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Ignorance is the Cause of Sectarianism, not Traditional Scholarship
Unfortunately, many members of our community have developed a paranoid distrust of the ‘Ulema and blame them for the rampant sectarianism in our Ummah. Sectarianism is the effect of ignorance, not knowledge.
Imam Shatibi related in al-I’tisam that ‘Abdullah ibn Abbas (ra) explained the reason for difference among the Ummah, though our Messenger is one, our book is one, and our qibla is one. He said: “When a verse was revealed, we (the Sahaba) knew when it was revealed, why it was revealed and we understood its injunctions and prohibitions. There will come a time when people would read a verse and they do not understand its language [Arabic]. They do not know when it was revealed or why it was revealed, and they understand neither its injunctions nor its prohibitions. When asked about it, they will state their own opinions and their opinions will clash. And when their opinions clash they will fight among each other.”
Sphere: Related ContentPublished February 23, 2006 . Filed under: Muslim Unity
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Assalam Alaykum,
That’s exactly whats happening right now. :-/ Instead of looking at the differences, the Ummah should look at the similarities and unite upon those. It’s amazing how they knew all what would happen and come after them.
February 25, 2006 @ 12:42 pm
The differences of the Ummah are considered a mercy, but the problem is that the very foundations of our faith have come under attack from every angle. The ‘Ulema are the only ones capable of dealing with this intellectual onslaught, but they are few in number. What the Ummah needs right now is seekers to become teachers who will then become leaders.
May Allah
(swt) raise up a leader from amongst us who unite our ummah and end this fitnah. Ameen!
February 25, 2006 @ 7:39 pm