By: Br. Ahmed Arifi
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
There are many concerns that plague the Muslim Ummah today, but the one that gets least attention is how unity amongst Muslims can be so superficial. Do we include all people equally as a part of the Ummah and as Muslims in all aspects of life (work, activities, friendship, marriage, etc…)? I say this from the bottom of my heart, that this is one of the greatest evils to have plagued the Ummah ever since Prophet Muhammad (saw) left us.
In theory we all (I hope) know that Islam is inclusive and suppose to form a global community under Allah (swt), but how many of us truly believe and more importantly wholesomely practice this as the Sahabas did? Most people consider each other Muslim up to a certain point only. “Assalamu Alaikum”, “Wa Alaikum Salaam” and this is as far as it goes. “He is so strange, we are different, where is she from, are they rich, are they poor, our such and such is better than their such and such”, followed by dirty and suspicious looks. Why does this often happen in our communities? No one speaks of this ill disease, yet it happens constantly!
“Allah does not judge you according to your appearance and your wealth, but He looks at your hearts and looks into your deeds.” [Muslim]
Everyone seems to be isolated into their own groups and divisions. Sometimes even the leaders of certain Muslim communities indirectly encourage this as they themselves have grown up isolated. I have to be harsh and point this out. Even with 1426 years behind us with Al-Qur’an Al-Kareem and the Sunnah of our beloved prophet Muhammad (saw), people still somehow manage to engage in asabiyya (partisanship) and other related ill behaviors.
Jubair ibne-Mut’im Radiyallahu 'anhu narrates that Rasulullah S.A.W. said:
"He is not from us who calls towards Assabiyyah. He is not from us who fights out for ‘Asabiyyah and he who dies upholding 'Asabiyyah. [Abu Dawud]
In modern times we Muslims have fallen into this evil practice as well. At the time of Muhammad (saw) there was tribalism and racism, today there is nationalism and racism; same thing, just more people, more glitter and more sophistication. It is only sad to see that as a result of colonial powers carving borders in Muslim lands, our abandonment of Qur’a and Sunnah, and our embracement of other than Islam, fellow Muslims are hating one another and killing one another and uniting under other than Islam. This is what our enemies want, returning us to a state of Jahaliya (ignorance).
In the Hadith recorded in Mishkat al-Masabith, the Messenger of Allah (saw) said, “He who calls for `Asabiyyah is as if he bit his father’s genitals (by which he was produced).”
I must use this harsh statement to get your attention and state the truth; race, culture, ethnicity, nationality, tribe, origin, family, status, wealth, different appearance all these things are taken into account when meeting another Muslim. As a result we limit ourselves within these affiliations and divisions just as people did in pre-Islamic times; in other words we unite upon other than Islam and we favor upon other than Islam.
“O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise each other). Verily the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).” [Qur’an 49:13]
The criterion of preference to Allah (swt) as noted above is that of Taqwa, yet even then we do not know as we can not measure it, only Allah (swt) knows. We must not have pride over one another, as we all come from Adam (as) and Hawa (ra), we are from the same mechanism and source. The only criterion that sets us apart in the sight of Allah (swt) is how good of a Muslim we are or how bad of a Muslim we are.
Prophet Muhammad (saw) said: “Whoever has pride in his heart equal to the weight of an atom shall not enter Paradise. A man inquired about a person who likes to wear beautiful clothes and fine shoes, and he answered: Allah is beautiful and likes beauty. Then he explained pride means rejecting the truth because of self-esteem and looking down on other people” [Muslim].
To top it off we value people by other than Islam. We end up even living our life under other than Islam. We accept Islam as a part of our life merely as something routine and as an identity label. The problem is, the majority of people either don’t know the Qur’an and Sunnah or have abandoned the Qur’an and Sunnah by following something else. The goal has been made the Dunya; the mentality is: “Fine we are Muslim” and then put Islam aside and chase the Dunya. What we have to understand is that this life is temporary and merely a test, this life is only a means to the akhira where we shall receive the benefits of all the good that we ever wished for and forever.
“I did not create Jinn and Men except that they may worship me” [Qur’an 51:56]
When we say we are Muslim it is something so precious and so sacred to believe and uphold. It is not a cultural or ethnic or racial label nor is it in anyway exclusive to any specific culture, ethnicity or race. Non-Muslims stereotype all Arabs to be Muslims. While on the other hand certain Muslim Arabs and Desis consider themselves to be better than other Muslims because of their ethnic roots. Some people even call Islam as an ‘Arab imperialist movement’. I myself am a convert although I do have Muslim roots; either people hate me because I’m a convert or like me because I’m a convert. The stereotypes and ignorance are endless by Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Do any of us know anything about Islam? Arabs for instance are a minority of Muslims today. Being Arab or Desi does not mean being Muslim. Do any of these people know that the Sahabas were all converts? I have in the past experienced certain people telling me that I am less than them because I encouraged them to practice Islam and they were “Muslims their whole lives”. Do any of these people know that in fact even the Sahabas were not all Arabs? Muhammad (saw) came to deliver Islam for all mankind not just for any single group.
Muhammad (SAW) also said, “I have been given five things that were not given to any Prophet before me… The [previous] Prophet used to be sent to his specific nation whereas I have been sent to all people.”
Not a single person in history has ever had a choice to chose where, when, how and to whom they were born. Not a single person in history has ever had a choice to choose what they were born as: male or female, black, white, brown, yellow, red or mixed, rich or poor. Nor will anyone ever in the future by their own choice ever chose any of these. Only Allah (swt) decides these matters and we all descend from Adam (as) and Hawa (ra). That means we are all one in the same, created through the same process and from the same source.
The pride and arrogance some people have on these issues of being and belonging are absolutely shameful. Pride in tribe/nation, pride in status/wealth, pride in cultural/ethnic origin. Allah (swt) says that the best amongst us are those with Taqwa. We are all created insignificant specks of sand; from dust we were created and to dust shall we be reduced, until the Day of Judgment when we shall be resurrected by Allah (swt). If we even consider that fact, we should fall down in prostration towards Allah (swt) and have a sense of humility and shame in how tiny we are. Yet people still manage to have such pride, forget about death and forget our destination.
Prophet Muhammad (saw) said: “Let people stop boasting about their ancestors. One is only a pious believer or a miserable sinner. All men are sons of Adam, and Adam came from dust” [Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi]
We are however given a freedom of choice to be a Muslim or a non-Muslim, but we are warned of the consequences of choosing other than Islam both in this world and the next. That means being born into a certain group does not mean being a Muslim and being born into a certain group does not mean we can never be Muslim. It is what we know, how we understand and how much we practice upon Islam that makes us a Muslim and Allah (swt) honors us not by our affiliation, origins or status but by our piety.
The term Islam has five meanings: surrender, submission, obey, sincerity and peace. In other words to be a Muslim means: sincerely surrendering, submitting to and obeying Allah (swt) and thus receiving peace. We are supposed to act upon the Qur’an and the Sunnah of our beloved prophet Muhammad (saw). That which we are supposed to follow is Islam as Allah (swt) proclaims it in the Qur’an that He has chosen for us Islam as our deen.
“…This day are those who disbelieve in despair of (ever harming) your Deen; so fear them not (but) fear Me. This day have I perfected your Deen for you and completed My favor unto you, and have chosen for you Islam as your true Deen…” [Qur’an 5:3]
And what does deen mean? It means a complete way of life. That means regardless of where, when, how or to whom we were born, we all come from Adam (as) and Hawa (ra), we are all a creation from Allah (swt) and to Him we shall return and if we choose to be Muslims, the way of life we are to follow is Islam and Islam alone; not the ways of our forefathers, of eastern or western cultures but of Islam.
Culture is two fold, material and immaterial. The material is the clothing, food, music, architecture, style, language and history. As long as it is within the folds of Islam (halal), it is something to be shared and loved amongst each and every Muslim as these are our uniquenesses by which we learn about one another. The immaterial aspect of culture on the other hand is the system: the ideologies, philosophies, values, beliefs, morals, customs and traditions. As Muslims this immaterial way of life is Islam for us, not any culture. We are not supposed to follow the ways of our forefathers or of pre-Islamic times or of modern times. Cultures over time change, blend, mix, fuse and vary, so do the systems they carry. The immaterial aspect for us has been set straight with Islam 1400 years ago. Whatever good any culture has, be sure that Islam has that good or has something better. Most of the time the immaterial aspects of cultures, contradict, oppose and challenge Islam. In western culture for example homosexuality and fornication are ever more accepted. In certain eastern cultures women’s families spend their whole lives saving up for dowry to give to the male family in marriage. In western culture, women are treated only equal as long as they emulate men. In some eastern cultures, women are not given their full rights that Allah (swt) has outlined for them. Regardless of time or place, we are not supposed to accept, invite nor practice the systems that these cultures carry; the ideologies, philosophies, values, beliefs, morals, customs and traditions. Our immaterial culture is supposed to be Islam and our material culture is supposed to be judged by Islam.
Therefore how does the disunity occur amongst Muslims? It occurs because every Muslim chooses that which he or she wants to follow of Islam and most people do not make it their sincere intention to strive for Islam in their life. Most of us accept that we are Muslim, put Islam aside and chase the Dunya. We are failing to unite, because we are failing upon the Qur’an and Sunnah. We are choosing to follow and unite upon other than Islam.
The Sahabas were initially the close family of our beloved prophet Muhammad (saw), his close friends, the youth, the poor, the helpless and the fading elderly. Over time, even the harshest, the cruelest and most malevolent of people gave up their ways and embraced Islam. The mentality of these people in their ignorance and arrogance was that they would fight over asabiyya (partisanship), over water and over petty things for so called ‘Honor’. With the advent of Islam however, these disbelieving people became united as believers under Allah (swt) alone; ONE UMMAH, regardless of who, how, what, where, why or when. They became truly unified and integrated when it seemed impossible to even imagine co-existing. They worked with one another, felt comfortable with one another, studied with one another, preached with one another, married one another, fought jihad with one another and maintained friendship with one another. They encouraged one another to be this way and reminded one another to remain this way.
Instead of being unified and integrated even more, we are failing miserably. Today we are living in an information age. The truth is hitting us right in the face; we have global communication and global travel. All of earth is Allah (swt)’s earth and today we are exposed to it entirely. Even the non-Muslims have begun to unravel the truth and understand it. That which has been revealed 1400 years ago as ‘the right things to do’ have been by experimentation throughout the ages reached by non-Muslims as well. For example: racism, inequality and mistreatment of women have been eradicated to a great in modern non-Muslim societies. It is not irregular to see black and white couples to marry, as opposed to say fifty years ago when it was blasphemous to even consider. Yet somehow even though we have been given the truth 1400 years ago, we still manage to be either ignorant or arrogant.
I have heard and witnessed much in certain masajid and even experienced a number of incidents myself. I have avoided as much as possible throughout the article to reference any one people but I will mention only two brutal examples. In one masjid I visited, the majority is white Muslims and someone ignorant enough once proclaimed “what is that black man doing here? I don’t want to pray beside him!” This has occurred a number of times whenever a different individual other than the majority entered from these specific individuals. In another incident, one masjid I visited, the majority is brown Muslims. Whenever the white and black Muslims visit, they get stared at as complete strangers, viewed as suspicious individuals and as culturally inferior, not able to belong amongst their fellow Muslim brothers and sisters because they are viewed as lesser.
Excuse me? What is this? Is this Islam? The greatest insult a black man was to get at the time of the Arabs was “Oh son of a black mother”. Abu Dhar (ra) in misguided anger once professed this at Bilal (ra). Upon hearing of this Muhammad (saw) got very upset and responded to correct him. Abu Dhar (ra) in shame responded by putting himself on the ground and asking Bilal (ra) to step on him. Are we capable of this? No, instead we would kill one another with ill feeling, with hatred, prejudice and stereotypes towards one another. Are we ready to ask Allah (swt) for guidance, for repentance and humility? To correct one another towards the Straight path? Everything in Islam is for our benefit; Allah (swt) is self-sufficient.
Allah (swt) elevated us and gave us success and glory when we united upon Islam, upon the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Today people unite on other than Qur’an and Sunnah. As a result Allah (swt) humiliates us in the whole entire world. Allah (swt) promised us victory and in the past provided us victory, but on one condition: that we follow the Qur’an and Sunnah and are united upon it. We should all remember to learn Islam, strive upon Islam, practice Islam and unite upon Islam. Are we ready to give up asabiyya? Are we ready to give up arrogance and pride? To seek guidance for sake of Allah (swt)? I think overall, if we did… Allah (swt) would most likely honor as He did in the past, make the dunya easier on us, and make us far more successful and at peace. Or are we going to continue to fall prey to tribalism/nationalism, to cultural/ethnic prides, prejudice and pride, acts of superiority and inferiority? Are we going to continue to be as we are, and continue to have superficial unity in our Ummah? To continue to unite upon other than Islam? Remember, unity upon the Qur’an and the Sunnah is not a fairy tale or a myth. Islam is readily available for us all, how we accept it and how much we practice upon it is our choice to make. There is no compulsion in religion.
I would like to close this article with the following statements from Prophet Muhammad (saw)’s last sermon:
O people, Remember that your Lord is One. An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a black has no superiority over white, nor a white has any superiority over black, except by piety and good action (Taqwa). Indeed the best among you is the one with the best character (Taqwa). Listen to me. Did I convey this to you properly? People responded, Yes. O messenger of Allah, The Prophet then said, then each one of you who is there must convey this to everyone not present. [Excerpt from the Prophet’s Last Sermon]