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Capturing the Elusive
Muslim Unity
By: Dr. Ahmad Shafaat
We have been talking
about the need for unity among us for so long and yet unity never comes
and strength never follows. In fact, it seems that the more we talk about
unity, the more we get divided. Is it not time that we ask ourselves why
unity so alludes us despite the fact we talk about it and our din stresses
it?
There are two main reasons why unity eludes us and therefore there are two
main ways we can achieve it. The two reasons are:
Unrealistic idea of
unity
Unsound organization
Unrealistic idea of unity
We often think of unity as the absence of differences and disputes. That
is unrealistic because human communities can never be without differences
and disputes and Muslims are no exception. Instead of thinking of unity as
absence of differences and disputes, unity should be thought in terms of
effective ways of managing differences and disputes. This is the guidance
that the Book of Allah provides us. Thus Allah says:
And obey Allah and
his Rasul and do not dispute, for then you will be weak in hearts and
your strength (rih) will depart. And be steadfast; surely Allah is with
the steadfast (sabirin) (8:46).
O believers! Obey Allah and obey the Rasul and those in charge among
you. And if you dispute in any thing, refer it to Allah and the Rasul if
you believe in Allah and the last day. This is better and more suitable
in the end (4:59).
Notice that in one ayah Allah says, la tanaza‘u (do not
dispute). Perhaps the view of unity as having no dispute is based on an
exclusive focus on this ayah. But let us also keep in my mind the second
ayah that says fa in tanaza‘tum fi shay` (if you dispute in any
thing). This ayah accepts that disputes will arise and gives
guidance to resolve them.
Thus we should view disputes as undesirable and at the same time
unavoidable. Therefore unity requires being prepared to deal with disputes
when they arise, which means creating procedures to resolve them. Allah
gives the general principle of resolving disputes: refer them to Allah and
the Rasul (sall allah ‘alayh wa sallam).
This principle was simple to apply in the time of the Rasul (salla
allah ‘alay hi wa sallama) – the believers could go to him and ask
for the decision. Now its application requires creation of suitable
institutions.
It requires courts with judges having knowledge of, and commitment to,
Islam. The judges must be independent, not controlled by the governing
authorities. Notice that Allah first says:
“Obey God and
obey the Rasul and those in authority among you”.
Then when there is a
dispute the ayah simply says:
“refer it Allah
and the Rasul”
Those in authority are
not mentioned. This has two implications:
a) Disputes can be between those in authority and other Muslims.
b) Judgment in the dispute should be independent of those in authority.
In Muslim countries this means independent judiciary while in North
America less formal but still very credible and trusted procedure for
dispute resolution may suffice. For example, in each organization a
committee could be created whose job is to resolve differences in the
light of what Allah and the Rasul (sall allah ‘alayh wa sallam)
have taught us. If we do not find resolution of a dispute in what Allah
and the Rasul (sall allah ‘alayh wa sallam) have taught us, then
you can be sure that its resolution can be found by the simple of use of ‘aql,
of which God has given us plenty, if only we use it. This use of ‘aql
may sometimes require professional knowledge and experience.
Recently, the Government in Ontario decided to create Islamic courts to
resolve family disputes. This is a welcome development, but unfortunately
some individuals, even those who call themselves Muslims, have opposed the
idea despite the fact that other communities have similar courts and
despite the fact that the proposed Islamic courts would not have the final
say. Referring disputes to Allah and the Rasul (sall allah ‘alayh wa
sallam) is a commandment of Allah and if we reject it in principle
then we are no longer Muslims. Notice that when Allah says that refer your
disputes to him and to the Rasul (salla allah ‘alay hi wa sallama)
he adds:
“if you believe in
Allah and the last day”
That is, basic Islamic
belief makes it necessary that we should refer disputes to Allah and the
Rasul (sall allah ‘alayh wa sallam).
Some individuals even reject the whole Shari‘ah. They say that they want
Islam but not the Shari‘ah. But the Shari ‘ah is part of what the
Rasul (sall allah ‘alayh wa sallam) has brought, as Allah says:
Then we put you [O
Prophet] on a shari‘ah in the matter. So follow that and do not
follow the vain desires of those who do not know (45:18).
What the Rasul (sall
allah ‘alayh wa sallam) has brought, if used with the ‘aql Allah
has given us can lead us to the best in this dunya and the best in
the akhirah. So let us follow that and not be distracted from it by
anything.
Our unity can be and should be achieved only on the basis of complete
acceptance in principle of all that the Rasul (sall allah ‘alayh wa
sallam) has brought including the Shari‘ah. Allah says:
And hold fast to the rope
of Allah and do not get divided (3:103).
Rope of Allah is the kitab
allah and the authentic Sunnah of the Rasul (sall allah ‘alayh wa
sallam). Holding fast to that rope is, at the very least to accept the
principle that we should live by, judge by, and resolve disputes by what
Allah and the Rasul (sall allah ‘alayh wa sallam) teach us,
including the Shari‘ah.
Dear Brothers and sisters! It is kufr to reject Shari‘ah in
principle because Shari‘ah is part of what the Rasul (sall allah ‘alayh
wa sallam) has brought. Many Muslims are wary of takfir, that
is, declaring some ideas kufr and some of their proponents as kafir
and indeed we should be extremely careful in such declarations. Yet we
should not go to the other extreme and start accepting even the kind of
errors that undermine the very foundations on which our din and our
ummah is founded. There are some things that cannot and must not be
accepted under any circumstances. For example, we should never accept the
idea of another prophet after the Prophet Muhammad and we should never
accept rejection in principle of any part of what he has brought.
We can differ about interpreting and implementing Shari‘ah. We can also
differ whether a particular hadith or sunnah is authentic or not. But if
we are Muslims we cannot reject Shari‘ah. This is a basic principle in
Islam, but alas, it is a sign of the times that even this needs to be
repeated.
In the interpretation and implementation of Shari‘ah there is indeed a
great deal of room for improvement. The ummah needs to produce scholars
and thinkers who can thoroughly review the work of earlier ‘ulama`,
fuqaha` and muhaddithun and build on their work by
correcting and improving it where necessary. And while this process of
correction and improvement continues we also need to learn how not to let
differences of interpretation cause debilitating divisions among us. In
this connection some general principles may be quickly mentioned. In
matters of truth and falsehood, moral right and moral wrong, we should
follow what we, or the scholars whom we trust, consider right and at the
same time show respect for other sincere opinions. In case of other
matters, relating to rules of ritual acts we should not insist on any
position but rather facilitate the formation of consensus. We should
reject those scholars who create divisions among Muslims on the basis of faru‘iyat
(minor details related to rituals.)
Unsound organization
The second cause of our disunity is the way our societies and associations
are organized. We violate almost every Islamic principle of organization,
which makes us prone to divisions and personal conflicts.
Islam gives the following principles of organization that we need to apply
in our countries and Islamic centers and associations etc.
a) Participation of the people involved, through a shura or
consultation process suitable for the type of task an organization is
engaged in, as Allah says:
Their affair is (by)
consultation among them (Qur'an 42:38).
This shura must
be as inclusive as possible, as the words “among them” bayna hum
make clear. Inclusive shura brings life-giving energy and ideas to
an association, or group or country. Absence of a genuinely inclusive shura
results in alienation and increases mistrust, which then brings divisions
and/or indifference, indifference being sometimes even worse than
divisions.
b) Accountability (muhasabah) of all people charged with
various responsibilities, no matter what their position or what their
relation with us. Allah says:
O you who believe! Stand
out firmly for right as witnesses to Allah even if it be against
yourselves, your parents, or your kin ... (4:135, 5:8, 9:71 etc).
This accountability
should not be limited only to finances but also extend to performance of
duties. For very small organizations this accountability could be informal
but it should become more and more formal as the organization becomes
bigger and bigger, e.g. through regular audits and evaluations of
performance. Moreover, devious or poor performance should have
consequences. There should be creditable procedures for relieving persons
from their responsibilities in case of incompetence, misuse of authority,
and serious violation of rules. This is because the larger interests of an
organization should take precedence over an individual’s feelings and
concerns.
c) Obeying those in position of authority (ul al-amr), when the
authority is acquired by a due process and is exercised to carry out the
task assigned.
Obey Allah and obey the
Rasul (sall allah ‘alayh wa sallam) and those in charge (4:59).
Without such obedience
there will be chaos. This obedience, however, will not come naturally if
creditable processes of shura and muhasabah are not there.
Without shura and muhasabah obedience can be obtained only
by the use of brute force, which would on the surface create stability but
under the surface generate stagnation and divisions, as we can see with
our eyes throughout the Muslim world as well as in Muslim organizations
here in non-Muslim countries.
d) Avoiding waste (israf) of every type of resource. Allah says:
Surely, he does not like
the wasteful (7:31, 17:26-27, 25:67 etc).
At the same time we
should spend enough resources to do a task well. So Allah says about
believers:
When they spend they are
neither extravagant nor niggardly but take a medium course. (25:67)
e) All members of an
organization and not just a few should spend their time, energy and money
to make the organization work. Infaq fi sabil allah is for all
believers and not just for a few:
Say to the believers that
they establish salah and they, out of what we have given them,
spend openly and secretly before there comes a day when there is no
trading and no befriending. (14:31)
Our various
organizations in Canada are far from realizing their full potential. This
is because some or all of the above Islamic principles of organization are
ignored. What we need to do is to apply the above principles in all our
existing organizations. In addition to smaller organizations concentrating
on specific tasks we also need large organizations that represent Muslims
in cities, provinces as well as the whole country. At present there exist
such organizations but they have not made any genuine and successful
effort to involve a really significant number of Muslims.
Dear Brothers and Sisters! The Book of Allah provides us guidance in every
matter,
explaining
everything (16:89).
So let us turn to it and
reflect upon it and pay attention to all that it says.
Copyright Dr. Ahmad Shafaat. This
article may be reproduced for da'wa purpose with proper courtesy
and credit. |
