Written by: Hazrat Muhammad Zafar Mansoor (May Allah Almighty Extend His High Shadow),
The Founder and Supreme Guardian of Global Spiritual Group, Karwan-e-Najia
- What are the causes and factors of sectarianism?
- Is sectarianism not a lethal disease, major sin, and cause of the decline of faith?
- What will be our future with the increasing fire of sectarianism?
- Do the Quran and Sunnah teach unity and agreement or sectarianism and hypocrisy?
- Are the differences that we have made the basis of religion, not a rebellion against the command of Allah and the Beloved of Allah (Peace Be Upon Him)?
- Is it possible to eliminate sectarianism?
These are the questions that have worried every thinker, and giving answers to these questions in the light of the Quran and
Sunnah is the responsibility of every Muslim, especially scholars, and intellectuals. If we do not answer these questions in the affirmative today, then those Muslims who are our followers, devotees, or associated with us in any respect will be equal partners in their crimes. Sectarianism is not an individual crime but a collective crime, with harmful effects affecting the Islamic world more than other major sins.
Sectarianism refers to defying and rebelling against the commandments of God and the teachings of the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) and methods told by him (Peace Be Upon Him) and adopting a different path. Sectarianism is evil from beginning to end, and evil can never be Shariah; Shariah is the reality without which it is impossible to establish peace in the Islamic world.
The Holy Quran was revealed by Allah Almighty to the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) for the salvation of the world and hereafter and the well-being of all humanity. The purpose of the revelation of the Holy Quran was to act upon commands and prohibitions practically. Still, today, every sect uses verses of the Holy Book in its own opinion to make another sect false and prove itself right.
Allah Almighty has told us a clear path to salvation in the Holy Quran; if you seek salvation and want Allah’s pleasure, you must obey his beloved (Peace Be Upon Him).
But today, by ignoring God’s order, each sect interprets the Holy Quran separately according to its purpose and uses it for the propagation of its sect, as a result of which the unity of the Ummah is disintegrating and becoming more dispersed every day.
All four schools of thought, Hanafi, Shafi’i, Maliki, and Hanbali, are authentic and have petty differences between them; they are sources of mercy in Islam due to devotion, love, and jurisprudence within Islam. But using these differences as a basis to create sects in Islam by creating cracks in the religion, dividing the religion into pieces, and imposing verdicts of infidelity and shirk on Muslim brothers is complete cruelty, a clear violation of God’s law, and rebellion against Islam.
If Shia is an infidel, Barelvi is a Mushrik, and Deobani is a bold of the Messenger of God according to the verdicts by today’s so-called scholars and intellectuals, please tell me, who is a Muslim?
The reality of religion can be proved by debate, verdicts of disbelief, polytheism, or killing but good morality, love, truth, honesty, sincerity, and justice are needed. The religion Islam is the messenger of peace, advocate of brotherhood, and torch bearer of love and equality. Islam does not allow anyone to criticize the beliefs and leaders of others.
In the Holy Quran, Allah Almighty says;
“Surely, the believers are brothers.”
By keeping this verse of the Holy Quran in front of us, if we observe the current Muslim society, it is found that we have gone far away from Islam. We see a realistic picture of this commandment of God about fourteen and a half hundred years ago from the deeds and character of those followers of Islam when Muslims migrated from Makkah and reached Madinah empty-handed. Ansars opened the doors for them and gave them a share of their wealth and property so that none felt a sense of depravity.
But we feel sorry for the condition of Muslims today that a brother’s life, wealth, and honor are not safe from his brother.
Today, our faith has reached such a position that sympathy and compassion are distant; a Muslim cannot even see another Muslim happy.
One Muslim is busy trying to prove another Muslim false and himself faithful by imposing verdicts of infidelity and shirk. We acquire knowledge to subdue others and earn wealth to prove our superiority. It is as if the basis of our actions is hatred, envy, and selfishness, practically revolt and rebellion against the Quran and Sunnah.
The current state of affairs witnesses that the opponents have made Mulims hollow and defamed by entangling them in controversial issues to fulfill their nefarious goals and objective. The so-called religion seller scholars and clerics, who have been sold to opponents, have disintegrated the incredible power of unity and agreement among Muslims to fulfill anti-Islam conspiracies by making additions.
As a result, a Muslim has the enemy of another Muslim and is ready to kill his brother. Today, we are being disgraced in the world due to our hypocrisy. Muslims are being given titles of terrorists and extremists. Islam is being looked down upon because of our evil deeds. Our name and mark will not remain in the world; no one can save us from this destruction.
What can be complained to opponents when our own hands have destroyed Islam? It is not non-Muslims who give verdicts of transgression and infidelity to Muslims, called Shias infidels, Barelwis polytheists, and Deobandis insolent messengers but Muslims themselves. We must change our selfish and hypocritical attitude to get out of this darkness of dishonor and humiliation.
Today, Islam is immersed in a bottomless pit of hatred, hostility, and discrimination. The only way to survive is for a Muslim to embrace another Muslim by becoming his sympathizer and compassionate, purify your heart from personal goals and objectives by making love and friendship the way of your life, and open your heart to all humanity.
Criticism of the devotion of others should be avoided because devotion is a choice of human nature, and the religion of Islam does not allow one to change one’s devotion by force. Every Muslim must make the pure character of his Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) a torch for life.
After the power of God, the most tremendous power in creation is unity. Sectarianism is the curse due to which
Muslims have lost their strength and intensity and become captives of foreigners in every corner of the world. Today, non-Muslims are playing with the honor of Muslims. Still, a Muslim incites his brother to do evil acts like division and sectarianism instead of teaching him about unity and love. It should be remembered that sectarianism cannot be righteousness.
The only way to success and prosperity for a Muslim is to follow the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him). The only way for the success and welfare of a Muslim in the world and hereafter is by following the Apostle of God (Peace Be Upon Him).
To take another path apart from this or to violate the law mentioned by the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) in the slightest is a clear transgression, a significant loss, and a painful punishment for us. Our speech and character should not be contrary to Quran and Sunnah.
The teachings of the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) that he (Peace Be Upon Him) endured mountains of suffering to convey should make these teachings a torch for his life and prove to be the Messiah for all humanity. We have to prioritize religion over worldly and collective interests over personal interests.
We have to understand the truth of Islam and follow it and invite others to follow it. Today, the conditions of Muslims are a matter of regret that they are busy imitating the enemies of Islam and those who sell religion without being aware of Islam’s nature and reality and consider themselves travelers on the right path. However, the straight path is the path of those who have achieved salvation, the people God has rewarded. The straight path is the path of those who have established justice in society by fighting oppression and cleansing the society of evils.
Award-winning people are free from casteism, sectarianism, and nationalism but are right-minded and fearless in speaking and supporting the fact.
It is the duty of all Muslim intellectuals, especially scholars, to inform people about the reality of Islam according to the current world circumstances and the requirements of the time so that the Muslim Ummah gets out of the conflict of divisions and joins the circle of mutual unity and brotherhood.
The present time strongly demands that the Muslim Ummah prove the brilliant past of its predecessors through its deeds in the present; the Ummah cannot come out of the current decline with only verbal speeches and slogans.
But it is necessary for every Muslim thinker and intellectual that he chooses the right path in the light of the facts and plays his role in the field of action with determination and honor to save the Ummah from the current dishonor so that the sinking ship of the Muslim Ummah is saved from destruction.
