Religious Differences and Muslims
One of the reasons for the humiliation and degradation of Muslims in the present era is the prevalence of religious differences. Let’s examine whether it is indeed due to religious differences that Muslims are experiencing humiliation and degradation, or are there other reasons?
What is a “maslak”?
Maslak refers to the schools of thought within the Islamic jurisprudence. The opinions of Imam Malik, Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Shafi’i, and Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, may Allah have mercy on them, which are transmitted in the interpretation of the texts of the Quran and Sunnah and the explanation of divine commandments, are termed as “maslak.” Since there are differences of opinion among them and their followers also differ, causing the Muslim community to be divided into various groups, it is understood that if there were no differences among them, the community would be united and its strength would be maintained. The fundamental point to understand here is that mere differences in legal opinions do not lead to individual or societal humiliation and degradation. If that were the case, these mujtahid imams themselves would have fallen into humiliation and degradation. When we acknowledge their services and consider them successful in the degree of ijtihad and understand that they have rendered significant services in the interpretation and understanding of the commandments of religion.
Characteristics of Maslak:
Each school of thought among the four schools of thought has some prominent characteristics, due to which they were promoted and propagated from the time of the mujtahid imams until today, and their followers are spread throughout all Islamic countries. Over the years, some of their followers have even attained political power in certain countries.
The Religious Services of the Honorable Imams and Jurists:
The Imams of the Islamic world and the honorable jurists have rendered numerous services, but among them, the most prominent service is the establishment of the tradition of freedom of expression of opinion, in which all jurists share. It is noteworthy that during the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the companions consulted and sought the opinions of people on various issues, and the companions freely presented their opinions and consultations without any hesitation or coercion. This practice continued until the time of the rightly guided Caliphs. However, after that, when kingship began alongside the caliphate, along with other corruptions, another corruption emerged, that people could not express their opinions freely and their tongues were restrained. The establishment of the tradition of freedom of expression of opinion is exemplified by the martyrdom of Hazrat Hussain (may Allah be pleased with him). But when the grandson of the Prophet (peace be upon him) paid the heavy price for it and was martyred, where could the determination of others lie? Gradually, people adopted a submissive attitude towards the rulers, and the tradition of expressing political opinions came to an end. To the extent that people made complete silence their motto. However, the honorable jurists and the Imams of the Islamic world ensured the continuity of the tradition of freedom of expression of opinion within the limits of jurisprudence, and for this, they made countless sacrifices and endured severe hardships. Therefore, studying the heroic deeds and biographies of the honorable Imams reveals that almost all the Imams had to go through trials. Here, for brevity’s sake, only two examples of exemplary Imams, Imam Malik and Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, are mentioned.
Imam Malik was subjected to severe trials in a matter, which was the occurrence of “undesirable divorce.” That is, if someone is forced to divorce his wife, will it be considered valid or not? The answer is that it will not be considered valid because divorce was given under coercion, just as a person does not become an unbeliever by uttering the word of disbelief under coercion. This is a legal issue. However, there was politics behind it. When Imam Malik was asked about it, he gave a fatwa that forced divorce is not valid. The incident is that the ruler at the time, Abu Ja’far Mansur, came to power like his predecessors, and he took allegiance from the people, but some scholars and knowledgeable people did not give allegiance. They used a religious argument to force people to give allegiance. The argument was that a fatwa was issued by the ruler that whoever does not give allegiance, his wife will be divorced. Those who did not give allegiance were forced to divorce their wives. Those who did not comply were accused of adultery and were punished. In this situation, many people were forced to give allegiance. But Imam Malik gave a fatwa that divorce would not occur in this way. This was against the ruler of the time. Therefore, he was arrested, tortured, and efforts were made to force him to change his position, but he showed patience and determination. He said, “Whatever punishment is given to me, I am Malik bin Anas. This is a matter of law, that forced divorce is not valid.” Imam Malik’s sacrifice in establishing the freedom of expression of opinion in jurisprudence is a remarkable one, documented in history with golden words.
The second example is Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, who was also subjected to severe trials in the matter of the Quranic creation. It is a verbal debate whether the Quran is created or uncreated? If the Quran is proven to be created, then the inevitable conclusion will be that it is perishable, so the Quran is also perishable. The Mu’tazila raised this issue, and their purpose was to give the teachings of the Quran a temporary status. But this issue affected the rulers of the time, Ma’mun, then Al-Mu’tasim, and then Wathiqullah, and they began to force the scholars to also accept that the Quran is created. It was a very big trial of time, and many scholars were affected by it. Some scholars showed patience and determination, but most of the scholars of honor could not bear the severity of the rulers and were forced to say yes to them. The scholars who showed patience and determination included Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal. He proved this issue with evidence that the Quran is uncreated and the word of Allah, just as Allah’s other attributes remain like His essence, so does the attribute of “word.” The Quran will never perish. In this matter, the ruler of the time punished them, threatened them in jail, applied torture to them, and tried to force them to change their position, but they showed patience and determination and expressed the issue in the correct manner. As a result, the great trial of the time ended, and the Muslim community was saved from it.
In the context of the effects of differences in religious matters, it is also worth considering that the Imams of jurisprudence are of their time, and it is the era of Muslims’ ascent. If it is said that Muslims suffered degradation due to these schools of thought, it is not historically verified. Because at that time when the Imams were doing ijtihad and presenting separate issues to the Ummah, Muslims did not experience ascent but this is not the case. In fact, the rise and fall of Muslims are not related to religious schools of thought, but rather it is related to their political, social, and psychological behavior. These things need to be understood with extreme conscientiousness, and measures should be taken to eliminate them.
Important Causes of Differences and Conflicts in the Muslim Ummah:
Regarding the endless differences and conflicts within the Muslim Ummah, according to Raqm al-Sutoor, the primary causes are more rooted in worldly desires such as power, envy, animosity, and other material interests rather than religious differences. It’s elaborated that if religious beliefs were the sole cause of disputes and conflicts, then followers of the same sect would not have disagreements among themselves, and at least those of the same religious denomination would be united. However, the reality is quite the opposite.
A clear example of this is the division between Darul Uloom Deoband and Mazahir Uloom Saharanpur, both of which were institutions of the same religious sect but had internal disagreements leading to their separation. Similar examples can be found among followers of other religious denominations. This makes it evident that the cause of differences lies not in religious beliefs but in material interests, power struggles, and mutual envy and animosity. Furthermore, there are underlying factors contributing to the emergence of these causes, which are earthly in nature. Until efforts are made to prevent and eliminate these underlying factors, and awareness is raised among Muslims regarding their eradication, the degradation and humiliation of the Ummah cannot be eradicated.
Regarding differences within the Ummah, it’s also important to note that they are not solely based on religious sectarianism. Rather, differences in ethnicity, language, and geography also play a significant role, sometimes hindering unity or acting as obstacles in the path of Muslim solidarity. Therefore, attributing the decline and humiliation of the Ummah solely to religious differences would be inappropriate.
Faults of Religious Differences:
Until now, it wouldn’t be accurate to assume that the current state of the Muslim Ummah is satisfactory in terms of religious differences. The reality is that there are several concerns regarding this matter, and they are contributing to the increase in division and disintegration within the community. However, it was necessary to understand the nature of religious differences.
Therefore, scholars and jurists have made substantial efforts to understand and follow the desired objectives and intentions of Allah and His Messenger by studying the Quran and Sunnah. They deserve reward for their endeavors. However, no scholar claims that the truth is exclusively confined to their own sect and that the opinions of other scholars are incorrect. Therefore, it is necessary to follow one’s own sect and oppose the views of other sects.
In this regard, the clarifications of the honorable scholars are available, stating that wherever the truth is found, it should be accepted. However, Muslims have taken blind adherence to one scholar as obligatory and considered opposition to the opinions of other sects necessary. This led to sectarianism and the beginning of confrontation against each other. The sectarianism among Muslims has increased to the extent that it has caused damage to many Islamic teachings.
The Quran instructs all believers to consider each other as brothers, and on this basis, mutual goodwill, compassion, and sympathy are necessary. Additionally, Muslims have other rights upon each other, but sectarianism has made people believe that all these teachings are only applicable to those within their own sect, and dealing with those of other sects should be similar to how non-Muslims and non-believers are treated. Although Islam has also outlined the rights of non-Muslims and non-believers, sectarianism has gone further, and now even those of other sects are not considered worthy of being treated with the rights given to non-Muslims and non-believers.
This is the reason for discord everywhere, and because of this, people are attributing the spread of disunity within the community.
Another concern is that Muslims are generally negligent of religious duties, unaware of preparing for the Hereafter, and negligent of religious obligations such as prayer, payment of zakat, and other commands. This negligence is prevalent among followers of all sects. However, the well-wishers of the community want to rectify these faults through the teachings of their sects. This is why the results are nil. Rectifying the negligence of prayers cannot be achieved through the promotion of Fajr and Isha prayers openly, and rectifying the negligence of zakat payment cannot be achieved through preaching alone. The issue of not giving girls their share in dowry and inheritance is common and ongoing. Its rectification will not come about through the efforts of individual scholars alone. The ethical state of the community is extremely concerning, especially the morality of the younger generation is becoming increasingly Westernized and inclined towards immorality. However, their rectification cannot be achieved through seminars focused solely on jurisprudential details.
Issues Worthy of Attention for Muslims:
The primary issue for Muslims is their current state of weakness and degradation. Among the various reasons for this, discord and disunity are significant factors. Until Muslims become aware of this issue, it cannot be resolved. This awareness should extend to their state of degradation, as well as to the discord and disunity, both individually and collectively. While efforts by scholars and intellectuals are sometimes highlighted individually, the majority of the community remains unaware and negligent. In such a situation, the question arises: how can this awareness be cultivated, and how can vigilance be instilled?
It is understood that different groups of Muslims or followers of each sect undertake special efforts to resolve social issues and make people aware of them, just as they do for other matters. Such efforts should be made for this issue as well, without neglecting other secondary and partial matters, to make it a national and communal issue for Muslims to become aware of their religion and its demands, to place their sects in their proper places, and to promote unity and consensus. This is the call of the time and is beneficial for all.
Islam has a clear concept of social cohesion, and considerable emphasis has been placed on it. Even during travel, principles of social cohesion are encouraged to be maintained. If three people are traveling, one should be appointed as the leader, and the other two as his assistants. However, unfortunately, social cohesion is lacking in the current Muslim community. The system of leadership has disappeared, and entire cities are without leaders. Every neighborhood and every population should ideally have a leader who oversees the affairs of Muslims, but currently, Muslims have become psychologically unable to accept the leadership of others.
Today, nations that are progressing are those that are rich in knowledge and technology. Striving for knowledge is crucial. The Quran and Hadith emphasize the acquisition of knowledge, yet despite this, the rate of education among Muslims is declining. Whatever the reasons may be, progress is not possible without education. Attention needs to be paid to education on a large scale. Success can still be achieved despite limited resources if there is determination.
Education does not only refer to worldly and contemporary education; religious education is also essential. It is observed that many Muslim children excel in contemporary education but remain ignorant of their religion. Worldly education acquaints one with material things, while religious education leads to the recognition of God. Without recognizing one’s Creator and Master, all progress becomes meaningless. Due to a lack of knowledge of God, educated nations are suffering from severe psychological and social disturbances, and the rates of crimes and suicides are increasing.
To overcome the degradation and weakness of Muslims, several factors are necessary, one of which is psychological and mental development. Determination and enthusiasm are fundamental keys to progress. Similarly, generosity and magnanimity are excellent moral qualities. Cowardice and lack of enthusiasm lead to decline, while selfishness and self-interest manifest the death of the soul. Currently, Muslims are afflicted with these diseases.
A significant obstacle to the progress of Muslims is also a lack of resilience. This is evident at various levels — individual, domestic, familial, societal, and communal. Muslims are becoming increasingly devoid of resilience in their individual, domestic, familial, societal, and communal lives. This leads to conflicts and disputes among them. First, mental peace is robbed, then time and resources are wasted. If litigation arises, the situation becomes even more regrettable. However, Muslims are deficient in understanding such matters. It is essential for them to try to avoid such things as much as possible, as they slow down their progress.
