And hold fast, all together, by the rope which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves; and remember with gratitude Allah’s favor on you; for ye were enemies and He joined your hearts in love, so that by His Grace, ye became brethren; and ye were on the brink of the pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus doth Allah make His Signs clear to you: That ye may be guided. [Surah Al-Imran (The Family/House of Imran);Chapter 3:103]
I just happened to come across a few verses from Surah Muminun (The Believers); Chapter 23 in the Holy Quran. Considering the regrettably divided state of affairs in the Muslim community, I think it is time we spent a few moments reflecting on the words of Allah. I say this to you, not as a Sunni or Shia or Ismaili or Tableeghi or whatever-other-label-have-you. Most people would call me a Sunni. However, someone very pointedly brought my attention to something: the Prophet called himself a ‘Muslim’ and Muslim alone. No tags or parenthetical additions, sorry. That settles it for me. Me a Muslim. Me follow the Sunnat (or at least make an attempt to) so that’s perhaps why you call me a ‘Sunni’; but that’s just about it. For the rest, the name ‘Muslim’ more than suffices, thank you.
Muslims all over will perhaps affirm their belief in the impending encounter with two angels after death, Al-Munkeer and An-Nakeer, who will ask the primeval questions: ‘ Who is your Lord?’ ‘ What is your religion?’ ‘ Who is the Messenger?’ I however have never come across any Hadeeth stating that we would be asked what sect we belonged to.
The verses in question are:
And verily this Ummah (brotherhood) of yours is a single Ummah. And I am your Lord and Cherisher: therefore fear me (and no other).
But people have cut of their affair (of unity), between them, into sects: each party rejoices in that which is with itself.
But leave them in their confused ignorance for a time.
Do they think that because We have granted them abundance of wealth and sons,
We would hasten them on in every good? Nay, they do not understand.
[Surah Al-Muminun (The Believers): Chapter 23:52-56]
Moreover,
“Verily, this brotherhood of yours is a single brotherhood, and I am your Lord and Cherisher: therefore serve Me (and no other).”
[Surah Al-Anbiya (The Prophets); Chapter 21: 92]
And if that was not convincing (?) enough, here’s a verse that should seal the controversy once and for all:
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.
[Surah Al-An’am (The Cattle, Livestock); Chapter 6:159]
And of course, the verse quoted at the beginning of this post. The ‘rope’ here referring to the Quran. Worth noting is the last line: “Thus doth Allah make His Signs clear to you: That ye may be guided.”
Would we still rather be divided then? Should we still cling on to the secondary identities’ of Sunni, Shia, Bori, etc, etc? Even after all that we know from the Quran? Personally I don’t think defying the Quran like that is a very good idea. May Allah protect us from obstinate stubbornness; for wasn’t it this very quality that made Satan proclaim war against the Almighty?
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) foresaw this nearly 1400 years ago; and made a very pointed remark about that when he predicted that the Ummah would be divided into no less than 73 sects and said that, “and all of them will be in Hell fire except one sect.” When asked which sect would that be, he replied, “It is the one to which I and my companions belong.” [Tirmidhi Hadith No. 171]
Time and again we are told in the Quran to hold fast on to the word of Allah and to the path shown by the Prophet (PBUH). Yet we hanker after what Allah has clearly warned us against. And the consequence is there for all of us to embarrassedly witness: We disagree on when to celebrate our Eids, we argue on how we must our break our fasts and fight over so many things that it is impossible to recount them all here. And these are only the ‘minor’ repercussions. If you would only look Iraq-wards (or wherever-wards these days) and you would see Muslim killing Muslim, brother feasting on his own brother’s ruin. Was this the day that all the martyrs of Islam died for? To have the Ummah bruised, cut and fragmented for ever?
Why, I ask, dear brothers and sisters in faith; Why? When it is so plain and simply explained in the Quran and the Hadeeth? Allah tells us why He sent down the Quran: And We sent down the Book to thee for the express purpose, that thou shouldst make clear to them those things in which they differ, and that it should be a guide and a mercy to those who believe. [Surah Nahl (The Bee); Chapter 16:64]
Why cannot we just take the little trouble to read it then? We would know what the right path is, we would know that the differences are only so superficial, that when we agree on things that Allah and the Prophet want us to agree on, everything else is just powder-puff.
Alas, ethnocentrism runs deep in our now tarnished blood. Islam did away with racism and class snobbery centuries ago, when the Prophet exhorted that marrying a slave man of faith was far better than marrying a nobleman of little Belief; when no monarch could claim any right to stand in the front row of worshippers in a congregation; when the annual pilgrimage of Hajj necessitated that each put on the humble ‘ehram’ so that none should be distinguished from the other on the basis of his fineries and clothes. And yet, sadly, we have people claiming superiority because of their ‘noble’ surnames, ‘genteel’ lineage and ‘ well-intentioned’ sectarianism. Ah, these people of ‘ high birth’! If they only knew what ‘ high-ness’ was in Allah’s eyes! For didn’t the Prophet say that even an Arab would have no superiority over a non-Arab except perhaps through the good deeds he sent forth? But when we leave the Quran behind, it becomes a tad bit difficult to comprehend finer things as these, doesn’t it?
If you are still not convinced (oh please don’t be so!), you could have a look at this page by the Islamic Research Foundation Nothing but authentic texts quoted here, Alhamdulilah.
Finally, on a very, very severe note; we must know that there is a near equation between creating sects (‘splitting up religion’ against the one divine standard set by Allah) and the gravest sin imaginable: that of joining partners with Allah, ‘Shirk’:
Turn ye back in repentance to Him, and fear Him: establish regular prayers, and be not ye among those who join gods with Allah,-
Those who split up their Religion, and become (mere) Sects,- each party rejoicing in that which is with itself!
[Surah Room (The Romans, Byzantines); Chapter 30:31, 32]
Here is a call for unity, a call to the path chosen by the Prophet (PBUH)-please don’t turn away!
May Allah save us from abominations and may Allah unite this Ummah once again and lead us all into paradise. Ameen.
(A more detailed analysis on how to dissolve sectarianism is here.)
(Note: I have tried to be as true to the meaning of the Holy Quran with the help of Yusuf Ali’s translation; however, not being an Islamic scholar myself, I am liable to fallible interpretations. May Allah forgive me if that is so, and please do point out my mistakes if any. And Allah knows best.)
Salam Sister…
I have nothing to say more as you post is self explanatory.
I think you are also, if i am not mistaken, not a blind follower of Hadith. But follows them after reasoning and then trying to compare it with the spirit of Quran.
If I find it not clashing with the Quran in anyway.. I accept them. .. others I reject. For me just the line of unbroken narration cannot suffix the authenticity.
For i have only found Quran till date among the so called religious book to be non-contradicting. I have found many hadith to contradict.
Many say that hadith is also a sort of revelation from Allah, to which i totally disagree.. For why will Allah not reveal them in Quran.
If Hadith had religious status in the initial days, why wasnt it compiled like the Quran during the khilafa time.
Hope so you try to pounder on it and if you come up with some rational reasoning, please share it.
Your Brother in Islam
Amit
[…] ‘So what Muslim Sect do YOU belong to?’ – Describes how Muslims are segregated into sects such as ‘Sunni or Shia or Ismaili or […]
Salaam,
Taken from The Science of Hadith
In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate the Most Merciful
We have, Without doubt, sent down the message: and we will assuredly guard it (from corruption). (Qur’an 15:9)
The promise made by Allah (SWT) in Qur’an 15:9 is obviously fulfilled in the undisputed purity of the Qur’anic text throughout the fourteen centuries since its revelation.
However, what is often forgotten by many Muslims is that the divine promise also includes, by necessity, the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH), because the Sunnah is the practical example of the implementation of the Qur’anic guidance, the wisdom taught to the Prophet (PBUH) along with the scripture, and neither the Qur’an nor the Sunnah can be understood correctly without the other.
Allahu Alam, Allah knows best.
Assalamualaikum dear sister,
wowww…..i just finished reading the Quran and passed the very same verse this morning….3:103….much to my surprise…it pops on on my screen….masha-allah….
It is true….i was talking to a friend the other day on a sect right here in my country(Brunei). Theres a rise in tabligh or tablighi or whatever you call them here.
I was really interested in knowing who these people were and had a talk with one of them when they brought me to their so called ‘headquarters'(a small masjid) away from the city centre and had a glimpse of what they do.
I dont know if they are following the right path as to me what they do seemed to be alright. All they do is just have halaqa’s and learn the sunnah of the prophet and all… I almost got suckered in though because what they did seemed to be right but really thinkin about it made me had doubts….good thing i had a talk with some people that made me think otherwise….syukralhamdulillah…
They rationalize themselves by saying that my country(brunei) needs some people(tablighs) to show them the right path. Yes it is good but not all people can be like this…
Thing is, they ask people to give da’wah but telling INDIVIDUALS(i emphasize this) to give da’wah can be a very dangerous. Why people in my country are afraid of tablighs, well not afraid per say…is that some take it too far. Yes they are trying to do the right thing but, ill give you some examples.. when they come to your house at 11 at night saying this and that wouldnt that be abit wierd? and not just that when asked why they are doing this and what not, one of them became angry and nearly had a fight with my friends dad…hmmmm….is that effective da’wah??
on another account, some individuals try to give da’wah to their friends, relatives and so on but leave their sons and daughters who are still in skimpy outfits &who are still drinking, etc3….and how is that giving da’wah? some even get sucked in half heartedly and in the end turn up much worse than they started…sigh…
and they do these 3 nights or 1 week or 40 day things wheres they just sleep in the masjid(do prayers, lectures, learn this and that)here or go to malaysia or pakistan where i heard, are alot of these tabligh’s. Maybe the 3 days is ok but once you go over that isnt that going abit too extreme. I told this brother that when you do this, wasnt there a hadeeth in saying that your wife has a right over you and your visitors have a right over you…and where the prophet(p.b.u.h) not to do ibadahs to such extremes?
So he told me that Allah has the right over you more than your wife, family…etc3…how many hours do you do or sacrifice for the sake of Allah….urmm yes that where they caught me. haha…then i started to realise, hey…what about my prayers n good deeds that i do, isnt that in itself for the sake of Allah? isnt sincerity better than quantity?
furthermore they say that they are not a group, they are just called tabligh(i forgot what it meant). But when you start giving names to whatever it is that you associate yourself with, it creates a sense of disunity among the muslim people here in brunei…thats why alot of people here are sceptical on what they are trying to do…
Anyways….im rambling on too much…just wanted to shed some light into this…hehe…sorry…got carried away…Im not saying that they are bad people, i mean the guys that ive made acquaintances with i have to say are good people…they have the right intentions its just that how they do it to me is a tad bit to much…
but how would i know…
Assalamualaikum. =)
Gecko, I agree with what you mentioned about the rights of a wife and visitors over a man. Why bring Da’wah to other people late at night, when one can do Da’wah at his/her home to his/her family? I do wonder, how will God judge a religious man, who keeps his prayers, fast, zakat and Haj, but ignores his wife and children.
But then again, zuhud (meditation in isolation, if I’m not mistaken) are said to be the cure of all things Dunya.
Personally, I think that balance is best. One cannot live a fulfilled life if one is at extremes.
salam..
People from india will be well aware about tableeg… for it has it base out here and is headquatered at Delhi
I had been closely known it while i was at aligarh muslim university, for i had aslo been asked to join it.
But i had my reservations about it, for it used to hamper my studies as they got behind ur back to go to atleast 3 days.
more over i hated it most for they discouraged to understand the quran.. saying its not under our ability to understand it. and so was given a book by name fazal-e-amal which is a sort of bible for them..
and this very bok contains many hadith which are not authentic
but still i think in ground level they are doing ok work.. among uneducated
Assalam Alaikum:
Wow! This sure generating some interesting debates, ain’t it? Unfortunately, I have been quite occupied with best friend’s wedding so will try to give more well formed opinions after Monday I think, Inshallah! Till then I am just a zombie, back home too tired to think anything useful, hehe. But do keep the comments coming in! Jazakallah 🙂
Asslmkm,
About the tabligs in brunei. I can see why they need to do it coz, come on…how many people really practice our religion here?
i agree with amit, Alot dont follow the sunnah…alot dont even pray so in a sense theyre motifs are good and alot are doing a good job……among the ‘uneducated’….that is…
Well, I just think that if you are doing ‘tableeg’ (talk/preaching about Islam) it’s all more than ok. In fact, it’s good that there are some who take Dawah so seriously, Alhamdulilah. i respect them for that. My only objection would be if they segregated themselves as a separate ‘sect’. If many don;t follow the Sunnah then it’s our duty to promote it. And not cater just to the uneducated class but also the intellectuals. Maybe they are equipped only with the basic knowledge and that’s only what they can teach. Then surely it comes on us to spread the more advanced branches of learning?
I agree Sunnah is important..
But why not firs start with farz that is Quran….
Why are we behind Sunnah and leaving farz..
We give N number of Hadith giving is proof that Sects is ok.. as Prophet predicted it (which i have doubt).. but we dont read Quran and says that Quran prohibits it.. it goes to the level of saying us We are no longer a into deen once we are into sects.
Dont we learn from accounts of History where the Prophet had ordered a mosque to be burned down in medina.. Reason.. it would have divided the Ummah..
These days mosque has Alas become a symbol of prayers only.. in those days it was the parliament…. In those days men and omen would attend Mosque.. now only its the place for men… in those days the leader of muslims used to lead prayers.. now its the fiefdom of Mullahs…. in those days there were no separation of religion and state…. now we have separated them.. taken the world in our hand.. and the given religion to the Mullah’s….
any now we shout.. we are going down the drains.. we have left namaaz.. we are not good follower..
have we thought in y Y
my thinking is we have left Deen…. the complete way of life… Nammaz is a part of Salah…. charity is a part of Zakah… those ritual in a part of Haj….
We have taken the easier part of Salah, Zakah and Haj… that is offering nammaz, giving 2.5% on savings and doing those ritual…
but have left the more tedious task of spreading good and establishing the laws of Allah in salah, removing poverty bring out our just society from zakah, and getting together and having discussions about improving the state during haj when people from different area comes in at a place.
We are in bad state for we have made Islam a mazhab (rituals) rather then a Deen ( a complete way of life) that it was suppose to be