A Call For Unity

All praise and thanks is due to Allah, who created the heavens and the earths and all that exists in and outside of our universe. May Allah's peace and blessings be upon his Messenger, the Prophet Muhammad, who was sent as a mercy to humanity, who is the last Prophet and the seal of the Prophets. May peace be upon his family and his righteous followers and what follows this salutation. Allah says in the Holy Qur'an, in sura 23:52: Verily, this Ummah of yours is a single Ummah and I am your Lord and cherisher: therefore serve Me (and no other). In 1420 A.H. (1999 C.E.), our great Deen of Al-Islam has come under attack. Our enemies are destroying the unity of our Faith. Unfortunately, this disintegration began from within our ranks. The community of Al-Islam is a family, and our family has become dysfunctional. We have seen separation, divorce, and now a bloody custody battle. Only the true believers can carry the banner of Al-Islam, yet Muslims have fallen into debate about who those believers are. It is obvious, by this realization, that our family has not opened its heart to the word of Allah because He says in Al-Qur'an: "For, Believers are those who, when Allah is mentioned, feel a tremor in their hearts, and when they hear His revelations rehearsed, find their faith strengthened, and put (all) their trust in their Lord." [8:2] Why then, oh Muslims, do you not hear Allah when he says "all who believe in Allah and the Last Day and work righteousness, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve"? All Muslims face the same qibla, bearing witness to the same Allah and the same Messenger, praying 5 times daily, fasting during the month of Ramadan, paying zakat, and participating in Hajj. How then can you bring dishonor to our house? A family who has a single Lord and a single religion has a single house. "Therefore, worship the Lord of this House." [106:3] It is for Muslims to understand that Allah created us to serve Him and no other. We are not to give our service to ideologies, schools of thought, or any "isms." We, as Muslims, have inherited the earth so that we may band together, unified, to establish Al-Islam on earth. "To those who inherit the earth in succession to its (previous) possessors, is it not a guiding (lesson) that, if We so willed, We would punish them (too) for their sins, and seal up their hearts so that they could not hear?" [7:100] Followers of Muhammad, do you realize that if we do not learn from those who went astray when they separated into sects, Allah may remove us from the earth and replace us with a people who will do as He commands? You are not Sunni, Shia, black, white, arab, pakistani, or anything else before you are Muslim. So why do you allow Ash-Shaytan to come between you and service to Allah? You, as Muslims, have inherited the earth so that you may establish Peace. Why? Because: "Ye are the best of People evolved for mankind. Enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, and believing in Allah. If only the People of the Book had faith, it were best for them; among them are some who have faith, but most of them are perverted transgressors." [3:110] Do not fall for the deception as the People of the Book did. For your own salvation and for the pleasure of Allah, unite! Recognize your differences, but do not allow them to cause enmity and hatred between you. "Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting all that is good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong: they are ones to attain felicity." [3:104] These are the partisans of Allah (Hizbollah). Are YOU one of them?

Unity in the Qur'an

Here are some verses from the Qur'an that emphasize Unity among Muslims. And (remember) when We took your covenant (saying): Shed not the blood of your people, nor turn out your own people from their dwellings. Then, (this) you ratified and (to this) you bear witness. (2:84) Say (O Muhammad SAW): "We believe in Allâh and in what has been sent down to us, and what was sent down to Ibrâhim (Abraham), Ismâ'il (Ishmael), Ishâque (Isaac), Ya'qûb (Jacob) and Al-Asbât [the twelve sons of Ya'qûb (Jacob)] and what was given to Mûsa (Moses), 'Iesa (Jesus) and the Prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between one another among them and to Him (Allâh) we have submitted (in Islâm)." (3:84) And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allâh (i.e. this Qur'ân), and be not divided among yourselves, and remember Allâh's Favour on you, for you were enemies one to another but He joined your hearts together, so that, by His Grace, you became brethren (in Islâmic Faith), and you were on the brink of a pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus Allâh makes His Ayât (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.,) clear to you, that you may be guided. (3:103) And be not as those who divided and differed among themselves after the clear proofs had come to them. It is they for whom there is an awful torment. (3:105) And Allâh did indeed fulfil His Promise to you when you were killing them (your enemy) with His Permission; until (the moment) you lost your courage and fell to disputing about the order, and disobeyed after He showed you (of the booty) which you love. Among you are some that desire this world and some that desire the Hereafter. Then He made you flee from them (your enemy), that He might test you. But surely, He forgave you, and Allâh is Most Gracious to the believers. (3:152) O you who believe! Obey Allâh and obey the Messenger (Muhammad SAW), and those of you (Muslims) who are in authority. (And) if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allâh and His Messenger (SAW), if you believe in Allâh and in the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final determination. (4:59) As for those who divide their religion and break up into sects, thou has 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. (6:159) And He has united their (i.e. believers') hearts. If you had spent all that is in the earth, you could not have united their hearts, but Allâh has united them. Certainly He is All-Mighty, All-Wise.(8:63) The Unbelievers are protectors, one of another: unless you do this (protect one another), there would be tumult and oppression on earth, and great mischief." (8:73) Mankind were but one community (i.e. on one religion - Islâmic Monotheism), then they differed (later), and had not it been for a Word that went forth before from your Lord, it would have been settled between them regarding what they differed (10:19) The same religion has He established for you as that which He enjoined on Noah - the which We have sent by inspiration to thee - and that which We enjoined on Abraham, Moses, and Jesus: Namely, that ye should remain steadfast in religion, and make no divisions therein: to those who worship other things than Allah, hard is the (way) to which thou callest them. Allah chooses to Himself those whom He pleases, and guides to Himself those who turn (to Him). (42:13)

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