unity of purpose, not uniformity of opinion

8/3/2019 Unity of Purpose, Not Uniformity of Opinion

1/20

Unity of Purpose, Not Uniformity of Opinion

http://www.ummah.com/forum/showthread.php?5205-Unity-of-Purpose-Not-Uniformity-of-Opinion&highlight=opinion

Praise be to Allah. We praise Him and we seek his help and forgiveness. We seek refugewith Allah from the evil within ourselves and from the evil of our deeds. Whoever Allahguides, none can misguide, and whoever Allah allows to go astray, none can guide. I

bear witness that there is no God but Allah, alone without partner, and I bear witnessthat Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. May the peace and blessings of Allah beupon Muhammad, his family, his Companions, and his followers until the Day of

Judgment.

In the Qur'n and Sunnah, there are numerous clear and unambiguous textscommanding the Muslims to remain unified and forbidding them from becomingdivided amongst themselves. This concept is a basic tenet of every Muslim's beliefs.

Allah says:

"Hold fast, all together, to the rope of Allah and do not become divided amongstyourselves. And remember Allah's favor on you; for you were enemies and He joinedyour hearts in affection so that by His grace you became brethren. And you were on the

brink of the Pit of Fire and He saved you from it. Thus does Allah make His signs clearto you so that you may be guided. Let there arise from amongst you a group of peopleinviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong. Theyare the successful ones. Do not be like those who are divided amongst themselves andfall into disputes after receiving clear signs. They will have a dreadful punishment."[Srah l `Imrn: 103-105[

"And do not fall into disputes, lest you lose heart and fail. Be patient, for truly Allah iswith those who are patient." [Srah al-Anfl: 46[

"By time; verily man is at loss, except those who have faith, perform righteous deeds,and enjoin each other to truth and enjoin each other to patience." [Srah al-`Asr: 1-3[

This is but a small sample of the texts found in the Qur'n on this matter. The principleof coming together as a community on the basis of righteousness and obedience to Allah

is a clear and undisputable principle of faith. The general acts of worship, like prayer,fasting, the pilgrimage, and the `d prayers, are all practical examples of this fact.

The advice of the Prophet (peace be upon him) on this matter can be found in manyhadth. Possibly, the most well known of these is: "Allah is pleased with three things foryou(among them) that you hold fast, all together, to the rope of Allah and do not

become divided amongst yourselves." [Sahh Muslim (1715[(

This is the plain truth that every Muslim is cognizant of. The problem is to put this truthinto practice. Many of our brethren have a lot of zeal for their religion and a strongdesire for unity, but they lack the ability to translate this desire into a practical reality.

Such people - though they may lament the disunity of the Muslims and hope ardentlyfor their coming together - usually seek to unite people around their own perspectives,opinions, and choices, a task which it is impossible for them to achieve. They should


2/20

realize that is had not been possible to get the people united behind those who were farsuperior to themselves. So how can they ever be so presumptuous to expect all thepeople unite around them?

What is needed is a framework that accommodates differences of opinion while unitingthe people around the true basic principles of Islam, not around the opinions and

interpretations of a specific individual or group.

Muslim unity originally referred to the political unity of the Muslims under a singlegovernment that ruled according to Islamic Law. This was a reality in the time of theProphet (peace be upon him), as well as throughout the era of the Rightly-GuidedCaliphs and the following era of the Islamic nations and states that stretched from theEast to the West, and to which all the Muslims were loyal subjects.

This is why we find an impressive number of hadth that are stern about preserving thisunity. For example:

"Whoever abandons the community one handspan and dies in that state has died as aperson in the state of ignorance before Islam." [Sahh al-Bukhr (7054) and Sahh

Muslim (1849) as related from Ibn `Abbs[

"Whoever withdraws his hand from obedience will meet Allah on the Day ofResurrection without any defense." This is a severe warning from Allah's Messenger(peace be upon him) against dispute and division.

"Whoever dies without being bound by an oath of allegiance, dies as a person in thestate of ignorance before Islam." [Sahh Muslim (1850) as related from Ibn `Umar[

"There will come trials and tribulations, and whoever desires to bring division to thisnation when it is united should be struck down by a sword, no matter who he might be."

[Sahh Muslim (1852[(

Regretfully, those circumstances and the era of Muslim political unity are long gone,and the great Muslim state has turned into many little countries that govern themselveswith only a small fraction of Islamic laws, countries that work together and squabblewith each other in a manner that is so familiar to all of us. Yet, the obligation forMuslim unity remains, even if it cannot now be realized in the political sphere. Itremains as an obligation to preserve the religion and worldly welfare of the Muslims as

Islamic Law demands. The very reason for the Khilfah - the Islamic state - is topreserve the religion and the worldly welfare of the people. Ibn Taymiyah says as muchin his book Islamic Politics, when he writes: "Its objective is the preservation of the

faith and with it the governance of worldly affairs".The duty thus remains, but it is transferred to preserving the essential meaning of unity,which is the welfare of the people's faith and their worldly life. Among the things thatthe Muslims must strive for in this regard are the following:

1.They must purge their hearts of niggardliness, malice, hatred, and rancor and replacethem with tolerance, forgiveness, mercy, and compassion. Allah says: "Muhammad isthe Messenger of Allah, and those who are with him are stern with the unbelievers and

merciful among themselves." [Srah al-Fath: 29[

2.They must cooperate with each other in works of righteousness and piety and abstain


3/20

from assisting each other in acts of sin and transgression. Allah has commanded us to"enjoin each other to truth and enjoin each other to patience".

3.They should work in a way that their efforts are balanced, consistent, and mutuallysupportive, not haphazard and contradictory. There are cases where certain individualswithin a group of Muslims have an ardent desire to revive one aspect of the religion

while others among them have an equal desire to revive a different aspect of the faith.Though each of these aspirations are good, the conflict and mutual resistance that arisesamong these people causes many of their good efforts to go to waste, dissipates theirstrength, and leads them to abandon their efforts altogether. Because of this, manymembers of the general public, and even a number of novice scholars, fall victim toanxiety, confusion, uncertainty, and lethargy. They get turned off from Islamic activitiesand even from studying their religion because of all the enmity, hatred, and bickeringthey see. Naturally, they seek out an environment of peace and stability that is free fromtension, even if that environment is far removed from any positive activity.

4.They must revive the principle of giving good advice to one another and helping one

another. The Prophet (peace be upon him) once said: "Help your brother, even if he is anoppressor." A man asked him: "I see how I should help him if he is being oppressed, butif he is an oppressor how can I possibly see to help him?" The Prophet (peace be uponhim) explained: "Hinder him or stop him from committing oppression. That is how youcan help him." [Sahh al-Bukhr (6952)] In a similar narration, the Prophet (peace be

upon him) replied: "Take from him for his own good." [Sahh al-Bukhr (2444[(

This means that a Muslim can help another by not supporting him in wrongdoing. Hedoes not give him his undivided support. He stands with him in good and against him inevil. No one should be overly enamored of a sheikh or imam or Islamic worker or groupor organization or ideology. A person's ultimate loyalty must be for the truth. The truthis sometimes with this person and sometimes with someone else. There are occasionswhere part of the truth is with one person and part of it is with another. With experience,a person can learn how to identify the truth in these situations. Though he might not beable to ascertain the truth in every instance, he can accustom himself to looking for it,even if he is young or at the beginning of his studies.

5.They must unite themselves on the indisputable principles of Islamic Law that havebeen accepted unanimously by the earliest generations. They must also accept theexistence of legitimate disagreement on matters where their predecessors disagreed.When it is established for us that the Companions or the great jurists among the pious

predecessors disagreed on a matter, then we should not be surprised or irritated that thissame disagreement continues on after them.

There are many tendencies that are diametrically opposed to what we have presentedhere. Among them are the following:

One of these tendencies is to reinterpret the texts in ways that were not intended and toassume that the hadth about holding fast to the community are only applicable to aspecific organization, party, or group. This is, without doubt, twisting the hadth aroundto give the opposite meaning to the one intended. Instead of these hadth being taken asa call to general Muslim unity under a single political authority, they are used as a

source of division. Each and every group, party, or sect see these hadth as referring tothem and them alone. They call the masses to follow them and to give them theirloyalty, and they regard anyone who refuses to do so as being recalcitrant and outside


4/20

the fold of Islam. Each party and group sees it the duty of the Muslims to follow them tothe exclusion of all others. They consider anyone who dies without joining them asdying as one in the state of ignorance before the advent of Islam and as one who willhave no defense before Allah on the Day of Resurrection.

Many people have fallen victim to this way of thinking. Allah has already informed us

of this in the Qur'n where he says: "Every sect rejoices in that which they have."[Srah al-Mu'minn:53[

Another of these behaviors is for a person to engage in undermining other legitimateefforts in Islamic work, efforts which are neither deviant, nor misguided, nor contrary toIslam; efforts that by and large are correct. Such efforts may be different from that

person's own ideas in the approach taken or in specific details. They may differ in howthey apply the textual evidence to specific situations. This is something unavoidable andinevitable. It is wrong for a person to lash out in speech and in writing against thoseefforts or try to bring them to an end or to go around warning people against

participating in them. Even if we were to assume that those other Islamic efforts are

somewhat flawed, we must also bear in mind that there are other efforts out there thatare by far more flawed, like those of the unbelievers who are out there makingthemselves and their strengths clearly visible. Then there are the efforts of the hereticalMuslims who polarize themselves against others on the basis of their deviant ideas. Asfor attacking each other on matters that fall within the general framework of Islam thatour predecessors agreed upon, there is absolutely no good that can come of it.

A third negative tendency is for people to rally together around a specific set of ideas oraround particular opinions relating to secondary matters of Islamic Law. This tendencycan often lead us to separating ourselves from other Muslims. It exposes us to thedanger of division, if not now then later on. The reason for this is that such matters arein themselves not firmly established. They are subject to change. They are not basic

principles, but secondary applications of those principles. We turn them into basicprinciples for ourselves when we insist upon them and overstate their importance. Inreality, they are opinions that are often subject to the discretionary judgment of thosewho hold them. Often they are merely attempts to bring about positive results in Islamicwork. Such matters should never be treated like dogma.

Clear and indisputable principles of Islamic Law

When we say a principle is clear and indisputable, we imply three distinct meanings:

1.The principle is fixed and established It is neither open to modification orsubstitution, nor has it been abrogated.

2.The principle is articulated in language that is clear and fully explanatory, leaving noroom for ambiguity or hidden meanings.

3.The principle is an established rule to which other, secondary matters are referredand in light of which they are assessed.

The clear and indisputable principles of Islam are not merely fixed and permanent, they

are also simple and easy to understand and to convey to the public. They are equallyeasy for a person to accept and embrace.


5/20

These indisputable principles, and no others, are the matters upon which we call theMuslims to unite themselves. They are the basic, clear matters brought by Islamic Law.They are the matters upon which the Prophet's Companions and the pious predecessorswho followed them were unanimously agreed. These principles include the obligation ofworshipping Allah alone, the prohibition of unbelief, polytheism and hypocrisy, and the

prohibition of oppression, usury, and sexual licentiousness. They include the five pillars

of Islam (the testimony of faith, prayer, fasting, Zakh, and the pilgrimage to Mecca)and the six articles of faith (belief in Allah, His angels, His scriptures, His Messengers,the Last Day, and divine decree). They also include the moral teachings that were

brought by Prophet Muhammad and all the other Prophets of Allah (peace be uponhim), like the need for honesty, justice, and respect for parents, and the prohibition oflying, oppression, and recalcitrance. They also include the prohibition of the sins thatare clearly stated in the Qur'n and Sunnah, like those mentioned in the hadth about the

seven most destructive sins.

These clear, indisputable principles ensure the realization of two noble aims:

The first of these is the protection of the faith. They ensure belief in Allah, His angels,His scriptures, His Messengers, and divine decree. They ensure belief in Paradise andHell and all that this belief entails. Likewise, they ensure obedience to Allah in that theyenjoin a Muslim to seek Allah's pleasure in his or her worldly life to attain salvation inthe Hereafter.

This is realized for the believing Muslims who have true faith in Allah and HisMessenger (peace be upon him) and follow the light that was revealed to him. Suchpeople will surely find success, to the exclusion of others.

The second aim that is realized is the protection of the worldly affairs of the people. Thescholars refer to this matter as protecting the five universal needs: faith, life, lineage,wealth, and reason.

Every command and prohibition found in Islamic Law centers around the preservationof these five universal needs. These needs are secured for the believers as well as fornonbelievers who live within the domain governed by the mercy of Islam, like thosewho live under Islamic rule and those who Allah protects from harm by way of Islam.History is full of examples of this, as extolled by Sa`d b. Muhammad b. al-Sayf in the

following poetic verses:

When we were in power, pardon was our nature.Then when you took over, the valleys flowed with blood.

You saw it right to kill your prisoners of war,Where we had shown prisoners pardon and clemency.

Sufficient for you is this difference between us,And every vessel pours fourth only with what it contains.

The following two selections are excellent illustrations of what we mean by clear and

indisputable principles set forth in straightforward and unambiguous texts:

`Abd Allah b. Mas`d said: "Whoever would be pleased to look upon the counsel of


6/20

Muhammad (peace be upon him) that he gave at the end of his life, then he should readthe following verses of the Qur'n." He then recited verses 151-153 from Srah al-An`m. [Sunan al-Tirmidh (3070) and al-Bayhaq, Shuàb al-mn (7539). Al-Tirmidh

graded it as a good hadth[.

"Say: Come, I will rehearse to you what Allah has really prohibited you from: Do not

join with Him anything. Be good to your parents. Kill not your children out of want, forWe provide sustenance for you and for them. Do not approach indecent acts, whetheropen or in secret. Take not a life that Allah has made sacred except in the dispensationof justice. Thus does Allah command you that perhaps you may learn wisdom. And donot approach the orphan's property except to improve it until he attains the age ofmajority. Give full weight and measure. No burden do We place on a soul greater than itcan bear. Whenever you speak, speak justly, even if a near relative is concerned, andfulfill the covenant of Allah. Thus does Allah command you that you may remember.This is My Way leading straight. Follow it. Follow not other paths. They will scatteryou all away from His Path. Thus does He command you that perhaps you might fearHim." [Srah al-An`m: 151-153[

Likewise, Ibn Ab Shaybah in his work al-Musannaf quotes Ka`b al-Ahbr as saying:"The first of the Torah to be revealed was ten verses, and they are the ten verses thatwere revealed in the Qur'n near the end of Srah al-An`m. They are referred to as theTen Commandments. They are the crux of all the divinely revealed scriptures." [Ibn Ab

Shaybah, al-Musannaf (35844[(

The Messengers (peace be upon them) all came with the Message from Allah. Thedifferent manifestations of the Message were in conformity with each other in matters,and they differed with each other in matters. Among the things upon which they were allin conformity were these Ten Commandments that ensure the welfare of both thereligion and the worldly life of humanity. As for the matters about which they differedthey were subsidiary issues relating to legal matters such as what is permissible orimpermissible. Such rulings were revealed by Allah for a specific period of time andwere thus subject to modification, substitution, and abrogation.

This is why Ibn Àbbs said: 'In Srah al-An`m there are clear and unambiguousverses. They are the foundation of the Book. Then he read from Srah al-An`m "Say:Come, I will rehearse to you what Allah has really prohibited you from" [al-Hkim(3291) and Ibn Ab Htim in his commentary on the Qur'n] It seems as if Ibn Àbbshad been asked about the passage of the Qur'n: "in it are clear and unambiguous

verses; they are the foundation of the book" and this was the answer that he gave.

A similar statement is cited from Ibn Àbbs by al-Tabar in his commentary on theQur'n: "The clear and unambiguous verses are the three verses from Srah al-An`m,

and likewise these verses in Srah al-Isr:'

"Your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him and that you be kind to yourparents. If one or both of them attain old age during your lifetime, say not to them aword of contempt nor repel them, but address them in terms of honor. And out ofkindness, lower to them the wing of humility and say: 'My Lord, bestow on them yourmercy as they cherished me in childhood.' Your Lord knows best what is in your hearts.

If you do deeds of righteousness, verily He is Most Forgiving to those who turn to himagain and again. And render to kinfolk their rights and to those in want and thewayfarer, but do not squander your wealth like a spendthrift. Verily spendthrifts are the


7/20

brothers of devils, and Satan is ungrateful to his Lord. Even if you have turned awayfrom them seeking your Lord's mercy that you hope for, speak to them kind words ofease. Make not your hand tied stingily to your neck nor stretch it forth to its utmostreach so that you become blameworthy and destitute. Verily, your Lord providessustenance in abundance for whoever He wishes and he withholds it as well, for he isWell-Aware of His servants and sees all that they do. Do not kill your children for fear

of want. We shall provide sustenance for them as well as you. Truly killing them is agreat sin. Nor approach adultery. It is a deplorable act and an evil way. Nor kill a soulthat Allah has made sacred except in the dispensation of justice. If anyone has been slainwrongly, We have given his next of kin authority in the matter, but let him not exceedthe bounds in the matter of taking life, for he is supported (by the Law). Nor approachthe orphan's wealth except to improve it until he attains the age of majority. Fulfill your

pledges, for every pledge will be asked about. Give full measure when you measure anduse a balance that is sound. This is better and fairer in the final estimation. Do not

pursue what you have no knowledge of, for surely hearing, sight, and the heart all willbe questioned. Nor walk on the Earth haughtily, for you cannot rend the Earth asundernor reach the mountains in stature. The evil of all such things is hated by your Lord.

These are among the precepts of wisdom that your Lord has revealed to you. Take notwith Allah any other god, lest you be thrown into Hell, blameworthy and rejected."

[Srah al-Isr': 23-39.[

These verses give definition to matters which are clear, indisputable, and indispensable,upon which all unity must have its basis. There are in fact ten clear and indisputableprinciples outlined in these texts:

1.The obligation of worshipping Allah alone and the prohibition of polytheism.

2.The obligation of showing kindness to one's parents.

3.The obligation of safeguarding life and the prohibition of murder, regardless ofwhether the victim is one's own child, another relative, or a stranger.

4.The prohibition of indecent acts, both those acts that are openly indecent likedrinking, fornication, and adultery, and those that are secret, like the malice, hatred,envy, and hypocrisy that one harbors in the heart and those acts of indecency that oneconceals from others.

5.The obligation of both safeguarding wealth and giving those who are needy what

they are entitled to. This includes the prohibition of transgressing against the property oforphans.

6.The obligation of fulfilling one's contracts and covenants, regardless of whether it isa covenant with Allah or with another human being, though the more resolute thecovenant, the more serious the matter will be.

7.The obligation of upholding justice in both word and deed - and this is one of thegreatest principles - and the obligation of justice in giving weights and measures. Allahsays: "So establish weights with justice and do not rig the balance to show deficiency."[Srah al-Rahmn: 9[

8.The prohibition of arrogance and unethical behavior. Such behavior is recognized byway of our common humanity, our reason, and our innate dispositions.


8/20

9.The necessity of following the Straight Path of Allah and avoiding paths that aredeviant. Allah says: "This is My Way leading straight. Follow it. Follow not other paths.They will scatter you all away from His Path." [Srah al-An`m: 153[

10.The necessity of not pursuing matters of which one has no knowledge. A person

must feel responsible for what he chooses to listen to and see and for his heart andtongue, for Allah says: "for surely hearing, sight, and the heart all will be questioned."[Srah al-Isr':36[

As for this last point, many people feel that they must form an opinion on every matter,even though they may not have the ability or experience to do so. Maybe they are tooyoung or possess insufficient understanding of the pertinent issues. Maybe they havenot studied the matter in enough depth or are too busy with other, more importantconcerns.

Ibn Taymiyah says: All of the Messengers (peace be upon them) agree on matters of

belief like belief in Allah, the angels, the Book ,the Prophets. They also agree on thefundamental matters of conduct, like those mentioned in Srah al-An`m. This is part ofthe universal religion that all of the Messengers (peace be upon them) came with.

Establishing Unity of Purpose

Building Muslim unity on the basis of the general precepts that we have outlined is thebest way to ensure that it lasts, because those precepts are clear and unambiguous andbecause all other matters of religion are referred back to them. Equally important is thatthese principles are permanent and unchanging and leave no room for doubt or

criticism. Therefore, if we go forward on these principles, we will not have to worryabout falling into dispute about them a few years down the road. Unity built on suchIslamically sound principles is strong and enduring and impervious to disintegration.When unity is not built on these principles, it is threatened with collapse whenever the

people involved grow in understanding or their circumstances change. The same can besaid for unity that is built on the right principles if extra conditions or opinions areimposed as part of the basis for that unity.

Take , for instance, students of Islam. When they first embark on their studies, they takethe opinions and judgments of their sheikh as statements of fact, because they do not yethave the ability to investigate matters on their own. However, when they advance in

their studies and grow in knowledge to the level where they can investigate matters forthemselves, they start disagreeing with the personal judgments and opinions of theirsheikh. The unity of opinion that once existed between the sheikh and his studentsceases to exist. Therefore, unity cannot be based on matters of opinion that are subjectto review and change. When unity is based on sound, definite principles, then it canendure.

Unity based on something as ephemeral as staunch adherence to a particular opinion is afragile unity. The same goes for unity based on a specific way of applying the generalprinciples of Islam to a particular set of circumstances.

Take for instance, a group of people that unite around the idea of resting between thetwo prostrations in prayer, or reading aloud in prayer, or performing qunt, taking theirissue of choice to be a fundamental condition of faith. Some of them go so far as to


9/20

make this issue - though it is not obligatory in itself - a badge of distinction that setsthem apart from the Muslim masses. This is wrong, because Muslims should neverstrive to set themselves apart from the rest of the Muslims. They should only allow thisto happen if standing for the truth sets them apart, but of course, without the intention of

being different. When unity is based on something like this, it is destined to fall apart.The same goes for the dubious unity achieved by declaring those who hold opposing

views on controversial matters as being outside the fold of Islam. With the passage oftime, people's ideas change. They learn other points of view and the evidence uponwhich those points of view are based. Those seeking the truth objectively will changetheir views when they are convinced that another opinion is more correct, breaking upthe unity based on commonality of opinion that once existed.

People can never come together unless they can learn to tolerate differences of opinion.Even prophets differed with each other, in spite of the fact that revelation from Allahwould come to them day and night. Look at the story of Ms and his brother Hrn(Moses and Aaron, peace be upon them) when Ms left him with the people while hewent to speak with his Lord. Ms (peace be upon him) instructed his brother, saying:

"Act on my behalf among the people. Do right and follow not the way of those who domischief." [Srah al-A`rf: 142[

But after Ms departed, the Israelites took a calf for worship. "The people of Ms inhis absence took for worship the body of a calf which they made out of their goldenornaments." [Srah al-A`rf: 148] Hrn (peace be upon him) forbade them from this,warning them that their deeds were from Satan and exhorting them to follow his brother.

All the same, he remained with them.

When Ms (peace be upon him) returned and saw what he saw, he became angry. "Hethrew down the tablets and seized his brother by the hair of his head and drug himtowards him." [Srah al-A`rf: 150[

He then rebuked him on his decision to stay with them, saying: "O Hrn! What keptyou back, when you saw them going wrong, from following me? Have you disobeyedmy order?" [Srah TH: 92-93] Ms was criticizing Hrn for the stance that he took.

Hrn (peace be upon him) replied: "O son of my mother! Seize me not by my beardnor by the hair of my head. Truly I feared lest you should say: 'You have caused adivision among the Children of Israel and you did not observe my word'." [Srah TH:94] He made it clear to Ms (peace be upon him) that he was looking at the matter

from a different angle. He thought it best not to cause division between them and to stayamong them until Ms (peace be upon him) returned and gave a decision on theiraffair.

Qatdah, a scholar from the students of the Companions, commented on this verse: "Therighteous people before you also hated division".

Hrn's overriding concern was for maintaining the unity of the Israelites until Ms(peace be upon him) returned and decided upon a course of action. During that time, hedid his utmost to advise them. Here we have two Prophets disagreeing on how to dealwith difficult and unforeseen circumstances.

The reason for this is that this matter required the Prophets to use their own discretion.They had to gauge for themselves what was in the best interests of Islam. They were not


10/20

disputing the tenets of monotheism - the message towards which all the Prophets called- nor were they disagreeing on whether or not to reject polytheism and its adherents -such rejection is part of the testimony of faith. They only disagreed as to what course ofaction would yield the best results, considering the circumstances. May Allah protect usall from ever falling so far into ignorance as to assume that they were disagreeing on theprinciples of faith. That would run contrary to their status as Prophets of Allah.

Another case in point is what went on between Ms (peace be upon him) and Khidr.Their story is related in the chapter of the Qur'n entitled Srah al-Kahf. Ms (peace beupon him) objected to Khidr's behavior on three separate occasions. He objected toKhidr drilling a hole in the poor fishermen's boat, he objected to his killing whatappeared to be an innocent boy, and he objected to his not taking compensation forrepairing a wall in a town of inhospitable people. Khidr then explained to him theunseen reasons for why he did what he did. Khidr also explained that it was revelation

from Allah, saying: "I did not do it of my own accord." [Srah al-Kahf: 82.[

The story of Ms and Khidr gives us an important lesson about how to work with each

other in spite of our disagreements. It also gives us a lesson in patience and self control,because most people find it difficult to be patient about things they do not understand

Ms (peace be upon him) was one of the major Prophets and Messengers. The firsttime he objected, it was out of forgetfulness, the second time it was out of what he sawas a violation of Allah's Law, and we can contemplate on what his third objection was

about.

We also have the story of the dispute between Ms and dam (Moses and Adam,peace be upon them). Ab Hurayrah relates that The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:"A dispute occurred between dam and Ms. Msa said: 'O dam! You are our father

and you have brought failure to all of us. You got us expelled from Paradise'.

"dam replied: 'O Ms! Allah chose you for His words and wrote them for you withHis hand. Do you then criticize me for a matter that Allah had decreed four hundred

years before He created me'?

"Thus did dam win his dispute with Ms." [Sahh al-Bukhr (6614) and SahhMuslim (2652[(

This is not the place to discuss in detail all the implications of this hadth. However, Ibn

Taymiyah wrote an excellent short treatise entitled "al-Ihtijj bil-Qadr" (Predestinationas a Defense) that deals with this hadth at length.

What is important to us here is that Ms and dam (peace be upon them) had adisagreement. Ms rebuked dam for something and dam countered his criticismwith something else, and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon them all) gave a judgmentin favor of dam's argument. He did so because dam used Allah's decree as a defensefor something that had already passed, something that dam had already repented forand for which Allah had forgiven him.

Then there is the story of the meeting of Ms and Muhammad (peace be upon them)

during Muhammad's ascension. When Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) passedby Ms (peace be upon him) on his return from his meeting with his Lord, he informedhim that Allah had enjoined upon him and his followers fifty obligatory prayers a day.


11/20

Ms (peace be upon him) responded: "I had to deal with the severest situations withthe Children of Israel and I can tell you that your people will not be able to bear that. Go

back to your Lord and ask him to lighten the burden".

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) returned and Allah reduced the number ofprayers for him and when he went back, Ms (peace be upon him) told him the same

thing. This happened two more times until at length when the prayers were reduced tofive, he refused to return to his Lord and ask for another reduction. He said: "I feelashamed to go back to my Lord again about this matter." [Sahh al-Bukhr (349) and

Sahh Muslim (162[(

In this story we see from Ms (peace be upon him) an appeal being made, an attemptto convince, a suggestion given, and even pressure being applied. But we observe thatthis had its limits. No doubt, Ms (peace be upon him) had a basis for what he said inthe experience he had with the Children of Israel and what he saw of their shortcomingsand weaknesses. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) accepted his suggestion thefirst, second, and even the third time. After that he felt ashamed to go before his Lord

again with that request. There was a great wisdom behind this refusal, because hisfollowers have the special distinction and status of being the carriers of the finalMessage and they have qualities not possessed by the Children of Israel.

Allah has made the personalities of different individuals unique. It is a mistake toassume that because somebody is sterner in matters of religion that he is necessarilymore God-fearing. Often such sternness is merely an aspect of that person's personality

and not a reflection of that person's religiousness.

During the Battle of Badr, Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) asked hisCompanions what they though should be done with the prisoners of war.

Ab Bakr said: "O Messenger of Allah! They are your people and your kinsmen, sospare them and take your time with them. Perhaps Allah will forgive them".

Ùmar said: "O Messenger of Allah! They expelled you and they rejected you. Bringthem forward and smite their necks".

Àbd Allah b. Rawhah said: "O Messenger of Allah! Look for a valley filled with drybrush. Make them enter it, then set them afire".

Al-Àbbs said: "You have broken your ties of kinship".

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) went inside without saying anything. Thepeople began saying to each other things like: "He will act upon the opinion of AbBakr." and: "He will take the opinion of Ùmar." and: "He will accept the opinion ofÀbd Allah b. Rawhah.

Allah's Messenger then came out to them and said: "Allah makes some people's heartsso gentle that they become gentler than milk, and Allah makes some people's hearts sohard that they become harder than stone. O Ab Bakr! You are like Ibrhm (Abraham,

peace be upon him) who said: 'And whoever follows me is from me, and whoever

disobeys me, then You, O Allah, are Forgiving and Merciful.' And Ab Bakr, you arealso like `s (Jesus, peace be upon him) who said: 'If you punish them, then they areindeed Your servants, and if you forgive them, then indeed you are the Mighty, the


12/20

Wise"'.

Then he addressed Ùmar and said: "O Ùmar! You are like Nh (Noah, peace be uponhim) who said: 'Do not leave of the unbelievers anyone on Earth!' And Ùmar, you arealso like Ms (Moses, peace be upon him) who said: 'My Lord! Make their heartsharder so they will not believe until they see a painful punishment!'" [Sunan al-Tirmidh

(1714) and Musnad Ahmad (3632[(

Gentleness in this case is praiseworthy, because it is for Allah, but at the same time wecan recognize it as a personality trait. I might just be a person who is naturally gentleand pins his hopes on the people accepting Islam, becoming believers, and fearingAllah. For this reason, I am always lenient and indulgent with them, hoping to drawthem closer to Islam. Ab Bakr is a good example of this type of person. This is whyAllah's Messenger (peace be upon him)said: "Allah makes some people's hearts sogentle" His gentleness was not outside the framework of Islamic Law, as would bethe case if he gave them his approval to commit sins or to transgress against Allah'sLaws.

We can see sternness and severity in the same way. This is why the Prophet (peace beupon him) said: "Allah makes some people's hearts so hard" This hardness andsternness is not reprehensible, since it is not born of obstinacy and extremism and it

does not seek to deny people their rights. It is sternness for the sake of Allah.

We are not here talking about the reprehensible hard-heartedness mentioned in theverse: "Thenceforth were your hearts hardened. They became like stone or even worsein hardness." [Surah al-Baqarah: 74] We are talking about sternness on truth and angerfor the sake of Allah. Just as Ab Bakr is an example of proper gentleness, Ùmar is anexample of proper sternness. Ab Bakr, though, is better than Umar, since Allah'sMessenger (peace be upon him) said that if Ab Bakr's faith was weighed against thefaith of all the Muslims combined, his would outweigh theirs. He is the Muslim whocarries the epithet Siddq, which means the most upright in faith. He is the best of theMuslims after Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) and he has virtues shared by noneother.

The point being made here, however, is that neither gentleness nor severity alone can betaken as an indication of religious piety. A gentle person and a stern person could beequally religious. The gentle one expresses his religiousness with the gentleness thatAllah has placed within him, while the stern person expresses his religiousness though

the sternness that Allah has made part of his personality. Each one, through his deeds,can bring about a lot of good.

We have seen disagreements that have occurred between Prophets as well as adisagreement that occurred between the Companions of Prophet Muhammad (peace beupon him) concerning prisoners of war. The Companions disagreed on numerous othermatters as well, so many in fact that we would be hard pressed to try and enumeratethem. They disagreed about when to pray while on the road to Ban Qurayzah. There

disagreement on numerous matters of Islamic Law are well known.

This is a fact that can neither be avoided nor denied. It is a part of human nature.

Compounding this matter is that people have different degrees of knowledge, differentlevels of understanding, and different opinions about the authenticity of the texts thatthey rely upon. These and many other factors lead to disagreements.


13/20

It is fruitless to deny the existence of disagreement. It is like denying human nature. Thebest thing to do is to acknowledge its existence and try to place it into a properframework to make sure that disagreement never infringes upon the necessary principlesof the religion, matters that our pious predecessors were unanimous about. There isnothing wrong with setting other guidelines for disagreement as the situation requires

them, so that matters can be studied and reviewed properly, as long as the basic,indisputable principles of the religion are left intact.

Some of these guidelines follow:

1.Disagreement is allowed in secondary matters, not in basic principles:

Disagreement must not occur in the basic principles of the religion. The predecessorswere, for example, unanimously agreed on the fact that prayer is an obligatory pillar ofIslam and that whoever denies its being obligatory is an unbeliever. At the same time,they disagreed about certain details related to the performance of prayer and the

conditions for its valid performance. They disagreed on the legal ruling regarding theperson who neglected prayer. If any of these points is taken as a basis for unity, thendiscord, polarization, and antagonism will be the inevitable result

For instance, a brother once asked me about a certain group that exists in one of thecountries of North Africa. This group claims that if a person disputes the unbelief ofsomeone who neglects prayer, then that person is not from the people who will besaved. The position of this group is wrong for a number of reasons.Firstly, none of the early scholars ever held such a position.

Secondly, such a stance implies that the great jurists al-Shfi`, Mlik, and Ab Hanfahare not from the group who will be saved, since they do not claim that a person whoneglects prayer is an unbeliever.

I may prefer the view that one who neglects prayer is an unbeliever, or I may take theview of Ibn Taymiyah that a person who never prays at all, not even occasionally, is anunbeliever, and I may do so on account of the textual evidence that supports this view.

Nevertheless, the issue remains a point of Islamic Law about which the earliest Muslimsdisagreed. The fact that I prefer one viewpoint over another is not a problem. But if Iwere to go so far as to take my viewpoint and treat it as if it is an absolute andindisputable principle of Islam, and make it a necessary basis for Muslim unity, then I

have fallen into a grave error. I may also be attacking legal opinions that just might bemore correct than the one I hold.

The pious predecessors were unanimously agreed on the fact that the Qur'n is fromAllah and that it was revealed and uncreated. They all recognized the authority of theQur'n. They differed, however, on the meaning of some of its verses. They disputed asto whether or not a particular verse was abrogated by another. They differed about thedifferent ways of reciting the Qur'n.

They also agreed about the authority of the Sunnah, as Allah says: "Take what theMessenger gives you and refrain from what he prohibits you." [Srah al-Hashr: 7] They

disagreed on whether or not a certain hadth is authentic. They differed about how toreconcile the meanings of two hadth that apparently contradict one another. Theydisagreed on how to understand some of the texts. These are some of the reasons for the


14/20

differences of opinion that they had, even in some matters that seem to us so obviousthat we are surprised that they disagreed about them at all.

For instance, they disagreed about how the call to pray was to be executed, in spite ofthe fact that it had been called five times a day every day since the time of the Prophet(peace be upon him). They disagreed about raising the hands in supplication while

standing in prayer. They disagreed about the exact times of the prayers. They disagreedabout many aspects of how to perform the pilgrimage. They disagreed on matterspertaining to Zakh. We can read about these and may other disagreements in the booksof Islamic Law. The fact that these disagreements exist does not give us license to do aswe please. It is for the student of Islamic Law to decide about these matters on the basisof the sound principles and methods of that discipline.

2.Disagreement is allowed in means, not in the ultimate ends:

The purposes and objectives of Islam are agreed upon, like protecting the five universalhuman needs and calling people to the worship of Allah. Muslims are unanimously

agreed that it is an obligation to call others to Islam, and this obligation may be on anindividual or on the Muslim community as a whole. Allah says:

"Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching, a" [Srah al-Nahl: 125[

"Invite to your Lord." [Srah al-Hajj: 67[

"Say: This is my way. I invite to Allah upon sure knowledge." [Srah Ysuf: 108[

Approaches to this work may differ from time to time and from country to country. InIslamic Law, any approach taken in inviting people to Allah can be assumed to bepermitted unless there is explicit evidence to show that it contravenes the Law. Peoplemay come up with novel ways of calling others to Islam. In some cases, a certainapproach may become mandatory if there is no other way available to successfullyconvey the Message. Today, the diversity of media at our disposal gives us manyoptions. We must exercise our judgment and use our discretion to utilize these meanseffectively. We are bound to disagree on how to do so, but this should not cause us toget angry with each other or cause us to become divided. We must keep in mind that weall have the same goal - to spread the message of Islam to those who need it and to thosewho are ignorant of it, and to as wide a cross section of humanity as possible.

3.Differences in emphasis are permitted:

There are many obligations in Islam that fall on society as a whole and not on everyindividual equally. For this reason, some people will engage in calling others to Islam,while others will engage in enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong. Allahsays: "Let there arise from among you a group of people inviting to all that is good,enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong. They are the successful ones."[Srah l `Imrn: 104] This means that among the Muslims there must be some whoare engaged in this work.

Other Muslims will be engaged in other activities. Some will devote themselves tojihad. Then there are those who specialize in learning and teaching others the matters oftheir religion. This goes for all other activities of life. In fact all those who work to


15/20


16/20

obligation. Due to this ignorance and negligence, they might fail to avoid things that areimpure and fail to perform the obligatory acts of physical purification. In this way theyresemble the Christians.

Enmity arises between these two groups because both of them went to extremes and"forgot about a good portion of the Message that was sent to them." In this way they lost

sight of the truth. They can even go so far as to oppress each other and commit acts ofaggression. Sometimes they attack each other. Sometimes they attack the rights thatAllah has over them. Both of these things, in fact, go hand-in-hand. This is why Allahsays "Due to envy among them" [Srah l `Imrn: 19] Each group goes against theother without realizing the truth that the other possesses, so they do not refrain fromattacking that truth.

What we find is that the religion is the single cause for bringing about unity and feelingsof mutual affection. This requires acting upon all aspects of the religion, which we cansum up as the worship of Allah alone, without partner, both outwardly and inwardly.Likewise, the reason for division is to forget about a good portion of the Message out of

envy for one another.The effects of unity are to attain Allah's mercy, His pleasure, and His blessings. Thisleads to success in this world and the Hereafter and an illuminated countenance on theDay of Resurrection. The results of division are Allah's punishment, His curse, and adarkened countenance on the Day of Resurrection. Allah's Messenger (peace be uponhim) will disassociate himself from such people." [Ibn Taymiyah, Majm` al-Fatw

91:12-17[(

The Sheikh was using this example that sprung from the circumstances and difficultiesof his time. We can, though, apply his words to any of the many rival groups today, eventhose groups that due much good and act in accordance with the Sunnah. We find

between them rivalry in their activities, in matters of knowledge, and in their devotions.This leads these good people to treat each other harshly, to fall into enmity and hatred,and to fail to acknowledge each other's rights.

A Three Part Breakdown

Most things can be placed in one of three graded categories: highest, lowest, andmedium. Take wealth, for instance. You have your extremely rich, your desperately

poor, and your people of moderate means who make up the majority. The same goes for

beauty. Some people are breathtakingly beautiful, others are ugly, and the rest of us - thevast majority - are average. Then you have attributes like strength, knowledge, honesty,and decency with most people possessing moderate amounts of each, while a fewpeople excel in them and some are sorely deficient.

This three-tiered breakdown works for most matters. Some people are at the epitome ofsome given quality, trait, or skill, others are almost completely bereft of it, while thevast majority possess it to some modest degree. The attribute of moderation is noexception to this rule. Some people are extremely balanced and moderate in theiroutlook and their behavior. Others are very weak in this respect. Most people, however,are somewhere in between.

Why then should we fail to accept that Muslim unity can embrace three broad groups ofpeople:


17/20

1.Reasonably moderate and balanced people who make up the majority of the scholars,reformers and Islamic workers, as well as the majority of the general Muslim public.There will be differences among them, of course, since everyone cannot be alike, butthey will all fall within this general category.

2.People who tend towards staunchness and severity. These people tend to hold strictopinions and pursue difficult courses of action, since these things suit their naturalinclinations and their psychological dispositions. These people can carry out certainaspects of Islamic Law that others may neglect, and they can make a positivecontribution as long as they can keep their staunchness and severity within the boundsof Islamic Law and avoid excessiveness and religious extremism.

This kind of personality is needed for Islamic work as well, because there are somepeople out there that can only be handled by such a personality. We must also recognizethat among our opponents are extremists and radicals who can only be kept in check bypeople as hard and harsh as they are.

3.People who are very lenient and tolerant and possibly even casual to a certain extent.These people also have a role to play as long as they do not put into doubt established

principles of the faith nor the indisputable teachings upon which Muslims areunanimously agreed. They must be accepted into the general framework of Islamicwork that we are discussing.

There are, however, general conditions to which all three groups of people mustconform:

1.They must not forget the value of others. No one group from among these three

should ever impose their approach on others, thinking that their way is the only correctway of doing things. They must suffice themselves with the idea that their way is thebest way for themselves to exploit their own gifts and strengths. They must recognizethat others are doing good things as well. This is one of the wisdoms behind Allahcreating people with various dispositions and personalities, able to excel at differentactivities and carry out a variety of important duties. The rallying cry of the peopleshould be: "All of us are on one of Islam's ports of call and who knows when it willneed to dock at our harbor." We should not make our rallying cry: "These have nothingto stand upon and those have nothing to stand upon" just like the People of the Scripturedid before our time.

Each of us is on the truth, a different picture of the truth. The truth is not limited to whatyou or I are doing. It is much broader than that.

2.They must all adhere to the necessary principles of Islam, the minimum of which arethe indisputable principles that we have already mentioned. People must avoid losingsight of the religion and they must equally avoid extremism. They must even avoidtaking their claims of "moderation" out of the proper context. The Prophet (peace beupon him) said: "This religion is easy. No one becomes harsh and strict in the religionwithout it overwhelming him. So fulfill your duties as best you can and rejoice. Relyupon the efforts of the morning and the evening and a little at night and you will reach

your goal." [Sahh al-Bukhr (39) and Sahh Muslim (2816[(

3.When we respond to each other or criticize one another, we must keep it asrestrained as possible. We should avoid hurling accusations and do our best to engage in


18/20

well-mannered, well-intentioned dialogue. Each group must recognize the worth of theother and the good work that they do instead of minding each other's business. Whoeverfeels that he must explain to someone else what he believes to be true, then he must doso without cutting off relations with the other party and without belittling their efforts. Isay this, though I believe that students, scholars, and the general Muslim public must beable to accept differences of opinion and that such disagreement should not diminish the

love and concern that they have for each other. I also believe that the disagreement ofthe scholars is not a lamentable form of disagreement, nor do I believe that it has to be athreat to unity. The problems occur only when people turn such disagreements into

causes for hatred and violent arguments.

The biggest problem is that the followers of different sheiks and groups tend to gooverboard in their adherence to their sheiks' views, exaggerating their importance andeven lying to defend them. This is why Ibn Taymiyah said:

Whoever raises somebody else - it does not matter who he is - up on a pedestal to thepoint where friends and enemies are determined on the basis of how much they agree ordisagree with that person in word or deed, than he is causing division and sectarianismin his religion. If a person prefers to take his knowledge and understanding from theapproach of a certain scholar and his followers, then he must not make them thecriterion for his acceptance or rejection of others. A person should try to accustomhimself to bringing understanding to his own heart and then acting upon it. This will

prevent him from going out of bounds, since the depths of a person's heart are cleansedby trials.

No one should call to or defend a certain legal ruling or belief merely on the strength ofit being from those who he chooses to follow. He should only do so for what iscommanded by Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him). A person should first callto what is found in the Qur'n - for it is a guidance and a light - then what is found in thewords of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) who is the leader of all the people ofknowledge, and then turn to the words of the prominent scholars.

A person who calls others to matters of faith will be one of two kinds of people. He maybe a scholar qualified to use his independent juristic discretion, capable of referringback to the legal texts of the first three centuries and deciding which legal decisions arethe strongest. Otherwise, he will be a follower who merely follows the words of those

early scholars. This is because the scholars of the first three centuries were better thanthose who came after them.

Once this is clear, we should declare what Allah commands us to declare: "Say: Webelieve in Allah and the revelation given to us and to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob,and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to all the Prophetsfrom their Lord. We make no difference between them and we submit to Allah." [Srahal-Baqarah: 136] We should enjoin what Allah has commanded and prohibit what Hehas forbidden. We must then do the same with the commands and prohibitions of ourProphet Muhammad (peace be upon him), since Allah says: "Take what the Messengergives you, and refrain from what he prohibits you." [Srah al-Hashr: 7] The legal

injunctions of our faith are built upon three things: the Qur'n, the Sunnah, and theConsensus of the scholars.


19/20

Observations and Words of Caution

1.We must seek out our areas of agreement, not our points of contention. Whoevergoes into a matter looking for things that will displease him will definitely find such

things, either in the generality of someone's statement, or in some difference of opinion,on in some legal verdict. People should deal with each other without suspicion andwithout digging up each other's faults.

2.Muslim unity and solidarity must be based on faith. Whoever is clearly a Muslimand clearly possesses faith has with him the basis for brotherhood. Faith increases anddecreases, as does a person's Islam. All Muslims share a common set of rights that areset forth in the sacred texts. As for correcting the mistakes that people make, this doesnot run contrary to the spirit of brotherhood as long as this correction comes in the spiritof advice and in a concerned and clement manner. Correcting someone's faults does not

entail denying that person his rights.

A single person might have within him elements of faith and hypocrisy. A person mightdeserve one's loyalty in some matters while requiring one to keep one's distance in othermatters. Scholars give the following example to illustrate this point: A person can havehis hand cut off for stealing, but he still has the right to receive funds from the publictreasury if he is poor.

Allah mentions these relationships in the following verses and makes clear thatcorrecting people and giving them advice are activities in harmony with the spirit ofbrotherhood:

"The believers, men and women, are protectors of one another. They enjoin what isright and forbid what is wrong." [Srah al-Tawbah: 71[

"The believers are but a single brotherhood, so make peace and reconciliation betweenyour brothers, and fear Allah that perhaps you might receive mercy." [Srah al-Hujurt:10[

"You are the best of peoples brought forth for humanity, enjoining what is right andforbidding what is wrong, and believing in Allah." [Srah l `Imrn: 110[

3.Correcting others is a desired goal, but it must be carried out with mercy andkindness. The one doing so must have love in his heart for his brother and a sinceredesire to give beneficial advice. He should keep a good opinion of his brother and lookfor excuses for his behavior. He must observe his brothers rights. He should be ever

vigilant to make sure his heart never feels happy that his brother has fallen into error.

4.Do not think, dear reader, that these words are being directed at anyone other thanyourself. I am speaking to you directly. The problems that we as Muslims are sufferingfrom today are widespread and deeply rooted. The entire Muslim nation is infected withthem. The problems that we are facing are from ourselves more than they are from ourenemies. They start from within our individual selves. If we cannot purge them from our

hearts, our minds, our words, and our deeds, then we will not be able to succeed.

We are always waiting for others to change their opinions and reform themselves, but


20/20

we never seem willing to do so ourselves. We confuse steadfastness in faith withobstinacy towards our own opinions, because we learned these opinions first from oursheikhs and teachers, even if those opinions might be weak.

5.It is dangerous to categorize other people. This was an affliction of the nations of oldthat came before Islam. It is also the sickness of many groups today. When a person sees

from another something he does not like, he hastily categorizes that person and declareshim to be from this group or that, according to the prejudices of his own mind. In thisway, he can dismiss the other person and erect a permanent barrier between him and thatother. He can also build a barrier that prevents other people from benefiting from thedisliked individual. He just has to declare: "He is a Salaf" or "He is an Ikwn" or callhim a "Tablgh", or a "Qutb" to get the desired effect. Often such declarations aremade without any knowledge, and more often than not out of malice. The one makingthe accusation rarely knows the details of what the other person actually believes, and isoften just parroting the categorization made by others without even knowing whocategorized the person in the first place.

For a person to be able to declare someone else as belonging to a certain group or subscribing to acertain ideology, he needs to possess three things. First, he must be a person of knowledge andinsight and he must possess the integrity to make a sound decision. Secondly, he must have detailedknowledge of that other person and the principles and beliefs to which that person subscribes.Judgments can only be made about something that you understand. Lastly, he must have fullknowledge of the school of thought or group that he declares that person to be a part of. Thoughvery few people possess these three qualities, we see that an overwhelmingly large number of

people take the matter lightly and categorize anyone they see who seems to agree with the ideas ofthis group or that in any matter whatsoever, no matter how trivial.

May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all of his familyand Companions.

Terrorists do not walk around in turbans and long beards, but they wear

suits and ties.

Innocents are primarily killed by foreign policies which command bombs

dropped from jet planes, tanks, and naval vessels.NOT from suicide bombings.

People who fight against this naked aggression are called terrorists. People who

purport this evil upon mankind are called heroes. Stop being a victim of your own ignorance.

unity of purpose, not uniformity of opinion

Documents