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Khutba # 26

The Muslim Ummah and its Unity

Let us hold to Taq’wa, which means piety and righteousness, and to revere Allah and obey His Divine Commands!  Let us choose wisely in this life and heed the consequences of our choices for the hereafter.  May Allah provide us with the spirit of righteousness and obedience to Him as best means for our salvation.

An extremely important issue in Islam is unity (Tawhid).  The main principle of the Islamic Message was the Oneness of Allah (Tawhid).  This means to believe that there is but One God who is the only Authority, and we are to keep that in our minds all the time, and in all our affairs.   Allah has condensed the religion as a whole in one sentence when He said in Surah 41 (Fussilat), Ayah 30:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ أَلاّ تَخَافُوا وَلا تَحْزَنُوا وَأَبْشِرُوا بِالْجَنَّةِ الَّتِي كُنتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ

“As to those who say Our Lord is Allah and, further Stand steadfast and are upright:   Upon them do angels often descend, [saying]:  Fear not, nor be grieved, but receive the Glad Tidings of Paradise which has been Promised to you…”

Think of Allah before anything you say and do, or before any relationship you make; for Allah is our Lord.  The Prophet (pbuh) succeeded in creating universal brotherhood based on faith, which vigorously substituted the old blood-ties and tribal loyalties as previously taken to be the norm.  Thus the Muslim Ummah (the Muslim community as a fabric of society), with its principles of internal solidarity, was brought into being under the Prophet’s hands after a good deal of struggle.  It underwent further important developments later on to include incorporation of non-Arabs within the Islamic society.

In his remarkable Farewell Speech the Prophet spoke of principles that summed up all developments underlying the Islamic movement.  The principles paid special attention to, a) human rights, b) social justice, c) economic justice, d) righteousness, and e) solidarity.

Unity of the Ummah is a principle of utmost importance.  Allah (swt) says in Quran in this relation)  Surah 3 (Aali-Imran), Ayah 103:

 وَاعْتَصِمُواْ بِحَبْلِ اللّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلاَ تَفَرَّقُواْ وَاذْكُرُواْ نِعْمَتَ اللّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ كُنتُمْ أَعْدَاء فَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِكُمْ فَأَصْبَحْتُم بِنِعْمَتِهِ إِخْوَانًا وَكُنتُمْ عَلَىَ شَفَا حُفْرَةٍ مِّنَ النَّارِ فَأَنقَذَكُم مِّنْهَا كَذَلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللّهُ لَكُمْ آيَاتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ

 “Hold firmly to the Rope of Allah, altogether, and be not divided.   And remember Allah’s favor on you, when you were enemies but He joined your hearts together so by His Grace you became brethren,  and you were on the brink of a pit of fire, then He saved you from it.   Thus does Allah make His signs clear to you: that you may be Guided.”

Then in Surah 7 (al-A’raaf), Ayah 157 Allah tells us that the Message of the Prophet can be outlined in the following manner:

1. Allah’s mercy will be awarded to the pious who have the fear of Allah in their hearts, and

2. To those who give what is due to the poor and needy, and

3. To those who also believe in what Allah revealed to them, and

4. To those who also follow the Prophet (pbuh)

   1. Who can neither read nor write, and

   2. Whose teachings they will find in their [Ahlul Kitab’s] books, and

   3. Who [the Prophet] enjoins the good and forbids what is evil.

   4. Who [the Prophet] came to relieve their burdens that were put on them in the previous Messages.

The Holy Quran also emphasizes in Surah 7 (al-A’raaf)), Ayah 158:

قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنِّي رَسُولُ اللّهِ إِلَيْكُمْ جَمِيعًا الَّذِي لَهُ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ لا إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ يُحْيِـي وَيُمِيتُ فَآمِنُواْ بِاللّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ النَّبِيِّ الأُمِّيِّ الَّذِي يُؤْمِنُ بِاللّهِ وَكَلِمَاتِهِ وَاتَّبِعُوهُ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ

Say (O Muhammad): “O Mankind! I am sent unto you, as the Messenger of Allah, to whom belongs the Dominion of the heavens and the earth; There is no God but He.  It is He who gives life and death.  So believe in Allah and His messenger, the unlettered Prophet, who believes in Allah and His words:  Follow him, so ye may find Guidance”

By studying the Shari’ah we will find that morals constitute its core.  And this was declared when the Prophet (pbuh) said: [1]

Besides, Allah has described the Prophet with the most excellent morals.

Every ruling in Shari’ah (to deem an act lawful or unlawful) represents an ethical principle.  Allah has described the Muslims as kind and merciful among themselves on the one hand, and severe against the heathens (unbelievers) on the other hand.  The Holy Quran tells us in Surah 48 (al-Fat’h), Ayah 29:

مُّحَمَّدٌ رَّسُولُ اللَّهِ وَالَّذِينَ مَعَهُ أَشِدَّاء عَلَى الْكُفَّارِ رُحَمَاء بَيْنَهُمْ تَرَاهُمْ رُكَّعًا سُجَّدًا يَبْتَغُونَ فَضْلاّ مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَرِضْوَانًا...

“Mohammad is the Messenger of Allah, and the ones truly with him, are firm against the disbelievers, compassionate amongst one another.  You see them in Rukoo and Sujood, seeking Grace from Allah and His Goodly Pleasure…”

 The general message and the role of the Messenger (pbuh) were told in the Quran in Surah 3 (Aali-Imran): Ayah 164:

لَقَدْ مَنَّ اللّهُ عَلَى الْمُؤمِنِينَ إِذْ بَعَثَ فِيهِمْ رَسُولاً مِّنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِهِ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَإِن كَانُواْ مِن قَبْلُ لَفِي ضَلالٍ مُّبِينٍ

 “Verily Allah has conferred grace on the believers, when He sent among them a Messenger from among themselves, rehearsing unto them the Signs of Allah, and sanctifying them, and instructing them in Scripture and Wisdom, While before that they had been in flagrant error”.

We have to know our responsibilities towards our religion and apply them.  We have to consolidate the Islamic doctrine in our souls and the souls of our children by reciting the Word of God and teaching them the Holy Book and its wisdom, for every Muslim is a messenger in his own household.  Any negligence in playing this role is negligence in performing one’s duties.

Islam is not the responsibility of religious scholars alone.  Islam is the responsibility of every Muslim, male or female.  We also have to safeguard the Muslim state of affairs, especially Muslim unity.  The detractors of Islam and its enemies seek to exploit our differences to the point where we accuse one another of disbelief.   But Allah has guided us to the way we can resolve our differences as in Surah 4 (al-Nisaa), Ayah 59:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ أَطِيعُواْ اللّهَ وَأَطِيعُواْ الرَّسُولَ وَأُوْلِي الأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ فَإِن تَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي شَيْءٍ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى اللّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ

“…and if you differ in anything among yourselves, refer it to God and His Messenger…”

Islamic unity does not mean we ought to stop being Shi’a or Sunni. Islamic unity means we should meet on common grounds and discuss the differences and find a solution. And if the basis of the Shi’a-Sunni differences is the Imamah, then let us go back to how the champion of Muslim unity, Imam Ali (a.s.), dealt with this issue.  He said:

Imam Ali (a.s.) considered himself responsible for protecting the Muslims as a wholesome unit.  Therefore, if we want to emulate him, we must safeguard this unity and protect Islam, especially in these critical times.

For the end of the 1^st part of the Khutba, read Surah Al-Asr, take a short intermission, then start the 2^nd part of the Khutba with a short Du’aa.

Allah had thoroughly prepared Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) before He commanded the message of Islam.  For the forty years before he became a Messenger, Muhammad (pbuh) was under the spiritual care and education of God.  Muhammad (pbuh) was faultless in every aspect of his personality and nobody ever accused him of any lie or deviation.  Although the heathen Meccan community of that time was a community of the few rich belligerent and egotistical (versus the majority of poor and destitute), Muhammad (pbuh) was held in the highest regard by all.  That is because of the goodness of his character, even though he was of limited means and an orphan, which were regarded as a source of disrespect in those days.

The Messenger (pbuh) was in sympathy with the poor, weak, and disadvantaged, he respected them and gave them solace.  Allah says in the Quran, Surah 18 (al-Kuh’f), Ayah 28:

وَاصْبِرْ نَفْسَكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُم بِالْغَدَاةِ وَالْعَشِيِّ يُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَهُ وَلا تَعْدُ عَيْنَاكَ عَنْهُمْ تُرِيدُ زِينَةَ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَلا تُطِعْ مَنْ أَغْفَلْنَا قَلْبَهُ عَن ذِكْرِنَا وَاتَّبَعَ هَوَاهُ وَكَانَ أَمْرُهُ فُرُطًا

“And contain thyself with those who call on their Lord morning and evening, seeking His Countenance, and let not your eyes pass beyond them; seeking the pomp and glitter of this life; nor pay heed to him whose heart was rendered heedless of our remembrance, who follows his own lust and whose case has been abandoned”.

Thus, the Prophet (pbuh) had to deal arduously against arrogance and oppression, the oppression of the rich to the poor, of the strong to the weak, and of the powerful few against the multitude of ordinary weak people.  The glorious Quran tells us that the weak should not surrender to, nor accept the oppression, of the arrogant.  The Holy Quran says in Surah 4 (al-Nisaa), Ayah 97:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَوَفَّاهُمُ الْمَلآئِكَةُ ظَالِمِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ قَالُواْ فِيمَ كُنتُمْ قَالُواْ كُنَّا مُسْتَضْعَفِينَ فِي الأَرْضِ قَالْوَاْ أَلَمْ تَكُنْ أَرْضُ اللّهِ وَاسِعَةً فَتُهَاجِرُواْ فِيهَا فَأُوْلَـئِكَ مَأْوَاهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ وَسَاءتْ مَصِيرًا

Behold! When angels take the souls of the sinners they will ask: In what plight were you?  They answer: “Weak and Oppressed were we in the earth.”  [The angels] will say: “Wasn’t God’s earth spacious enough for you to move yourselves from evil?”  Such men will find their abode in hell, —What a wretched refuge!

According to the teachings of Islam in Quran and Hadith we cannot accept arrogance, cruelty, or oppression in any place.  Islam invites all Muslims to be cognizant about the rights of others, Muslims or non-Muslims.  Islam is against any tyranny or corruption in any form.  There is no difference between black and white, Arab and non-Arab, east and west.

Imam Al-Saadiq was reported to have said:[2]

▪    Whoever knows Allah should fear Him; and whoever fears Allah should abstain from life’s lustful [carnal] passions.

▪    Indeed, the intensity of worship leads to the intensity in fear of Allah, glory be to Him.  Allah (swt) says:    “Verily the ones who fear Allah are the ones possessed of knowledge.”

And Allah says:    “Fear not the people but fear Me”. 

Allah also says:    “Whoever practices Taq’wa, Allah will make for him an outlet."

▪    The love of honor and the love of Allah do not come together in the heart of the God-fearing person.

Finally, let us read Surah Al-Nasr with a short Du’aa to close the Khutba.