This week, we ask the question: when it comes to community organisations and projects, is more less?
In many Muslim communities around the world, the plethora of different groups and organisations is often lamented as a cause or perhaps sign of our disunity. Why, it is asked, do we need several organisations each holding lectures or running classes? Why do we need several organisations each attempting to represent Muslim interests to the general public, government or the media? Why must each group pursue its own objectives, acquire its own resources, hold its own conferences and so on?
However, an alternative view might be that what we see as disunity is really just healthy competition between people and groups with competing ideas and objectives about what should be done and how it should be done; and, like in other areas of life, this competition between Islamic groups, sects and organisations has led to some improvements in the range, quality and reach of products and services. Can we ever really be ‘united’ as a community and is it even something we should work towards?
What do you think?
7 comments ↓
Being united doesn’t mean we have to have a minimum number of organisations or that everyone has to do the same thing. It means we should all agree that each of us has the best interests of Islam in mind but we have different ways of approaching it.
The competition between groups is a good thing if it means that they are coming up with new ways of giving dawah or trying to outdo the other with more professional activities and events. That’s a good thing inshallah ta’ala.
If there was just one dawah organisation, I wonder if they would have as much incentive to do things or whether they would become lazy because let’s face it people are also motivated by wanting to do better than their rivals. Allahualim.
Allah says to unite and so we should unite. We are too disunited. We even have four or more salafi groups here now with iisca, iisna, idca, irca…. then we have yma, famsy, islamic councils, alghazzali, dar al aisha, tablighis, turkish groups, milli gorus, sufi groups like naqshbandis, chishtis, shadilis, tjanis.. how can that be good lol?
It might be worth thinking about in terms of other religious groups.
And it depends significantly, I think, on whether different groups constitute divisions or not (different groups striving in different activities, e.g. dawah vs charity), and the nature of those divisions (e.g. doctrinal divisions or practical divisions).
2:148
every community faces a direction of its own, of which He is the focal point. Vie, therefore, with one another in doing good works. Wherever you may be, God will gather you all unto Himself: for, verily, God has the power to will anything.
3:113-114
[But] they are not all alike: among the followers of earlier revelation there are upright people, who recite God’s messages throughout the night, and prostrate themselves [before Him].
They believe in God and the Last Day, and enjoin the doing of what is right and forbid the doing of what is wrong, and vie with one another in doing good works: and these are among the righteous.
And whatever good they do, they shall never be denied the reward thereof: for, God has full knowledge of those who are conscious of Him.
5:48
And unto thee [O Prophet] have We vouchsafed this divine writ, setting forth the truth, confirming the truth of whatever there still remains of earlier revelations and determining what is true therein. Judge, then, between the followers of earlier revelation in accordance with what God has bestowed from on high, and do not follow their errant views, forsaking the truth that has come unto thee. Unto every one of you have We appointed a [different] law and way of life. And if God had so willed, He could surely have made you all one single community: but [He willed it otherwise] in order to test you by means of what He has vouchsafed unto, you. Vie, then, with one another in doing good works! Unto God you all must return; and then He will make you truly understand all that on which you were wont to differ.
21:92-93
VERILY, [O you who believe in Me,] this community of yours is one single community, since I am the Sustainer of you all: worship, then, Me [alone]!
But men have torn their unity wide asunder, [forgetting that] unto Us they all are bound to return.
Why so many groups? It’s called civil society, and it’s part of a healthy democracy. Like minded people group together to work on a common cause. Islam is a big tent, no one overarching group is going to be able speak for every last Muslim. Quote the Q’ran quote the hadiths all you want Muslims will gravitate to different organizations. Some will have local concerns and will gravitate to local groups, within those local groups some may be more secular or more religious or perhaps stress one idea or plan more than another. Sometimes it can just boil down to the personalities of the leaders.
Let us use an example, let us say a middle school in San Diego California is upsetting some Muslims. Lets call it the Lakefront middle school.
Lakefront (no such real school) has been serving ham steaks with pineapple rings every Thursday since it was first constructed. This was sort of OK when the district was an Irish American Catholic enclave, not so great now. These days there are a group of 40 odd students who are pious Muslims in the school. Their parents have talked to the principal numerous times and the school board numerous times but to no avail. Every Thursday the school offers ham steaks and pineapple rings for lunch and nothing else. Finally at their wits end the Muslim parents form a civic action group “No More Pork!” Now why would this local group have to wait for a national group like CAIR to get involved? CAIR has bigger fish to fry. CAIR might give some organizational help or might try other ways to help. But it really is a local issue affecting a local group. So they look for others who might be sympathetic. Well guess what, there is a local Orthodox Jewish group in the neighborhood too. They have some 80 odd angry parents too. Now the Rabbi and the Iman get together and see what they can do together. They have wildly different perspectives on Israel vs. Palestine but common ground on other areas. So together they form a group called “Pigs out!” to put an end to the ham steaks in the school cafeteria. And so it goes. A very specific and very local issue has caused a group of Muslims to band together to affect a change. So in this example maybe the Imam and the Rabbi form other groups to fight the local adult book store. Or maybe they want safer schools and band together with the local parish priest. Or maybe after the introduction of Kosher / Halal meals in the school cafeteria every one goes back to watching “American Idol”
This was just one example, we can spin more. The point is that even the most pious Muslims will have different perspectives on what issues deserve more emphasis than others, on what type of tactics to use, on a myriad of points big and small. And the Muslim community is a mile deep and mile wide. Some Muslims are pious, some are more secular, some are politically active, some are politically indifferent, some are more concerned with private acts of charity, some want public acts of disobedience. Again this is the sign of a healthy vibrant community. So to quote Mao “let a hundred flowers bloom, let a hundred schools of thought contend”
James (San Deigo),
If your comment
Was in reference to my previous response, I can only assume you didn’t bother actually reading the quotations.
Sheikh Salman al-Awdah had a great series of articles of this topic in which he made a distinction between unity of purpose and unity of opinion or organisational unity.
I came across the following passage that seems relevant to the discussion. Although the article is about Muslim groups within America, it wouldn’t surprise me if this is applicable to Australia as well:
Is There a Muslim Lobby in the US?
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