Why are we so Divided?
![Why are we so Divided?](knowgif/whydivided.jpg)
... Because of Shirk, innovations
and leaving the Sunnah
All Praise is for Allah (subhaanahu
wa ta'aala) Lord of all the creation and May His peace and Blessings
be upon is last Prophet Muhammad (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam)
and upon the Prophet's (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) family
and upon the companions and on all those who follow the path of
guidance until the last day.
We saw in last weeks issue that
without doubt the Muslim Ummah is in a divided and fragmented
state and that this division is prohibited in Islam. Rather Allah
(subhaanahu wa ta'aala) has enjoined upon us to hold onto the
rope of Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala), which we established is
the Qur'an and the Sunnah as understood by the Companions. But
how did we reach this state in the first place, what causes
disunity?
Shirk - Associating
partners in worship with Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala)
Without doubt one of the major
causes for people splitting up the religion and leaving holding
on to the rope of Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) is shirk. This
is the grave sin of ascribing partners with Allah (subhaanahu
wa ta'aala) in worship. Today throughout the world there are numerous
examples of shirk amongst the Ummah, such as those who call upon
the dead in the grave. Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) says:
"And invoke not besides
Allah anything that will neither profit you nor hurt you, but
if (in case) you did so, you shall certainly be one of the Dhal
(polytheists and wrong-doers)." [Surah Yoonus 10:106]
Verily Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala)
has created us to worship Him alone, as He (subhaanahu wa ta'aala)
says:
"And I (Allah) created
not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone)."
[Surah adh-Dhaariyaat 51:56]
So the one who gives worship to
other than Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) has he not committed
the most severe sin. Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) says:
"Verily! Allah forgives
not (the sin of) setting up partners (in worship) with Him, but
He forgives whom He wills sins other than that." [Surah an-Nisaa
4:116]
It is reported that Ibn Masood
(radhi-Allaahu 'anhu) asked the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa
sallam):
"Which
is the Greatest sin?" The Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa
sallam) said: "That you set up a rival for Allah, While He
is the one who created you." [Bukhaaree]
O noble reader it will not be hidden
from you that throughout the world Muslims are stooped in such
practices of calling upon the dead saint in the grave, asking
him to remove their difficulty whether it be Abdul Qaadir al Jeelanee
or al Badawee or other people who's graves have been made places
of worship. How can unity be achieved amongst the Muslims when
some Muslims cannot unify their worship for Allah (subhaanahu
wa ta'aala) alone? O noble reader consider the following, how
many Muslims:
Wear Amulets and charms, despite
the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) saying:
"Whoever
wears an amulet has committed shirk." [Ahmad]
Read astrology in magazines or
go to fortune tellers, despite the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe
wa sallam) saying:
"Whoever
goes to a fortune-teller and asks him something and believes in
his words, will have his prayers rejected for forty days."
[Muslim]
So while all these non-Islaamic
beliefs and practices are present amongst the Muslims how can
unity take place? Is not our first obligation to give da'wah to
those Muslims who are stooped in these practices? Thereby calling
to tawheed as all 124,000 Prophets from Aadam (alayhi-salam) to
the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) did. They all began
their call to the people with Tawheed - worshipping Allah (subhaanahu
wa ta'aala) alone.
Having incorrect beliefs
Another major reason for disunity
is the wide range of beliefs prevalent amongst the Muslims. Despite
us having the same Qur'an and the same Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe
wa sallam), Muslims still have different beliefs. Why is this?
If we all are referring back to the Qur'an and the Sunnah in every
matter then why the differences. Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala)
says:
"(And) if you differ
in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger
(sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam), if you believe in Allah and in
the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final determination."
[Surah an-Nisaa 4:59]
So verily O noble reader, imagine
if every Muslim acted upon this ayah - would there be any differences
then? NO, except maybe in the issues of fiqh,
such as the prayer. But our beliefs and methodology would be one,
so why is this not the case? It is because many Muslims today
do not refer every issue back to Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala)
and His Messenger (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam), rather they
ask their local Imaam or their parents or refer it back to their
madhab.
Know O noble reader that the first
thing that all the Prophets called to was the rectification of
the beliefs, before calling to the Islaamic state or to Jihad,
the first thing was purifying the beliefs of the Muslim. So how
can we have unity while there are Muslims who believe:
That Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala)
is everywhere, despite Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) saying:
"They fear their Lord
Who is above them, and they do what they are commanded."
[Surah an-Nahl 16:50]
That the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe
wa sallam) was not human and was made from light, despite Allah
(subhaanahu wa ta'aala) saying:
"Say (O Muhammad sal-Allaahu
'alayhe wa sallam): 'I am only a human being like you. It is revealed
to me that your Ilaah (God worthy of being worshipped) is One
Ilaah (God)." [Surah Fussilat 41:6]
That the saying of an Imaam should
be acted upon over the hadeeth, despite Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala)
saying:
"And let those who
oppose the Messenger's (Muhammad sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam)
commandment (i.e. his Sunnah) beware, lest some Fitnah (trials
i.e. shirk) should befall them or a painful torment be inflicted
on them." [Surah an-Noor 24:63]
That Imaan does not increase or
decrease, despite the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam)
saying:
"Imaan has seventy
odd or sixty odd branches. The most virtuous of them is the statement,
'There is none worthy of worship except Allah, and the slightest
of them is to remove something harmful from the road. And hayaa
is a branch of Imaan." [Bukhaaree and Muslim]
Bid'ah - Innovations
in the religion
Another cause for disunity and
not holding fast to the rope of Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala)
is the occurrence of innovations in this Ummah.
Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) has
informed us in the Qur'an that He has completed this religion
of Islam for us as He (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) says:
"This day, I have
perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you,
and have chosen for you Islam as your religion." [Surah al-Maa'idah,
5:3]
Since the religion is complete
how can it be that we need to add new things and ways of worship
to Islam? Whatever was not part of the religion at the time of
the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) cannot be accepted
as a part of the religion now. The Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe
wa sallam) has warned us against adding new things to the religion
when he (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) said:
"Whoever
Innovates in this affair of ours that which is not from it will
have it rejected." [Muslim]
The people who propose unity at
all costs have a saying that 'An innovation that unites us is
better than a Sunnah which divides'.
SubhanAllaah look at such a statement
O noble reader, innovations are grave and serious and a cause
for entering the fire as he (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) said:
"...
and every innovation is misguidance and all misguidance is in
the Hellfire." [Reported by an-Nasaa'ee (1/224)]
So if someone said to you look
there is a fire over there, lets all hold hands and unify and
then go in to it, you would think they were crazy! So how can
we come together upon something as dangerous as innovations, such
as the innovations of mystics, who practice all kinds of weird
and innovated invocations, which at times involve switching off
the lights or chanting one of Allah's name so that after some
time what they are chanting is unrecognisable as a name of Allah
(subhaanahu wa ta'aala). Or the innovations of those who take
their scholars as 'spiritual leaders' giving their allegiance
to them and 'selling' themselves to these 'scholars' obeying everything
they say. How O noble reader can unity occur amongst all the Muslims
as long as these practices, which have nothing to do with Islam,
keep occurring?
Blind following and
Partisanship
This is one of the most evil of
occurrences today and a major cause for disunity. Muslims are
following their madhahab or their scholars over and above the
Sunnah of the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) despite
Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) saying:
"And whosoever opposes
the Messenger (Muhammad sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) after the
right path has been shown clearly to him, and follows other than
the believers' way, We shall keep him in the path he has chosen,
and burn him in Hell - what an evil destination!" [Surah
an-Nisaa 4:115]
When you tell Muslims that 'you
should do this because it says so in the Qur'an and the Sunnah',
they reply 'well that's not what it says in my madhab' or 'that's
not what my Shaykh says'. SubhanAllaah, O noble reader why did
Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) send us His final Messenger (sal-Allaahu
'alayhe wa sallam) if it was not to teach us the religion of Islam.
Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) says:
"But no, by your Lord,
they can have no Faith, until they make you (O Muhammad sal-Allaahu
'alayhe wa sallam) judge in all disputes between them, and find
in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept
(them) with full submission." [Surah an-Nisaa 4:65]
No Muslim will openly say I am
disobeying the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam), but how
many of us ask for the proof on issues of beliefs and practices
and look to see what is the truth.
Another problem is the setting
up of groups and parties with members, then being loyal only to
that party, believing in the beliefs and aims of that party -
not questioning it. Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) has warned against
this:
"And be not of Al-Mushrikoon
(polytheists). Of those who split their religion, and became sects,
each group rejoicing in that which is with it." [Surah ar-Room
30:31-32]
Setting up groups is a cause for
disunity and spreads hatred amongst the Muslims so that a Muslim
from one group will not give salaam to a Muslim from another group
just because they belong to different groups. Or a group from
one masjid will not like Muslims from another masjid to come and
pray in their mosque. All this stems from partisanship and it
divides the Ummah. Unity will not occur whilst Muslims are in
this state rather unity will occur when an end is put to partisanship
(hizbiyyah) and Muslims love each other because they are all have
the same aims, beliefs and practices.
The Means for Revival
Having looked at the reason why
we are so divided, the question now arises as to what the means
for reviving this Ummah are. Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) has
given us the means for the revival of this Ummah, when He (subhaanahu
wa ta'aala) says:
"Verily! Allah will
not change the condition of a people until they change what is
within themselves." [Surah ar-Ra'd 13:11]
The Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe
wa sallam) also said:
"When
you involve yourselves in interest bearing business transactions,
and you hold on to the tails of cows, and you are pleased with
agriculture (i.e. the land) and you abandon making Jihad in the
Cause of Allah, Allah will send humiliation down upon you. He
will not remove it from you until you return back to your Religion."
[Abu Dawood and al-Bayhaqee]
So this humiliation that Muslims
are under will not be removed from us until we return back to
the religion of Islam. So what is the religion of Islam if not
Tawheed, having the correct Aqeedah, worshipping Allah (subhaanahu
wa ta'aala) correctly? So should we not start our revival with
these issues.
So just as the condition of the
Arabs during the Days of Ignorance (Jaahiliyyah) was not rectified
except by the coming of their Prophet Muhammad (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe
wa sallam) with revelation from the heavens, which aided them
in this world and which will save them in the next, then know
O noble reader the foundation that the Islamic revival must be
built upon in this time, is nothing else but the return to the
Qur'an and the Sunnah, as implemented by the noble companions.
We know from the Book of Allah
(subhaanahu wa ta'aala) and the Sunnah of His Messenger (sal-Allaahu
'alayhe wa sallam) that the way towards realising this revival
is only one way, and it is the way which Allah (subhaanahu wa
ta'aala) has mentioned in His (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) saying:
"And verily, this
is My Straight Path, so follow it, and follow not (other) paths,
for they will separate you away from His Path." [Surah al-An'aam
6:153]
The Messenger of Allah (sal-Allaahu
'alayhe wa sallam) explained this to his Companions. Thus, one
day he (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) drew a straight line for
them on the ground and then drew short lines on the sides of it.
Then, while his (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) noble finger moved
up and down the straight line, he (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam)
recited the aforementioned verse. Then he (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe
wa sallam) pointed to the lines that were drawn on the sides of
the straight line and said:
"This is the Path
of Allah and these are the (other) paths. At the top of each of
these (other) ways, there is a devil calling towards it."
[Authentic hadeeth, graded in Dhilaal-ul-Jannah fee Takhreej-is
Sunnah(16-17)]
Furthermore, Allah (subhaanahu
wa ta'aala) says:
"And whosoever opposes
the Messenger (Muhammad sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) after the
right path has been shown clearly to him, and follows other than
the believers' way, We shall keep him in the path he has chosen,
and burn him in Hell - what an evil destination!" [Surah
an-Nisaa 4:115]
In this ayah there is profound
and extensive wisdom, for Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala), has connected
the "the believers' way" to what the Messenger (sal-Allaahu
'alayhe wa sallam) came with. The Messenger (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe
wa sallam) has (also) indicated this point in the hadeeth about
the splitting up of the Ummah into sects. When he (sal-Allaahu
'alayhe wa sallam) was asked concerning the saved sect, he (sal-Allaahu
'alayhe wa sallam) responded: "That which (adheres to what)
I and my companions are upon today."
What then is the wisdom behind
Allah's mentioning of "the believers' way" in this ayah?
And what is the significance in the Messenger of Allah's (sal-Allaahu
'alayhe wa sallam) linking of his companions to himself in the
previous hadeeth?
The answer is: These noble Companions
(radhi-Allaahu 'anhum) were the ones who received the two revelations
(i.e. the Qur'an and Sunnah) from the Messenger of Allah (sal-Allaahu
'alayhe wa sallam), having that explained to them by him (sal-Allaahu
'alayhe wa sallam) directly, without there being any intermediary.
They best knew how to implement the Sunnah, so after knowing this
O noble reader can any Islaamic revival take place when the way
of the Companions (radhi-Allaahu 'anhum) is abandoned and not
adhered to, rather No it can not. For us to revive Islam and bring
unity to the Muslims we must adopt the way and example of the
Noble Companions (radhi-Allaahu 'anhum).
Imaam Maalik (rahima-hullaah) said:
"The latter part of
this Ummah will not be rectified except by that which rectified
its former part." [ash-Shifaa of Qaadee 'Iyyaadh, (2/676)]
So it will be clear to the reader
that the only way to revive the Ummah is to return every affair
of the Muslim back to the Qur'an and the Sunnah as understood
and implemented by the best generation, the Companions (radhi-Allaahu
'anhum). To believe as they believed, to worship as they worshipped,
to look like them, to give da'wah in the way they gave it. Then
only will we be united and have a true Islaamic revival.
So dear noble brothers and sisters
your Lord (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) says....
"Has not the time
come for the hearts of those who believe to be affected by Allah's
Reminder (this Qur'an), and that which has been revealed of the
truth." [Surah al-Hadeed 57:16] |