RESOLUTION NO. 98(1/11)

ON ISLAMIC UNITY

Quote-The Council of the Islamic Fiqh Academy, emanating from the Organization of the Islamic Conference, in its 11^th session held in Manama, Bahrain, on 25-30 Rajab 1419H (14-19 November 1998),

Having examined the research papers presented to the Academy in connection with the issue of Islamic Unity, and in the light of the discussions which brought this issue into focus as being one of the most important issues that needs to be studied, both theoretically and practically, and in view of the fact that striving to unify the Muslim Ummah intellectually, legislatively and politically, and draw it to the creed of pure monotheism, is one of the main objectives of this International Academy,

RESOLVES

First: Islamic unity is a duty which Almighty Allah has commended us to adhere to and achieve and made it a concomitant description of this Ummah when He said ”And hold fast, all of you, to the rope of Allah, and be not divided”; and he also said “this is indeed your Ummah; it is a single Ummah”. The Prophetic Sunnah stressed this call in words and deeds. The Prophet (may peace and blessings be upon him said “All the Muslims’ blood is of equal value. And all the Muslims are like one hand against others, and the lowest of rank among them moves around freely under their protection.”

This unity was realized by the Prophet (may peace and blessings be upon him) in practical life by forging brotherhood between the Muhajirin (immigrants) and Al-Ansar (supporters). He also laid it down in the first document of the establishment of Islamic State in Al-Madina Al-Munawwara in which he described the Muslims as being “a single Ummah unlike the rest of the human beings”.

The meanings of such verses from the Holy Qur’an and from the sayings of the Prophet (may peace and blessings be upon him) make it incumbent upon the believers to unify their ranks under the banner of Islam, by holding firmly to the Holy Book and Sunnah, and renounce historical enmity, tribal differences and disputes, personal ambitions and racial slogans. When the Muslims abode by the above Islamic teachings, during the Prophet’s lifetime and the era of the early Muslims, then, the religion and rule of Islam spread in the East and in the West, and the Muslim Ummah led mankind through the Islamic civilization which was the most glorious civilization, because it was established on the principle of servitude to Allah alone; and thus justice, freedom and equality prevailed.

Second: Islamic unity lies in ensuring servitude to Allah, the Almighty, in belief and in words and deeds, under the guidance of the Qur’an and Sunnah. It also lies in preserving what unifies Muslims on common terms in the various intellectual, economic, social and political spheres of life. Once the Muslim nation abandoned the factors of its unity, reasons of discord began to emerge, deepening further, later on, disunity among Muslims. This was due to various reasons, among which the efforts of colonization that raised the banner “divide and rule”, thus splitting the Muslim Ummah and the ranks of Arabs and Muslims into small parts on nationalist and ethnic grounds. Besides, most of the efforts of orientalists focused on the perpetuation of discord and disunity in their studies and books, which they disseminated among Muslims.

Third: Jurisprudential (Fiqh) differences which are based on Ijtihad (personal reasoning) in understanding the meanings of Shari’a texts are, in themselves, natural consequences. They, in fact, contributed to the enrichment of legislation which realizes the purposes and characteristics of Shari’a, mainly making things easy and bearable for Muslims.

Fourth: It is a Muslim duty to preserve the status of all the Prophet’s Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). The Ulema (Muslim scholars of Shari’a) should be called upon to extol the Companions’ position and services in transferring Shari’a to the Muslim Ummah and highlight their rights over it. Also, government should be called upon to issue regulations which punish whoever denigrates or looks down upon them in any way whatsoever. This will preserve the sanctity of the Companions of the Prophet (may peace and blessings be upon him) and nip in the bud one of the reasons of discord.

Fifth: It is a Muslim duty to adhere to the Holy Book and Sunnah and to the guidance of the Ummah’s worthy ancestors, the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), and those who follow their steps. It is also a Muslim duty to discard delusions, avoid what spreads sedition among Muslims and what leads to their disunity, and instead channel Muslim efforts to the call for Islam and the propagation of its principles among non-Muslims.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Needless to say that our age is an age of regional blocks, which serve various intellectual, social and economic purposes, under the banner of globalization, secularism and modernism, and also because of the media’s unrestricted openness. This makes the Muslim world targeted in a bid to put an end to its distinctive features, destroy its basic elements and undermine the foundations of its spiritual and intellectual civilization. Our nation cannot be protected from these perils and threats except by unifying its ranks and getting rid of the reasons of discord, especially that our nation has all factors of unity which include a common belief and common social, economic legislative and cultural factors.

Hence, the Islamic Fiqh Academy makes the following recommendations:

a) Confirming the Academy Resolution No. 48(10/5) in respect of the application of the Islamic Shari’a laws and the subsequent recommendations on the same topic, and the Academy’s Resolution No. 69(7/7) in respect of the intellectual invasion, the subject matter of the first recommendation.

b) Calling upon the governments of Muslim countries to support the efforts made by both the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the Islamic Fiqh Academy, considering that these efforts are forms of unity among Muslims, politically and intellectually.

c) Leaving behind historical disputes, because their effects only lead to inflaming enmity and deepening discord.

d) Maintaining good opinion, and mutual trust between Muslims, both as governments and peoples, by means of directing media towards fostering the spirit of unity, promoting the ethics of dialogue and accepting view based on Ijtihad.

e) Benefiting from fateful issues which unify the Muslim Ummah, mostly the issue of Al-Quds and Al-Aqsa Mosque, the first of the two Qiblhs and the Prophet’s Masra (the place from which he made his night journey), in order to ward off the dangers which threaten its Islamic character. The Academy also stresses that the issue of Al-Quds and Al-Aqsa Mosque is an issue for all the Muslims.

The participants to the Conference appeal to the governments of Muslim countries to give this issue, and other similar issues, due attention and take prompt and appropriate measures, which include the following:

· Denouncing the polices of expulsion, judaization and settlement which Palestinian lands and people are being subjected to, as well as denouncing the occupation, injustice, oppression, deprivation, killing and dislodgement which the Palestinians are suffering from. Added to this are the humiliation of human dignity and the abuse of the basic human rights.

· Extending full support to Palestinian Jihad (holy war), to the holy land of Palestine and its Al-Aqsa Mosque, the first of the two Qiblahs, in its struggle for independence, and siding with it and with the Palestinian people in their perseverance.

· Condemning the Zionist movement and the Israeli occupation for the forms of oppression and the various aspects of ugly aggression against the struggle of Palestinian people for freedom and the liberation of their sacred sites.

f) Paying due attention to mechanisms proposed for discussion. They have

priority in achieving Muslim unity in stages, such as :

1. Designing educational curricula on Islamic principles

2. Formulating a joint Islamic media strategy

3. Establishing a common Islamic market

4. Establishing an Islamic Court of Justice.

g) The General Secretariat of the Islamic Fiqh Academy should form a committee from among its members and experts to set up practical studies that take into consideration the current situation of the Muslim Ummah. Such studies should include the cultural, social and economic aspects and put down mechanisms of achieving unity in these spheres, while benefiting from the current efforts in the framework of Arab and Muslim organizations, and seeking the assistance of experts in these various disciplines.

h) And in order to ensure the efficiency of such a committee and the implementation of the findings of its studies, we recommend that its members and duties be approved by the Islamic Conference Organization.

May Allah’s prayers and blessings be upon our Prophet, and upon his family and Companions – Unquote

Home - Quran & Hadith – Charity - Family & Health – Islam – Miscellaneous – Matrimonials

Human Rights - Women – Newscenter – Boycott – Chechnya – Palestine - Links