I share the aspiration of most Muslims to see the Muslim...

I share the aspiration of most Muslims to see the Muslim nation heed to the call of the Noble Qur’an, “Truly your nation is one nation, and I am your Lord. Therefore, worship Me.” [^2] Another aim is to build a strong, cohesive, and cooperative Muslim community around the globe, and for this nation to be respected it must be united. Muslims must understand and accept each other’s positions and principles.

The best way to disperse the misunderstandings and misconceptions between the schools of thought is through constructive, sincere, and objective dialogue. If the Noble Qur’an invites the adherents of the three monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) to share dialogue in a civilized manner[^3] then certainly the schools of Islamic thought should also come together to discuss their differences based on the Noble Qur’an and the authentic traditions of the (PBUH&HF).

While none can deny that the schools of thought have juristic ( fiqh ) differences, these differences should not prevent adherents to these schools from acknowledging and respecting each other’s opinions, for the leaders of these schools of thought acquired their knowledge from one source—the Prophet and ultimately Almighty Allah. Almighty Allah created human beings with both an inner messenger and an outer messenger.

Both, the inner messenger, which is the brain or the reasoning faculty, and the outer messenger, which is the divine revelation, invite a person to exercise his or her own intellectual abilities to search for the truth, and not to take their customs, traditions, or family behavior as sacred beliefs. This call is directed to the followers of all the branches of Islam.

All Muslims must research and study their history and not be bound by the customs and traditions of their ancestors which may not rest on solid ground, for the Noble Qur’an condemns the blind following of ancestors as follows: And when it is said to them, ‘Come to what Allah has revealed and to the Messenger.’ They say, ‘enough for us is that which we found our fathers following,’ even though their fathers had no knowledge whatsoever and no guidance.

[^4] When it is said to them, ‘Follow what Allah has sent down.’ They say, ‘Nay! We shall follow what we found our fathers following.’ Would they do that even though their fathers did not understand anything, nor were they guided?