Muslims Vs Muslims!

Being a Muslim, have you ever been labeled as a Sunni, Shia, Wahhabi, Sufi, or something else?

What about being accused of being a liberal, hijabi, sellout, or a hardliner?

Many
of us may take it as an insult to be labeled as one but the reality is
that it is how we are labeled by others – unfortunately sometimes
unbeknownst to us – and that is how at times we pick our social circles.

Who is right?

Contrary
to the happenings of today, the teachings of Islam lay down the
foundations of a social system that purports to unite humanity in one
social fabric irrespective of race, national or tribal origin and
color. We know that this social system includes in itself all the
checks and balances to serve the needs of the society at large and
makes humans more civilized. Through endless examples, we Muslims
believe that a deviation from this course results in a social disorder
at all levels thus disintegrating families and communities and results
in an Ummah at odds with itself.
Unfortunately, the situation today is just that…a Muslim Ummah at odds with itself at all levels…

Think...

The
deviation from and poor execution of the social code of Islam
demonstrates nothing but a lack of proper “understanding” of that
system by Muslims themselves. That, coupled with the many religious
interpretations has divided Muslims in groups of hardliners, liberals,
Sunnis, Shias, Hijabis, Tablighis, and hundreds of other groups. Allah
revealed and the Prophet propagated ONE Islam and ONE set of teachings.
Yet, though all these groups claim to be Muslims and desire to be
called as “one”, a large chasm separates all these groups.

Islam
is not about extremism, fundamentalism, liberalism, or any other –ism
that lurks in the media circles out there – rather it’s about being on
the “straight path” as defined by Quran and the Prophet, the deviation
from which puts us on “separate” paths. As we traverse the minefields
of the present day societies, we see ourselves engaged in endless and
senseless debates of trying to make haram as halal and halal as haram.
We are pulled in discussions that benefit the general media more than
enlightening us to return to and stay the course. Today’s society that
feeds on the craze of fashion, figure, and fun is driving us to build
fancy houses more than better homes and families. Our priorities
obviously have become lopsided.

So, why not follow the
“straight” path when it holds so much promise? The reasons are many and
have been debated for centuries. One small post clearly can not do
justice to the topic, but starting the process will bring us closer to
addressing these issues.

Thinker...

One
of the reasons is failure to mature in our understanding of the
religion. When we fail in such a pursuit, we operate at reduced levels
of wisdom and as a result we disintegrate in divided families,
communities and nations. This “understanding” can not and should not be
mixed with “knowledge”. The truth is that while many of us may have the
“knowledge” but we do not really “understand” our religion. The message
simply doesn’t “click”. It is only when we start connecting the dots
after getting the knowledge that we can begin to see the “light”.
Understanding therefore is a process that takes time and requires
energy. A teenager may “know” that smoking is bad for health while a
chain smoker who just lost a lung to lung cancer may fully “understand”
that smoking is bad for health. “Understanding therefore is the
awareness of the connectedness of this information. It is understanding
which allows knowledge to be put to use. Understanding represents a
higher level than simple knowledge.”

……… And those who are
firmly grounded in knowledge say: "We believe in it; the whole of it
(clear and unclear Verses) are from our Lord." And none receive
admonition except men of understanding. (Quran: Aal-e-Imran:7) [(Tafsir
At-Tabaree)]

The reality is that we can not achieve higher
levels of understanding, when we rely on half-baked knowledge. By
prematurely indoctrinating ourselves with Islamic philosophies based on
insufficient and inaccurate knowledge, we run the risk of devoiding
ourselves from higher levels of “understanding” that in turn can
provide us with the wisdom to follow Islam the way our Creator wants it
to be followed. We therefore need to be cognizant of the dangers of
this half-baked knowledge. Just as we wouldn’t trust our health with
doctors who possess little knowledge and our life with airplane pilots
who have scarce knowledge of flying, why would we seek to build our
destinies by having half-baked knowledge of our religion?
When we
take Quranic verses out of context, we deny our sisters the education
they need. When we confuse crooked cultural norms with Islamic
teachings we start mistreating our families and when we overvalue the
worldly rewards, we yearn for more power and money – all symptoms of
the problem of lack of understanding.

stop!!

We
must therefore strive to increase our levels of knowledge to a point
where we can begin to truly “understand”. But that does require freeing
up time as well as space in our minds by pushing out what keeps us
preoccupied with the craze of fashion, figure, and fun.

We can
not begin to achieve mature levels of religious understanding unless we
take our religion seriously – It amazes us to see that many who
philosophize others about Islam are usually the ones who do not take
religion seriously. A little soul searching can tell us how seriously
we take our religion. For example, does the promise of earning
“Hasanat” (points for being on the right path) truly excites us to the
core and encourages us to do more of good deeds or do we simply feel
indifferent? Do those feelings in anyway parallel those of potential
worldly rewards such as earning real money in this world? Does the
prospect of getting a million Hasanat excite us more than earning a
million dollars? Do the warnings mentioned in the Quran and Hadith for
engaging ourselves in certain behaviors indeed make our hearts fearful
the way Allah wants us to fear?

Once we start truly valuing the
rewards mentioned in our religious teachings more than the worldly
rewards and start fearing the warnings mentioned in the Quran and
Ahadeeth, we can begin to take our religion seriously. Deeper
reflection and more time will bring us closer to being serious.

Allah says in the Quran: "O ye who believe! Fear Allah as He should be
feared, and die not except in a state of Islam." (Quran, 3:102)

Differences
in Religious Interpretations – Although there is almost no disagreement
on the authenticity of Quran, it is clear that differing
interpretations of Quran in general remain one of the primary dividers
of Muslims in general. As hadith is one of the sources of such
interpretations, we need to exercise extra due diligence in
understanding the true source of hadith. Although the purpose of this
post is not to get in the art and science of hadith, a general
explanation will help understand the issue.

Scholars strive to
establish whether a hadeeth is Sahih (sound or authentic), Hasan
(good), Da`if (weak) or Maudu` (fabricated, forged). In general, for a
hadith to be saheeh (authentic) it has to meet conditions such as that
it has to be from a continuous chain of narrators, the narrators have
to be of outstanding character and possess outstanding memory and the
hadith must be absent from subtle and obvious defects. There are many
other conditions that require an indepth study of Hadith and its
sciences. More details can be found in a separate post on this site.

The
necessity of narrating and following correct hadith therefore can not
be overemphasized, lest we base our religion on fabricated information.
Obviously, Muslims who base their religion on fabricated Ahadith are
going to form differing opinions than those who take the extra effort
to identify such and not use it to base their religion.

To
conclude, it is clear that as Muslims, we need to start at the grass
root levels within our homes and our communities. More knowledge will
help us raise the levels of our understanding. Taking religious
teachings more seriously will enable us to get closer to where we agree
more and disagree less. Even when we disagree, we will do it in a more
civilized way without compromising our fundamentals. When we unite
within our families and communities, the positive peaceful vibrations
will spread outward and have more of a global impact.

And finally, when we reach that stage, we will have less to complain about unity and everyone else.

unity!

==> What do you think? What else is dividing us and what can unite us better? Your thoughtful ideas are always welcome !

Active Member

Quote :: The reality is that we can not achieve higher levels of understanding, when we rely on half-baked knowledge. By prematurely indoctrinating ourselves with Islamic philosophies based on insufficient and inaccurate knowledge, we run the risk of devoiding ourselves from higher levels of “understanding” that in turn can provide us with the wisdom to follow Islam the way our Creator wants it to be followed

Active Member

Quote :: senseless debates of trying to make haram as halal and halal as haram.
We are pulled in discussions that benefit the general media more than
enlightening us to return to and stay the course. Today’s society that
feeds on the craze of fashion, figure, and fun is driving us to build
fancy houses more than better homes and families. Our priorities
obviously have become lopsided.

Unfortunately!!!
thank you Mrs.Imane

Active Member

Islam brought "democracy" in its proper sense and image.
Equality between ex-slaves and ex-masters
Equality between women and men
No judgement is counted if wolour, language and religion are mentioned
What do we need more than that ?
Being Shi'ite or Sunni does mean no difference
for the vital thing at any Muslim is
the strength of his relationship with Allah (God)

Head of the Forum

There's no difference between us since we all worship Allah and we believe in His prophets, messengers, books and fate