🌿 The Necessity of Mutual Respect Despite Disagreement on Issues 🌿
✍️ Asad Azmi / Jamia Salafia Banaras
Differences in perspective regarding various subjects and issues exist among individuals belonging to the different schools of thought within the Muslim community; it is due to these very differences that separate groups and sects come into existence. In many of these matters, the difference is of a minor nature.
📌 If differences cannot be eliminated, they can certainly be minimized. Furthermore, it is essential to respect one another despite these differences, to abstain from abuse, reviling, taunting, and mockery, and to practice mutual tolerance. This is the teaching of our religion. We must contemplate how, despite our differences, we can live together in unity. What guidance has our religion provided us in this regard? What is the responsibility of the noble scholars in this context?
📖 Read the Quran; what attributes of a believer have been described?
(Adhillatin ‘ala al-mu’minin a’izzatin ‘ala al-kafirin)
✨ “Humble toward the believers, mighty against the disbelievers.”
It is among the attributes of a believer that he remains soft for other believers and hard against the people of disbelief. In describing the attributes of the Companions, it is stated: (Ashidda’u ‘ala al-kuffar ruhama’u baynahum) — “Severe against the disbelievers, merciful among themselves.”
📜 Ho halqa-e-yaran to baresham ki tarah narm
Razm-e-haq-o-batil ho to faulad hai momin
(In the circle of friends, he is soft as silk; In the battle of truth and falsehood, the believer is [as strong as] steel.)
🛑 Where is our “steel-like” nature visible today?
When it comes to internal issues, we become very harsh. We have elevated the Maslak (sect/school of thought) to the status of the Deen (Religion). We consider the propagation of the Maslak to be the propagation of the Deen, and the defense of the Maslak to be the defense of the Deen. This is a significant weakness of ours.
Our differences are very minor; disagreement likely exists in only five to seven percent of issues. However, these five to seven percent always remain predominant, while the ninety-three to ninety-four percent of issues upon which there is consensus—where there is no disagreement—are never mentioned.
❓ Why is this so?
When our agreement lies in so many issues and disagreement in only a few, why then does this disagreement always prevail and dominate our minds and our society?
📚 The Ethics of Disagreement (Adab al-Khilaf)
Within the books on Islamic subjects, there is a topic known as “Adab al-Khilaf”—that is, how to handle disagreement, and how we can live together despite it. In the modern era, significant work has been done on this subject in the Arabic language; many books have appeared under titles such as Adab al-Khilaf or Adab al-Ikhtilaf fi al-Islam. Work is slowly progressing in Urdu as well.
The meaning of Adab al-Khilaf is that while we differ with you on certain issues, despite this difference, we attempt to understand and know one another, stay close to one another, and accord one another respect and reverence. Scholars have explained this by citing numerous examples.
👇 A few examples are presented below:
🌹 1. Umar and Abdullah bin Masud (Radi Allahu Anhuma):
Both are distinguished Companions. Allama Ibn al-Qayyim (Rahimahullah) has written that there was disagreement between them on more than one hundred issues.
Reflect upon this: disagreement on more than one hundred issues. Yet, did they fight one another? Did they hate one another? No.
It is written in their biographies that Umar (Radi Allahu Anhu) used to say regarding Abdullah bin Masud:
✨ “Kunayfun muli’a ‘ilman wa fiqhan aathartu bihi ahla al-Qadisiyah” (Abdullah bin Masud is a vessel filled with knowledge and jurisprudence; I have preferred the people of Qadisiyah with this [vessel]).
Think: disagreement on a hundred issues, yet he is praising him.
On the other hand, the condition of Abdullah bin Masud was such that after the passing of Umar, he used to say:
✨ “Rahimallahu ‘Umar, kana lil-Islami hisnan hasinan…” (May Allah have mercy on Umar; he was an impregnable fortress for Islam, and now that fortress has collapsed).
🌹 2. Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal and Ali bin Madini:
Once, a disagreement occurred between them regarding an issue. Ali bin Madini had come to Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal on a mount. After dismounting, a debate and discussion ensued on the issue, and narrators state that voices were raised; the debate took place in loud tones.
However, when the debate concluded and Ali bin Madini began to leave, Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal stood up, held the reins of his mount, and helped him seat himself upon it.
✨ Reflect: a debate just took place, yet behold this level of respect.
🌹 3. Maulana Sanaullah Amritsari:
This is an account from the recent past. He was a famous scholar and a great debater; people of every school of thought invited him to their debates. He debated Qadianis, Christians, Aryas, and all false sects.
His practice was such that when the debate concluded—regardless of who the opposing debater was—he would invite him to his place for food and lodging.
✨ The debate is ongoing, arguments are being exchanged, opposition is occurring, yet when the debate ends, he tells his opponent: “You must eat at our place and stay the night with us.”
🌹 4. Maulana Ismail Salafi:
It is narrated regarding Maulana Ismail Salafi of Gujranwala that once a caravan of Hajj pilgrims was departing. There was a crowd at the station to see the pilgrims off. The time for prayer arrived, and people stepped aside and formed rows. People pushed Maulana Ismail forward to lead the prayer.
After the Maulana stood on the prayer mat (Musalla), a gentleman from behind said, “Maulana, our prayer will not be valid behind you.”
The Maulana picked up his handkerchief, placed it on his shoulder, stepped back from the prayer mat, and said, “Sir, you lead the prayer; my prayer will be valid behind you.”
That person was deeply ashamed and apologized, and eventually had the Maulana lead the prayer.
❓ What would we have done?
At the very least, two congregations would have formed immediately: “Go pray behind your Imam, we are separating with our people.” And if it had reached the point of a physical altercation, it would not have been far-fetched or surprising.
🤝 My brothers!
Despite differences, we must think about and reflect upon respecting one another, understanding one another, and how to deal with one another. For one scholar to belittle another, or to persecute him due to a difference in issues, is contrary to his dignity. Indeed, such behavior does not befit even a common believer, let alone a scholar.
📜 A Lesson from the Salaf:
Sufyan bin Husain, who is among the predecessors (Salaf), narrates: “Once, I mentioned a man in somewhat poor terms in the presence of Iyas bin Muawiyah. Iyas bin Muawiyah was a very serious man of great insight. I complained about someone—backbit him—in his presence.
Iyas bin Muawiyah stared at me and asked:
❓ ‘A-ghazauta ar-Rum?’ (Have you fought against the Romans?) I said, ‘No.’
❓ ‘As-Sinda wal-Hinda was-Sin?’ (Have you fought against the people of Sindh, Hind, and China?) I said, ‘No.’
He said:
⚠️ ‘SubhanAllah! The Romans are safe from you, the Hindus and people of Sindh are safe from you, the people of China are safe from you, but your Muslim brother is not safe from you?'”
🔹 Conclusion
My brothers! Let us remain on our Maslak, let us adhere to our stance, but let us learn to respect the other and learn to understand the other. And let us also consider that there are some issues for which we need to rise above sect and denomination to reflect upon—common issues where there is no matter of sect or denomination, but rather issues of humanity.
For example, issues of health and disease. These narcotics, gutkha, tobacco, khaini, pan masala… our youth are immersed in this.
Is he Muslim or non-Muslim? Hanafi or Ahl-e-Hadith? Deobandi or Barelvi? Shia or Sunni?
Can we not unite to reflect upon these issues?
🚫 We also observe that we have divided our mosques, we have divided our madrasas, we have divided our places of worship, and we have divided books. Yet, despite this, we continue to look at the mosques of others with covetous eyes. Lawsuits are filed for this purpose, money is spent, fights break out in mosques, police are called into mosques, and cases drag on for years while money is spent freely.
Is there any room for such actions? Will we come to our senses even now, or will we continue to weaken ourselves further and further through these unnecessary customary fights?
(Translated by Mohammed bin Thajammul Hussain Manna from Urdu. This was originally posted on Facebook on Shaykh Abdul Lateef Salafi Madani’s page.)
Saheehus-Seerah 