By
Qasim A. Moini
February 5,
2021
THE Quran
and hadith — the primary sources of Islamic teachings — stress unity and
condemn sectarian and divisive rhetoric in unambiguous terms. However, in Pakistan
and in many other parts of the Muslim world, the fire of sectarianism has done
untold damage to nations and communities, as Muslims seem to have forgotten one
of the key messages of the Holy Book and the Sunnah.
In our
country, sectarian death squads have terrorised innocent people for decades;
the most recent manifestation of this ugly reality was witnessed last month,
when a number of miners belonging to the Hazara community were butchered in the
small town of Mach in Balochistan. Moreover, the unsavoury practice of Takfir —
declaring others non-Muslim — has witnessed explosive growth, as barely
literate preachers excommunicate whole communities or individuals.
In other
parts of the Muslim world things are not much better. For example Iraq, Syria
and Yemen have been torn apart by sectarian strife, with external actors often
fanning the flames. Saner minds within the Muslim world — particularly amongst
the ulema of all schools of thought — must come forward and douse the flames of
sectarian hatred before they continue to rip through the body politic of the
Muslim world.
Rabble-rousers,
zealots and troublemakers must be side-lined while genuine scholars should
highlight the message of unity the Quran and hadith stress — “holding firmly
the rope of Allah” as has been so beautifully conveyed in Surah Aal-i-Imran.
There are notable precedents from the recent past which need to be emulated by
the scholars of today.
Amongst the
landmark fatwas of the modern age is the one authored by Shaikh Mahmud Shaltut,
the former Grand Imam of Al-Azhar — that bastion of traditional Sunni Muslim
thought established during the Fatimid era — of 1959. Shaikh Shaltut was a
visionary and perhaps foreseeing the sectarian fires that would be lit in the
not so distant future, told a questioner that the Shia Jafari madhab (school of
thought) was acceptable for Muslims to follow, thus dealing a strong blow to
takfiri thought.
In later
decades, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini — father of Iran’s Islamic Revolution —
also made efforts to bring Muslim schools of thought closer together. Along
with being a political leader, Imam Khomeini was a Shia Marja-i-Taqleed (object
of emulation) followed by millions of people across the world. Therefore, his
pronouncements had religious as well as political significance.
He stressed
Ittehad Bainul Muslimeen (unity amongst Muslims) and strongly discouraged
sectarian tendencies. He is quoted to have said “if a dispute takes place among
Sunni and Shiite brothers, it is harmful to all of us, it is harmful to all
Muslims”.
The wisdom
of these late ulema can help Muslims of today find a way out of the bog of
sectarianism that is retarding growth of the Muslim world. Credal differences
are a fact of life, and the result of historical processes. Every Muslim is free
to study the Quran, hadith and history and reach a conclusion about events over
which there is disagreement between the sects. In fact, it is enlightened
scholars that should be discussing these differences and historical events, as
discussion on the popular level — on TV, social media, etc — can often
degenerate into an exchange of polemics.
Instead of
focusing on the differences, let Muslim thought leaders encourage points of
unity, particularly the basics of the faith, such as tauheed (monotheism); risalat
(prophethood); the Holy Quran and belief in the Day of Judgement. Instead of
rousing the masses with fiery speeches, let preachers talk of the compassion,
charity and forbearance Islam stresses.
The fact is
that ulema across the Muslim world will need to play a greater role in
exorcising the jinn of sectarianism. Firstly, there can be no space for
preachers of hate and violence in any school of thought. Those that demonise a
sect or its revered individuals must themselves be isolated and kept away from
the pulpit. Believing in a particular interpretation of Islamic history is one
thing; reviling other sects for their beliefs and using the pulpit to spread
hatred is entirely another.
The state
also has a particular responsibility to crack down on those that abuse the
pulpit and the microphone to fire up the masses with misplaced zeal. Unless
ulema and the state work together to combat the menace of sectarianism, more
damage will be done and more lives will be lost.
A
well-known hadith quotes the Holy Prophet (PBUH) as saying “Muslims are the
brothers of Muslims” while in his will Hazrat Ali stated that “stick to unity
and avoid division”. Therefore, it is up to Muslims to either pay heed to such
divinely inspired words and find a solution to our myriad problems, or ignore
such sage advice and continue to be consumed by the fire of hatred and
division.
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Qasim A.
Moini is a member of staff.
Original
Headline: Sectarian scourge
Source: The Dawn, Pakistan
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-sectarianism/quran-hadith-stress-unity-condemn/d/124229
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