Maintaining the Unity of the Ummah
An unavoidable phenomenon in Muslims today is
the growing many of sects in the Muslim community itself. Not only in my own
country and maybe also in other countries. Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala said:
وَاعْتَصِمُوا۟
بِحَبْلِ اللهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا۟ ۚ
“And hold fast, all of you together, to the
Rope of Allah (i.e.this Quran), and be not divided among yourselves...” (Quran 3:103)
Abdullah bin Mas'ud r.a. interpret, that what is meant
by "Tali Allah" here is al-Jama'ah / unity, this narration is
narrated by Ibn Jarir in his interpretation. In the history of Muslims, Ahmad
and Abu Daud when telling the survivors the Prophet Muhammad Shallallahu
'alaihi wa sallam said, "That is al-Jama'ah." (Quoted from al-Ishbah
fi Bayani Manhaj as-Salaf fi at-Tarbiyah wa al-Ishlah the work of Shaykh
Abdullah bin Shalih al-Ubailan, p. 79)
Shaykh Shalih al-Fauzan hafizhahullah said, "If
mankind returns to the Qur'an and the Sunnah of Sahih the Prophet Muhammad
sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam surely that unity will be realized, as it has
happened in the early generations of the people, even though they were
previously divided ... "(Al-Ishbah, p. 82).
The causes of sects within the Ummah are one of
sectarian attitudes of some Muslims who like grouping themselve into a
particular group, certain jama'ah, or a certain person other than the Prophet
Muhammad. Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala said:
إِنَّ
الَّذِينَ فَرَّقُوا۟ دِينَهُمْ وَكَانُوا۟ شِيَعًا لَّسْتَ مِنْهُمْ فِى شَىْءٍ ۚ
“Verily, those who divide their religion and
break up into sects, you (O Muhammad) have no concern in them in the least.” (Quran
6:159)
Shaykh Abdurrahman bin Nashir as-Sa'di rahimahullah
said, "This noble verse shows that religion commands to unite, and religion
forbids division and disputes for all Muslims in all religious matters, both
the principes and the branches..." ( Interpretation/Tafsir al-Karim
ar-Rahman, p. 285)
One time, Ibn Abbas r.a. asked, "Are you above
millah Ali or millah Utsman?" So he replied, "I am above millah
Rasulullah Shallallaahu ‘alaihi wasallam. "(Quoted from al-Ishbah, p. 86)
A valuable lesson for Muslims is that disunity cannot
be solved by division, but by following the commands of Allah (the Quran) and
His Messenger (Sunnah saheeh). And anyone who does not follow Allah and His
Messenger, they will get a severe punishment.
وَلَا
تَكُونُوا۟ كَالَّذِينَ تَفَرَّقُوا۟ وَاخْتَلَفُوا۟ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَهُمُ
الْبَيِّنٰتُ ۚ وَ�£ُو۟لٰٓئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ
“And be not as those who divided and differed among
themselves after the clear proofs (The Quran) had come to them. It is they for
whom there is an awful torment.” (Quran 3:105)
From Abu Hurairah r.a, he said: The Prophet
Shallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam said: "The Jews have divided into
seventy-one or seventy-two groups, and Christians are divided as well, while my
ummah will split into seventy-three groups."(Narrated by: Ahmad, Abu
Dawud, At Tirmizy, Ibn Majah, Ibn Hibban, Al Hakim, Ibn Abi 'Ashim, and
validated by Al Albani)
From Mu'awiyah bin Abi Sufyan r.a. that the Prophet
sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam said: "And (adherents) this religion will
divide into seventy-three groups, seventy-two groups will go to hell, and
(only) one group that enters heaven, namely Al Jama'ah." ( Narrated by:
Ahmad, Abu Dawud, Ibn Abi 'Ashim and Al Hakim, and validated by Al Albani)
The Companions asked: Who are they, O Rasulallah? He
answered: who hold fast to the teachings that my friends and I are running now.
"(Narrated by At Tirmizy and Al Hakim)
The Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam said:
عَلَيْكُمْ
بِالْجَمَاعَةِ وَإِيَّاكُمْ وَالْفُرْقَةَ
" You should congregate/unite and avoid from division."
(Narrated by Ahmad, al-Tirmidzi, and
Ibnu Majah. Validated by Syaikh Al-Albani in Shahih al-Jami', no. 2546)
اَلْجَمَاعَةُ
رَحْمَةٌ وَ الْفُرْقَةُ عَذَابٌ
"Congregation is grace, while splitting is adzab (torture)." (Narrated by Ahmad and validated
by Shaykh Al-Albani in al-Shahihah, no. 667, in Sahih al-Jami 'al-Shaghir no.
3109)
كُلُّكُمْ
مِنْ آدَمَ وَ آدَمُ مِنْ تُرَابٍ لَا فَضْلَ لِعَرَبِيٍّ عَلَى �£َعْجَمِيٍّ وَلَا
لِ�£َبْيَضَ عَلَى �£َسْوَدَ إِلَّا بِالتَّقْوَى
“You all came from Adam, and Adam
was made from the ground, there is no virtue for the Arabs of them people other
than Arabs, white people or black people are all the same, except with their Taqwa
(piety)”.
This Hadith has the same meaning with the word of
Allah in the Sura Al Hujurat 49:13
يٰٓ�£َيُّهَا
النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنٰكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ وَ�£ُنثَىٰ وَجَعَلْنٰكُمْ شُعُوبًا
وَقَبَآئِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّ �£َكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللهِ �£َتْقَىٰكُمْ ۚ
إِنَّ اللهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ
“O mankind! We have created you
from a male and female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know
one another. Verily, the most honourable of you with Allah is that (believer) who
has At-Taqwa (the pious). Verily, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.”
Therefore, all worship that related to aqidah/the
faith, siyasah, manhaj, etc. must refer to the Qur'an and Sunnah saheeh,
so that all the acts of worship that we do are not out of the law of Allah and
His Apostle. Wallahu a’lam bi shawab.
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