Unity is a part of worship (ibadah)

[khalib]

Unity through knowledge under one common purpose-Quran and sunnah. (The al-ummah project.org)

Let us insist on unity. Let us make it our primary goal. Let us make noise about it until everyone listens. Let us share ideas on how to achieve this. Let’s collectively take the first step towards unity and make the Quran and sunnah our purpose above nationalism, tribalism, color, and even kinship.

[Abu Loren]

Unity through knowledge under one common purpose-Quran and sunnah. (The al-ummah project.org)

Let us insist on unity. Let us make it our primary goal. Let us make noise about it until everyone listens. Let us share ideas on how to achieve this. Let’s collectively take the first step towards unity and make the Quran and sunnah our purpose above nationalism, tribalism, color, and even kinship.

As'alaamu Alaikkum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu

Unfortunately bro Muslims are beginning to argue with themselves within Islam. Sign of the times but all this has been prophecied by the Holy Prophet (SalAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam).

[Eric H]

Greetings and peace be with you Abu Loren;

Unfortunately bro Muslims are beginning to argue with themselves within Islam. Sign of the times but all this has been prophecied by the Holy Prophet (SalAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam).

I think unity has to start with changing ourselves, it is hard enough to change ourselves, and it is almost impossible to change others.

Blessings

Eric

[Abu Loren]

Greetings and peace be with you Abu Loren;



I think unity has to start with changing ourselves, it is hard enough to change ourselves, and it is almost impossible to change others.

Blessings

Eric

Sure what I meant was unity will be hard to maintain as we head towards the Last Days.

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[Eric H]

Greetings and peace be with you khalib;

Unity through knowledge

When we learn how to apply this knowledge it then becomes wisdom. I believe unity can only come about in the way we are prepared to serve each other despite all our differences.

How can we unite to tackle poverty, HIV, justice for the poor and oppressed, supporting the sick and elderly, how do we put our differences aside to collectively serve these needs despite our differences?

In the spirit of praying for a greater interfaith friendship and understanding.

Eric

[Abu Loren]

When we learn how to apply this knowledge it then becomes wisdom. I believe unity can only come about in the way we are prepared to serve each other despite all our differences.

Top of the morning to you Eric H

I'm sure when you say 'we' you mean Christians and Muslims. Sure we can work together on a humanatarian level in helping the world rid of tyranny and oppression, working towards helping the poor with charity and compassion. However this is where it stops. We cannot 'come together' religious because a believer cannot get personally get involved with another's religion. The reason is that the fear that the believer will be tempted by satan and will lose his faith.

Sahih International

Let not believers take disbelievers as allies rather than believers. And whoever [of you] does that has nothing with Allah , except when taking precaution against them in prudence. And Allah warns you of Himself, and to Allah is the [final] destination. 3:28

[Eric H]

Greetings and peace be with you Abu Loren;

Top of the morning to you Eric H

Top of the mountain to you too!

I'm sure when you say 'we' you mean Christians and Muslims. Sure we can work together on a humanatarian level in helping the world rid of tyranny and oppression, working towards helping the poor with charity and compassion.

Agreed,

However this is where it stops.

It very rarely stops, because sadly we very rarely start these things together, we choose to look after our own; rather than support people with different religions, sects, colors, nationalities etc.

We cannot 'come together' religious because a believer cannot get personally get involved with another's religion. The reason is that the fear that the believer will be tempted by satan and will lose his faith.

And this is why we rarely cooperate with each other towards justice, poverty, HIV etc.

In the spirit of praying for a greater interfaith friendship

Eric

[Abu Loren]

It very rarely stops, because sadly we very rarely start these things together, we choose to look after our own; rather than support people with different religions, sects, colors, nationalities etc.

Eric

Like I said earlier we can work together in all of those things except religiously.

Christians practice shirk associating partners to the One True God.
Chrisitnas practice polytheism by believing in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Chritians practice idolatry by having images and statues of the cross and Jesus (Alayhi Salaam) allegedly hanging on it. Also all other idols of saints, Virgin Mary etc etc etc.

[Eric H]

Greetings and peace3 be with you Abu Loren;

Like I said earlier we can work together in all of those things except religiously.

Christians practice shirk associating partners to the One True God.
Chrisitnas practice polytheism by believing in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Chritians practice idolatry by having images and statues of the cross and Jesus (Alayhi Salaam) allegedly hanging on it. Also all other idols of saints, Virgin Mary etc etc etc.

The opening post was about Islamic Unity, somehow there is the need to do and share things together with people you percieve do not hold the whole truth. Somehow there is the need to overcome your differences, but How?

We normally demand that the other person should change before we can unite.

In the spirit of praying for unity under 'One God'

Eric

[Abu Loren]

We normally demand that the other person should change before we can unite.

Are you willing to change? Will you give up the Trinity?

[ardianto]

Are you willing to change? Will you give up the Trinity?

Assalamu'alaikum.

Trinity is part of Christian belief that has nothing to do with Islam. So, if a Christian believe in trinity, what is the problem for us?.

Bro, it's better if we back on topic, unity in Islam.

[ardianto]

Greeting and peace be with you, Eric.

The principle of Islamic unity is "ukhuwah Islamiyah" (brotherhood in Islam). It's means a Muslim is brother/sister of other Muslims. And also, difference that could be tolerated, should be tolerated.

I give an example. There are Muslims who place their hands on belly when perform salah, there are Muslims who place their hands on chest, there are Muslims who place their hands below the navel. But this difference should not prevent them to perform salah in congregation.

[khalib]

Hi Eric,

Islam is not an isolationist religion, in fact it has a clear hierarchy of rights and responsibility which extends to even non Muslims. Our beloved Prophet, the mercy of mankind (PBUH) taught us to unite even with non Muslims on mutually beneficial issues such as in the fight against a disease that affects all regardless of ethnicity, color, or nation. A good example of this was the fight against small pox. It is a fact, if it was left active in any nation no matter how far or isolated, it would have made a comeback and affected everyone, Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus...

Our Prophet (PBUH) also insisted we show compassion, love, and kindness towards all regardless of their ethnicity, color, region, so that we help when they are suffering or in pain whenever we can. Unity therefore is not and can not be limited to only among Muslims but should be among all through mutual respect and understanding. That is the way of Islam. Unity among Muslims however is the first step in the hierarchy of rights and responsibility, and it is only a united ummah that can meet its responsibility to people of other faiths as well as protect its own rights.

[Futuwwa]

Let us insist on unity. Let us make it our primary goal. Let us make noise about it until everyone listens. Let us share ideas on how to achieve this. Let’s collectively take the first step towards unity and make the Quran and sunnah our purpose above nationalism, tribalism, color, and even kinship.

Salaam.

What should we do if we encounter differences in opinion in matters pertaining to the application of the Quran or to the following of the Sunnah?

[khalib]

Assalamu alaikum,

Rai or opinion is perfectly expected as well as acceptable in Islam and is what Allah intended. As I mentioned in Islam there is a clear and unambigous level of hiearchy of rights and responsibility(as I learned after reading "the theory of knowledge and human behavior"), that starts with the individual, family and so on. When it comes to individual application of the Quran or sunnah, it is our right to decide how we each will apply them. For example; how long should a beard be? can we trim it or does it have to be left to grow as its is?

However, when we jump to the family level of the hiearchy of rights and responsibility and beyond, thats when things begin to change with regards to application of the Quran and sunnah. For example; I believe that all females who have reached the age of pueberty must be covered from head to toe. My father however believes the face can be left uncovered and it is not a problem. What do we do? should this difference of opinion split us up? Fortunatley Allah as taught to us through His Prophet (PBUH) solved this problem for us by instructing us to never be without a leader, and that on such matters we must obey the leader, for the sake of unity, which itself is an act of worship. Of course when I start my own family I can do as I see fit.

See at the end of the day we are all acountable for our actions and unity is something we will all be asked, and in fact whoever deviates from it will be asked.

[Eric H]

Greetings and peace be with you khalib;

See at the end of the day we are all acountable for our actions and unity is something we will all be asked, and in fact whoever deviates from it will be asked.

Unity is about getting on with with people who have huge differences to ourselves.

The unity of marriage comes to mind, fancy uniting a man and women together with all our differences, how can that work? I have been married for 29 years and my wife still says we have little in common, and sadly that also includes our faith in God. I think you have to work harder with relationships the longer you are together.

There are times she really gets on my nerves, and I know when this is going to happen, because the same kind of situations keeps occurring. I know I really aggravate her at times, sadly I am not the easiest person to live with.

Marriage is the union of two imperfect people; with imperfect children and grandchildren, we struggle with all our faults to stay together. Unity of religions just compounds the amount of imperfection, how can a billion imperfect people unite, when just two people struggle with unity?

However we juggle our beliefs about, we are all created by the same God, unity hangs and depends on how we are able to tolerate our differences. I know a billion people are going to live and die a Muslim, I can't change that, now I have to examine my conscience about uniting with people who are always going to be diiferent to me.

In the spirit of praying for a greater interfaith friendship

Eric

[Eric H]

Greetings and peace be with you all,

The start of unity is prayer, are we able to pray with people who are different to us and are we able to pray for them. I feel blessed that I was in a Baptist church yesterday with people from 6 different Christian denominations and we prayed together. This morning I was able to pray with Catholics in my church, and then I went and prayed with Anglicans at a funeral. On Sunday I shall be praying in a Salvation Army Church with them.

I have only once had the privilege to pray with Muslims, Jews and Hindu at an interfaith meeting a couple of years ago.

In the spirit of praying for a greater interfaith friendship

Eric