In the name of Allah The Most Merciful The Most Gracious:
We often wonder at times why people split themselves into different branches even though they follow the same creator. Why is that? Why can’t everyone just follow Allah SWT and his Messenger Prophet Muhammed PBUH on the true path? Allah SWT ordered all the Muslims to hold on to his rope and not to be divided after knowledge came to them. Hence why in the previous nations every Prophet was given a message and after knowledge came to the people a lot of them were divided into their own factions. Where each nation rejoiced in what it had and thought it was the more correct one. In Islam, if we are not even allowed to create space between two worshipers who pray and prostrate to The Most Merciful then how come some parts of the Ummah have been divided as a whole?
Aisha reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace, and blessings be upon him, said, “Verily, Allah and His angels send blessings upon those who connect the rows of prayer, and those who fill the gaps will be raised a degree by Allah.” Source: Sunan Ibn Mājah 995
If one can get rewarded for filling up the gaps in a prayer row then imagine the reward of filling the gap within the ummah. Allah SWT instructed us in the Quran to not divide into sects. He says the following.
“And hold fast, all together, by the rope which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves;” (Al-Qur’an 3:103)
“As for those who divide Their religion and break up into sects, thou hast no part in them in the least: Their affair is with Allah: He will, in the end, tell them the truth of all that they did.” (Al-Quran 6:159)
If people truly follow the true message of Islam then they know that Allah SWT is one. Where the best way to understand His message is through what was revealed to our beloved Prophet Muhammed SAW. The divisions amongst the Muslims have a lot to deal with people’s mindset, money, desire for power, cultural practices, lack of religious knowledge, and blindly following their own naffs where they disregard the Quran and Sunnah. It’s disappointing though to see the adults of the Muslim community disregard, other brothers and sisters because they follow a “separate branch” when in reality they both worship the same Lord.
The people who hold true to the Islamic creed know that we are one nation that consists of a diversity of nationalities. Allah SWT will judge between them on the day of judgment and excellent is He as a judge. We advise the people of understanding to follow the Quran and Sunnah and to never cause division within the factions. Now we all know we won’t be able to control the mindset of those who are heavily invested in their own naffs, however, we can help enlighten their understanding if Allah SWT wills.
Mindset is key! If we can’t help the previous generation understand then let’s ensure that we know what the right answer is and then we can teach the next generation after us if Allah SWT wills. This will help tremendously. If we go back in history to take a look at the pattern that occurs throughout it we will notice something interesting. Everything changed however one thing repeated over and over, where every messenger that Allah SWT sent repeated this message to the masses that we repeat till this day.
Now, it’s safe to say that many nations showed up well before us right? Where it consisted of different time periods, cultures, and beliefs. The best of these nations prospered only when they stood together in a phalanx type of structure. Where they moved as a unit and loved Allah SWT more than their own lives.
We will even notice this through the messages of all the previous Prophets who were tested with their nations. From Prophet Adam, Prophet Abraham, Prophet Jesus, Prophet Noah, Prophet Yusuf, Prophet Musa may peace and blessings be upon them all, etc… All these beloved messengers showed up with a mission to only worship Allah SWT alone. Where they all submitted to Allah SWT sincerely and praised him day and night.
As mentioned in the Quran below about Prophet Abraham PBUH.
“Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was one inclining toward truth, a Muslim [submitting to Allah]. And he was not of the polytheists.” (Al-Qur’an 3:67)
If people ask what branch of Islam you follow then the best of us will say we are Muslims who submit to Allah SWT alone and declare that Prophet Muhamed PBUH is the last and final messenger. In fact, there are narrations of Prophet Muhammed PBUH mentioning sects implying that Allah SWT taught him that his ummah would split over time.
Narrated AbuHurayrah: The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: “The Jews were split up into seventy-one or seventy-two sects, and the Christians were split up into seventy-one or seventy-two sects, and my community will be split up into seventy-three sects.” (Book 35, Number 4579)
Where another narration states,
The Prophet (PBUH) is reported to have said, “My Umma will be fragmented into seventy-three sects, and all of them will be in Hellfire except one group.” The companions asked Allah’s messenger which group that would be. Whereupon he replied, “It is the one to which I and my companions belong.” (Tirmidhi Hadith No. 171)
This is said not to scare you but to help you understand that follow the Quran and Sunnah and disassociate from that which will cause you harm. Remember Allah SWT is the most forgiving and He loves to forgive. Also, stay united and follow the Quran and Sunnah. We will not win at all if we stay divided. Those who live in the west know that the only reason why the United States of America is among the top-rank nations is because of one keyword. United.
Obviously, other factors are also included for the above example, however, the idea behind it is simple. The best way to start a change is by approaching the ones near you and teaching them what the Quran and Sunnah say about following the true message of Islam in its purest form. A side note worth mentioning is that when it comes to the different schools of thought acquire as much wisdom as you can from them but remember the ultimate answers go back to the Quran and Sunnah.
Nations have been forgotten in the past, cultures have been erased, messengers conveyed their messages in the best of ways, and dynasties have passed, but only one element remains to this day. That one element that is repeated to this day is La Ilaha Illallah, take some time to understand this message and convey it in the best of ways for the generations after you.
Allah SWT knows best.