To give an illogical and impractical meaning to the issue of Islamic unity...

To give an illogical and impractical meaning to the issue of Islamic unity, the opponents of the issue have called it to be the formation of a single Madhhab, so as to defeat it in the very first step.

Without a doubt, by the term Islamic unity, the intellectual Islamic ‘Ulama’ (scholars) do not mean that all denominations should give in to one denomination or that the commonalties should be taken up and the different views and ideas are set aside, as these are neither rational and logical nor favourable and practical. By the Islamic unity, these scholars mean that all Muslims should unite in one line against their common enemies.

These scholars state that Muslims have many things in common, which can serve as the foundations of firm unity. All Muslims worship the One Almighty and believe in the Prophethood of the Holy Prophet (s). The Qur’an is the Book of all Muslims and Ka’abah is their “qiblah” (direction of prayer). They go on “hajj” pilgrimage with each other and perform the “hajj” rites and rituals like one another. They say their daily prayers and fast like each other.

They establish families and engage in transactions like one another. They have similar ways of bringing up their children and burying their dead. Apart from minor affairs, they share similarities in all the aforementioned cases. Muslims also share one kind of world view, one common culture, and one grand, glorious, and long-standing civilization.

Unity in the world view, in culture, in civilization, in insight and disposition, in religious beliefs, in acts of worship and prayers, in social rites and customs can well turn the Muslims into a unified nation to serve as a massive and dominant power before which the big global powers would have to bow down. This is especially true in view of the stress laid by Islam on this principle.

According to the explicit wording of the Qur’an, the Muslims are brothers, and special rights and duties link them together. So, why shouldn’t the Muslims use all these extensive facilities accorded to them as the blessing of Islam? This group of ‘Ulama’ are of the view that there is no need for the Muslims to make any compromise on the primary or secondary principles of their religion for the sake of Islamic unity.

Also, it is not necessary for Muslims to avoid engaging in discussions and reasons and writing books on primary and secondary principles about which they have differences.