THE COMPANION: Importance - The Unity of Ummah

Tuesday

Importance - The Unity of Ummah

Importance that the Sahabah RA - Attached to Unity

This chapter highlights how the Sahabah RA attached great importance to unity in word and in deed and how they abstained from dissension and dispute in matters that had ramifications on Da'wah to AlIah SWT and His Rasulullah SAW and matters of Jihad.

The Unity of Ummah - Is a must -Wajib for Muslimin.

Statements of the Sahabah

Concerning the Evil of Dissension

The Statement of Saidina Abu Bakr RA

Concerning Dissension

Ibn Is'haaq reports the historic sermon that Saidina Abu Bakr RA delivered in the orchard of the Banu Saa'idah. Saidina Abu Bakr RA said, "It is not permissible for the Muslim to have two leaders. As soon as this happens, dissension springs up in all their affairs and all the commands issued. Their unity is then fragmented and they start to fight amongst themselves. At this point, the Sunnah is forsaken, Bid'ah rears is ugly head and anarchy intensifies. No one can then set matters right." (1)

The Statement of Saidina Umar RA

Concerning Dissension

In the narration discussing the scenario before the pledge of allegiance was "taken at the hand of Abu Bakr RA, Saalim bin Ubayd RA states that someone from the Ansar said, "(Who do we not appoint) A leader from amongst us (Ansar) and another from amongst you (Muhaajireen)." Saidina Umar RA responded to this by saying, "Two swords in one sheath!? They will never fit." (2)

The Sermon of Abdullah bin Mas'ud RA

He Warned about the Dangers of Dissension.

Abdullah bin Mas'ud RA once said, "0 people! You should hold fast to obedience to your leader and preserving your unity because unity is the rope of Allah SWT, that Allah SWT has commanded you to hold fast to. What you dislike in staying united is much better than what you like in being divided, In everything that Allah SWT has created, He has also predetermined its end. Islam is thriving right now and the time will soon come when it will also draw near to its end. It will then flourish and weaken until the Day of Qiyaamah. The sign of this is extreme poverty. Poverty will be so great that a poor man will not find anyone to give him anything and even a rich man will not regard what he has to be sufficient for him. In fact, a person will place his need before his blood brother and cousin, but none will give him anything.

The situation will be so bad that a beggar will beg from Friday to Friday without anyone putting anything in his hand. When matters reach this ebb, a splitting sound will emerge from the earth, which will lead the people of every area to think that it is coming from the ground beneath them. There will then be silence for as long as Allah SWT wills, after which the earth will stir and start to vomit out all her prized possessions." When someone asked Abdullaah bin Mas'ud RA what the prized possessions of the earth are, he replied, "Pillars of gold and silver. From that day onwards, none shall benefit form gold and silver until the Day of Qiyamah."

Another narration states that Abdullaah bin Mas'ud RA said, "Family ties will be severed to the extent that the rich will only fear poverty and the poor will have none to show compassion towards him. In fact, even if a person has to place his need before his own brother or cousin, none would show a bit of sympathy to give him a thing."

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The Statement of Abu Dharr RA

Concerning Dissension

A man related that they once took some things for Abu Dharr RA. However, when they reached Rabdha (the place where he lived) and asked for him, he was not available. Someone told them that Abu Dharr RA had requested (the Ameerul Mu'mineen) to perform Hajj and had received permission. The men then left for Mina (where they found him). They were once sitting in his company when someone informed him that (the Ameerul Mu'mineen) Saidina Uthmaan RA had performed four Rakaahs salah (in Mina) (3). This upset Abu Dharr RA greatly and he had strong words to say.

He also said, "When I performed salah behind Rasulullaah SAW (in Mina) , he performed only two Rakaahs salah. I then performed salah behind Abu Bakr RA and Umar RA (both of whom also performed two Rakaahs)." (Despite saying this) Abu Dharr RA then stood up (when the salaah was performed) and performed four Rakaahs salaah (behind Saidina Uthmaan RA).

Muslim Unite For the sake of Allah SWT and Nabi SAW.

Someone said to him,

''You have just criticised the Amirul Mu'minen but you now do the same thing he did?" Abu Dharr RA replied, "Causing dissension (by opposing the Amirul Mu'minen) is even worse. I have heard Rasulullaah SAW say, 'There shall be kings after me. Never disgrace them because whoever ventures to do so will have taken off the rope of Islam from his neck and cast it away. The repentance of such a person will never be accepted until he fills the void he has created (by repairing the damage he has done to the Deen) , which he will be unable to do and he then returns to the ranks of those who honour the king.' Rasulullaah SAW has commanded us not to allow the kings to overpower us with regards to three factors (although we should honour them, this should not prevent us from three things):

(1) that we enjoin people to do good, (2) that we prevent them from evil and (3) that we teach them the Sunnah.,,(l)

I) TabraanL Haythami (Vol. 7 Pg.328) has commented on the chain of narrators,

(2) Abu Nu'aym in his Hilya (Vo1.9 Pg.249).

(3) Hadhrat Uthmaan ~ had married in Makkah and had intended to stay a few Jays in Makkah,

because of which he was not a Musaafir

The Statement of Abdullah bin Mas'ud RA.

Qataadah narrates that Rasulullaah SAW, Saidina Abu Bakr RA and Saidina Umar RA all performed two Rakaahs (Fardh) salaah in Makkah and in Mina. Saidina Uthmaan RA also used to do this during the initial years of his Khilafah. However, he then started performing four Rakaahs. When this news reached Abdullaah bin Mas'ud RA , he recited "Innaa Lillaahi wa Innaa Ilayhi Raaji'oon" but (when the salaah was performed), he then stood up and performed four Rakaahs salaah (behind Saidina Uthmaan RA). Someone said to him, "You have just recited 'Innaa Lillaahi wa Innaa Ilayhi Raaji'oon' but you have performed four Rakaahs salaah?" Abdullaah bin Mas'ud RA replied, "Causing dissension (by opposing the Amirul Mu'mineen) is even worse." (2)

The Statement of Hadhrat Ali RA

Concerning Dissension, Bid'ah, Unity and Disunity.

Saidina Ali RA , once said (to the people), "Continue doing as you have been doing (during the terms of the previous Khalifahs) because I hate disunity. Either people remain an undivided nation or I die (without seeing any disunity) as my companions (Saidina Abu Bakr RA), Saidina Umar RA and Saidina Uthmaan RA) had passed away." For this reason Ibn Seerin RA was of the opinion that most of the narrations that some people of extreme viewpoints narrated from Saidina Ali RA were false (they fabricated narrations to cause more disunity). (1) Hadhrat Saleem bin Qais Aamiri narrates that IbnuI Kawwaa once asked Hadhrat Ali ~~ about the Sunnah, Bid'ah, unity and disunity. HadhratAli .~ replied,

"0 IbnuI Kawwaa! Just as you have memorised the question, so too should you remember the reply. By Allah, the Sunnaah is the way of Rasulullaah ~ while Bid'ah is everything that contradicts it. By Allaah, unity is the consensus of the people of truth even though they may be few while disunity is the consensus of the people of falsehood even though they may be many." (2)