Pay Attention to Ninety-Nine Percent of Muslims
Many of my students are active in the fields of teaching and daʿwah among Muslims. Their efforts are bearing fruit, but they have also expressed a recurring difficulty which causes them some concern: certain people attempt to entangle them by stirring up talk of sectarianism and blind attachment to particular schools. How should they respond to this? This article is my answer to that question.
Shayṭān has always tried to obstruct the work of those striving for God’s dīn. Sometimes he even makes use of ordinary Muslims and pious people in this effort. There is therefore no need for alarm. If you keep a few points in mind, inshāʾAllāh, you will be protected from tribulations, and the help of God will be with you.
The first point: constantly examine your intentions. Work solely for God. Do not harbour any desire to compete with others or to gain victory over them. If such motives are present, then you are under the influence of Shayṭān; there will be no blessing in your work, and God’s support will remain far away.
The second point: in every situation strive to uphold unity among Muslims. Their solidarity is their true strength. Just as the combination of elements produces new compounds, so too the gathering of Muslims gives rise to the ummah wāḥidah. Isolated individuals are devoid of power, but their unity generates strength, while their disunity tears apart the fabric of the community. To cause division among Muslims is a grave sin. The easy remedy is this: whoever is working for God’s dīn, support him, pray for him, and never regard him as your rival. Others’ methods may differ from yours—that is natural. A difference in methods does not mean that their dīn and yours are separate.
It may also happen that some people declare you misguided, or even pronounce takfīr and tafsīq against you. Do not be troubled. No one becomes a disbeliever by another person’s fatwā. But you must never call any Muslim misguided, sinful or a disbeliever. That is a major sin and a grievous crime. In spite of differences in schools and opinions, regard all Muslims as your brothers. Do not harm anyone with your tongue or hand. To hate Muslims—or indeed, human beings in general—is a sign of a diseased heart. And a heart filled with hate does not contain God.
The third point: sectarian and factionalist people are at most one percent. Turn away from them and focus on the ninety-nine percent. Modern-educated Muslims are often open-minded; work among them in the fields of teaching and daʿwah. Arrange lessons for school students in their spare hours—for example, an hour in the evenings or a few hours on Sundays—teach them Qurʾān and Sunnah, the method of ṣalāh, and the fundamentals of Islam such as tawḥīd, risālah, the Hereafter, Paradise and Hell. Likewise, organise Qurʾān study circles for college and university students, and provide systematic education and training on various religious topics.
The easiest way to reduce sectarian tendencies among Muslims is to strengthen their connection with the dīn itself and bind them to its primary sources: the Qurʾān and the Sunnah. Sectarian people flee from these and instead teach their followers the writings of their particular elders, for the Qurʾān and Sunnah uproot factions and schools, and unite the believers.
When I began work with students here in British universities, the benefit was greater than I had expected. Some sectarian-minded people could not tolerate this and launched propaganda against me. I gave them no reply. When they repeatedly sent messages asking why I was silent, I sent word back: “I have no reply. Declare your victory and rejoice.” By never consenting to engage with them, God blessed my work, and now even the family members and associates of those very sectarian people are attending my classes.
In America, Europe, and even in Indian universities, I have witnessed the same: people are eager to learn their dīn. There are no sectarian agitators there. People simply want to know the correct way of worshipping God. In Lucknow, I was invited to a girls’ school with three thousand students. I answered their questions. The principal told me I was the first scholar ever to come there—truly, the field is empty. All the quarrelling is only over that one percent, while the ninety-nine percent are neglected. Turn your attention to the ninety-nine.
Do not be distressed by the hostility of sectarian people. If they invite you to debates, acknowledge your defeat and move on without neglecting your real work. I emphasise this again: whenever someone invites you to a debate, or writes against you in a polemical manner, do not reply at all. Even if they complain, bear the complaints. To endure their grumbling is a hundred times better than being polluted by the filth of polemics. Debate wipes away the essence of Islam like a razor wipes away a balloon. Debate is a destroyer of Islamic reality, a thief of faith, a corrupter of the community and a ruin of character.
The fourth point: never call people to a “school.” Call only to God’s dīn. Instil in them fear of God and concern for the Hereafter. Teach them the Qurʾān and Sunnah. The Qurʾān is the complete guide for Muslims; nothing has been left out of it. No one has the right to add anything to it. The Prophet, ṣallallāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam, is the true Imām of the Muslims. Following him is obligatory upon every person. Whatever contradicts his teachings is rejected and unacceptable.
For salvation in the Hereafter, īmān and righteous deeds are sufficient. God’s favour has been perfected. After this completion there can be no alteration. The dīn is complete; there is no room for further “completion.” Teach only this. Illustrate it with the examples of the prophets, and confirm it with the lives of the Companions and the Tābiʿīn. Do not invoke the names of later figures, for such names cause division among Muslims. Every group has its own elders, and people have made affiliation to them into a substitute for dīn.
The final point: God’s dīn is obedience and patience. Obey God, and endure the difficulties that come in this path. God is with those who are patient. Even if patience brought no other reward, that alone would suffice. And whoever has God with him—no one can defeat him. May God protect us from the evils of our souls, grant us the ability to worship Him, and occupy us with the teaching and propagation of His dīn. Āmīn.
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Disclaimer: This article was translated by AI. Original post: https://t.me/DrAkramNadwi/7002
