“My Companions are equivalent to the stars in the sky. If you receive hadith from any one of them, you will be guided. The differences among my Companions are a mercy for you.” (Al- 'Ajluni, Kashf al-Khafa, 1:64; al-Munawi Fayd al-Qadir 1:210-212) In the same source, al-Bayhaqi mentions the following hadith: “The disunity of the Companions of Muhammad (saas) is a mercy for the servants of God.” (Similar narrations are mentioned by hadith scholars such as Al-Tabarani, Al-Daylami, Abu Naim, Az-Zarkashi and Ibn Hajar)
Some Muslims claim that the expression “disunity is a mercy” is a so-called authentic hadith from our Prophet (saas); thus, they put this idea into practice and based on this find disintegration in the Islamic world to be quite reasonable.
However, it is apparent this is not an authentic hadith that belongs to our Prophet (saas) since when we refer to the commandments in the Quran, God makes it an obligation for “Muslims to be in unity, to live like brothers, not to be separated, to be friends with one another, and not to quarrel among themselves”:
Hold fast to the rope of God all together, and DO NOT SEPARATE. Remember God’s blessing to you WHEN YOU WERE ENEMIES AND HE JOINED YOUR HEARTS TOGETHER so that you BECAME BROTHERS by His blessing. You were on the very brink of a pit of the Fire and He rescued you from it. In this way God makes His Signs clear to you, so that hopefully you will be guided. (Surat Ali Imran, 103)
THE BELIEVERS ARE BROTHERS, SO MAKE PEACE BETWEEN YOUR BROTHERS and have fear of God so that hopefully you will gain mercy. (Surat Al-Hujurat, 10)
Obey God and His Messenger and DO NOT QUARREL AMONG YOURSELVES lest you lose heart and your momentum disappear. And be steadfast. God is with the steadfast. (Surat Al-Anfal, 46)
Those who are disbelievers are the friends and protectors of one another. IF YOU DO NOT ACT IN THIS WAY (be friends and protectors of one another) there will be turmoil in the land and great corruption. (Surat Al-Anfal, 73)
(Believers are) those who, WHEN THEY ARE WRONGED, DEFEND THEMSELVES. (Surat ash-Shura, 39)
Allah loves those who fight in His Way IN RANKS LIKE WELL-BUILT WALLS. (Surat as-Saff, 4)
ATTEMPTING TO ABROGATE THE COMMANDMENT OF ALL THESE VERSES ON UNITY OF BELIEVERS IN THE QURAN BY MEANS OF A FABRICATED HADITH WILL OPEN THE WAY FOR MISCHIEF
Attempting to lead the Muslim community to “disunity” by showing this fabricated hadith, which is in direct violation of the verses of the Qur'an, as evidence is a grave corruption. There is an understanding of love, peace, tolerance, brotherhood and unity in the morals of Islam. And God commands all Muslims to be in solidarity and live by these morals as an obligation.
God informs us in the verse mentioned above (Surat al-Anfal, 73) that ‘If you do not act in unity and stop being enemies against one another, and become friends and brothers, then there will be a great mischief and corruption all around the world’.
Therefore when these persons act with such conduct – surely God and the Qur'an are beyond this – they respond to these commandments of God with bigotry and attempt abrogating the entirety of these verses revealed by God.
Besides, when the current incidents in the Islamic world are honestly and objectively observed, it is explicit whether ‘disunity of the Ummah is a mercy or an affliction’:
THE REASONS BEHIND THE BLOODSHED IN THE ISLAMIC WORLD AND DISUNITY WITHIN MUSLIMS ARE THE ‘DISPUTES’ AMONG THE MUSLIMS
Today, the main cause of bloodshed in the Islamic world is this tendency toward disputation among some Muslims, and for that same reason the Islamic world cannot establish unity on equal terms. Muslims regard one another as enemies, and just based on this distorted belief, they feel themselves justified for killing one another and shedding the blood of their brothers.
Furthermore, while the oppression and mass murder against Muslims in every part of the world would end right away with the establishment of Islamic Union, just based on these disputes alone, Muslims are not coming together in unity and bearing witness to this persecution.
Even though God commands in the Qur'an that ‘all Muslims should be in unity, and come together in union for an intellectual struggle against oppression in this world’, Muslims cannot carry out this obligation made by God because of the incessant conflict and disagreement among themselves.
However, it is apparent that this is a plot by satan and the Dajjal. When we look at the world today, we never see that Jews are killing one another because of such disputes. In a similar way, Christians are not shedding the blood of other Christians.
Yet, in many countries throughout the Islamic world Muslims are butchering their own brothers. Since they do not cease in their erroneous convictions, they possess no ideals for ending disputes and living in togetherness, unity, peace and brotherhood in the same lands.
THERE IS ‘MERCY’ NOT IN ‘DISUNITY’, BUT IN ABIDING BY THE QUR’AN AND COMING IN ‘UNITY’
Therefore, by referring to the verses of the Qur'an and taking into account the anguish and persecution in the Islamic world, Muslims should immediately recognize that the expression ‘there is mercy in disunity’ is wrong.
As is known, the reason for establishing schools arose with various deviated movements and bigoted groups that appeared following our Prophet (saas) and the time of the Four Caliphs in order to determine a standard in people’s creeds and practices.
Otherwise, there was no need for the founding of schools at the time of the Age of Bliss and the Four Caliphs when Muslims learned Islam directly from our Prophet (saas) and his Companions.
However, Muslims are practicing Islam by following different schools only due to the circumstances of our day. Yet, it is obvious that such disputes, conflicts and division result in vast affliction throughout the Islamic world. The primary reason behind the fear and anguish, the slaughter and persecution of millions of Muslims is surely that separatist mentality of disunity.
FOUR SCHOOLS OF AHL AL-SUNNAH CAME FORTH BECAUSE OF THE DISPUTES AMONG MUSLIMS. WHAT IS ‘LAWFUL, UNLAWFUL AND PRACTICES’ ARE DIFFERENT ACCORDING TO EACH SCHOOL
The only divine book of Muslims is the Holy Qur'an. God revealed all that He made unlawful and lawful to His servants in the Qur'an. In the same way, the commandments obligatory for Muslims, and how to observe these, are described to people in the verses of the Qur'an.
In our day, some Muslims follow the laws of different schools rather than abiding by the verses of the Qur'an and what is unlawful, lawful and also the manner of practicing worship are totally different in each one of these schools.
However, there is no place for such disputation in God’s divine book, the Holy Qur'an and God did not reveal four different books (surely God and the Quran are beyond this) to people for them to follow. As a consequence, the laws of each one of these schools are in dispute with one another.
Our Muslim brothers need to be mindful of these conflicts in the laws of different schools and come back to the spirit of ‘unity and solidarity’ that God described in the Qur'an and they should leave aside all disputes and be guided to follow the commandments God informed us of in the Qur'an.
WHAT IS UNLAWFUL OR LAWFUL ACCORDING TO DIFFERENT SCHOOLS |
TOPICS | HANAFI | MALİKİ | SHAFII | HANBALI |
What are the obligations of ablution? | 4 | 7 | 6 | 7 |
Is it an obligation to take ablution in a certain sequence? | No | No | Yes | Yes |
What is the number of things that invalidate ablution?? | 12 | 3 | 5 | 8 |
Is ablution invalid because of doubt? | No | No | No | Yes |
What is the commandment for reciting Surah al-Fatiha in the first two rakats? | Necessary | Obligation | Obligation | Obligation |
Would the prayer be valid if Surah al-Fatiha is not recited? | Yes | No | No | No |
Is it an obligation to give closing salams when ending the prayer? | Not an obligation | Obligation to give only to 1 side | Obligation to give only to 1 side | Obligation to give to 2 sides |
Is prayer invalidated when a wrong word is recited during prayers? | Yes | No | No | No |
Is it an obligation to take ablution in a sequence with no intervals? | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
How many times should ears be wiped in ablution? | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
Does eating camel meat and funerary washing invalidate ablution? | No | No | No | Yes |
Is it unlawful to shave off beard? | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
How many reasons exist for taking major ablution? | 7 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
What are the obligations of major ablution? | 11 | 5 | 3 | - |
TOPICS | HANAFI | MALIKI | SHAFII | HANBALI |
Is it unlawful to play chess? | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
What are the times when funeral prayers may not be performed? | 5 | 3 | May be performed all times | 3 |
Is it an obligation to speak out your intention for fasting? | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
Does getting blood drawn invalidate fasting? | No | No | No | Yes |
Is it an obligation to give alms from jewelry of men and women? | Yes | No | No | No |
Is dog an impure animal? | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Can woman carry out pilgrimage without her husband? | No | Yes | Yes | No |
Is it an obligation to make an intention for fasting every day in month of Ramadan? | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
How many conditions are there for pilgrimage? | 2 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
Is it unlawful to sit on silk, to lean on it, use it as a pillow, or hang it on a wall as cloth? | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Is it unlawful to play backgammon? | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
IN THE END TIMES ALL SCHOOLS WILL BE RELEASED BY MEANS OF HAZRAT MAHDI (AS) AND ISLAM WILL RETURN TO ITS PURE FORM
When Hazrat Mahdi (as) appears, he will possess the attributes of being the ‘greatest mujaddid (renovator of religion)’ (great Islamic scholar who is sent at the beginning of every century to teach with truth of religion according to needs of that century) and the ‘greatest mujtahid (scholar of Islamic law)’ (great Islamic scholar of law who brings jurisprudence from verses when necessary).
The great individuals who possess these attributes are the guides of Islamic communities who have been examples for them by leading them as polestars of their time. The entire Ahl al-Sunnah practices religion based on the jurisprudence set by the scholars of these four schools. The greatest one of these renovators and scholars of Islamic law will be Hazrat Mahdi (as): This indicates that Hazrat Mahdi (as) “will release all sects” as the most authorized person to bring jurisprudence (setting law as per proceedings based on the Qur'an and hadith).
Since he is the greatest scholar of all schools, it is a requirement for him to release all the other schools. The fact that everyone will pay allegiance to him attests to this truth. In his “Al-Futuhat al-Makkiyya" one of the greatest scholars in the history of Islam, Muhyiddin Ibn al-‘Arabi states:
“... HAZRAT MAHDI (as) will restore the religion to exactly as it was in the time of the Prophet (saas). HE WILL ELIMINATE THE SCHOOLS FROM THE WORLD. NO SCHOOL WILL BE LEFT APART FROM THE TRUTH, PURE FAITH.” (Muhammad Ibn Rasul al Husayn al-Barzanji, Portents of Doomsday, 186-187)
