Unity of Muslim Ummah

A contemporary interpretation of an old dream

Content Unity in diversity Religion and ideology Religion and adherence Ideology and deliberation Religion-based ideology Success: here and hereafter Religiosity Some religious issues awaiting political solutions Shia-Sunni divide Palestine and Kashmir Arab-Turk/Iran/Ajam rift Tawhid Clash or co-existence: exclusivist vs. inclusivist view Jihad Conclusion 2

The Unity of Muslim Ummah The dream of Muslim unity has both enamored and disturbed all the great Muslim thinkers and leaders. 1 But what does Muslim unity really mean? Is it something of a utopian notion only to whip up the imagination of Muslims and galvanize them to action? Or is it an ideal to be pursued for the strength of Muslim community and restoration of its past dignity, to enable it to discharge the duty of witness to mankind? In our study we will attempt to define the concept of unity from different perspectives and at different levels. In a sense, the whole of humanity is a single set of creation one species among the many. 2 From the religious perspective, humanity is divided into peoples professing different religions. From the Islamic religious view, the world is divided into two camps: one of adherents of Islam, i.e. Muslims, and the other of the rest, i.e. non-muslims. 3 It implies that Muslims are one in relation to others, while themselves they are not a monolithic entity. Unity in Diversity This brings us to the concept of unity in diversity. If Muslims are able to live up to this concept, they will neither fall prey to sectarianism or other parochial notions to indulge in bloodshed of fellow Muslims, nor will they subscribe to militancy that believes in non-islamic notion of clash of civilizations. Thus, our study will show how Muslims can live in peace with themselves and with others as they did during their glorious past. 1 Iqbal sang the songs of unity: نيل کے ساحل سے لے کر تابخاک کاشغر ايک ہوں مسلم حرم کی پاسبانی کے لي ے مسلم ہيں ہم وطن ہے سارا جہاں ہمارا چين و عرب ہمارا ہندوستان ہمارا ايک ہی سب کا نبی دين بهی ايمان بهی ايک منفعت ايک ہے اس قوم کی نقصان بهی ايک کچه بڑی بات تهی ہوتے جو مسلمان بهی ايک حرم پاک بهی االله بهی قرا ن بهی ايک Before him, Syed Jamal-ud-Din Afghani strived for pan-islamic vision. آان الناس أمة واحدة 2 al-qur an 2:213 إن هذه أمتكم أمة واحدة وأنا ربكم فاعبدون / فاتقون 3 al-qur an 21:92 and 23:52 الكفر ملة واحدة : al-hadith 3

There is no doubt, however, that the Muslim community is deeply fractured. Diversity is one thing, but being a fractured body is totally different. The present condition of Muslims reminds one of Khalil Jibran who said: Pity the nation that is split into sub-nations with each of them considering itself the nation. The fractures in the body of the Muslim community have appeared for a number of reasons historical and geographic, internal and external. While a study on the fractures and divisive factors may be educative and insightful, the main question will be: why did Muslims fall prey to divisions soon after the demise of the صلى االله عليه وسلم) Prophet ) and the brief period of the righteous Caliphate راشدہ),(خلافت and is there something in Islam that holds the promise of forging greater unity in the Muslim ranks? If there is, what is it? Religion and ideology To me, it is the ideology component of Islam that holds the key to attain the twin goal of past glory and bright future. For too long, and in disservice to Islam, Muslims have only been bogged down with, and dogged by, the religious component of this great divine scheme of life. This, on the one hand, has dried up the supply for ijtihad, and, on the other, made the Muslims recede to the private domain and be content with notions of individual uplift and piety. 4 While struggle against the self بالنفس) (جهاد is an important ingredient of Islamic way of life, it is also a means for what may be called a struggle for prevalence of virtue in the society at large. Reining in the self against self-seeking urges is piety (تصوف) in the private sphere. Releasing this pious self for the good of society is piety in public sphere. Over-emphasis on the religious component hinders this release of the self. 4 ملا کو جو ہے ہند ميں سجدے کی اجازت ناداں يہ سمجهتا ہے کہ اسلام ہے ا زاد 4

), عبادة ( worship ), acts of عقيدة ( creed Religion and adherence: The religious component consists of and religious rites and rituals ( رسومات ). These are immutables in essence, and basically belong to the personal or private sphere of life. Though one can, and should, ponder the meanings of his creed, see how best he can observe the acts of worship, in normal and particular situations, what do they mean and symbolize, and how Islamic rites and rituals unite the diverse groups of Muslims; no one can change the creed, modify the acts of worship, or add to the rites and rituals (nor can deny any of them, as some try to lessen the importance to Eid-ul-Azha, for instance). These are fixed matters, which need devotion for realization of their purpose. Ideology and deliberation: The ideology component of Islam consists of social, economic and political realms. These are open to change, and belong to the public sphere of life. Islamic teachings, as contained in the Qur an and Hadith, set the goals and objectives, tone and tenor, color and hue of Islamic society, Islamic economy, and Islamic state, but do not lay out the plan to achieve them. They provide the guidelines, but do not give out the details. This provides the room for continuous fresh thinking (ijtihad) to meet the demands of changing times. Further, in the task of modeling an Islamic society, economy and state, Muslims have the role model of the Prophet as a political leader and ruler. As opposed to devotion, matters of ideology call for deliberation. Religion-based ideology: Taking religious and ideology components together, it can be said that the challenge before the Muslims is the conception and development of religion-based ideology. Whenever Muslims have been on the ascendant (culturally, politically, militarily), they were espousing this ideology ; whenever they forsook it, and receded to the private religious sphere to the neglect of the public ideology sphere, they nose-dived just as they find themselves now though many among them may be pious Muslims in their own right! 5

Success Here and Hereafter: It is interesting to note that success in the Hereafter, where everyone of them will come to Him alone on the Day of Resurrection, 5 depends on individual s performance in both private and public spheres, i.e. one s religious observance as well as contribution to the general good. 6 But success of a group, party, nation and community here in this world of cause and effect essentially relies on its members sense of responsibility toward collective well-being and their collective exertion. Personal piety spurs them to act for collective interests. Thus, religion appears to be preparing the ground for ideology to unleash for the good of humanity. Religiosity Confining to the religious component degenerates into many forms of delusion about attaining high moral pedestal. Excessive personal piety 7 that strangely does not feel disturbed with the moral decline of the collectivity is one such notion. 8 Religious indulgence results in self-righteousness and arrogance. Sectarian rifts within Muslims and clash with other civilizations are the two potential dangers of religiosity. Religiosity calls for adherence; it does not allow for accommodation. Hence religious extremism though, admittedly, religious extremism is but one of the many manifestations of extremism. Moreover, many of the problems, both historical and contemporary, of Muslims are political in nature. Therefore, a political strategy (that may change with time and place), rather than a religious stance (that tends to be rigid, inflexible and un-accommodative), is required for their solution. وآلهم ا تيه يوم القيامة فردا 5 al-qur an :19 95 6 Syed Mawdudi offered prayers in the Haram and rushed back to his work (Prof. Khurshid Ahmad, Tarjuman-ul- Quran, Special Issue on Syed Mawdudi, 2003-4) in Syed Mawdudi s words تقوی کا ہيضہ 7 آلكم راع وآلكم مسي ول عن رعيته : al-hadith 8 6

Some religious issues awaiting political solutions Now, we take a look at some of the Muslim issues whose solution has been elusive for their assuming the religious cover, though new opportunities can be opened up by approaching them as essentially the political problems. Shia-Sunni divide: Shia-Sunni rift started over the political issue of succeeding the Holy Prophet s seat to rule. 9 The path to mutual accommodation of Shia and Sunni point of view can be paved by approaching their conflict as essentially a political one. However tough a political line one may take against his opponent, he will be less prone to eliminate him and more inclined to co-exist with him. Or, Sunni will insist on declaring Shia as kafir (a religious term), and Shia will hold Sunni for contempt of Imam (a religious office) though Sunni may believe in his righteous Caliphate (a political office) rather than Imamat. Palestine and Kashmir: Similarly, conflicts in Palestine, Kashmir, Afghanistan, etc, may be helped if looked as political problems. Yes, they are Muslims issues, created and augmented by non- Muslims. But rather than religious, it is the political dimension of Islam that promises to foil Zionists or Hindus conspiracies. 10 9 Though Khalifa did lead prayers, enforce Zakah and organize Hajj, this all he was doing as the executive and on religious matters he looked up to Ulema for Fiqhi advice. That this dependence on Ulema for the reason of the ruler s little or no knowledge, increased with the passage of time, and eventually appeared to be giving way to dichotomy between religious and mundane affairs, is a different and unfortunate story of the declining standards of the decaying Muslim society. As each of the earliest four Caliphs, and many after them, including Umar ibn Abdul Aziz, was a learned person, he did ijtihad on matters of ideology. They gave an idea of Islamic governance and practiced it, they set up various government institutions, etc. It is helpful to say that (traditional) Ulema dwelt on Fiqhi issues while (political) thinkers and leaders deliberated on Fikri issues (i.e. matters pertaining to ideology). 10 Further, we have nothing against Jews, Christians or Hindus. Rather, we want Jews to be better Jews, Christians to be better Christians and Hindus to be better Hindus. We are, however, opposed to Zionists and Hindutvas. It is their political ambitions that threaten us, which we should counter politically. If they invoke their religious sentiment, we should expose it; but we should not invoke our religious sentiment in a tit-for-tat manner. This only complicates 7

Arab-Turk/Iran/Ajam rift: The Arab-Turk or Arab-Ajam divisions, similarly, need to be appreciated to be addressed, rather than wished away or blurred with the sweeping sentiments of religiosity. Tawhid: The revolutionary Islamic concept of Tawhid (oneness of God and unity of mankind) becomes a subject of polemics when visited as a religious topic; it attains an all-new, refreshing and dynamic character when revisited as an ideology-bearing concept. 11 In fact, Tawhid is the backbone in the body of Islam. As the backbone is situated in the upper half of the body but is also vital for the lower half, Tawhid appears at the religious component as the basic creed but it is vital for the ideology component too. In other words, Islamic ideology is anchored in Tawhid. So, doing away with the prevailing obsession with religiosity has to be part of the scheme to restore to Muslims the holistic vision of life that is Islam s characteristic. Clash or Co-existence: Exclusivist vs. Inclusivist view The contemporary challenge of forging greater unity and foiling foreign conspiracies can be met through an inclusive approach: considering all Muslims a single fraternity in which religious groups are there to compete rather than rival each other; considering the whole of humanity as Allah s family some members of which do not heed to His Advice they may be persuaded to heed to, or at least lie low, or, only as a last resort be prepared to face the sword for the sake of peace of society, just as the cancerous sore is removed from the ailing body to restore health to it. The First Caliph Abu Bakr رضي االله عنه) ) rose in arms against those professed-muslims who had refused to pay Zakah, because he wanted to stem the tide of mischief and nip the evil in the bud. The same Caliph was anxious about the outcome of the Rome-Persia war and the fate of the Romans. His, just as other Muslims, heart was throbbing and wishing a victory for the Christian Rome. He even made a a conflict, and deprives us of our leadership role and position. By steeping low to our enemy s level, we do no service to Islam. فقط اک مسي لہ علم کلام 11 8

sort of bet that Rome would emerge victorious over the polytheistic Persia within a couple of years. It was Qur anic assurance and glad tidings to Muslims that his bet was based on. 12 What was there for Muslims in a fight between two non-muslims? This underscores the importance of inclusivist Islamic approach. In fact, the bond of humanity asserts itself variously at different levels. In blood-relations, one has the strongest bond with his/her parents and siblings, with his/her spouse and children; a strong bond with cousins, a respectful bond with parents siblings, a can-be-felt bond with parents cousins, a special bond characterized by both respect and frankness with grandparents, and so on. In religious-relations, the strongest bond is with co-religionists, then with those who though belong to different religions, yet the same tradition of religions (the place of the People of Book, for instance), and, then, with the rest, so to say! The same can be said about professional bond, etc. While a Muslim may be a follower of a particular sect, he is its follower because he thinks it correct, not because he thinks others wrong. Then, he might find the views of someone from another sect as heretical, but he is not allowed to declare him kafir. With non-muslims, he gives special place to the People of the Book, he might even strike agreements with them. For the rest, he wishes them well. Knowing well that Islam addresses the whole humanity, he considers all as his potential audience. He strives to convey to them the message of Islam. But such an approach has been bedeviled for long, to the detriment of Muslims and in disservice to Islam. The exclusivist approach breeds self-righteousness, sees the world with a jaundiced eye, calls to arms and gun-toting. This in fact is the approach of the weak and the scared, who scares the rest too about hidden conspiracy or imminent danger. A recipe for chaos and disaster, it is a direct opposite and antithesis of the Islamic worldview. 12 Al-Qur an 30:2-4 9

Jihad: Here, a mention of Jihad (struggle in the way of Allah) and of the wrong of mistaking Jihad with Qitaal (armed struggle) is useful. While Qitaal may be regarded as Islamic call to arms, it is not the only part, or just another name, of Jihad. It is important to note that Qitaal is not enjoined on all for all times the call for Qitaal is made with discretion and utmost care by a legitimate authority (an Islamic state, or, in its absence, a consensual decree of Ulema). Qitaal is but a part of Jihad. Struggle against the self (piety), struggle for justice and peace (i.e. a political struggle), struggle for removing social ills and economic exploitation, then, are all part of Jihad. Jihad is also carried out by conveying the message of Islam through written as well as spoken words. Many great Islamic thinkers and leaders faced prosecution and execution because they spoke or wrote against tyranny and its various ugly manifestations. It is Jihad, not Qitaal, that goes on continuously and is binding on all men and women, young and old. If one s mother is sick, he may not be sent to the battleground (for Qitaal), but would be allowed to stay at home to look after her. That would be his Jihad. Women are not asked to take part in Qitaal; their Jihad is to imbue their children with Islamic teachings religious and mundane. So, Jihad is not all about Qitaal. Using the two terms interchangeably does not help one understand the Islamic concept of struggle for the good and against the evil. Islam s is a struggle for reform (maintaining the good and removing the bad or evil). It is for values and against base ambitions. It is not against a person or a people or some peoples. Islam sees no one as evil-incarnate neither a person nor a nation. 10

Conclusion The cause of uniting the Ummah can be served only by adopting the Islamic inclusive approach, which can be inculcated by ijtihad on ideological matters, and abandoning the religiosity-driven exclusivist approach, which feeds on conspiracy theories and notions of clash. There is enough of unity in the ranks of Muslims. They are as united and as mutually bickering as brothers are in a family. It is just the rise on the horizon of the right type of political leadership that is awaited. That leadership will harness the potential of the Muslim peoples, galvanize them, protect and strengthen them for the cause of Islam of being witness to mankind by practicing Islam, conveying its message to others, and living, side by side, even with those who choose not to embrace Islam. That kind of leadership would emerge by politically tackling the obtaining situation. Or, religiosity will hold sway giving rise to religious fanatics who will hold the world at gunpoint, tarnishing the image of Islam, and wither away as do the extremist groups everywhere in the world. Abdullah M. Adnan is Associate Director, International Institute of Strategic Studies and Research, Islamabad. 11