INTRODUCTION: MODERN␣ SALAFISM␣ &␣␣ITS EFFECT␣␣ON␣␣MUSLIM␣ DISUNITY

MODERN␣ SALAFISM␣ &␣␣ITS EFFECT␣␣ON␣␣MUSLIM␣ DISUNITY

PAPER␣SUBMITTED␣TO␣THE CONFERENCE␣OF␣THE INTERNATIONAL␣ISLAMIC␣  UNIVERSITY␣OF␣ MALAYSIA ␣

SA‘ĪD␣‘ABD␣␣AL-LATIF␣FOUDAH␣␣␣␣

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INTRODUCTION

As␣a␣term,␣the␣“Islamic␣nation”␣includes␣within␣it␣every␣ individual␣ who␣affiliates␣his␣or␣herself␣with␣ Islam,␣so␣long␣as␣he␣or␣she␣has␣not␣ left␣it␣by␣believing␣that␣which␣necessitates␣disbelief:␣and␣provided␣that␣ he␣or␣she␣believes␣in␣that␣which␣is␣known␣by␣necessity␣to␣be␣from␣the␣
religion,␣whether␣it␣is␣from␣the␣issues␣ of␣doctrine,␣such␣as␣faith␣in␣ Allah’s␣existence␣and␣that␣He␣is␣All-Powerful,␣belief␣in␣the␣ Prophethood␣ of␣ our␣Master␣Muhammad␣␣and␣that␣he␣is␣ the␣seal␣of␣ all␣the␣Prophets␣ and␣Messengers␣and␣that␣his␣Sacred␣ Law␣abrogates␣ all␣previous␣ revealed␣laws␣(whether␣or␣not␣it␣is␣submitted␣that␣they␣are␣altered␣or␣not),␣or␣ from␣the␣issues␣of␣action,␣such␣prayer,␣Zakāt,␣fasting,␣Hajj,␣and␣other␣ practical␣rulings␣in␣the␣Sacred␣Law␣ that␣are␣affirmed␣ and␣that␣do␣not␣ accept␣independent␣scholarly␣judgement␣[ijtihād].␣ ␣␣␣␣␣␣␣

It␣ is␣ well-known␣ that␣ some␣ doctrinal␣ positions␣ are␣ self-evident␣ and␣ that␣ whoever␣ opposes␣ them␣ has␣ disbelieved,␣whereas␣other␣ doctrinal␣positions␣are␣unequivocal␣but␣not␣self-evident,␣in␣which␣the␣ one␣who␣ opposes␣ them␣ is␣ declared␣ an␣ innovator␣ (and␣ some␣ might␣ impute␣ him␣ with␣ disbelief),␣ and␣ yet␣ other␣ doctrinal␣positions␣are␣ speculative␣and␣not␣self-evident,␣in␣which␣case␣the␣one␣who␣ opposes␣ them␣is␣not␣ declared␣an␣innovator.␣ ␣␣␣␣␣␣␣

In␣the␣Hadīth␣narration␣it␣is␣mentioned␣that␣this␣Islamic␣nation␣shall␣
split␣into␣seventy-three␣sects.␣Now,␣I␣ know␣that␣many␣people␣disagree␣ regarding␣the␣authenticity␣of␣this␣Hadīth’s␣chain␣of␣narration,␣however␣ we␣also␣know␣that␣the␣number␣mentioned␣is␣not␣necessarily␣exact␣–␣
meaning,␣it␣is␣not␣explicit␣that␣the␣ number␣of␣sects␣will␣grow␣until␣ they␣reach␣that␣exact␣number,␣although␣it␣would␣not␣be␣problematic␣ if␣they␣ did␣reach␣that␣number.␣ ␣␣␣␣␣␣␣

Some␣people␣have␣adopted␣the␣viewpoint␣that␣disagreement␣is␣
intrinsically␣harmful␣and␣that␣it␣leads␣to␣ decline.␣If␣it␣is␣said␣that␣ the␣Islamic␣nation,␣the␣nation␣of␣the␣Prophet␣,␣will␣split␣into␣more␣sects␣ than␣the␣ sects␣of␣the␣Jews␣and␣Christians,␣it␣is␣questioned␣that␣how␣ can␣it␣be␣said␣that␣this␣nation␣is␣preferred␣over␣ other␣nations?␣ ␣␣␣␣␣␣␣

At␣first␣glance,␣this␣might␣seem␣like␣a␣good␣question,␣however;␣we␣do␣ not␣submit␣that␣disagreement␣is␣ completely␣blameworthy␣or␣ that␣ differing␣entails␣that␣the␣status␣of␣this␣nation␣will␣decline␣vis-à-vis␣other␣ nations.␣Although␣we␣might␣submit␣that␣some␣ forms␣of␣ disagreement␣ do␣in␣fact␣lead␣to␣disunity,␣we␣do␣not␣ submit␣that␣every␣ form␣of␣ disagreement␣leads␣to␣this␣so-called␣decline;␣even␣though␣we␣ believe␣ that␣this␣ nation␣will␣split␣or␣has␣split␣into␣ more␣sects␣than␣the␣ sects␣ of␣the␣Jews␣and␣the␣Christians,␣still␣this␣splitting␣ that␣will␣or␣has␣ taken␣ place␣within␣the␣nation␣of␣the␣Prophet␣␣does␣not␣imply␣–␣in␣general␣–␣that␣its␣state␣ has␣diminished,␣because␣the␣group␣of␣the␣people␣ of␣truth:␣Ahl␣al-Sunna␣wa␣al-Jamā‘a,␣has␣historically␣ been␣and␣ continues␣to␣be␣ the␣overwhelming␣majority,␣and␣the␣number␣of␣ practicing␣scholars␣ among␣them␣ are␣more␣numerous␣than␣the␣ scholars␣from␣all␣the␣ other␣sects␣combined.␣␣ ␣␣␣␣␣␣␣

That␣is␣not␣the␣case␣with␣the␣sectarian␣divisions␣among␣the␣Jews␣and␣Christians.␣Their␣sects␣were␣like␣or␣ equal␣in␣number,␣which␣in␣turn␣ entailed␣their␣weakness␣as␣nations.␣With␣the␣Islamic␣nation␣this␣ is␣ not␣the␣ case.␣ Because␣ Ahl␣ al-Sunna␣ wa␣ al-Jamā‘a␣ are␣ greater␣ in␣ number␣ and␣ because␣ they␣ have␣ historically␣ possessed␣more␣ scholars␣in␣various␣places,␣the␣presence␣of␣other␣sects␣has␣not␣ affected␣them␣as␣much␣as␣it␣ has␣the␣other␣nations.␣The␣negative␣ effects␣ that␣sectarianism␣has␣had␣on␣other␣nations␣have␣not␣affected␣ the␣ Islamic␣nation␣in␣the␣same␣way.␣No␣matter␣how␣much␣the␣ opponents␣ object␣to␣this␣Hadīth,␣and␣no␣ matter␣how␣many␣doubts␣are␣ raised␣about␣ its␣chain␣of␣narration,␣present␣day␣reality␣confirms␣that␣ this␣ nation␣has␣ in␣fact␣differed.␣It␣is␣of␣no␣benefit␣to␣say␣–␣after␣this␣ differing␣has␣already␣ occurred␣–␣that␣the␣ Hadīth␣ in␣ question␣ cannot␣ be␣ relied␣ upon␣ because␣ it␣ is␣ weak␣ or␣ because␣ its␣ chain␣ of␣ narration␣ has␣ problems.␣Both␣present␣day␣reality␣and␣sense␣perception␣ confirm␣a␣large␣portion␣ of␣the␣meaning␣in␣this␣ Hadīth.␣ ␣␣␣␣␣␣␣

From␣all␣of␣that,␣ we␣ conclude␣ that␣ sectarian␣division␣ is␣ a␣ reality␣ in␣ this␣ nation␣ and␣ that␣ we␣ have␣ our␣ differences␣just␣like␣other␣nations.␣According␣to␣the␣scholars␣of␣Islam␣and␣many␣thinkers␣in␣this␣field,␣what␣ is␣ important␣ is␣ the␣ relationship␣ between␣ coexistence␣ and␣ cooperation␣ among␣ the␣ Muslims,␣ and␣ the␣ presence␣of␣these␣ disagreements.␣ ␣␣␣␣␣␣␣

Although␣I␣shall␣address␣this␣at␣the␣conclusion␣of␣my␣talk,␣I␣would␣like␣ to␣bring␣it␣to␣your␣attention␣here␣as␣ well,␣as␣it␣is␣important␣in␣relation␣ to␣the␣main␣subject.␣It␣is␣not␣hidden␣to␣you␣all␣that␣disagreements␣have␣ occurred␣ever␣since␣the␣first␣generations,␣i.e.␣the␣generation␣of␣the␣ Companions␣and␣the␣Followers.␣The␣ Khawārij,␣the␣early␣Shiites,␣the␣first␣Qadirites,␣and␣others,␣all␣manifested␣in␣the␣Islamic␣ nation␣ during␣the␣ first␣generations␣that␣were␣described␣with␣goodness.␣Nay;␣many␣of␣the␣sects␣that␣were␣present␣in␣that␣time␣ are␣no␣longer␣ existent␣ in␣our␣time␣or␣the␣time␣before␣us.␣This␣proves␣that␣there␣is␣ no␣inherent␣ link␣between␣ sectarian␣ differences␣ and␣decline.␣ How␣ can␣this␣ be␣ asserted␣ when␣the␣ Prophet␣ ␣bore␣witness␣to␣the␣ goodness␣of␣the␣ early␣ generations?␣

All␣of␣the␣aforementioned␣sects␣became␣sects␣because␣they␣split␣from␣
Ahl␣al-Sunna␣wa␣al-Jamā‘a␣–␣the␣ people␣of␣the␣truth.␣Differences␣ occurred␣because␣they␣opposed␣the␣people␣of␣the␣truth,␣which␣is␣why␣ each␣ sect␣was␣distinguished␣from␣Ahl␣al-Sunna␣by␣specific␣ideas␣and␣ fundamentals.␣Ahl␣al-Sunna␣remained,␣ distinguished␣by␣their␣ general␣ affiliation␣to␣Islam,␣and␣its␣scholars␣saw␣no␣pressing␣ need␣to␣announce␣ their␣ distinction␣from␣others␣or␣vice␣versa,␣until␣tens␣of␣years␣later␣ when␣the␣opponents␣gained␣in␣strength␣and␣ proclaimed␣their␣differences␣ with␣Ahl␣al-Sunna:␣going␣to␣extremes␣and␣ claiming␣that␣they␣were␣in␣ fact␣the␣ people␣of␣the␣Sunna␣to␣the␣ exclusion␣of␣everyone␣else.␣When␣ Ahl␣al-Sunna␣wa␣al-Jamā‘a␣ observed␣this␣ behaviour␣from␣their␣ opponents,␣the␣scholars␣and␣ verifiers␣among␣them␣went␣out␣ of␣their␣way␣ to␣write␣ books␣and␣ distinguish␣between␣truth␣and␣falsehood.␣Perhaps␣ that␣was␣one␣of␣ the␣greatest␣causes␣allowing␣ for␣ the␣ Mu‘tazilite,␣ the␣ Shiite,␣ the␣ Kharijite,␣ and␣ the␣ Qadirite␣ to␣ be␣ distinguished␣ with␣ unique␣ signs,␣ whereas␣one␣who␣is␣not␣a␣part␣of␣those␣sects␣is␣ considered␣to␣be␣upon␣the␣default␣foundation␣of␣old,␣ namely␣the␣ foundation␣of␣Ahl␣al-Sunna␣wa␣al-Jamā‘a.␣ ␣ ␣␣ ␣