Answer:
1. Muslims Should
be United
It is a
fact that Muslims today, are divided amongst themselves. The tragedy is
that such divisions are not endorsed by Islam at all. Islam believes in
fostering unity amongst its followers.
The
Glorious
Qur’an says:
"And
hold fast,
All together, by the rope
Which Allah (stretches out for you),
and be not divided among yourselves;"
[Al-Qur’an
3:103]
Which
is the rope of Allah that is being referred to in this verse? It is the
Glorious
Qur’an. The Glorious Qur’an
is the rope of Allah which all Muslims should hold fast together. There
is double emphasis in this verse. Besides saying ‘hold fast
all together’ it also says, ‘be not
divided’.
Qur’an
further says,
"Obey
Allah, and obey the Messenger"
[Al-Qur’an
4:59]
All the
Muslim should follow the Qur’an and be not divided among
themselves.
2. It is Prohibited
to make sects and divisions in Islam
The
Glorious
Qur’an says:
"As for
those who divide
Their religion and break up
Into sects, thou hast
No part in them in the least:
Their affair is with Allah:
He will in the end
Tell them the truth
Of all that they did."
[Al-Qur’an
6:159]
In this
verse Allah (swt) says
that one should disassociate oneself from those who divide their
religion and break it up into sects.
But
when one asks a Muslim, "who are you?",
the common answer is either ‘I am a Sunni,
or ‘I am a Shia’.
Some call themselves Hanafi,
or
Shafi
or
Maliki or Humbali. Some
say ‘I am a Deobandi’,
while some others say ‘I am a Barelvi’.
3. Our Prophet was a Muslim
One may
ask such Muslims, "Who was our beloved prophet (pbuh)?
Was he a
Hanafi
or a
Shafi, or a Humbali
or a
Maliki?"
No! He was a Muslim, like all the other prophets and messengers of
Allah before him.
It is
mentioned in chapter 3 verse
52 of Al-Qur’an
that Jesus (pbuh) was a
Muslim.
Further,
in chapter 3 verse 67, Al-Qur’an
says that
Ibrahim (pbuh)
was not a Jew or a Christian but was a Muslim.
4. Qur’an
says call yourselves Muslim
a.
If
anyone poses a Muslim the question who are you, he should say "I am a
MUSLIM, not a Hanafi
or a
Shafi". Surah
Fussilat chapter 41 verse 33 says
"Who is better in speech
Than one who calls (men)
To Allah, works righteousness,
And says, ‘I am of those
Who bow in Islam (Muslim)?’ "
[Al-Qur’an
41:33]
The Qur’an
says "Say I am of those who bow in Islam". In other words, say, "I am a
Muslim".
b.
The
Prophet (pbuh) dictated
letters to non-Muslim kings and rulers inviting them to accept Islam.
In these letters he mentioned the verse of the Qur’an
from Surah
Ali Imran chapter 3
verse 64:
Say
ye: "Bear witness
That we (at least)
Are Muslims (bowing
To Allah’s Will)."
[Al-Qur’an
3:64]
5. Respect all the Great Scholars of Islam
We must
respect all the great scholars of Islam,
including the four
Imaams, Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Shafi, Imam Humbal and Imam Malik (may Allah be pleased with
them all). They were great scholars and may Allah reward them for their
research and
hardwork. One can have
no objection if someone agrees with the views and research of Imam Abu Hanifa or Imam Shafi, etc. But when posed a
question, ‘who are you?’,
the reply should only be ‘I am a Muslim’.
Some
may argue by quoting the hadith
of our beloved Prophet from
Sunan Abu Dawood
Hadith No. 4579. In this
hadith the prophet (pbuh) is reported to have said,
"My community will be split up into seventy-three sects."
This
hadith reports that the prophet predicted the emergence of
seventy-three sects. He did not say that Muslims should be active in
dividing themselves into sects. The Glorious Qur’an
commands us not to create sects. Those who follow the teachings of the Qur’an and Sahih Hadith,
and do not create sects are the people who are on the true path.
According
to
Tirmidhi Hadith No. 171, the prophet (pbuh) is reported to have said,
"My
Ummah
will be fragmented into seventy-three sects, and all of them will be in
Hell fire except one sect." The companions asked Allah’s
messenger which group that would be. Where upon he replied, "It is the
one to which I and my companions belong."
The
Glorious
Qur’an
mentions in several verses, "Obey Allah and obey His Messenger". A true
Muslim should only follow the Glorious
Qur’an.
He can agree with the views of any scholar as long as they conform to
the teachings of the Qur’an.
If such views go against the Word of Allah, or the Sunnah of His Prophet, then they
carry no weight,
regardless of how learned the scholar might be.
If only
all Muslims read the Qur’an
with understanding and adhere to it,
Inshallah
most of these differences would be solved and we could be one
united Muslim Ummah