Sufyan Bin Abdullah related, “I said to the Messenger of Allah, ‘Tell me a statement on Islam such that I need ask no one
else but you about it’. He told me, ‘Say, ‘I believe in God,’ and be upright.’ ”
‘One who observes the same prayer as we do, faces
the same direction in prayer as we do, and partakes from the animal slaughtered
by us, then such a one is a Muslim concerning whom there is a Covenant of Allah
and His Messenger: so you must not seek to hoodwink Allah in the matter of this
Covenant.’
'A believer is still within the
scope of his religion as long as he does not shed forbidden blood....If
anyone curses a believer, that is like murdering him; and if anyone accuses a
believer of disbelief, that is like murdering him...A slanderer will not enter
the Garden of Paradise’.
‘People, We created you all from male and female, and made you into races and tribes so that you should get to know one another [like relatives from the same origin]. In God’s eyes, the most honoured of you are the ones most mindful of Him: God is all knowing, all aware’. (Holy Qur'an, 49: 14)
Allah (swt) has created a rich mosaic of diverse human groups in the world- with astounding features of ethnic, racial, linguistic and national diversities, providing a great opportunity for us to readily appreciate and celebrate the Unique Lord and His wondrous ways. Thanks to the actually-existing conditions
of the world of Islam after a millennium and more of historical and sociological churning; today every Muslim child is born and brought up in one ‘Jamaat’
or the other, within the wider Muslim Ummah. To resolve the differences, including in relation to interpretation of theological matters that abound among Muslim groups today, a culture of learning and dialogue based on the roots of our common origin is imperative: it is a solemn matter to be engaged with respect, humility, residual goodwill and understanding, and with Taqwah.
Given this existential condition of diversity within Muslim
communities, one or the other Sect among them cannot claim monopoly or
‘total’ ownership over the legacy of the Holy Prophet (sa), or of Islam
altogether to the exclusion of all other fellow Muslim groups. And yet, a claim
of 'sole proprietorship' of the religion of God is often advanced by certain groups as part of their ‘identity’ formation. Vain disputation and divisive rhetoric ensue along factional lines. So much so that flexing muzzles, some
aggressively accuse and even declare fellow Muslims outside the purview of
their ‘Islam’. In this context, the ultimate insult a sectarian partisan
inflicts upon a Muslim is to tell him/her that ‘
you are not a
Muslim’. There is little doubt that factional extremism and megalomania will invariably have
troubling consequences for society at large, as is so apparent in several
regions around the world. Against the backdrop of sectarian extremism in
certain
Jamaats and jaundiced perceptions,
Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam
International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of
Mauritius gives a clear exposition while responding to a
related question, shining a light on what it means to be a ‘Muslim’.
Read the Statement
Below:
‘O my lovely spiritual children, my enemies took
upon themselves the decision that I and all my spiritual children are ‘non-Muslim’.
In relation to a question l received [on this matter] from another Jamaat [member],
I replied in the following words:
‘Allah alone is fully aware of the truth and is able to know what
is in the heart of a person. If a person in all sincerity proclaims himself to
be a Muslim, no man in the power of man can say: ‘he is not a Muslim’; no one
on his own accord can say ‘he is not a Muslim’. A person may be a good
Muslim, a bad Muslim or a misguided Muslim; but nobody has the right
to tell him that ‘he is not a Muslim’.
The meaning of "Muslim" is one who resigns himself/ herself to the laws of Islam. When a person is not a true Muslim himself,
then, who is he to tell another one [another Muslim] that ‘he is outside of the
pale of Islam’? Only Allah is the Best Judge, not you creatures who will judge
us.
O Mullahs of different Jamaat/s, put it in your mind
that me and all my disciples who believe in me that the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al
Islam are, and will forever remain, Muslims - Servants of Allah - until the end
of the world. We call upon all Muslims of good sense, tolerance and fair
mindedness to ponder calmly over this matter.
Islam is a religion of peace and brotherhood. Bigotry
is foreign to Islamic conduct. Let it be known without a shadow of doubt that
the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam members are indeed Muslims- most devoted Muslims.
The Holy Quran states that, in the sight of Allah,
what distinguishes one person from another is his or her degree of
righteousness. Keep this always in mind Allah is our Judge. He knows who is a
Muslim and who is not a Muslim.
Instead of taking satanic delight in calling other Muslims kafirs; it would be better if those
people take a hard look at themselves and see to what extent they are
manifesting the high teaching of Islam in their own lives.’
*********
