Talking Points on Beginning a Dialogue for Healing and Reconciliation of the Historical Divide in the American Muslim Community

WITH ALLAH’S NAME, THE MERCIFUL BENEFACTOR, THE MERCIFUL REDEEMER

Talking Points on Beginning a Dialogue for Healing and Reconciliation of the Historical Divide in the American Muslim Community

Documented by Jibril Abdul-Hafeez (جبريل عبدالحفيظ)

E-mail: NewAfrica2@aol.com or new_africa_now@yahoo.com

Friday, December 12, 2008 / Yaum-ul-Jumu’ah, Dhul-Hijjah 14, 1429

As Salaam ‘Alaykum: We thank Allah, we seek His help, we ask for His forgiveness, we believe and put our complete trust in Him, Mighty and Sublime is He. We witness that there is no G’d but Allah, He alone is without partners, and we witness that Muhammed is His Servant and Messenger, the prayers and peace be on him, on his descendants, his companions, and peace be on Allah’s Messengers (all of them), and what follows after this noble invocation.
Regarding the prohibition of division, in the Qur’ān, 3:103, Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) has said,

﴾ وَلاَ تَكُونُواْ كَالَّذِينَ تَفَرَّقُواْ وَاخْتَلَفُواْ مِن بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَهُمُ الْبَيِّنَـتُ ﴿

AND DO NOT BE LIKE THOSE WHO DIVIDED AND DIFFERED AMONG THEMSELVES AFTER THE CLEAR PROOFS HAD COME TO THEM! And the narratives of sayings and actions of traditions report that Prophet Muhammed (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ) has said,

«إِنَّ أَهْلَ الْكِتَابَيْنِ افْتَرَقُوا فِي دِينِهِمْ عَلى ثِنْتَيْنِ وَسَبْعِينَ مِلَّةً، وَإِنَّ هذِهِ الْأُمَّةَ سَتَفْتَرِقُ عَلى ثَلَاثٍ وَسَبْعِينَ مِلَّةً يَعْنِي الْأَهْوَاءَ كُلُّهَا فِي النَّارِ إِلَّا وَاحِدَةً وَهِيَ الْجَمَاعَةُ وَإِنَّهُ سَيَخْرُجُ فِي أُمَّتِي أَقْوَامٌ تَجَارَى بِهِمْ تِلْكَ الْأَهْوَاءُ كَمَا يَتَجَارَى الْكَلَبُ بِصَاحِبِه، لَا يَبْقَى مِنْهُ عِرْقٌ وَلَا مَفْصِلٌ إِلَّا دَخَلَه»

Surely the People of Two Scriptures divided their religion into seventy-two sects, surely this community will divide into seventy-three sects, all in the fire except one and it is the community. Some of my community will be guided by emotions like one who is infected by rabies, no vein or joint will be saved from these desires.

Muslim Alliance of North American hosted a gathering during the 28th, 29th and 30th of November at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania focusing on an American Muslim Agenda. The recorded intention is to initiate a campaign to start a national dialogue on the issue of our differences and how to heal them; leading to specific efforts and activities on a local level to bring about healing, reconciliation and peace within the American Muslim community in obedience to the commands of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) and the observations mentioned herein by Prophet Muhammed (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ). Task forces are made up of national leaders who are committed to taking action steps together holding dialogues on race and ethnicity.

Among these are included, the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), the Mosque Cares, the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Muslim Students Association (MSA), the Islamic Circle of North American (INCA) and the Muslim American Society (MAS).
In the Qur’ān, 8:46, Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) has said,

﴾ وَأَطِيعُواْ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَلاَ تَنَـزَعُواْ فَتَفْشَلُواْ وَتَذْهَبَ رِيحُكُمْ ﴿

Herein we are given duties and there is no need to go to anyone else’s ﻣَﺬْﻫَﺐٌ | madh-hab| school of religious creed; the LAW-GIVER’S order: ﺗَﻧَﺎزَﻋُﻮاْ ﻻ | lā-ta-nā-za-عū | DO NOT DISPUTE is clear proof. What follows this order is obedience; if we allow ourselves to become agents of corruption by obeying our emotions, that is one of the acts of ﻛُﻔْﺮٌ |kufr | ungrateful disbelief; then تَفْشَلُواْ | taf-sha-lū | YOU LOSE COURAGE and وَتَذْهَبَ رِيحُكُمْ |tadh-haba-rī-hu-kum | your strength will depart.

The Qur’ān is appropriately described and there is not a better starting point for a dialogue on healing and reconciliation from destructive emotions that has caused the historical divide among Muslims in America and throughout the world as Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) has said, 41:44,

﴾ قُلْ هُوَ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ هُدًى وَشِفَآءٌ ﴿

The Qur’ān stands on 1,429 years of proof that its هُدًى | hudan | guidance and شِفَآءٌ | shi-fā | healing is the key element for bringing reconciliation among those who have separated themselves along lines of emotional sectarian divisions. The problems that plague first generation Muslims in America bear many similarities to the differences that arose as a consequence to the way the Meccans viewed the introduction of obedience to G’d in the Message that Prophet Muhammed (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ) delivered. Before Al-Islam, there were many issues that prevented you and me from caring about what ails African Americans, Hispanics, Anglo Saxons, immigrants, or the rest of humanity.

How do we heal our divided world in the midst of all of this madness? Prophet Muhammed (ﺼﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻮ ﺴﻠﻢ) has said,

﴾ مَنْ رَأَى مِنْكُمْ مُنْكَرًا فَلْيُغَيِّرْهُ بِيَدِهِ، فَإِنْ لَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ فَبِلِسَانِهِ، فَإِنْ لَمْ يَسْتَطِع فَبِقَلْبِهِ، وَذلِكَ أَضْعَفُ الْإِيمَان ﴿

Whoever sees wrong then let him change it with his hands, but it he is unable to do so, then with his tongue, if he is unable to do so then with his heart, and that is the weakest faith.