Differences are abound no matter where we are or what we subscribe to. Being Muslims, we are not exempted from this. Rather than focusing on the differences, the khutbah on 12^th April 2013 calls us to look at the things which all Muslims can agree upon; the ‘fiqh tauhidi’ or fiqh of unity.

We all believe and worship the same Allah, our guide is the same Quran, we face the same Qiblah in our prayers and we are all followers of the same beloved Prophet Muhammad (S) regardless of what school of thought we follow. This should be the basis of our relationship with other Muslims.

When we stand in congregation for prayers, the movements of the people around us might not be exactly be the same as ours but our prayer is for Allah alone. When we fast in the month of Ramadhan, pay zakat and perform Hajj if we are able to, it is because Allah has commanded it of us. When we perform supererogatory deeds, it is in hopes of attaining His Pleasure. My Allah, your Allah, their Allah is our Allah; One and the same. The attributes that He possesses does not differ for different people. He has the same 99 names/attributes for all of us.

It is the same Quran that we read, seek to understand and incorporate in our lives. It is the same Prophet Muhammad (S) whose sunnah we are trying to emulate in our efforts in becoming better people and better Muslims.  The akhlaq that we were taught to have which includes universal values such as honesty, justice and kindness are based on those two things.

Differences occur because of the interpretations of people who are not infallible. Instead of trying to prove who’s right or wrong or nit-picking on each other, we should learn to accept those differences by knowing that in essence, we are the same and it is through unity and not division that we can become a stronger ummah.

We may not agree with some of the views of others be it because of what we were taught or our preconceived notions of what “brand” of Islam people identify themselves with but if we remove the labels we put on ourselves and on each other are we all not simply Muslims?

May Allah strengthen our bond with each other and remove animosity from our hearts so that we may be of benefit to each other and everyone around us.

Fadhuli Taufek
Fadhuli is an aspiring writer and believes in putting in the time and effort into meaningful causes. He strives to improve himself as a person and as a Muslim.