Unity of Believers

sahaba

Unity of Believers

A human tendency is to form connections and bonds with those with whom we share something in common. Consider an environment where there are lots of people all of whom can speak many different languages including a common language such as English. For example, a university or the work place. Within them are groups of friends who are good friends because they share a mother-tongue language in which they can communicate separately. This common language makes them feel like they have something powerful to unite them. It is impossible to be accepted as part of them if you do not speak that same language.

There are people who are friends because they share the same career. For example, among doctor are circles of friends who are also doctors. And even in the same profession, there are groups of doctors who are better friends because they are of a certain seniority level. For example, a group of junior doctors form friendship on the basis that they are the same stage of the career, while the senior doctors have another circle. This is not just a matter of coming together due to circumstance, they actually feel a sense of belonging because of their common career.

Their are friendships that find their basis in similarities in age. You are close to your family because they are your blood-ties and you have grown up to love them. If you are a male, you may have friends who are consisting of only or mostly males - as your gender affects who you take as friends or others taking you as a friend. Likewise if you are a female, you may have friends who are consisting of only or mostly females because you are a female. In this case, you decided on making friends with gender as one of the reasons for friendship or no friendship. There are other root variables affecting friendship - even a person's height. We can sometimes observe a group of friends who are all tall, or are all short!

All human beings on earth are different. We speak different languages, have different skin colour, different professions, wealth, gender, height and appearances. However all these differences do not mean anything in the sight of Allah.

Essentially, Allah has classified in the Qur'an, human beings on earth into two essential types

The 'true believers' in Allah who believe in the Hereafter and who understand and follow the Qur'an as their guide.
All other people such as Atheists, Agnostics, Hindus, Christians and Jews, simply put, anyone who does not belong to no. 1 (although there are rankings among them in the sight of Allah).

These 'true believers' spend their time studying the Qur'an and comprehending its meanings, and who have an unwavering faith in Allah. They are the ones who glorify Allah for every blessing, who love Allah and those who Allah loves in return; who lead a peaceful life and enjoy the blessings of Allah while surrendering to Allah in return. Their entire life is devoted to Allah and Allah alone. They are true flag-bearers of right conduct, the truly good people on earth who obey their conscience out of fear of Allah. They only want Allah's approval and mercy. Allah is the most important existence in their lives.

For the true believers, only this criteria of faith differentiates a person from the rest because this is what matters to Allah and Allah is what matters to them. Thus, they always seek to find and form friendship with others who also love and worship Allah with utmost devotion, and who study and understand the Qur'an as they should. When a believer finds another believer, his or her love for that believer transcends all worldly influences we have detailed. The believer's love for another believer is based on the fact that the other believer is also a devoted servant of Allah like himself or herself. In the Qur'an, Allah states the blissful harmony of believers in Paradise in the Hereafter as follows

"On the day when you (Prophet) will see the believing men and the believing women with light streaming out ahead of them and to their right, (they will be told), 'the good news for you today is that there are Gardens graced with flowing streams where you will stay that is truly the supreme triumph!" (Qur'an 5712)

"And We will remove any animosity from their hearts. Rivers will flow under them and they will say, 'Praise be to Allah who has guided us to this! We would not have been guided, had Allah nor guided us! The Messengers of our Lord came with the truth.' It will be proclaimed to them 'This is your Garden which you have inherited for what you did.' " (Qur'an 743)

The believer knows these verses of the Qur'an and is fully enlightened with the knowledge of the kind of love and joy that will exist between believers of paradise. For this reason, he also takes a true believer in this world with the same love and sincerity. There is also a strong reflection of the his love and devotion to Allah in his love for another true believer. This is because the believing friend is also a person who truly loves and surrenders to Allah and who would, God-willing, be a friend in Paradise. To meet such a person in this world, is surely the best honour a believer can have.

The friendship of believers break all worldly reasons for friendship and is stronger than any other basis many ignorant people rely on such as language, culture, wealth, career, gender or any other worldly variables. The part of the verse above, "And We will remove any animosity from their hearts", indicates that Allah will remove all such tendencies from the believers in Paradise. Thus a believer is a wise person who is careful of worldly aspects clouding his or her judgement of forming friendships. Ofcourse, the true believer who adheres to the Qur'an may have friends who do not believe or truly believe, but these friendships are never full nor satisfying as his friendship with the true believers. This attribute of believers have been highlighted in the verses of the Qur'an.

"Your protector is only Allah, the Messenger and those who believe, those who perform the prayer and give the charity and bow (to Allah)." (Qur'an 555)

True believers always try to overcome any worldly barriers in their friendship, despite the fact that this may be hard.

"An image of the Garden which is promised to those who guard against evil in it there are rivers of water which will never spoil and rivers of milk whose taste will never change and rivers of wine, delightful to all who drink it, and rivers of honey of undiluted purity; in it they will have fruit of every kind and forgiveness from their Lord. Is that like those who will be in the Fire timelessly, forever, with boiling water to drink which lacerates their bowels?" (Qur'an 4715)

QuranicPath | Unity of Believers

Ahmad_Bilal

Peace,

This is not entirely true. Based on the scriptures, the "believers" consist of more than those who follow the Qur'aan. This title is dedicated to the worshipers of G-d alone, regardless of the name they call themselves. In a literal sense, the system of Islaam (submission, obedience, peace) existed long before the revelation of the Qur'aan to Muhammad. Therefore, the believers aren't limited to this book. The scriptures tell the Jews to continue following the guidance of the Torah, and the Nazarenes are told to continue following the guidance of the Injeel (see 566-6. So, those who do so diligently can also accurately be called believers. These believers are united in pure monotheism, not necessarily in name. Indeed, there are "believers" who call themselves Jews, Christians, Nazarenes, Muslims, Sabians, Zoroastrians, Hindus, Buddhists, Ebionites, and others, so as long as they dedicate all religious practices to the one god and ascribe no partners to Him...

Abraham was a true believer, as were Moses and Jesus, Isaac and Ishmael, David and Solomon, Joseph and Jacob, Jonah and Job. Yet, the Qur'aan was revealed AFTER all of them...

Peace,

Ahmad