Unity of the Ummah is the major prerequisite for its revival and strength

Unity of the Ummah is the major prerequisite

for its revival and strength

By: Mohammed Lahlal

The Muslim community (Ummah) is enduring chronic conflicts and divisions that have affected its overall unity and strength. This deplorable situation has sapped every effort for economic development, political stability, social harmony and cultural coexistence. It is true that this crisis dates back to centuries, but it has worsened to a great extent since the beginning of western colonialism and occupation of Muslim lands. The western invasion not only grabbed lands and natural resources, but also eroded the social fabric and culture of the Muslim Ummah and reduced it to a scattered entity embracing ideologies alien to its original faith and culture. Many attempts have been initiated to bring the Ummah together with reformers such as Muhammed ‘Abdu and Jamal-Eddine al-Afghani by the end of 19th century and beginning of 20^th century, but their call for unity resonated with only a small elite of intellectuals. The western hegemony with its mighty armament and planning had already settled in the land and begun their scheme of reshaping minds and hearts of Muslim generations through modern education systems designed by western colonizers who succeeded largely in pushing the traditional Islamic education to the corner. Calls for nationalism, socialism and liberalism had swept through the Muslim countries and had been embraced by Muslim intellectuals and politicians as the only way for freedom and development while Islam was to a certain extent seen as outdated and reactionary way of life and was confined at best to matrimonial laws which has recently been under attack by secular-leaning groups. Given this state of disintegration and weakness, is there a chance for the Ummah to recover its unity and strength? And what are the foundations of this recovery?

Conceptual foundations of Islamic unity:

How do we perceive this unity and what are the pillars on which we can build the Islamic unity? These are five concepts that highlight the foundations of unity:

• Human-based kinship: Muslims originally share basic characteristics that stem from their belonging to human species. They are the creation of God, thus they are commanded to worship their Creator and they have a common mission on earth to come together with other humans for building a fraternally human civilization based on justice and morality.
• Faith-based citizenship: Muslims also share the same nature (fitra), only factors of education and socialization either reinforce this nature (fitra) by increasing attachment to God or disorient it.
• Unity is a legal obligation: this forgotten obligation by Muslims might discredit their commitment to their faith unless they strive to recover unity following the Prophetic model.
• Unity is a societal obligation: Muslim disunity is bound to generate chaos and infight instead of building a harmonious social fabric.
• Unity is a rational wisdom: it is plain wisdom that unity offers opportunities for fostering common interests, understanding and conflict management.

How can we actualize this unity?

Here are some foundational procedures that underpin the reconstruction of Muslim unity and end the endemic situation of division and impotence, we can actualize such goals by

• establishing a political system based on Shura: In theory the Shura system is not yet elaborated in a constitutional manner, but the broad principles to build on require a political environment that allows experts to develop modern mechanisms akin to those existing in democratic regimes, such as separation of powers, independent judiciary, accountability, free elections, respect for human rights, among other things.
• developing a balanced education system that reinforces Muslims’ loyalty and belonginess to their Creator, the Almighty God, to their beloved Messenger, Muhammad, May God grant him peace and blessing, to the Qur’an as the main source of knowledge and to the Prophet’s tradition as their practical model. In parallel, the education system should focus on adopting and adapting sciences and technology as a lever to achieve the economy of self-sufficiency and ensure the well-being and prosperity of all citizens. Efforts should also be made to highlight in every step the core mission of Muslims to convey the message of Islam to the world. Such lofty goals require continuous mobilization and sacrifice.
• managing conflicts: before handling the centuries-long differences and conflicts, we should first put them into perspective and recognize the many common grounds shared by all Muslims. This positive thinking is bound to lay the ground for more fruitful debate and ease tensions. Muslim activists should also confront hate speech and emotional fanaticism that fuel antagonism and more divisions.

In conclusion, we can say that rebuilding the Muslim unity remains a dear goal that requires a clear vision and public awareness of what the stakes are. The Prophetic method in shaping this unity in the early Islam gives us an insight into the foundational grounds that can help in formulating incremental steps to reach this end. Muslim minds have long been shaped to normalize with the de facto reality of nationalistic confinement and not see beyond to embrace the broader scope of genuine Muslim union and potential cooperation and coordination among the Muslim community worldwide.