablets and seized his brother by the hair of his head and drug him towards him." [Sûrah al-A`râf: 150]
He then rebuked him on his decision to stay with them, saying: "O Hârûn! What kept you back, when you saw them going wrong, from following me? Have you disobeyed my order?" [Sûrah TâHâ: 92-93] Mûsâ was criticizing Hârûn for the stance that he took.
Hârûn (peace be upon him) replied: "O son of my mother! Seize me not by my beard nor by the hair of my head. Truly I feared lest you should say: 'You have caused a division among the Children of Israel and you did not observe my word'." [Sûrah TâHâ: 94] He made it clear to Mûsâ (peace be upon him) that he was looking at the matter from a different angle. He thought it best not to cause division between them and to stay among them until Mûsâ (peace be upon him) returned and gave a decision on their affair.
Qatâdah, a scholar from the students of the Companions, commented on this verse: "The righteous people before you also hated division."
Hârûn's overriding concern was for maintaining the unity of the Israelites until Mûsâ (peace be upon him) returned and decided upon a course of action. During that time, he did his utmost to advise them. Here we have two Prophets disagreeing on how to deal with difficult and unforeseen circumstances.
The reason for this is that this matter required the Prophets to use their own discretion. They had to gauge for themselves what was in the best interests of Islam. They were not disputing the tenets of monotheism - the message towards which all the Prophets called - nor were they disagreeing on whether or not to reject polytheism and its adherents - such rejection is part of the testimony of faith. They only disagreed as to what course of action would yield the best results, considering the circumstances. May Allah protect us all from ever falling so far into ignorance as to assume that they were disagreeing on the principles of faith. That would run contrary to their status as Prophets of Allah.
Another case in point is what went on between Mûsâ (peace be upon him) and Khidr. Their story is related in the chapter of the Qur'ân entitled Sûrah al-Kahf. Mûsâ (peace be upon him) objected to Khidr's behavior on three separate occasions. He objected to Khidr drilling a hole in the poor fishermen's boat, he objected to his killing what appeared to be an innocent boy, and he objected to his not taking compensation for repairing a wall in a town of inhospitable people. Khidr then explained to him the unseen reasons for why he did what he did. Khidr also explained that it was revelation from Allah, saying: "I did not do it of my own accord." [Sûrah al-Kahf: 82].
The story of Mûsâ and Khidr gives us an important lesson about how to work with each other in spite of our disagreements. It also gives us a lesson in patience and self control, because most people find it difficult to be patient about things they do not understand
Mûsâ (peace be upon him) was one of the major Prophets and Messengers. The first time he objected, it was out of forgetfulness, the second time it was out of what he saw as a violation of Allah's Law, and we can contemplate on what his third objection was about.
We also have the story of the dispute between Mûsâ and Âdam (Moses and Adam, peace be upon them). Abû Hurayrah relates that The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "A dispute occurred between Âdam and Mûsâ. Mûsa said: 'O Âdam! You are our father and you have brought failure to all of us. You got us expelled from Paradise.'
"Âdam replied: 'O Mûsâ! Allah chose you for His words and wrote them for you with His hand. Do you then criticize me for a matter that Allah had decreed four hundred years before He created me?'
"Thus did Âdam win his dispute with Mûsâ." [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (6614) and Sahîh Muslim (2652)]
This is not the place to discuss in detail all the implications of this hadîth. However, Ibn Taymiyah wrote an excellent short treatise entitled "al-Ihtijâj bil-Qadr" (Predestination as a Defense) that deals with this hadîth at length.
What is important to us here is that Mûsâ and Âdam (peace be upon them) had a disagreement. Mûsâ rebuked Âdam for something and Âdam countered his criticism with something else, and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon them all) gave a judgment in favor of Âdam's argument. He did so because Âdam used Allah's decree as a defense for something that had already passed, something that Âdam had already repented for and for which Allah had forgiven him.
Then there is the story of the meeting of Mûsâ and Muhammad (peace be upon them) during Muhammad's ascension. When Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) passed by Mûsâ (peace be upon him) on his return from his meeting with his Lord, he informed him that Allah had enjoined upon him and his followers fifty obligatory prayers a day. Mûsâ (peace be upon him) responded: "I had to deal with the severest situations with the Children of Israel and I can tell you that your people will not be able to bear that. Go back to your Lord and ask him to lighten the burden."
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) returned and Allah reduced the number of prayers for him and when he went back, Mûsâ (peace be upon him) told him the same thing. This happened two more times until at length when the prayers were reduced to five, he refused to return to his Lord and ask for another reduction. He said: "I feel ashamed to go back to my Lord again about this matter." [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (349) and Sahîh Muslim (162)]
In this story we see from Mûsâ (peace be upon him) an appeal being made, an attempt to convince, a suggestion given, and even pressure being applied. But we observe that this had its limits. No doubt, Mûsâ (peace be upon him) had a basis for what he said in the experience he had with the Children of Israel and what he saw of their shortcomings and weaknesses. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) accepted his suggestion the first, second, and even the third time. After that he felt ashamed to go before his Lord again with that request. There was a great wisdom behind this refusal, because his followers have the special distinction and status of being the carriers of the final Message and they have qualities not possessed by the Children of Israel.
Allah has made the personalities of different individuals unique. It is a mistake to assume that because somebody is sterner in matters of religion that he is necessarily more God-fearing. Often such sternness is merely an aspect of that person's personality and not a reflection of that person's religiousness.
During the Battle of Badr, Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) asked his Companions what they though should be done with the prisoners of war.
Abû Bakr said: "O Messenger of Allah! They are your people and your kinsmen, so spare them and take your time with them. Perhaps Allah will forgive them."
`Umar said: "O Messenger of Allah! They expelled you and they rejected you. Bring them forward and smite their necks."
`Abd Allah b. Rawâhah said: "O Messenger of Allah! Look for a valley filled with dry brush. Make them enter it, then set them afire."
Al-`Abbâs said: "You have broken your ties of kinship."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) went inside without saying anything. The people began saying to each other things like: "He will act upon the opinion of Abû Bakr." and: "He will take the opinion of `Umar." and: "He will accept the opinion of `Abd Allah b. Rawâhah.
Allah's Messenger then came out to them and said: "Allah makes some people's hearts so gentle that they become gentler than milk, and Allah makes some people's hearts so hard that they become harder than stone. O Abû Bakr! You are like Ibrâhîm (Abraham, peace be upon him) who said: 'And whoever follows me is from me, and whoever disobeys me, then You, O Allah, are Forgiving and Merciful.' And Abû Bakr, you are also like `Îsâ (Jesus, peace be upon him) who said: 'If you punish them, then they are indeed Your servants, and if you forgive them, then indeed you are the Mighty, the Wise.'"
Then he addressed `Umar and said: "O `Umar! You are like Nûh (Noah, peace be upon him) who said: 'Do not leave of the unbelievers anyone on Earth!' And `Umar, you are also like Mûsâ (Moses, peace be upon him) who said: 'My Lord! Make their hearts harder so they will not believe until they see a painful punishment!'" [Sunan al-Tirmidhî (1714) and Musnad Ahmad (3632)]
Gentleness in this case is praiseworthy, because it is for Allah, but at the same time we can recognize it as a personality trait. I might just be a person who is naturally gentle and pins his hopes on the people accepting Islam, becoming believers, and fearing Allah. For this reason, I am always lenient and indulgent with them, hoping to draw them closer to Islam. Abû Bakr is a good example of this type of person. This is why Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him)said: "Allah makes some people's hearts so gentle…" His gentleness was not outside the framework of Islamic Law, as would be the case if he gave them his approval to commit sins or to transgress against Allah's Laws.
We can see sternness and severity in the same way. This is why the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Allah makes some people's hearts so hard…" This hardness and sternness is not reprehensible, since it is not born of obstinacy and extremism and it does not seek to deny people their rights. It is sternness for the sake of Allah.
We are not here talking about the reprehensible hard-heartedness mentioned in the verse: "Thenceforth were your hearts hardened. They became like stone or even worse in hardness." [Surah al-Baqarah: 74] We are talking about sternness on truth and anger for the sake of Allah. Just as Abû Bakr is an example of proper gentleness, `Umar is an example of proper sternness. Abû Bakr, though, is better than `Umar, since Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said that if Abû Bakr's faith was weighed against the faith of all the Muslims combined, his would outweigh theirs. He is the Muslim who carries the epithet Siddîq, which means the most upright in faith. He is the best of the Muslims after Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) and he has virtues shared by none other.
The point being made here, however, is that neither gentleness nor severity alone can be taken as an indication of religious piety. A gentle person and a stern person could be equally religious. The gentle one expresses his religiousness with the gentleness that Allah has placed within him, while the stern person expresses his religiousness though the sternness that Allah has made part of his personality. Each one, through his deeds, can bring about a lot of good.
We have seen disagreements that have occurred between Prophets as well as a disagreement that occurred between the Companions of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) concerning prisoners of war. The Companions disagreed on numerous other matters as well, so many in fact that we would be hard pressed to try and enumerate them. They disagreed about when to pray while on the road to Banû Qurayzah. There disagreement on numerous matters of Islamic Law are well known.
This is a fact that can neither be avoided nor denied. It is a part of human nature. Compounding this matter is that people have different degrees of knowledge, different levels of understanding, and different opinions about the authenticity of the texts that they rely upon. These and many other factors lead to disagreements.
It is fruitless to deny the existence of disagreement. It is like denying human nature. The best thing to do is to acknowledge its existence and try to place it into a proper framework to make sure that disagreement never infringes upon the necessary principles of the religion, matters that our pious predecessors were unanimous about. There is nothing wrong with setting other guidelines for disagreement as the situation requires them, so that matters can be studied and reviewed properly, as long as the basic, indisputable principles of the religion are left intact.
Some of these guidelines follow:
1. Disagreement is allowed in secondary matters, not in basic principles:
Disagreement must not occur in the basic principles of the religion. The predecessors were, for example, unanimously agreed on the fact that prayer is an obligatory pillar of Islam and that whoever denies its being obligatory is an unbeliever. At the same time, they disagreed about certain details related to the performance of prayer and the conditions for its valid performance. They disagreed on the legal ruling regarding the person who neglected prayer. If any of these points is taken as a basis for unity, then discord, polarization, and antagonism will be the inevitable result
For instance, a brother once asked me about a certain group that exists in one of the countries of North Africa. This group claims that if a person disputes the unbelief of someone who neglects prayer, then that person is not from the people who will be saved. The position of this group is wrong for a number of reasons.
Firstly, none of the early scholars ever held such a position.
Secondly, such a stance implies that the great jurists al-Shâfi`î, Mâlik, and Abû Hanîfah are not from the group who will be saved, since they do not claim that a person who neglects prayer is an unbeliever.
I may prefer the view that one who neglects prayer is an unbeliever, or I may take the view of Ibn Taymiyah that a person who never prays at all, not even occasionally, is an unbeliever, and I may do so on account of the textual evidence that supports this view. Nevertheless, the issue remains a point of Islamic Law about which the earliest Muslims disagreed. The fact that I prefer one viewpoint over another is not a problem. But if I were to go so far as to take my viewpoint and treat it as if it is an absolute and indisputable principle of Islam, and make it a necessary basis for Muslim unity, then I have fallen into a grave error. I may also be attacking legal opinions that just might be more correct than the one I hold.
The pious predecessors were unanimously agreed on the fact that the Qur'ân is from Allah and that it was revealed and uncreated. They all recognized the authority of the Qur'ân. They differed, however, on the meaning of some of its verses. They disputed as to whether or not a particular verse was abrogated by another. They differed about the different ways of reciting the Qur'ân.
They also agreed about the authority of the Sunnah, as Allah says: "Take what the Messenger gives you and refrain from what he prohibits you." [Sûrah al-Hashr: 7] They disagreed on whether or not a certain hadîth is authentic. They differed about how to reconcile the meanings of two hadîth that apparently contradict one another. They disagreed on how to understand some of the texts. These are some of the reasons for the differences of opinion that they had, even in some matters that seem to us so obvious that we are surprised that they disagreed about them at all.
For instance, they disagreed about how the call to pray was to be executed, in spite of the fact that it had been called five times a day every day since the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him). They disagreed about raising the hands in supplication while standing in prayer. They disagreed about the exact times of the prayers. They disagreed about many aspects of how to perform the pilgrimage. They disagreed on matters pertaining to Zakâh. We can read about these and may other disagreements in the books of Islamic Law. The fact that these disagreements exist does not give us license to do as we please. It is for the student of Islamic Law to decide about these matters on the basis of the sound principles and methods of that discipline.
2. Disagreement is allowed in means, not in the ultimate ends:
The purposes and objectives of Islam are agreed upon, like protecting the five universal human needs and calling people to the worship of Allah. Muslims are unanimously agreed that it is an obligation to call others to Islam, and this obligation may be on an individual or on the Muslim community as a whole. Allah says:
"Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching, a" [Sûrah al-Nahl: 125]
"Invite to your Lord." [Sûrah al-Hajj: 67]
"Say: This is my way. I invite to Allah upon sure knowledge." [Sûrah Yûsuf: 108]
Approaches to this work may differ from time to time and from country to country. In Islamic Law, any approach taken in inviting people to Allah can be assumed to be permitted unless there is explicit evidence to show that it contravenes the Law. People may come up with novel ways of calling others to Islam. In some cases, a certain approach may become mandatory if there is no other way available to successfully convey the Message. Today, the diversity of media at our disposal gives us many options. We must exercise our judgment and use our discretion to utilize these means effectively. We are bound to disagree on how to do so, but this should not cause us to get angry with each other or cause us to become divided. We must keep in mind that we all have the same goal - to spread the message of Islam to those who need it and to those who are ignorant of it, and to as wide a cross section of humanity as possible.
3. Differences in emphasis are permitted:
There are many obligations in Islam that fall on society as a whole and not on every individual equally. For this reason, some people will engage in calling others to Islam, while others will engage in enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong. Allah says: "Let there arise from among you a group of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong. They are the successful ones." [Sûrah Âl `Imrân: 104] This means that among the Muslims there must be some who are engaged in this work.
Other Muslims will be engaged in other activities. Some will devote themselves to jihad. Then there are those who specialize in learning and teaching others the matters of their religion. This goes for all other activities of life. In fact all those who work to protect the welfare of the people, those who treat their illnesses, assist them in their travels and in their settled lives are engaged in fulfilling the collective obligations of Islamic Law, whether they are aware of it or not.
Therefore, it is not right for a person who Allah has guided to excel in a certain activity to belittle the work engaged in by others. Allah refers to such behavior when He says: "And they forgot about a good portion of the Message that was sent to them" [Sûrah al-Mâ'idah: 13]
No single individual can encompass all aspects of Islamic Law and all the requirements of Muslim society. Every Muslim is needed, some fulfilling these duties and some fulfilling those. Forgetting the relevance of activities and duties other than those in which we ourselves are engaged is a cause of enmity and hatred.
Regarding the verse "And they forgot about a good portion of the Message that was sent to them", Ibn Taymiyah writes:
Allah informed them - the People of the Scripture - about their forgetfulness of what was sent to them, referring to their abandoning some of the works that they were commanded to perform. This was a cause for hatred and enmity to spread among them.
This is exactly what is happening between us today, like the disputes we find people engaging in with regard to the principles of their faith as well as many secondary matters, and like the scholars and worshipers who resemble the Jews and Christians when each tells the other that they have nothing to stand upon. Allah says: "The Jews say the Christians have nothing to stand upon and the Christians say the Jews have nothing to stand upon yet they profess to follow the same Book." [Sûrah al-Baqarah: 13]
Likewise we see the jurist who concerns himself with outward deeds and the Sufi who concerns himself with spiritual matters condemn each other's approach They accuse each other of being outside of the faith or at least treat each other with the same level of aversion. Hatred and enmity grows between them, though Allah has commanded us to purify our hearts as well as our outward actions. Both pursuits are part of our religion and both are obligatory. Many of our pious jurists are only concerned with the ritual purification of their bodies and give it inordinate attention while neglecting the obligatory and voluntary matters related to the purification of their hearts. The only kind of purification they understand is physical. Conversely, we find many Sufis and ascetics inordinately concerned with the purification of their hearts to the exclusion of the necessary and voluntary acts of outward purification.
We find the jurists becoming plagued by misgivings making them use too much water and fearing that all sorts of pure substances are tainted with impurities, avoiding what Islamic law does not command them to avoid. All the while their hearts are full of envy, pride, and rancor towards their brethren. In this way they resemble the Jews. I do not mean to generalize. I am only speaking of what affects a portion of the jurists.
As for the Sufis, they are apt to fall into gross acts of negligence while they go to excesses in rectifying their inner selves. Some of them go so far as to make ignorance of what is evil and must be shunned a means of purifying their souls. They fail to make the distinction between keeping the inner self free from desiring what is wrong and the heart being able to recognize what is in fact wrong, the latter being a religious obligation. Due to this ignorance and negligence, they might fail to avoid things that are impure and fail to perform the obligatory acts of physical purification. In this way they resemble the Christians.
Enmity arises between these two groups because both of them went to extremes and "forgot about a good portion of the Message that was sent to them." In this way they lost sight of the truth. They can even go so far as to oppress each other and commit acts of aggression. Sometimes they attack each other. Sometimes they attack the rights that Allah has over them. Both of these things, in fact, go hand-in-hand. This is why Allah says "Due to envy among them" [Sûrah Âl `Imrân: 19] Each group goes against the other without realizing the truth that the other possesses, so they do not refrain from attacking that truth.
What we find is that the religion is the single cause for bringing about unity and feelings of mutual affection. This requires acting upon all aspects of the religion, which we can sum up as the worship of Allah alone, without partner, both outwardly and inwardly. Likewise, the reason for division is to forget about a good portion of the Message out of envy for one another.
The effects of unity are to attain Allah's mercy, His pleasure, and His blessings. This leads to success in this world and the Hereafter and an illuminated countenance on the Day of Resurrection. The results of division are Allah's punishment, His curse, and a darkened countenance on the Day of Resurrection. Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) will disassociate himself from such people." [Ibn Taymiyah, Majmû` al-Fatâwâ 91:12-17)]
The Sheikh was using this example that sprung from the circumstances and difficulties of his time. We can, though, apply his words to any of the many rival groups today, even those groups that due much good and act in accordance with the Sunnah. We find between them rivalry in their activities, in matters of knowledge, and in their devotions. This leads these good people to treat each other harshly, to fall into enmity and hatred, and to fail to acknowledge each other's rights.
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