One of the main factors that lead to the rise of this Ummah is its unity and that’s why Islam has organized our lives in a way that maintains this unity and develops it. This is a Divine Law “If you are united, you will become powerful”
Unity is demonstrated in Islam at four different levels:
1- The level of the Ummah:
Wake up Muslims!! We are ONE Ummah, and we worship ONE GOD. It doesn’t matter if your father is from China or if you mother is from Jamaica, we are one body, one entity, ONE Ummah! Allah the Almighty says:
“Verily, this community of yours is a single community, and I am your Lord and Cherisher: therefore serve Me (and no other)” (21:92).
2- The level of the Country:
Love for one’s country does not contradict with one’s loyalty to the Ummah or to one’s Faith in Allah. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) demonstrated this form of bonding when he was migrating from Mecca to Medina. With Mecca now behind him, he looked back and said, “Oh Makkaha, how much I love you, and if your people did not drive me out of you, I would have never lived in any other place.”
3- The level of the Neighbourhood:
Neighbourhood ties are very important in Islam, to the extent that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, “Jibreel kept on telling me to take care of my neighbors and strengthen my relationship with them until I thought that they would inherit me.”
4- The level of the Family:
The importance of uterine relationships (Silat Al-Arham) and family ties are constantly referred to in the Quran, and they form a small-scale level of domestic unity.
Allah says:
"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)
This one ayah alone should be enough to prove to anyone that Allah forbids us to divide the Ummah, but we will, insha'Allah provide more proof to solidify the case. It should be noted that this ayah relates that the ones who were divided were on the "brink of a pit of Fire."
Allah further states:
"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)
Here we can see that those who divide after they have been guided will feel "an awful torment."
"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)
Allah instructed the Prophet Muhammad, upon whom be peace, to remove himself and his followers from anyone who divided the religion and broke it up into sects. Not only does Allah not want us to initiate such nonsense, but He doesn't want us to have any part in their affairs at all.
..and Allah speaks the Truth.
It is clearly demonstrated by the above ayats and many others that dividing this Ummah is forbidden. This is not to say that any one sect or group has purposely divided the Ummah. Many individuals and groups have contributed to this division, and anyone who has played an active role in the breaking up into sects shares in that transgression. We pray that Allah protects us from that. Ameen.
Allah says in the Qur'an:
"And verily, this Ummah of yours is a single Ummah and I am your Lord and cherisher: therefore serve Me (and no other)." 23:52
All Muslims should be striving to make sure that the Ummah is united and serving Allah. Clearly those who are not working towards unity or do not at least want unity in their hearts are disobeying Allah. It is not uncommon to see Muslims shying away from unity for various reasons: school of thought, nationality, race, culture, status, etc. Regardless of the method of division, however, the act itself has been strictly forbidden.
Wake Up Muslims!
We Are ONE Body! ONE Ummah! We Need Each Other!!
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