Title of the Sermon: And Do Not Dispute, Lest You Fail
Elements of the Sermon:
Believers are like a single structure.
Unity is mercy, and division is torment.
Satan's plot to sow discord among the believers.
Causes of unity and causes of division.
All praise is due to Allah, the Knower of the unseen, who with His mercy unites hearts, and with His grace rescues from various hardships. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah, alone without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger. May Allah bless him, his family, and his companions abundantly.
O servants of Allah, fear Allah with true fear, and observe Him in secret and in public.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ
"O you who have believe, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims"
Servants of Allah,
Allah Almighty commands His prophet Moses, peace be upon him, to go to Pharaoh to remind him of Allah. Moses asks his Lord to send his brother Aaron with him, saying:
وَأَخِي هَارُونُ هُوَ أَفْصَحُ مِنِّي لِسَانًا فَأَرْسِلْهُ مَعِيَ رِدْءًا يُصَدِّقُنِي إِنِّي أَخَافُ أَنْ يُكَذِّبُونِ
"Aaron is more eloquent than me, so send him with me as a support to confirm me, for I fear they will deny me."
Allah responds to his supplication, saying:
سَنَشُدُّ عَضُدَكَ بِأَخِيكَ
"We will strengthen your arm with your brother."
Indeed, a believer is few on his own but many with his brothers, weak alone but strong with his supporters. Allah blessed His Messenger ﷺ, supporting him with His victory and with the believers, saying:
وَإِنْ يُرِيدُوا أَنْ يَخْدَعُوكَ فَإِنَّ حَسْبَكَ اللَّهُ هُوَ الَّذِي أَيَّدَكَ بِنَصْرِهِ وَبِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ * وَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِهِمْ لَوْ أَنْفَقْتَ مَا فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا مَا أَلَّفْتَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ أَلَّفَ بَيْنَهُمْ إِنَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ
"If they intend to deceive you, then sufficient for you is Allah. It is He who supported you with His help and with the believers * And brought together their hearts. If you had spent all that is in the earth, you could not have brought their hearts together, but Allah brought them together. Indeed, He is Exalted in Might and Wise"
The believers are one body, one nation, like a building whose parts support each other. The more they are united, the stronger and impenetrable they become to their enemies. Hence, Allah, in His wisdom and mercy, commands the Muslims to hold fast together and forbids them from divisions and disputes. He says:
وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا وَاذْكُرُوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ كُنْتُمْ أَعْدَاءً فَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِكُمْ فَأَصْبَحْتُمْ بِنِعْمَتِهِ إِخْوَانًا
"And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided. And remember the favor of Allah upon you - when you were enemies and He brought your hearts together and you became, by His favor, brothers."
Brothers in Islam,
The blessing of unity is mercy, as the Prophet ﷺ said: "The group is mercy, and division is torment." Reported by Ahmad. The unity of believers enjoys the companionship of Allah, as the Prophet ﷺ said: "The hand of Allah is with the group." Reported by Tirmidhi.
Division and dispute lead to failure, weakness, and the scorn of the Muslim nation by non-believers. Allah says:
وَأَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَلَا تَنَازَعُوا فَتَفْشَلُوا وَتَذْهَبَ رِيحُكُمْ وَاصْبِرُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ
"And obey Allah and His Messenger and do not dispute and [thus] lose courage and [then] your strength would depart; and be patient. Indeed, Allah is with the patient."
The Prophet ﷺ said: "Adhere to the group, for the wolf eats the one that is separated" (Ahmad).
The accursed Satan is most keen on separating the believers, inciting enmity and disputes among them. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Satan has despaired of being worshipped by the worshippers in the Arabian Peninsula, but [he is] in the dissension between them." Reported by Muslim.
Satan separates husband and wife, brother from brother, father from son, and Muslim from his brother. He instigates enmity and hatred among believers, stirring up conflicts, as Allah says:
إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ الشَّيْطَانُ أَنْ يُوقِعَ بَيْنَكُمُ الْعَدَاوَةَ وَالْبَغْضَاءَ فِي الْخَمْرِ وَالْمَيْسِرِ
"Satan only wants to cause between you animosity and hatred through intoxicants and gambling."
The Prophet ﷺ said: "Satan places his throne over water and sends out his brigades. The closest to him in rank are the greatest at causing fitnah. One of them comes and says, 'I did so and so.' And he says, 'You have done nothing.' Then one amongst them comes and says, 'I did not spare so and so until I sowed the seed of discord between a husband and his wife.' Satan goes near him and says: 'You have done well'" (Muslim).
Servants of Allah,
The unity and affinity of the Muslim nation have causes to be followed, just as hatred and division have causes to be avoided. Looking at the situation of the Ummah, we see that divisions among them occurred based on race, nationality, ideologies, methodologies, and banners.
One of the greatest causes of unity and gathering, indeed its root and foundation, is faith in Allah Almighty. This faith entails loving Allah and loving for His sake, allying with Him and His servants, despite differences in race, ethnicity, and language. Allah says:
إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌ
"The believers are but brothers."
And:
وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتُ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ بَعْضٍ
"The believing men and believing women are allies of one another."
Faith in Allah produces love for a fellow believer as one loves for oneself, without harboring malice or envy. The Prophet ﷺ said: "None of you [truly] believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself" (Agreed upon).
If people unite on kinship, tribe, nation, or worldly matters, believers unite on something greater: faith in their one Lord, whom they all love, honor, obey, and hope to meet. Thus, a believer allies with whoever believes in Allah alone without partner and does not prefer color, race, nationality, or party over this covenant.
When a conflict occurred between an Ansari and a Muhajir, each calling to their group, the Prophet ﷺ said: "What is this call of ignorance? Leave it, for it is rotten" (Agreed upon).
One of the greatest causes of unity and gathering is adherence to the rope of Allah, which is His infallible revelation, the Qur'an, and the Sunnah. Allah says:
وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا
"And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided."
When the nation unites on the divine methodology, without disagreement or contradiction, and clings to it in belief, understanding, and action, Allah will unite their hearts, bring them together, and unify their ranks.
Adherence to revelation is a salvation from division, for one of the most dangerous causes of division is dispute in religion. This dispute arises from two sources:
The first is the obscurity of truth and its confusion with falsehood. The infallible revelation is clear, evident, without contradiction or ambiguity. Whoever turns to it seeking guidance and acts accordingly will find it a light, guidance, and protection from discord and dispute.
It is essential to refer to it and act according to all its dictates, not selectively. Allah punished previous nations that took from His law what suited their desires by inflicting them with enmity and hatred among themselves. Allah says:
وَمِنَ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا إِنَّا نَصَارَى أَخَذْنَا مِيثَاقَهُمْ فَنَسُوا حَظًّا مِمَّا ذُكِّرُوا بِهِ فَأَغْرَيْنَا بَيْنَهُمُ الْعَدَاوَةَ وَالْبَغْضَاءَ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ
"And from those who said, 'We are Christians' We took their covenant; but they forgot a portion of that of which they were reminded. So We caused among them animosity and hatred until the Day of Resurrection."
The Prophet ﷺ warned his nation of such punishment, saying: "There are five things with which you will be tested, and I seek refuge with Allah lest you live to see them: [One of them is] when the people stop judging by the Book of Allah and seek to follow what suits them, Allah will pit them against one another" (Ibn Majah).
The second cause of dispute is following desires and what the souls crave, even if it contradicts the law and truth. When believers are sincere in seeking and preferring the truth, their hearts will be united by following the infallible revelation, and whoever corrupts his intention and follows his desires, Allah will misguide him despite his knowledge, and seal his hearing and heart.
Sincerity in following the truth is one of the greatest causes of unity and gathering, and following desires and seeking worldly matters is one of the most dangerous causes of division and disagreement. The Prophet ﷺ said: "By Allah, it is not poverty that I fear for you, but I fear that the world will be spread out for you as it was for those before you, and you will compete over it as they competed over it, and it will destroy you as it destroyed them" (Agreed upon).
Servants of Allah,
Satan has ways, placing on each a demon to embellish falsehood, tempting those who follow their desires, leading them away from the truth that opposes their desires, then they dispute and separate from the believers.
It is authentically narrated from Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said: "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ drew a line for us and said, 'This is Allah's path.' Then he drew lines to the right and left and said, 'These are other paths. On every path there is a devil calling to it.' Then he recited, 'Indeed, this is My path, straight, so follow it; and do not follow [other] ways, for you will be separated from His way'" (Ahmad).
Indeed, there may be differences of opinion among Muslims, but referring back to the infallible revelation is a protection from the abyss of division and separation, as Allah says:
فَإِنْ تَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي شَيْءٍ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ ذَلِكَ خَيْرٌ وَأَحْسَنُ تَأْوِيلًا
"So if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is the best [way] and best in result."
May Allah bless me and you with the great Qur'an and benefit me and you with the verses and wise remembrance. I seek forgiveness from Allah for me and you, so seek His forgiveness, for He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.
The Second Sermon
Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family, his companions, and those who ally with him.
O servants of Allah, fear Allah, observe Him, obey Him, and do not disobey Him.
Brothers in Islam,
Allah Almighty revealed the Torah and the Gospel and placed guidance and light in them. However, the Children of Israel did not differ and separate until after knowledge came to them. They even made lawful the shedding of each other's blood, and this was due to the corruption of their hearts with arrogance, envy, greed, and competition for wealth and power. Allah says:
إِنَّ الدِّينَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ الْإِسْلَامُ وَمَا اخْتَلَفَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ إِلَّا مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَهُمُ الْعِلْمُ بَغْيًا بَيْنَهُمْ
"Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam. And those who were given the Scripture did not differ except after knowledge had come to them - out of jealous animosity among themselves."
Therefore, purifying the heart from malice, hatred, envy, and competition for worldly matters is the way to accept the truth, whoever may speak it.
It is a duty upon this nation to act upon Allah's advice to it in His saying:
وَأَنَّ هَذَا صِرَاطِي مُسْتَقِيمًا فَاتَّبِعُوهُ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا السُّبُلَ فَتَفَرَّقَ بِكُمْ عَنْ سَبِيلِهِ ذَلِكُمْ وَصَّاكُمْ بِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
"And indeed, it is My straight path, so follow it; and do not follow [other] ways, for you will be separated from His way. This has He instructed you that you may become righteous."
And upon the advice of its Prophet ﷺ, who said: "Do not differ, for those before you differed and perished" (Bukhari).
O Allah, unite our hearts, mend our social bonds, guide us to the paths of peace, deliver us from darkness to light, and keep us away from manifest and hidden indecencies.
O Allah, support Islam and honor the Muslims, destroy the criminal Jews, grant tranquility to the hearts of the Mujahideen in Your cause, save Your oppressed servants, raise the banner of the religion with Your power, O Strong, O Steadfast.
O Allah, guide the one in charge of our affairs to what You love and are pleased with, and lead him to righteousness and piety. Our Lord, grant us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.
Servants of Allah, remember Allah often, glorify Him morning and evening, and our last prayer is that all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.
