Muslims of the world are much more united than they think

Let me be completely honest: I’m sick of hearing about division among Muslims. I find it heartbreaking to see how many people in my community express hopelessness and despondency because they falsely believe that the Ummah is divided and that we are all “losers.”

I am aware that having witnessed the violence and injustices being committed against our faith in various Muslim-majority nations, with the impression of impunity, in the context of various geopolitical conflicts.

As Muslims, however, we have a responsibility not to despair. Our religion encourages reflection and adhering to the Islamic maxims of “al-amr bil ma’rouf and al-nahy anil munkar (enjoining good and forbidding evil)”. This calls for thorough analysis and, if necessary, criticism of the status quo. But never dejection.

A large majority of Muslims put their all effort and resources into finding a way to “reunite” the Ummah following the collapse of the Khilafa in 1922. Without a Khilafa, they assumed, Muslims of the world would struggle to remain on the same page on important issues and suffer the consequences. This resulted in seemingly endless infighting, primarily between those who wanted to keep up old religious customs and beliefs and those who wanted to fundamentally change the faith in order to bring the Ummah back together. Where did all this screaming and fighting lead to? What did all this achieve? Many of us are still grieving because of the dissolution of the Muslim community after a century since there was a Khilafa.

Without a shared political system, those who became obsessed with the Ummah’s loss of “unity” lost sight of things that still inspire unity that can actually contribute to the advancement of justice, peace, and prosperity as a whole.

A Utopian empire stretching from Morocco to Malaysia cannot be found in the enforcement of political or cultural uniformity. It is already present in our collective adherence to Islam’s core principles, which are inherently universal. The Quranic message, delivered by Prophet Muhammad, underscores this universality. Islam’s origins as an oral, lived tradition made it uniquely accessible to diverse societies, from nomadic tribes to advanced civilisations. This accessibility gave rise to a fundamentally challenging unity.

Muslims around the world are much more united than we ever have been, despite not having a Khilafa or a common political system. We are united in our principles, our practices, our values. For us Muslims, recognising this unity, and harnessing its power, is a theological imperative. Equally important is the political resistance to the persistent legacy of colonial and imperial tyranny by accepting and cherishing this unity rather than giving in to misguided narratives of division.

Because our community is not entirely responsible for our ongoing infighting and pessimism over our perceived lack of unity. The false narrative of “disunity” is pushed on us by outsiders, by tyrannical powers, who have been working to subjugate us for many centuries. They claim that because there isn’t a pan-Islamic political unification, we are not at all united. They want us to get lost in despair, and become truly divided, so that they can maintain dominance over our people.

Indeed, the fragmentation narrative that currently dominates the Muslim community cannot be removed from the effects of colonialism and imperialism. For more than two centuries, the Muslim world was subjected to political, economic, and social subjugation under Western imperial powers. Our people are divided, and colonial administrators’ artificial borders allowed us to remain under their control, causing division in the regions with the largest Muslim populations. These imposed boundaries continue to cause conflict and conflict today.

Yet the Ummah’s unity persists in ways that these “invaders” could not erase. An unbroken metaphysical bond can be seen in the continuity of Islamic practices over the course of 1,400 years, from prayer to pilgrimage. This unity, rooted in faith, has outlived countless empires and regimes. Recognizing that it is more important to change the narrative to emphasize resilience than ignore the very real political issues.

Accepting the diversity of the global Muslim community is essential to understanding this. The early Muslim community was multicultural, multilingual, and multiracial. The first four caliphs’ differences in governance and political practices did not undermine unity; instead, they demonstrated the freedom and inclusivity of Islamic principles. Political differences do not equate to division, as demonstrated by the multiple Islamic political movements that exist on different continents, from the Abbasids to the Ottomans.

It is a very bad mistake to interpret diversity as a weakness and a sign of division in the context of this rich history. The Ummah has historically been enriched by its ability to accommodate diverse viewpoints, schools of thought, and cultural expressions. For instance, differences in the way that Islamic schools of thought pray are expressed reflect a strong tradition that values diversity within a shared framework rather than division.

Our response must not be condemning “disunity” and falling into despair, but rather demonstrating resilience and putting our attention on all the things that unite our people when we are faced with oppression, violence, injustice, and defeat against a tyrannic outside force, as we have tragically seen many examples of in recent years.

The British colonial government’s 1857 mutiny against Indian rule is a moving illustration of resilience in the face of defeat. The Deoband ulema did not give in to despair following the failed uprising that led to the slaughter of thousands of Indian Muslim scholars. They accepted their failure, acknowledged the psychological repercussions of the losses they suffered, and set about raising their family. They remained calm and unconcerned about the Ummah’s division and weakness. They did not become despondent. They knew too well that oppressors can defeat individual Muslims, but that sacred knowledge that unites us in something greater than ourselves cannot be defeated, so they decided to advance by protecting Islamic knowledge in British India.

In response to Darul Uloom Deoband’s proactive response, their initiative helped to create a foundation for renewal, which later led to the establishment of educational institutions that served and strengthened the Muslims of the entire subcontinent, if not the entire world. A true example of the leadership style Muslims should desire today was in response to failure.

Our focus as Muslims should be on the accomplishments and enduring bonds that connect the Ummah across time and space rather than fixating on stories of failure at this time of conflict, inequality, and widespread injustice. The Muslim world’s commitment to one another is a living, breathing reality that calls for appreciation and celebration.

Of course, acknowledging the Ummah’s theological unity should not lead to complacency either. Innovative solutions are needed to address the issues facing the modern world, from political unrest to systemic human rights violations to economic inequities. These solutions, however, must build on the existing foundation of unity, not undermine it with pessimistic narratives.

Muslims can advance with confidence by changing the narrative and embracing what unites them, creating new forms of resistance and renewal in a world where colonialism is still rife with remnants.

This is not the time for despondency. It’s about time for us to use our faith in the Eternal Powers of Allah to make active efforts to reform and improve our Muslim endeavors!

Source: Aljazeera