By
Arman Neyazi, New Age Islam
2 June 2021
Allah,
The Almighty Has Commanded Humankind To Create A Well-Knit Society Saying That
All The Human Beings Are Brothers And Sister As They All Are Born From A Single
Parentage
Main
Points:
1. Murderous
attack in a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand and Sri Lanka Easter bombings, to
name a few are the result of the lack of cohesiveness in the society.
2. In an
attached society, it is almost impossible for anyone to live with a terrorist
ideology or a feeling of hatred.
3. To bring
cohesiveness among the tribes and the people of different ideologies Prophet
Muhammad (SAW) conferred religious rights to the minority communities.
4. Terror
activities, performed by any religious sect or community or political
organisation is the result of hatred.
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Allah, the
Almighty has commanded humankind to maintain a well-knit society to be able to
come to the rescue of each other in case of necessity. In Surah An-Nisa, the
Holy Quran reminds human being of the necessity and advantages of a cohesive
society saying that all human being are brothers and sister as they all are
born from a single parentage. Allah, the All-knower commands in the said Ayat
to honour the ties between them. Consider the Ayat:
O
humanity! Be mindful of your Lord Who created you from a single soul, and from
it, He created its mate, and through both, He spread countless men and women.
And be mindful of Allah—in Whose Name you appeal to one another—and honour
family ties. Surely Allah is ever Watchful over you. (Surah an-Nisa, 4:1)
Courtesy: Researchgate.net
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The
Terrorist and Inhuman Activities Are the Result of A Divided Society
Murderous
attack in a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand and Sri Lanka Easter bombings,
to name a few, on the religious institutions and individuals are the result of
the lack of cohesiveness in the society. In an attached society, it is almost
impossible for anyone to live with a terrorist ideology or a feeling of hatred
for a long time . There is a strong possibility that one or the other member of
the society or community comes to know of the dangerous mindset of the
individual or a community before it is too late. In such a case various steps
can be taken to wipe out the dangerous ideology or a wave of hatred from the
individual or the community.
An attached
and well-knit society is a source of a peaceful and prosperous community and
nation. Cohesiveness brings people close and strengthens the bonds of trust and
faith. There is probably no nation that does not have several different
religious, ethnic and ideological groups hence binding all of them in trust and
with the help of inclusiveness is important for the nation to develop. A
cohesive society automatically generates the power to dismantle the
under-carpet hostility, conflict and mistrust among the inhabitants of the
country. It is true for the member of the same religious and ethnic groups too,
where there are different ideologies or schools of thoughts.
Prophet of
Islam, Rahmat ul Lil Alameen, first of all, created a cohesive society and then
began his campaign of Allah’s oneness (Wahdaniyat)and the advantages of it are
for everyone to see. To bring cohesiveness among the tribes and the people of
different ideologies Prophet Muhammad (SAW) conferred religious rights to the
minority communities and mentioned it in the Charter of Madina as under:
“The
Jews from the tribe of Bani ‘Auf are a part of the community with the
believers. For the Jews their religion and the Muslims their religion.”
Awarding
religious rights to the minorities created cohesiveness in the society and
created trust among the Jews and the Muslims. This a big proof that a cohesive
society is a society that develops and creates social and financial stability.
Quranic
Ayaat Proclaiming a Cohesive Society
Incoherence,
be it among the nations or the communities, religious and social or the
individuals is the sign of a devilish mind. Devils are there to destroy and
angels are there to bring every kind of development. The messengers of a
cohesive and well-knit society are angels by their souls.
As Allah,
the Most Gracious says in the Holy Quran that humankind is distributed in
tribes and nations so that they may know each other. To know each other, as per
the command of God, the human being will have to create a cohesive society.
Consider following verses of the Holy Quran that testify the importance of all
of us living together as a family:
O mankind, indeed We have created you from male
and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another…… (Surah Al-Hujurat:13)
“And hold fast, all of you together, to the
Rope of God, and be not divided among yourselves, and remember God’s favour on
you, for you were enemies and He joined your hearts together, so that by His
grace, you became brethren and you were on a brink of a Pit of Fire, and He
saved you from it. Thus God makes clear
His signs to you, that you may be guided.” (Quran 3:103)
“The believers, men and women, are Auliya
(helpers, supporters, friends, protectors) of one another, they enjoining what
is good and eradicate what is evil. They
offer the prayers and pay the zakat and obey God and His Messenger. Surely, God will have His Mercy on them. Surely, God is All-Mighty, All-Wise.” (Quran 9:71)
Muhammad
Abu Zahra, an Egyptian intellectual and an influential Hanafi jurist highlights
the importance of a cohesive society and Islam’s campaign for it in his
renowned book ‘al-'Alaqat al-Dawliyah fi
al-Islam (International Relations in Islam)’ mentioning following Quranic Ayat
given as under:
Verily we have honoured the children of Adam (Al-Isra: 70)
O mankind, indeed, we have created you from
male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. (Al-Hujurat, 49:13)
O humanity! Be mindful of your Lord Who created
you from a single soul, and from it, He created its mate, and through both He
spread countless men and women. And be mindful of Allah—in Whose Name you
appeal to one another—and honour family ties. Surely Allah is ever Watchful
over you. (Surah
an-Nisa, 4:1)
“There is no compulsion in religion” (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:256)
Duty of
'The Noblest Of Creation' and 'The Vicegerent’ of Allah
Taking into
account that the titles of 'The Noblest Of Creation' and 'The Vicegerent’
bestowed by Allah the Most Merciful are not specifically for the believers.
These titles are for human being. It means the Muslims, the Hindus, the
Christians, the Jews and the members of all other religions and faith are
proclaimed as 'The Noblest Of Creation' and 'The Vicegerent’. This, therefore,
is the duty of all of us to create a cohesive unit where all live in cohesion
like a well-knit family. If the world did this, it will be for its benefit. The
terror activities, performed by any religious sect or community or political
organisation is the result of hatred for each other be it on any religious or
social level. All these anti-social activities can be controlled only by
creating cohesion among each other. Let Allah’s 'The Noblest Of Creation' and
'The Vicegerent’ perform their duty and be counted in the best of the
souls. The sooner we do it, the better.
Hadees
Traditions Proclaiming A Cohesive Society
Let us
close this discussion with beautiful, expressive and inviting for a cohesive
society Prophetic traditions, that go as under:
“Allah helps His slave as long as he helps his
brother”. (Sahih Muslim)
Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said: ‘Have taqwa (fear)
of Allah wherever you may be, and follow up a bad deed with a good deed which
will wipe it out, and behave well towards the people. (Hadith 18, 40 Hadith
an-Nawawi)
On the authority of Abu Dharr Jundub ibn
Junadah, and Abu Abdur-Rahman Muadh bin Jabal (RA)
Narrated An-Nu`man bin Bashir: Allah's
Messenger (ﷺ)
said, "You see the believers as regards their being merciful among
themselves and showing love among themselves and being kind, resembling one
body, so that, if any part of the body is not well then the whole body shares
the sleeplessness (insomnia) and fever with it." (Sahih al-Bukhari 6011)
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "You see the
believers as regards their being merciful among themselves and showing love
among themselves and being kind, resembling one body, so that, if any part of
the body is not well then the whole body shares the sleeplessness (insomnia)
and fever with it." Narrated An-Nu`man bin Bashir (Sahih al-Bukhari 6011)
And
Allah knows the best.
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Arman Neyazi
is a columnist with NewAgeIslam.com.
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-pluralism/cohesive-cohesion-integrated-society/d/124922
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