What Does Unity Mean In Islam?

Introduction

“The Mu’minoon are a single Brotherhood.” (The Holy Qur’an, 49:10) as quoted in the Quran. Allah further explains about Brotherhood by explaning that Muslims are awliyyaa’ (allies, friends, supporters) of one another, and this again is based solely on Islam:

A real Muslim will help his bro/sis in Islam to live in peace. Brotherhood is to live in peace and to understand one another. They must not argue even if one disagrees with another and that they should follow the best meaning of what is being discussed. They must always forgive and have mercy for one another. A Muslim also helps any innocent person and loves his bro/sis for the sake of Allah swt. This is because Allah wants all Muslims to live together in peace,love and tranquility, not backbiting and hating each other for no reasons. Even with non Muslims we should live in peace and respect.

Allah swt says in the Quran about brotherhood and commands us to act as brothers and sisters.

“The believers are nothing else than brothers (in Islâmic religion). So make reconciliation between your brothers, and fear Allâh, that you may receive mercy. “(Surah 49:10)

Muhammad saws said the real Muslims must love each other as real brothers and sisters too.

“You will not enter Paradise until you have faith, and you will not have faith until you love each other…”(hadith).

Islamic Unity

What does Islam mean? “Islam” comes from an Arabic word which means “submission to the will of God.” It also comes from the same root as the Arabic word “salam”, which means “peace”. Unity is the strength and the unity of people forms a strong nation. Therefore, this is one of the reason Islam emphasise great stress on the importance of unity. The Islamic concept of Towhid [1] is similar to unity of humankind. The corner stone in Islam is the unity of God. Allah’s unity teaches Muslims that the y should not divide persons into sections and sects [2] . As been quoted by Dr. Mohammad Ali Al-khuli is his book titled “The Light of Islam” writes: “Islam is the greatest unifying force in the world. It is a religion to all humans regardless of color, race and language. It is a religion that tolerates other religions and orders its followers to respect and protect all humans.” According to a Hadith of the Holy Prophet every human being belongs to Adam and Adam was from soil. Islam has been strictly prohibiting racial discrimination. Peace, equality and paternity [3] are thought through unity. When there are no unity, it will bring about disruption, devastation and disputes. God is the God of all human beings. All humans unity is the ultimate aim of the teachings of Islam. The doctrinal and ideological differences must not end up through war or bloodshed. Religion of Islam teaches that in order to achieve true peace of mind and surety of heart, one must submit to God and live according to His Divinely revealed Law. The most important truth that God revealed to mankind is that there is nothing divine or worthy of being worshipped except for Almighty God. However, anyone who submits completely to God and worship Him alone is a Muslim. The word “Muslim” refers to one who submits to the will of God, regardless of race, nationality or ethnic background. Being a Muslim entails willful submission and active obedience to God, and living in accordance with His message. Things which can be implemented to bring the unity which are commanded to have amongst the Muslims is that they are required to put Islam as their top priority in life instead of the amusement in this world knowing that Islam is the way to Paradise.

“And whosoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers.” (Al-Imran:85)

Besides that, all Muslims are also required to return the Qur’an to Its proper place. The Qur’an provides as a guideline for living and needs to Muslims and it is to be the Muslim’s central focus, and is needed to implement it as a whole.

Ways to achieve Brotherhood in Islam

The way to achieve Brotherhood in Islam is through:

Quran

The Quran is : “The speech of Allah sent down upon the last Prophet Muhammad, through the Angel Gabriel, in its precise meaning and precise wording transmitted to us by numerous persons ( tawatur), both verbally and in writing. Inimitable and unique, protected by God from corruption”. ( Denffer, 1991, 17). The Quran is the foundation of Islam and the primary source of guidance for Muslims in all aspects of life, whther spiritual, legal, moral, political, economic or social. An important theme of the Quran is legal guidance and related matters about how the Muslim community should conduct itself. This includes how to worship God through prayer; fasting and pilgrimage [4] ; marriage and divorce; the restriction of polygyny; the regulation of slavery; spending money to help the poor and needy; relations between the sexes; children and custody; prohibition of gambling and alcohol; punishment for crimes such as theft, murder, adultery and slander; war and peace; commercial transactions; and inheritance. It also covers moral injunctions such as truthfulness, moderation in behaviour, justice, fairness, forgiveness, honesty, kindness to one’s parents, keeping generosity and the keeping of promises. Muslim scholars have developed agreat number of Quranic exegetical (critical explanation) works over the past fourteen years. Some of these rely heavily on the Quran and the explanations of the Prophet. The Quran is for Muslims, the revealed word of God. Hence, the exegesis [5] of the Quran (tafsir) has emerged as one of the most revered [6] disciplines in Islam. The life of the early Muslims revolved around the Quran, one of their earliest concerns was to understand the message of the sacred text. Therefore Quran is important for Muslims in order to achieve Brotherhood.

Six pillars of faith: essential beliefs of a Muslim

Belief in God (Allah)

Belief in the angels

Belief in the revealed books

Belief in the messengers (prophets)