Mouood Mouood English Edition
Exhortation of patience and tolerance is to be practiced by the Ummah in matters of mutual affairs. The Holy Prophet’s affirmation that “Diversity of opinion is a blessing, while disunity a curse” must be accepted by the Ummah with sincerity and broadmindedness. The Holy Qur’an also says
… And help one another unto righteousness and pious duty, but help not one another unto sin and transgression… (Al-Maidah 5:2)
The political spirit of the institution of Hajj needs to be restored so that it works as a platform for mutual understanding and cooperation between various Muslim groups and communities as well as Muslim countries. This will also help forging a global link among the Ummah to collectively fight the evils of modern Jahiliyah based on the materialistic godless secular world order controlled by Dajjal.
Inter-Governmental bodies like OIC and other governmental agencies, global or regional, should initiate to strengthen the cause of Muslim unity by increasing their commitment to their own declared objectives and charters. Economic cooperation, reviving the Sunnah money of Gold Dinar and the Silver Dirham, science and technology exchange as well as information and cultural cooperation should be strengthened between the Muslim countries.
These should include cooperation in the promotion of the features and history of Islamic Civilization, academic and research link in various areas of mutual interest as well as information-related and humanitarian activities. Cooperation in defending Muslim rights and Islamic values in Muslim-minority countries can lead to a better understanding among the Muslim countries.
Islamic Movements
After the victory of the glorious Islamic Revolution in Iran the determination and dedication of the most gifted section of the Ummah have produced a rich blend of a cluster of Islamic Movements around the world.
The open aggression on the Muslim people by the global Kufr, with their powerful politico-economic and propaganda weapons, and the persecution of Islamic workers by secular westernized Muslim rulers have augmented the strength of the Islamic Movements. What is seriously needed from these Islamic Movements is realistic strategy and their effective implementation.
The first target of the Islamic Movements is, thus, to build an Islamic state through which they can work for global Islamic reunification of the Ummah.
Organized and comprehensive Tabligh of Islam is an obligatory duty for the Ummah, individually and collectively.Call unto the way of thy Lord with wisdom and fair exhortation, and reason with them in the better way. (An-Nahl 16:125)
And who is better in speech than him who prayeth unto his Lord and doeth right, and saith : Lo! I am of those who surrender (unto Him). (Fusilat 41:33)
Absence of tabligh or an ineffective one reduces the Ummah to an introvert community who gradually become sluggish in all walks of life. For the light of Allah, al-Islam, to be transmitted to four corners of the globe, the active members of the Ummah must open their illuminated hearts to the millions of His servants, Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
Greater Islamic unity is not only in the interests of the majority but also of most of the rest of the world as well. As the contemporary Muslim world is passing through a phase of self-analysis and internal reawakening, Islam is becoming more and more relevant as well as guiding light (Sirajam Munira) for the reconstruction of individual and social life of the Ummah. The reality of Islamic unity now lies on the Ummah’s firm resolve to build a universal society on the foundations of Islam.
The concept of universal relationship brotherhood among the Muslims is the cornerstone of Islamic unity and is the charter of worldwide Islamic Movement. Brotherhood is a notion based on faith, fraternity and equality without denying the reality of human differences in attitudes. It originates from mutual love, respect and emotional feelings for one another as in the case of a united family. It unites mankind on the basis of ideology and convictions. Anybody from any part of the globe, irrespective of racial or linguistic origin, can join the house of Islam through the testimony of Islamic faith and the needful actions.
Global reunification of the Ummah under a single pious leadership is neither a myth nor impossibility, as the western theorists or secularized Muslim leaders tend to describe it in order to dampen the spirit of the Muslim people. It is a divine requirement. However, its attainment depends on two conditions – Allah’s (SWT) favor and the Ummah’s turning back to Islam.
However, the yearning for unity and the ideals of Islamic brotherhood had always persisted in and kept illuminating the hearts of the Muslim masses throughout the history, in spite of political and theological trauma that the Islamic Ummah have passed. The target to unify the Ummah remained a guiding factor for the Islamic Revivalist Movements that emerged later on.
The Century of Islamic Revivalism
This century can rightly be termed the century of Islamic revival; political and economic aspects being mere parts of it. The enemies of Islam assumed that by politically dominating the Muslims; dividing them into small states, nationalities and tribes; imposing secular system through secular rulers; and by crafting Western political, economic, bogus and fraudulent paper money, educational and cultural agendas, Muslim Ummah can be neutralized for ever. But the ultimate prudence of God Almighty was different.
Equally important aspect is the rational which is the real force behind this comprehensive revival movement. In fact, it is this force, which have played the most significant role in changing the ideological and cultural pattern of Muslims virtually on entire globe. In the Indian Sub-Continent, movements led by Syed Ahmed Shaheed, Shah Ismail Shaheed and in Bengal the movement of Haji Shariatullah and then the efforts of Altaf Hussain Hali, Shibli Naumani, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi and Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar reactivated Muslims on intellectual, moral, cultural and ultimately on political fronts. Revival movement of Allama Iqbal, Syed Abul Aala Maududi, Maulana Abdul Aleem Siddiqui, Maulana Muhammad Fazlur Rahman Ansari’s literary and intellectual work and the leadership of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, all converged on a nation-wide political movement and ultimately resulted in creation of separate Muslim abode in 1947.
This nascent yet strong movement of the early half of 20th century gained ground in the later half and gradually spread all over the Islamic world. The Muslim nations started fighting for freedom from colonial powers with principle motive to protect and promote their Islamic identity. Some times it appeared as if nationalism was the fighting force for freedom, yet it is an acknowledged fact that even behind nationalism the one and the only force was resurgence of Islamic thought. K.Smith in Islam and Modern History (Princeton University Press, 1957, p.77) admits: “Muslims have never accepted any concept of nationalism under which the principles of loyalties are outside the jurisdiction of Islam.” He says: “besides (as far as Muslims are concerned) in the past only and only Islam has been the driving force which has provided to Muslims the discipline, strength, and desire for freedom.”
