Splitting and Differing
By Shaykh Muhammad ibn
Abdil-Lateef (d.1376H) and Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem (d.1389H) [1]
Allaah - the Most High - said:
"O you who
Believe! Have tawraa (fear and obedience) of Allaah as you should do, and do
not die except that you are Muslims. And hold fast all together to the rope of
Allaah and do not be divided. And remember the favour of Allaah upon you, for
you were once enemies one to another, but He joined your hearts together, so
that by His Grace, you became brothers. And you were on the brink of a pit of
Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus does Allaah make His Signs clear to you,
that you may become guided. Let there arise out of you a group of people
inviting to all that is good, enjoining all that is good and forbidding all
that is evil. They are the ones who are successful. And do not be like those
who split up and differed amongst themselves, after the clear proofs had come
to them. For them is a tremendous punishment. On the Day of Resurrection, some
faces will be white and some faces will be black." [Soorah
Aal-'Imraan 3:102-105].
One of the
Scholars of tafseer (Qur'aanic explanation) said: "The faces of the
people of Sunnah and Unity will be white, whereas the faces of the people of
Sectarianism and Differing will be black."
Shaykhul-Islaam
Ibn Taymiyyah (d.728H) - rahimahullaah - said: "So Allaah - the
Most High - ordered all of the Believers to cling to the Rope of Allaah
collectively, and not to split-up. And clinging to this Rope of Allaah has been
explained as meaning: Clinging to the Book of Allaah, to His Religion, to
Islaam, to ikhlaas (purity of beliefs and actions to Allaah), to His
Commands, to His Covenant, to His obedience and also to the Jamaa'ah. All of
these explanations have been related from the Sahaabah (Companions) and also
From those who followed them in righteousness - and all of it is correct. For
the Qur'aan commands one with the Religion of Islaam; and that is Allaah's
Covenant, and His Command, and obedience to Him. It also entails clinging together
collectively as a Jamaa'ah. And the Religion of Islaam - in its reality - is ikhlaas
(purity and sincerity in beliefs and action) to and for Allaah alone.
Abu Hurayrah radiallaahu
'anhu relates: The Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam said:
"Indeed
Allaah is pleased with three things: That you worship Allaah alone without
associating a partner along with Him; that you hold fast altogether to the Rope
of Allaah and not to become divided; and that you give sincere advice to
whomsoever Allaah puts in charge of your affairs."[2]
And Allaah -
the Most High - has made oppressing the Muslims, both their living and their
dead, haraam (forbidden). And he has made sacred their blood, their
wealth and their honour. And it is established from the Prophet sallallaahu
'alayhi wa sallam that he said during the farewell Hajj (Pilgrimage):
"Indeed
your blood, your property and your honour is sacred to each other, just like
this day of yours, in this month of yours, in this city of yours. Have I not
conveyed the message. Those who are present must convey (my words) to those who
are absent. Perhaps the one to whom it is conveyed understands it better than
the one who directly hears it."[3]
Allaah - the
Most High - said:
"Those who
harm Believing men and women undeservingly, carry upon themselves the crime of
slander and clear sin." [Soorah al-Ahzaab 33:58].
Thus, whosoever
harms any Believer, living or dead, not because of any sin sin which
necessitates that - then he has entered into this Aayah (verse). And
whosoever is a mujtahid (one who is sincerely striving to arrive at the
truth), then there is no sin upon him. And if the mujtahid is harmed by
someone, then he has harmed him undeservingly. And whosoever is sinful, but has
repented from such sin, or he is forgiven due to some other reason; such that
there is no punishment left for him - and then someone harms him, then he has
harmed him undeservingly."[4]
Abu Hurayrah radiallaahu 'anhu relates: "Do not envy one another. Do not inflate prices upon one another. Do not hate one another. Do not forsake one another. Do not undercut one another. But be worshippers of Allaah and be brothers. The Muslim is the brother of another Muslim he neither oppresses him, nor humiliates him, nor lies to him, nor holds him in contempt. And piety is right here - and he pointed to his chest three times. It is enough evil for a person to hold his brother Muslim in contempt. The whole of a Muslim for another Muslim is sacred; his blood, his property and his honour"[5]
Ibn 'Umar radiallaahu
'anhumaa relates: The Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam said:
"A Muslim
is a brother to another Muslim. He neither oppresses him, nor humiliates him,
nor forsakes him. Whosoever helps his brother, Allaah will help him. Whosoever
removes one of the griefs of this world from a Muslim, then Allaah will remove
one of his griefs on the Day of Resurrection. And whosoever hides a fault of
any Muslim, then Allaah will hide one of his faults of the Day of
Resurrection."[6]
Anas radiallaahu
'anhu relates: The Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam said:
"None of
you will truly believe until you love for your brother what you loves for
yourself."[7]
The Prophet sallalaahu
'alayhi wa sallam said:
"The
example of the Believers in their mutual love and mercy is like the example of
a body, if one part of the body feels pain, then all the body suffers in
sleeplessness and fever."[8]
And he sallallaahu
'alavhi wa sallam said:
"The
Believer to the Believer is like a solid structure, one part supporting the
other."
And he interlaced his fingers to demonstrate this.[9]
This is what we
have mentioned in this small treatise, and what we hold as part of our Religion
and belief in front of Allaah. And in it is a sufficiency for whosoever desires
right guidance and whosoever intends to seek the truth.
We ask Allaah -
both for us and our Muslim brothers and sisters - safety and protection from
those things that bring about His wrath and anger and painful punishment. And
we seek refuge in Allaah from the passing away of His blessings, and that His
grant of the state of safety and well being is changed into something else. And
we seek Allaah's refuge from His sudden retribution and from all that which
angers Him. O Allaah! We seek refuge in You from the severe trials and from the
place of lowest misery and despicability, and from the evil that has been
decreed, and from the abuse of the enemies. And Allaah is sufficient for us and
what an excellent Guardian. And may Allaah send the praises and blessings upon
Muhammad and upon his Family, Companions and followers.
[1] Naseehatun Muhimmah fee Thalaathi Qadaayaa (pp.57-61).
[2] Related by Muslim (3/1340) and Ahmad (2/367).
[3] Related by al-Bukhaaree (3/573-574) and Muslim (3/1305-1307), from Abu Bakrah radiallaahu 'anhu.
[4] Minaahjus-Sunnah an-Nabawiyyah (5/134-135).
[5] Related by Muslim (no.2564).
[6] Related by al-Bukhaaree (5/97) and Muslim (4/1996).
[7] Related by al-Bukhaaree (1/57) and Muslim (1/67).
[8] Related by al-Bukhaaree (no.6011) and Muslim (no.2586), from an-Nu'maan ibn Basheer radiallaahu 'anhu.
[9] Related by al-Bukhaaree (no.481) and Muslim (no.2585), from Abu Hurayrah radiallaahu 'anhu.