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one another regardless of their di erences and even if they don’t know one another or is a ected by that act of injustice.
When we commemorate the pure memory of the Seal
of Prophets of mankind on Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
Day, we celebrate a ‘human being’ by all its meaning; we remember a symbol which personi es all the commendable qualities which God desired for a human being to dress himself. Qualities and attributes which elevate the human being to the highest of ranks among all creations, by the freedom to successfully choose right from wrong, and truth from falsehood. We take example in a man who taught all
of humanity the meaning of love, compassion, and justice which join hands together to result in the ultimate result of “unity” among the creatures. There are three types of unity one can and should achieve: intrafaith unity, interfaith unity, and human unity.
The purpose of this article is to investigate through the Holy Qur’an and teachings of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and his puri ed progeny where the boundaries of unity should exist and why.
Intrafaith Unity
If we survey the verses of the Holy Qur’an, we nd that the concept of unity is highly emphasized by the Almighty God who said, “And hold fast by the covenant of Allah all together and be not disunited, and remember the favor of Allah on you when you were enemies, then He united your hearts so by His favor you became brethren.” [3:103] Here, we understand that the key achieving unity is rst to unite with our hearts which carry care and compassion to one another.
It is narrated by Anas ibn Malik that the Holy Prophet (pbuh) has said, “Whoever prays like us and faces our Qibla and eats
granted not only a safe haven and the ability to travel to another land to seek refuge, but also they were granted
the bene t of getting personalized help symbolized by brotherhood which granted emotional, spiritual and materialistic assistance. The fruits of this brotherhood cannot be enumerated and only shows the immense wisdom and insight which the Prophet of Islam (pbuh) enjoyed.
One can only imagine how the world would look today if every immigrant was granted a similar bene t of brotherly assistance from their fellow human beings!
This act of brotherhood certainly goes against the idea of division among the Muslim nation and the Almighty God has warned about this division when He said, “Surely they who divided their religion into parts and became sects, you have no concern with them; their a air is only with Allah, then
He will inform them of what they did.” [6:159] According to the Prophetic tradition, he admonished the idea of Muslims ghting one another regardless of their disagreements by saying, “If two Muslims faced each other with their swords, both the killer and the one killed are in Hell-Fire.”That is because both were ready to spill the blood of one another. Even if there are instances that two groups of Muslims ght one another, the responsibility falls on our shoulders to bring peace between them, as Allah (SWT) beseeched,“And if two parties of the believers quarrel, make peace between them; but if one of them acts wrongfully towards the other.” [49:9]
Interfaith Unity
What about achieving unity among believers of di erent faiths emanating from the same Almighty God? Yes, it is possible and it is a must. Muslims, Christians, and Jews all believe in the same God and the core moral principles of these messages are one and the same. Religions which submit to the One Almighty Creator and believe in the idea
HAD GOD WILLED, HE WOULD HAVE MADE YOU A SINGLE COMMUNITY, BUT HE WANTED TO
TEST YOU REGARDING WHAT HAS COME TO YOU. SO COMPETE WITH EACH OTHER IN DOING GOOD. EVERY ONE OF YOU WILL RETURN TO GOD AND HE WILL INFORM YOU REGARDING THE THINGS ABOUT WHICH YOU DIFFERED.
our slaughtered animals is a Muslim and is under Allah’s and His Apostle’s protection. So do not betray Allah by betraying those who are in His protection.” (Sahih Bukhari) As Muslims we are instructed to take a bird’s eye view approach and look at our commonalities and that which we share, not our speci c di erences among sects and schools of thoughts.
We nd that the famous historical event of “Mu’akhaat” (Brotherhood) portrays a lot when it comes to unity among those who share the same faith. In the fth year of Hijra, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) created a brotherly contract between each of the Muhajireen and Ansaar by appointing pairs of brothers among those who migrated to Madina and the residents of Madina. The Muslim immigrants were
of prophethood, resurrection, and accounting on the day of Judgment. These are religions that promote the good and forbid the evil, encourage forgiveness and open the door for repentance.
The Almighty God has testi ed in the Qur’an on behalf of His last Prophet, “The messenger believes in what has been revealed to him from his Lord, and (so do) the believers; they all believe in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers; We make no di erence between any of
His messengers; and they say: We hear and obey, our Lord! Thy forgiveness (do we crave), and to Thee is the end of all journeys.” [2:285] The divine testimony acknowledging the similarities among divine faiths is a clear indication of
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