Unity and Sacrifice: A Timely Reminder for Our Ummah

By Shaykh Syed Anisul Haque | 23 August 2024

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

This Friday, as I prepared for our khutbah, recent events in Gaza and Bangladesh weighed heavily on my mind. These situations, affecting our global Muslim community, led me to reflect on a topic crucial for us all: unity within our Ummah. While always relevant, the importance of unity seems particularly pronounced in times like these. I began the khutbah by reminding everyone of a verse that I often turn to when thinking about unity:

And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided. And remember the favour of Allah upon you – when you were enemies and He brought your hearts together and you became, by His favour, brothers.

[Qur’an, 3:103]

It’s a powerful reminder, isn’t it? Allah isn’t just suggesting we unite; He’s instructing us to do so. I explained to the congregation that this “rope of Allah” refers to the Qur’an and the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. These are our anchors, the common ground we all share regardless of our backgrounds or schools of thought.

To emphasise this point, I shared another verse that highlights the importance of unity:

And obey Allah and His Messenger, and do not dispute and [thus] lose courage and [then] your strength would depart; and be patient. Indeed, Allah is with the patient.

[Qur’an, 8:46]

This verse beautifully links obedience to Allah and His Messenger ﷺ with unity among ourselves. It warns us that disputes can lead to a loss of courage and strength – something we simply can't afford in these challenging times.

To bring these Qur’anic teachings to life, I shared a couple of stories from our early Islamic history that never fail to move me. The first is about ‘Abdur-Rahman bin ‘Awf and Sa‘d bin Ar-Rabi‘ (may Allah be pleased with them). When our Prophet ﷺ made them brothers after the hijrah to Medina, Sa‘d offered to split his wealth with ‘Abdur-Rahman and even suggested divorcing one of his wives so ‘Abdur-Rahman could marry her. Can you imagine such a level of sacrifice?

Then there’s the story of the Ansari man who hosted a guest of the Prophet ﷺ despite only having enough food for his children. He and his wife pretended to eat in the dark while their guest ate their meagre provisions. This act was so pleasing to Allah that it’s said to have prompted the revelation of this verse:

And they give them preference over themselves, even though they are in privation. And whoever is protected from the stinginess of his soul – it is those who will be the successful.

[Qur’an, 59:9]

These stories always leave me in awe. They show us what we’re capable of when we truly embrace unity and sacrifice.

I also reminded our congregation of a powerful hadith that speaks to the unity of the Muslim Ummah:

The believers in their mutual kindness, compassion and sympathy are just like one body. When one of the limbs suffers, the whole body responds to it with wakefulness and fever.

[Sahih Al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim

This hadith paints a vivid picture of how interconnected we are as an Ummah. The pain of our brothers and sisters in Gaza, in Bangladesh, or anywhere else in the world, should be felt by all of us.

But I know what you’re thinking – that was then, this is now. How do we apply these lessons to our lives today? Well, I suggested three practical steps to our congregation:

  1. Reconnect with the Qur’an and Sunnah: I honestly believe a lot of our disunity comes from drifting away from these primary sources. Remember the hadith where our Prophet ﷺ said: “I have left two matters with you. As long as you hold to them, you will not go astray. They are the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet.” (Muwatta Malik) It’s like a GPS for our community – as long as we follow it, we won’t lose our way.

  2. Focus on our commonalities: Now, this doesn’t mean we all have to be carbon copies of each other. Unity isn't about uniformity. It's about working together despite our differences. I urged everyone to try to see past the small stuff and focus on the bigger picture, as commanded by Allah in Qur’an [3:103 quoted above].

  3. Uphold each other’s rights: There’s a beautiful hadith that outlines six rights Muslims have over one another: “The rights of a Muslim upon another Muslim are six: When you meet him, greet him with peace; when he invites you, accept his invitation; when he seeks your advice, give him sincere counsel; when he sneezes and praises Allah, say ‘May Allah have mercy on you’; when he falls ill, visit him; and when he dies, follow his funeral procession.” (Sahih Muslim) These might seem small, but they’re the building blocks of a strong community.

I also touched on the importance of avoiding division and discord. Our Prophet ﷺ warned us about this, saying:

Do not hate one another, do not envy one another, do not turn away from one another. Be servants of Allah as brothers.

[Sahih Al-Bukhari

This hadith serves as a stark reminder that negative emotions and actions like hatred, envy, and turning away from each other are antithetical to the brotherhood that Islam promotes.

Wrapping up the khutbah, I made dua for our Ummah’s unity and for relief for those suffering around the world. I reminded everyone that our real strength comes from our unity and our faith in Allah.

In times like these, when we see our brothers and sisters facing hardships in different parts of the world, I truly believe that unity and sacrifice are more important than ever. If we can return to the teachings of the Qur’an and the example of our beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, focus on what we have in common, and look out for each other’s rights, I have hope that we can overcome our current challenges and build a brighter future for our Ummah.

May Allah guide us, unite our hearts, and grant victory to the oppressed.

Ameen.

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