Fifth aspect: Obstinacy and partisanship only harm social life.

 

Fifth aspect: Obstinacy and partisanship only harm social life.

If it is said: A Tradition says, “Difference among my community is a mercy.”16 Difference requires partisanship. Although a disease, it also relieves the oppressed masses from an oppressive elite that, if united, tends toward tyranny. If there are [political] parties and partisanship, the oppressed may protect themselves by joining one. Also, the confrontation of opinions and the disagreement of ideas allow the truth to emerge in its full measure.

Answer: The difference intended in the hadith is a positive difference. That is, it allows each side to promote and propagate its own argument, to improve and reform a competing view instead of destroying it. The Prophet rejects a negative difference, for it seeks to destroy another side because of partisan bias and hostility. Those who are at each other’s throats cannot act positively (toward each other).

As for the second part of the question, if partisanship is in the name of truth, it can be a refuge for those seeking their rights. But the current biased and self-centered partisanship is only a refuge and a focus of support for the unjust. If Satan appears to support those engaged in biased partisanship, such partisans will call God’s blessings upon him. Moreover, if angelic people join another side, the same partisans will call God’s curses upon them.

As for the third part of the question, if people argue in the name of truth, this is only a difference of means. In reality, it is an agreement upon the basis of the matter and the basic purpose. Such an argument can reveal all aspects of truth, and so serves justice and truth. But a confrontation between biased, partisan opinions driven by egotism and fame-seeking, one engendered by a tyrannical, carnal soul, only can bring forth the flames of dissension. Failing to agree on a purpose, opposing views of this kind cannot find a point of convergence anywhere on earth. Since they do not differ in the name of truth, they split into extremes and give rise to irreconcilable divisions.

In short, if one’s conduct is not based on exalted principles, “Loving for God’s sake; disliking for God’s sake; judging for God’s sake,” dispute and discord will result. If one ignores these principles, attempts to do justice will result in injustice.

An important, instructive event: Imam ‘Ali once felled an unbeliever in a war. Just as he was about to kill him, the unbeliever spat at him. ‘Ali released him. When the unbeliever asked why, ‘Ali replied, “I was going to kill you for God’s sake. But I became angry when you spat at me, and so my intention’s purity was clouded by my soul’s inclinations. So, I did not kill you.” The unbeliever replied, “I spat at you so that you would become mad and kill me instantly. If your religion is so pure and disinterested, it must be the truth.”

An incident worthy of notice: Upon seeing a judge display signs of anger while executing a sentence, his just superior fired him. If the judge had performed his task in the Sacred Divine Law’s name, he would have felt pity on the culprit and shown neither mercy nor anger in executing the sentence. Since his soul’s inclinations had some share in his deed, he could not perform this task with justice.

A regrettable social condition and a terrible social disease fit to be wept over by the heart of Islam: A harmonious social life requires that internal enmities be forgotten and abandoned when the nation is confronted with foreign enemies. While even the most unsophisticated people recognize and practice this, why do those who claim to be serving the Muslim community fail to forget their petty hostilities at a time when numerous enemies are taking up positions to attack, one after the other, and thereby prepare the ground for the attacks of the enemies? This is nothing less than corruption, barbarity, and treachery directed against the social life of Islam!

An instructive anecdote: The tribe of Hasanan bedouins had two mutually hostile clans. Although more than 50 had been killed on each side, whenever another tribe (e.g., the Sibkan or the Haydaran) attacked them, they would forget their tribal enmity and unite until the enemy was repelled.

O people of belief! There are more than a hundred enemy “tribes,” like a series of concentric circles, ready to attack the “tribe” of believers. At a time of assuming defensive positions and supporting each other, how can believers insist on pursuing their biased partisanship and hostile rancor and thereby facilitate the enemy’s assault and grant access to the fold of Islam?

As many as seventy circles of hostile forces, ranging from the misguided, the heretics and the people of false belief, to the vicissitudes of worldly life, are watching you with greed and hatred. Each one looks for ways to hurt you, and studies you with anger and hatred. Your firm weapon, shield, and citadel against all of these is Islamic unity. So be aware of how flagrantly it contradicts conscience and the common interests of Muslims to pursue your petty enmities and other pretexts and thereby to shake this citadel of Islam, and come to your senses!

Prophetic Traditions report that such harmful and terrible people as Dajjal and Sufyan will lead the unbelievers and hypocrites at the end of time.17 Although they will have only a small force, they will reduce humanity to anarchy and the Muslim world to slavery by exploiting people’s worldly ambitions and dissension.

O people of belief! If you wish to avoid such a fate, come to your senses. Take refuge in the citadel of The believers are but brothers (49:10) against those oppressors who exploit your differences. If you do not, you cannot preserve your lives or defend your rights. While two champions fight each other, even a child can beat them. If two mountains are balanced in the scales, even a small stone can cause one to rise and the other to fall. So, O people of belief! Control your passions and hostile partisanship, otherwise your strength will weaken so much that even a small force can beat you. If you have any commitment to a collective life of social harmony and solidarity, make the principle of “The believers are together like a firm building, one part of which supports the other” your guiding principle in life!18 This will deliver you from humiliation in this world and wretchedness in the next.

Bediuzzaman Said Nursi

16  Al-Munawi, Faydh al-Qadir, 1:210.

 

17  Dajjal is the Islamic counterpart of the “Anti-Christ” in Christianity. Sufyan is a type of Dajjal. Both will cause great havoc and confusion among believers.

18  Bukhari, Salat, 88; Muslim, Birr, 65; Tirmidhi, Birr, 18. (Tr.)