Why Muslim Unity Starts With One Rope

Allah.

[Silence]

Alhamdulillah.

[Silence]

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions In one of the verses towards the middle of Alan, he says, "And hold all of you to the rope of Allah together and do not become divided." This verse is known to many of us. The rope of Allah here, what is intended by it? When you look at what the companions the explanation they gave or the definition that they gave for the rope of Allah, they are many. Some will mention the rope of Allah is Islam. Others mention the rope of Allah is the Quran. Others mention the rope of Allah is the sunnah of the prophet sallall.aii wasallam etc. But we notice that all of these definitions are descriptions of a different angle of the same thing. Right? So for instance, Islam hold all of you to Islam and do not become divided and hold all of you to the Quran and hold all of you to the sunnah of the prophet sallall.aii wasallam. They all mean or entail or arrive at the same conclusion. And the prophet sallallam said, he said, "The rope of Allah is the book of Allah which extends from the heavens to the earth. Now we notice here in the wording of this verse that Allah subhanahu wa'ta'ala stresses togetherness and he stresses anything that will put that togetherness at at risk. So he says subhanahu wa ta'ala and hold all of you to the rope of Allah together. That's the first part. The second he says and do not become divided. So we understand from this that not it is not enough for a person to hold to the rope of Allah alone. This person has not fulfilled his duty as a Muslim. And now we kind of live in that kind of time, don't we? The mega city, right? the anonymity of just minding your own business. As long as you're out there not hurting anybody, right? We see someone doing something wrong or making a mistake, we don't correct him. We see someone going to harm himself or others, we don't correct them. This kind of anonymity and tap this is the practice of a people whose Islam is not complete. It is the practice of a people whose iman is not fulfilled. Notice something. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has made it that no prayer will be valid unless you recite fat. Correct? No prayer. You have to recite in every prayer and in every of every prayer too. But when we pray, if we were to really follow the prophet's sunnah completely and in practice, in practice, do we pray most of the time alone or together? Most of the time. Most of the time in practice, we pray alone. Right? However, in spite of that, we still say even though you're praying alone, you still say we you alone do we worship. You would think that if you're praying alone, you would say you alone, oh Allah, I worship, right? Or even if the imam is reciting on behalf of the people he's leading, he could still say you alone do I worship and they say am behind him. But it is phrased you alone do we worship. even if you're praying alone. Why? The scholars tell us that there is a very important point and that is that a person who worships Allah alone constantly and does not put his hand in the hands of his Muslim brothers and sisters. for better or worse in difficulty and in ease this person his Islam is incomplete right his Islam is incomplete because when you say you alone do I worship your humility isn't isn't as far as it should be there is much more humility in the anonymity of we worship you alone alone do we wor who am I to put myself as you alone do I worship no I worship amongst those who worship and this is why Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala commands he says and establish prayer and give zak and bow down with those who are bowing down. He already mentioned prayer. What's meant is a person must be with and together. And the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam stressed this so much that even in our physical behavior, anything that would jeopardize that togetherness is strictly forbidden in Islam. So for instance, you look at the emphasis that Allah that the prophet sallall.aii wasallam put on straightening the rose. He said he said he said Sallallah.aii wasallam. Straighten your rows. Make them as straight as possible. And do not differ with one another in the row. Do not differ with one another in your stance in the row. This one is slightly forward. This one's slightly behind. This one is slightly far apart. These two are very that inconsistency. This is prohibited. And not only that, but it's punishable. It comes at a price. When we differ with one another, even in the row in salah, it comes at a price. What is the price? He said, "Sallam, if you differ with one another in your stance in the row and the row is hence incoherent or crooked, then your hearts will become different. they will differ. The scholars derive from this statement that if your bodies differ that will lead to the differing of the hearts. If the body differs with the other body that will lead to differing of the hearts. Right? So if a person stands in the row and is out of place in the row and this continues over time, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala may punish that people with difference in their opinions, in their hearts, in their obedience, in their adherence. They will start to differ with each other. And for this reason, even outside of salah, it's not permissible to differ in that way. And Muslim, the prophet sallallah.aii wasallam was on a journey with the companions and he stopped to make camp one night. And when he stopped, the people spread out. You know how people spread out to set up their respective camps. Each one has his tent and so forth. And they were in a valley. And so they spread out more than they usually were. And so the prophet sallall.aii wasallam said to them, he says, "It is a who has caused you all to spread out this far from each other. Come in closer. They're going to go to sleep. They're going to sleep and make their campfire and make their soup or make their bread or whatever they're going to do. They're not praying. They're not in salah. But he said is the one who has spread you out even while you're sleeping, even while you're camping. not permissible because of the danger of that differing whether it's in salah whether it's in the way that we live with each other whether it's in the way all of these things may jeopardize that togetherness and with disagreement and differing what comes differing in religion what does that mean meaning that let's Say two people have a disagreement, a personal issue, and as they spread from each other and as they differ more and more, they will start to want to get people on their side for their difference of opinion. And what better way to get people on your side than to spiritualize your endeavor, right? To make it that, oh, this isn't a personal issue. It's because of Allah. It's because this is haram. It's because and from that comes all of the different groups and sex and innovation that are introduced. It usually roots back to people differing on a personal level. So this is something that the prophet sallall.aii wasallam stressed so much that even if this occurs in the Quran we are to end the gathering. He said Muslim we'll end with this. He said he said recite the Quran together as long as you are in agreement with each other. But if you start to differ then stop. So that differing even if it is over what? Even if it is over or in a gathering of the recitation of the Quran that is not what the Quran was revealed for. The Quran was revealed that disagreement is it a related or a dean related.

[Arabic recitation]

Any disagreement dunya or deen. And that's the point that we're making is that most disagreements are based on what the dunya but then when they extend what do they turn into? They morph into a dean issue because people attempt to spiritualize their their their fights and their endeavors. It's human nature. Now, so he tells us sallallah.aii wasallam recite the Quran as long as you are in agreement but if you start to differ then stop and and end the gathering. Why? Because the Quran was not revealed for that. And this is regarding what? the differing of the different recitations. Which is why one of his biggest and the most landmark of his achievements was that in his he united the ummah on one recitation which is the recitation the one that we have today which is it's referred to as do you want to say something I'm not going to point at you some people see this as root But you got different kinds of point. You got this one. You got this one. You got the military point. And then you've got the Bill Clinton point. So I'm going to give you the bill one. Go ahead.

[Arabic recitation]

Every single one of us as an individual, as a Muslim, so we don't differ. So we don't.

[Arabic recitation]

Do? What is the solution? The solution is is it is categorically impermissible to remove yourself from the jama of the Muslims. Especially when there's differing people differ, they start to I'm not going in there anymore. I'm not talking to this guy anymore. I'm not doing this anymore. That is where the beginning of the end starts. Right? So we are forced to work out our differences at all times. Now Alhamdulillah.