Unity is not a choice. It is an imperative if we are to become strong again
In Surah Āl ʿImrān, Allah Almighty commands:
وَأَطِيعُوا ٱللَّهَ وَٱلرَّسُولَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ
“Obey Allah and the Messenger so that you may be shown mercy.” (3:132)
This is a direct command – fiʿl al-amr – from Allah. In Arabic, a command denotes obligation. Just as when Allah says, أَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ (“Establish the prayer”), it means the prayer is obligatory, or آتُوا الزَّكَاةَ (“Pay your zakat”), making zakat an obligation, so too does His command to obey Him and His Messenger ﷺ signify a binding duty.
Whatever the Messenger ﷺ conveys is from Allah, for he is the Messenger of Allah. We cannot receive revelation directly; Allah sends His messengers to deliver it to humanity. At the heart of this message is the establishment of justice on earth.
The first duty, therefore, is to obey Allah. This is a vast task, but in essence it means following His commands in the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Allah links obedience to His mercy – the more one obeys, the more one is granted His mercy. This connection is unbreakable. There is a general mercy (raḥmah ʿāmmah) which encompasses all creatures, and a specific mercy (raḥmah khāṣṣah) reserved for the obedient among His servants.
If one seeks this special mercy, one must be obedient. Yet Allah gives people a choice:
لَآ إِكْرَاهَ فِى ٱلدِّينِ
“There is no compulsion in religion.” (2:256)
However, choice comes with consequences. Messengers are sent to clarify the results of obedience and disobedience. Clarity (bayān) is a prerequisite for meaningful choice:
هَٰذَا بَيَانٌ لِّلنَّاسِ
“This is a clear message to the people.” (3:138)
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا بِلِسَانِ قَوْمِهِ لِيُبَيِّنَ لَهُمْ
“We have not sent any messenger except in the language of his people, so that he might make the message clear to them.” (14:4)
Once truth is clear, the decision lies with the individual:
وَقُلِ الْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّكُمْ ۖ فَمَن شَاءَ فَلْيُؤْمِن وَمَن شَاءَ فَلْيَكْفُرْ
“Say, ‘The truth is from your Lord. Whoever wills – let him believe; and whoever wills – let him disbelieve.’” (18:29)
Allah is free from all needs. Our obedience benefits us alone; our disobedience harms us alone.
Among His most important commands is:
وَٱعْتَصِمُوا۟ بِحَبْلِ ٱللَّهِ جَمِيعًۭا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا۟
“Hold fast to the rope of Allah all together, and do not be divided.” (3:103)
Unity is a divine obligation
Unity is not merely a matter of political strategy or social harmony; it is a direct cause of Allah’s mercy. The Qur’an makes this link explicit: “Obey Allah and the Messenger so that you may be shown mercy” (Āl ʿImrān:132). Scholars explain that Allah’s mercy is of two kinds – the general mercy granted to all creatures, and the specific mercy reserved for the obedient. When the Ummah obeys Allah’s commands, including the command to remain united, it invites this specific mercy. But when it disobeys and becomes divided, it forfeits this divine aid and suffers the consequences in this world and the next.
Disunity leads to weakness and failure
Allah warns:
وَلَا تَنَـٰزَعُوا۟ فَتَفْشَلُوا۟ وَتَذْهَبَ رِيحُكُمْ
“Do not dispute among yourselves, lest you lose courage and your strength depart.” (8:46)
Differences in opinion can be a source of strength if channelled towards the same ultimate goal. But when differences turn into divisions with conflicting aims, our power collapses.
Islamic practice constantly brings the community together: daily congregational prayers, Jumuʿah, Eid, janāzah, and special prayers like kusūf (solar eclipse) and khusūf (lunar eclipse). This unity is part of Allah’s system to keep the ummah strong.
Nationalism is a source of division
In our time, one of the greatest obstacles to unity is nationalism. For over a millennium, even after severe defeats, the Ummah managed to recover its strength because it still thought and acted as one body. Yet in the last century, particularly after the Sykes–Picot Agreement and the rise of nationalism, Muslims have been divided into dozens of small, often competing states. Borders now exist not only on maps but in the hearts and minds of Muslims. As long as this mindset remains, the unity commanded in the Qur’an will remain out of reach, and the Ummah will continue to suffer collective weakness.
History shows the Ummah has faced many defeats – in al-Andalus, Baghdad, under the Crusaders – yet always rose again, except in the last century. Since the Second World War, the Ummah has not recovered its collective strength. Nationalism has fragmented us into isolated states, contrary to the Qur’anic command to remain united.
The Prophet ﷺ warned:
إِنَّمَا يَأْكُلُ الذِّئْبُ مِنَ الْغَنَمِ الْقَاصِيَةَ
“The wolf only devours the lone sheep.” (Sunan al-Nasā’ī)
This is our reality today – in places like Palestine, isolated communities are attacked while the rest of the Ummah watches helplessly, limited to duʿāʾ and donations. We may not be able to erase borders physically, but we can remove them from our minds and hearts.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
الْمُؤْمِنُ لِلْمُؤْمِنِ كَالْبُنْيَانِ يَشُدُّ بَعْضُهُ بَعْضًا
“The believer to another believer is like a building whose parts support each other,” and he interlaced his fingers. (Sahih al-Bukhari)
Unity begins internally, in thought, in feeling, in practice, and extends outward.
The Qur’an repeats:
وَٱعْتَصِمُوا۟ بِحَبْلِ ٱللَّهِ جَمِيعًۭا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا۟
“Hold fast to the rope of Allah all together, and do not be divided.” (3:103)
The Prophet ﷺ also said:
مَثَلُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فِي تَوَادِّهِمْ وَتَرَاحُمِهِمْ وَتَعَاطُفِهِمْ مَثَلُ الْجَسَدِ إِذَا اشْتَكَى مِنْهُ عُضْوٌ تَدَاعَى لَهُ سَائِرُ الْجَسَدِ بِالسَّهَرِ وَالْحُمَّى
“The example of the believers in their mutual love, mercy, and compassion is like that of a single body; when one part suffers, the whole body responds with sleeplessness and fever.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
Differences will remain, just as a body has many limbs, but they must function together. When one part of the Ummah suffers, all must feel its pain. Our task now is to recharge our īmān and our unity, to obey Allah’s command, and to restore the strength of the ummah – at least in spirit if not yet in physical form.
The Qur’an repeatedly reminds believers that they are part of a single community unified by their shared faith. Allah says:
إِنَّ هَـٰذِهِۦۤ أُمَّتُكُمۡ أُمَّةࣰ وَ ٰحِدَةࣰ وَأَنَا۠ رَبُّكُمۡ فَٱعۡبُدُونِ
“Indeed, this Ummah of yours is one community, and I am your Lord, so worship Me.” (Al-Anbiyāʾ: 92)
This verse shows that unity is not merely a political or social arrangement, but a religious identity based on the worship of Allah alone. The oneness of the Ummah is a divine directive, inseparable from the worship of its Lord, and division undermines both its worldly strength and its spiritual integrity.
Based on the Khutbah delivered by Shaykh Haytham Tamim on 15th August 2025. Transcribed by Z Sheikh