Differences is Okay, Division is NOT Okay. Where Are We Today?

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate

Allah says in Surah AleImran,

وَٱعْتَصِمُوا۟ بِحَبْلِ ٱللَّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا۟ ۚ وَٱذْكُرُوا۟ نِعْمَتَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ كُنتُمْ أَعْدَآءً فَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِكُمْ فَأَصْبَحْتُم بِنِعْمَتِهِۦٓ إِخْوَ‌ٰنًا وَكُنتُمْ عَلَىٰ شَفَا حُفْرَةٍ مِّنَ ٱلنَّارِ فَأَنقَذَكُم مِّنْهَا ۗ كَذَ‌ٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمْ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ ﴿١٠٣﴾

And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided. And remember the favor of Allah upon you - when you were enemies and He brought your hearts together and you became, by His favor, brothers. And you were on the edge of a pit of the Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus does Allah make clear to you His verses that you may be guided. [Quran, AleImran 3:103]

The Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam defined the true Muslim as one who avoids harming other Muslims with his tongue (words) and hand (actions).

Abdullah bin Amr reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

الْمُسْلِمُ مَنْ سَلِمَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ مِنْ لِسَانِهِ وَيَدِهِ

The Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hand the Muslims are safe.

(Related by Al Bukhari)

Harun Al Rashid, the fifth Abbasid Caliph (786-809AD), used to bring along his teacher, Qadi Abu Yusuf, when he was going for hajj. Abu Yusuf was one of the pioneering scholar of the Hanafi school of thought, a student of Imam Abu Hanifah,

Being the caliph and religious leader, he led the prayers at the Ka'abah. When it was about dhuhr time, he had hijama (blood cupping) done. Now he was in the front row and was about to lead the dhuhr prayer with his wudu' had officially broken due to the bleeding according to the Hanafi school of thought. If he were to go and take wudu', by the time he gets back, it would be Asr prayer. Next to Qadi Abu Yusuf was Imam Malik, the Imam of the Maliki school of thought. He knew that in the Maliki school, bleeding does not break wudu'. So on purpose he asked Imam Malik about his wudu'. And Imam Malik said his wudu' is not broken because of the bleeding. And so Harun Al Rashid stood up and led the prayer.

As soon as the prayer was done, the students of Hanafi school came running to Abu Yusuf and were very upset because he had allowed the Caliph to lead the prayer without renewing his wudu'. This is because in Hanafi mazhab, bleeding invalidated the wudu'. Abu Yusuf said anybody who doubted the prayer is from the Khawaarij (the extremist who left Islam).

Why did he said that? Because he understood that when the fruits come from the same root, one person may take one fruit and another person may take another fruit. The most convincing evidence to Imam Malik is that bleeding does not break wudu' and the most convincing evidence to Abu Yusuf is that bleeding breaks wudu' and only Allah knows what is the absolute truth. He was humble enough to accept that. And he understood that while he may disgree with Imam Malik's opinion, and Imam Malik may disagree with his opinion but that should not cause a division between them. Differences is okay, division is not okay. This is how the early people understood Islam.

Where are we today? Compare how easily we kick someone else out of Islam just because they stood or held hands the way diffent than us when they pray, and so on. Not to mention, the common habit of sparking doubts about the integrity of other scholars or teachers of this Deen. There is no time for that. If we make this kind of discourse up and make it public constantly, in this world the price will be paid by the next generation who will fall into doubt about the religion.

فَلِذَ‌ٰلِكَ فَٱدْعُ ۖ وَٱسْتَقِمْ كَمَآ أُمِرْتَ ۖ وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَآءَهُمْ ۖ وَقُلْ ءَامَنتُ بِمَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ مِن كِتَـٰبٍ ۖ وَأُمِرْتُ لِأَعْدِلَ بَيْنَكُمُ ۖ ٱللَّهُ رَبُّنَا وَرَبُّكُمْ ۖ لَنَآ أَعْمَـٰلُنَا وَلَكُمْ أَعْمَـٰلُكُمْ ۖ لَا حُجَّةَ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكُمُ ۖ ٱللَّهُ يَجْمَعُ بَيْنَنَا ۖ وَإِلَيْهِ ٱلْمَصِيرُ ﴿١٥﴾

So to that [religion of Allah] invite, [O Muhammad], and remain on a right course as you are commanded and do not follow their inclinations but say, "I have believed in what Allah has revealed of the Qur'an, and I have been commanded to do justice among you. Allah is our Lord and your Lord. For us are our deeds, and for you your deeds. There is no [need for] argument between us and you. Allah will bring us together, and to Him is the [final] destination." (15)[Quran, Ash-Shura 42:15]

Islam flourished back then because people understood that differences is okay, division is not okay. During Harun Al-Rashid's caliphate reign, the Caliphate stretched from Spain in the west to Anatolia in the north to India in the east, and it was the largest and most powerful political entity in the world. Where are we today?

May Allah help the Muslims unite, love one another, and merciful towards the weak. Ameen.

Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.

And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.

Wassalaam