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12
Principles of Islamic Unity - Action Items
http://www.alnoorjournal.com/12%20points.htm
Dr. Adel Elsaie
Adel Elsaie, B.Sc. 1962, M.Sc. 1965, Ph.D., 1970, Aerospace
Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Cairo
University, Cairo, Egypt.Dr. Adel Elsaie worked many years in
different Engineering Industries: aerospace, nuclear, defense,
offshore, communications and computer software. He was awarded
post-doctorate scholarship in 1971 from the University of
Grenoble, France. He was appointed as Part-Time Lecturer at
Cairo University, Egypt, Visiting Assistant Professor at the
University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada, Part-Time Associate
Professor at McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada, and Adjunct
Associate Professor at the University of Texas at Arlington,
USA. He has over fifty scientific and engineering publications.
He was selected as an Honored Member in the WHO’S WHO Registry
of Global Business Leaders in 1993 / 94. He was in charge of
Islamic education at the Islamic Association of Tarrant County,
Fort Worth, Texas, from 1982 to 1992 providing weekly Islamic
lectures.
1.
Definitions: Orders and Facts in the Quran
2. Definition of Muslims
3. Unity of the Ummah
4. Assume first that you are wrong
5. Manners of Disagreement
6. Possibility of Multiple Correct Answers
7. Group Participation in Agreed Upon Matters
8. Be supportive to converts to Islam
9. Avoid labeling Muslims
10. Have mercy and don’t kill or torture another Human being
11. Thinking of the Danger of the Blind Common Adversary
12. Sympathy for Those Who Do Not See the Light
1. Definitions: Orders and Facts in the Quran
The Quran, the authentic book of God, has many orders and facts.
Allah gives orders to believers, such as (22:78) "So Establish
regular Prayer, give regular Charity, and hold fast to Allah! He
is your Protector" (3:103) “And hold fast, all together, by the
rope which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not divided
among yourselves;” Devout Muslims take orders from Allah very
seriously. When they listen to an order from Allah, they say “We
hear, we obey” (2:286) Allah States many facts in the Quran,
such as: (21:92)"Verily, this Ummah of yours is a single Ummah,
and I am your Lord and Cherisher, therefore, Serve me (and no
other)." (23:52) "And verily, this Ummah of yours is a single
Ummah, and I am your Lord and Cherisher, therefore, Fear me (and
no other)." Devout Muslims appreciate and respect the facts of
the Quran, and consider them as guidance in life. When verses
are repeated in the Quran, they carry much importance and
emphasis. The silent majority of Muslims believe in Unity of
Muslim Ummah, but the chiefs are adamant about rejecting that
for very obvious reasons.
2. Definition of Muslims
The definition of a Muslim can be understood according to the
hadeeth of Jibreel AKA, more popularly known as the ‘Hadeeth
Jibreel’, as narrated by Umar Ibn Al Khattab, when Jibreel asked
the Messenger of Allah about Islam, he answered " Islam is that
you witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is
the Messenger of Allah, and you establish the prayer, and you
give the Zakat, and you fast Ramadan, and you perform the hajj
of the House if you are able to take a way to it."
All Muslims agree on principal matters in Islam. The Foundation
of Islam is Shahadah as a declaration of faith. Muslims have one
Quran, one Kaabah, and one last prophet. They accept all
messengers in the Quran. They pray 5 times a day, fast Ramadan,
pay Zakat, and perform Hajj when they can. There are 8 accepted
Mazhab (school of thoughts) in Fiqh (jurisprudence). Every
Muslim is free to accept a Mazhab. All Imams of accepted Mazhab
never rejected other Mazhab. Allah made the Quran and Islam
simple, but some people exert much effort to make them hard and
confusing.
3. Unity of the Ummah
Unity of Ummah is a primary and important goal that we must
strive for, and there is a serious warning from Allah for those
who create division among Muslim. (6:159) “As for those who
divide their religion and break up into sects, thou hast no part
in them in the least” But our reality is we are divided into 57
nations, and most of them are divided further into tribes. Allah
says there are no sects in Islam, but we have Sunni and Shiah
sects. Against the orders of Allah, some Muslims believe their
sect, country, or tribe is more important than Islam.
The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) is an
international organization grouping 57 countries which attempt
to pool their resources together, combine their efforts, and
speak with one voice to safeguard the interests and secure the
progress and well-being of their peoples and of all Muslims in
the world. OIC is a great first step; however representatives of
OIC are from Muslim governments who do not necessarily agree on
matters of vital importance.
There is also an urgent need for association of Muslim scholars
from all Muslim counties that settles dividing religious issues
between Muslims. In the absence of Khilafah, this association
should strive to bring unity and harmony between Muslims. They
should meet frequently because Muslims are facing many problems.
4. Assume first that you are wrong
Assume first that you, not your Muslim Brother, may be wrong,
and see how you find the truth impartially. If you really want
to find the truth, you can ask an Islamic scholar, or read
accepted books.
5. Manners for Disagreement
You should be as enthusiastic about listening to your brother's
evidence and argument as you are giving your evidence and
argument, and be pleasant
and smiling whether the result is for you or against you.
In those areas where differences may arise due to ijtihad but
will lead to disharmony, it is the right of the Khalifah to
adopt an opinion which he believes to be correct and for the
believers to obey. Two Fiqh principles exist which state:
Imam’s decree settles disputes.
Imam’s decree is obeyed openly and privately.
When the Prophet (SAW) passed away and the companions were busy
appointing the first Khalifah, a suggestion was made to have two
leaders, one from the Ansar and one from the Muhajireen. Abu
Bakr (RA) replied by saying that this will cause divisions and
infighting, as well as people making bidah and would cease to
refer to the Prophet's example in conducting their affairs. Abu
Bakr (RA) had the insight to realize that without the one
leader, problems would arise. So the many 'problems' that exist
today are merely the symptoms of the MAIN problem, that being
the absence of the leader of the Muslim Ummah. In the absence of
Khilafah, there is a vital need for an organization of Islamic
scholars from all Muslim countries, to examine Islamic issues
important to Muslims.
6. Possibility of Multiple Correct Answers
Evidence for this is an incident in which the Prophet (SAW)
witnessed the companions disputing, but did not rebuke them for
doing so. The incident relates to the dispute regarding the Asr
prayer on their way to Bani Qurayzah. The Prophet instructed the
companions to go and fight the Jews. He said, "Do not pray until
you get to Bani Qurayzah". On route to Bani Qurayzah the time
for Asr was drawing to a close. A dispute ensued. One group
understood the prophet's command metaphorically, thinking that
the Prophet (SAW) meant hurry up. A party of the believers
prayed there whilst the others prayed after Asr time when they
arrived at Bani Qurayzah. When they next met the Prophet (SAW)
they asked him who was right and who was wrong. It is important
to note the response. Only one of them could have been right,
but the Prophet (SAW) did not point out who that was, rather he
said, "Whoever performs ijtihad and errs will receive one
reward. Whoever performs ijtihad and arrives at the correct
answer gets double the reward."
Had it been haram to differ, the Prophet (SAW) would have
rebuked those differing from the correct opinion and praised
those who were right. This example teaches us to tolerate
opposing Islamic opinions which are arrived at by those
qualified to do so after performing ijtihad.
The scholars in the past recognized this; "The most learned
amongst the people is also one who is most knowledgeable of the
difference amongst the people" (Ghazali, Shawkani, Abu Zahrah)
Before performing Ijtihad it is a prerequisite for a scholar to
be aware of all the differences on the issue at hand.
7. Group Participation in Agreed Upon Matters
Group Participation in Shahadah, praying, reading Quran, fasting
Ramadan, performing Hajj, and paying Zakat should be performed.
We all agree on prohibiting alcohol, adultery, and gambling, we
agree that honor and respect are due to Muslims, we agree on
educating Muslims and raising children with the necessary
spiritual and physical training. Muslims should also participate
as groups
in addressing many of the challenges that we face every day. In
many cases, Muslims are working individually against
an influential campaign attacking our beliefs, and the moderate
and peaceful nature of Islam. There are few successful Islamic
organizations, but we need much more efforts.
8. Be supportive to converts to Islam
Islam is the fastest growing religion. Converts to Islam have
tremendous courage than many born-Muslims do not have. They
convert against many odds that many times put a huge pressure on
them. In USA, think of the growing Latino and Afro-American
brothers and sisters, and include them in your activities, and
don’t attempt to confuse them with our traditional confusions.
9. Avoid labeling Muslims
A Muslim is a Muslim. This is the only name that is used in
Quran. However, there are Muslim groups who call themselves
other names, or attach other identities to the word Muslim.
There are the good, the bad, and the ugly. These labels include:
Sunni, shiah, salafi, conservative, moderate, liberal,
fundamentalist, radical, progressive, secular, pluralist,
Qadianis, even gay and lesbian Muslims. These labels are
invented from within, and imported from the worst part of
western culture. The bad and ugly labels claim to be Muslims who
wants to impose their poisonous ideas as a way of reforming the
Islamic Ummah to match the worst part of western culture.
10. Have mercy and don’t kill or torture another Human being
The record of Human rights is the worst in Muslim countries
among all nations on Earth. Can you believe a Muslim saying In
the name of Allah, the most compassionate the most merciful, who
kills or tortures another human being? Can you believe the
torture that is subjected to political adversaries and Islamic
groups in Muslim countries? Can you believe the difference
between the super rich and super poor in Muslim countries? Can
you believe the number of unemployed Muslims in Muslim
courtiers?
May Allah be pleased with Umar, who was concerned about the well
being of sheep in the land of Islam.
11. Thinking of the Danger of the Blind Common Adversary
Muslims have many blind common adversaries. These are the people
that attack the religion of Islam in the western Media and
propagate verses in the Quran taken out of context. These are
the people who publish hateful anti-Islam websites. There are
even “Muslim Users groups” that are controlled by Christian
missionaries and pluralist “Muslims”. These are the people that
wrote their own version of Quran, and claim its superiority on
our authentic Quran. These are the people that use WMD (Weapons
of Missionary Deception) to convert uneducated poor, weak, or
sick Muslims to Christianity. They have budget of $ 6.8 billion
a year. These common adversaries do not work individually, but
within organization with a considerable budget. Muslims should
work together to expose their deception following the order of
Allah:
(16.125) ”Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and
beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best
and most gracious”
12. Sympathy for Those Who Do Not See the Light
The average non-Muslims do not see the light of Islam. They
don’t attack Islam and Muslims. Muslims should not be angry with
them or expose
their shortcomings. A Muslim should seek Allah's help in making
His message clearer to those who were listening.
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