Praise be to A1laah, the Lord of the worlds. May the peace and blessings of Allaah be upon Muhammad, His last Messenger, his household, his companions and all those who follow him till the Last Day.
With the approach of the end of the year comes Eid al-Adha - the festival of sacrifice upon which the Muslims usually agree. The last month of the Hijrah is one of its sacred months. Its first ten days are the best days on earth in which performing good deeds earn meritorious rewards. They are the days of hajj and the tenth day is the day of sacrifice. Muslims round the world hardly differ on this day and the uniqueness of its occasion. It is this unity upon goodness that is required in this ummah as we enter another year and another era of challenges for this honourable ummah!
Unity Leads To Safety And Happiness And Splitting Leads To Evil And Destruction.
Imaam Muhammad Bin Abdul Wahhaab (RAH) stated in his Usoolus Sittah [Six Principles]:
"The Second Principle: Allah has commanded Unity in the Religion and He forbade splitting in it; so Allah has clarified this with a clear clarification understood by the common people".
This is from the statement of Allaah to this ummah that
'And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allaah (i.e. this Qur'aan), and be not divided among yourselves, and remember Allaah's Favour on you, for you were enemies one to another but He joined your hearts together, so that, by His Grace, you became brethren (in Islaamic Faith), and you were on the brink of a pit of Fire, and He saved you from it." (Q3[Aal-Imraan]: 103)
So Allah has commanded holding onto His Rope, and it is the Firm Religion which the Book of the Lord of the Worlds and the Sunnah of the leader of the first and later Prophets [Muhammad (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) came with. And Allaah forbade His Messenger from division in the Religion; because it is the path of the Mushrikoon and the Innovators.
As for those who have understanding in the Religion, from the Book of their Lord and the Sunnah of their Prophet; then indeed they unite upon all of the Religion and do not split; in compliance with the command given to them in the Revelation. So unity upon the Clear Truth is the path of the Salafus Saaliheen, those who possessed the correct understanding of Allaah's Magnificent Book and the Sunnah of the trustworthy Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam). Splitting is the path of the people of innovation, those who are misguided and misguiding others; because they are the ones who bring about splitting as a result of deviating from the Siraatal Musta-qeem.
This Is The Straight Path
Indeed, Allaah has commanded the Ummah as a whole to traverse a singular path, and that is the Siraatal Musta'qeem, and to be warned against the crooked paths, in His saying:
'And verily, this is my Straight Path, so follow it, and follow not (other) paths, for they will separate you away from His Path." (Q6[al- A'naam]:153)
As for the people of the Qur'aan, the Sunnah and correct understanding, they embrace this divine commandment in their hearts, tongues and with the actions of their limbs. They do not turn away from the straight line that leads to Allah and His pleasure.
As for the people of innovation, then indeed they deviate from that straight line to the other lines on the right and the left, as reported by Jaabir Bin Abdillaah (RA) who said: 'We were sitting with the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam), so he drew a straight line in front of him and said, 'this is Allaah's path'. He then drew lines on the right and left sides of this (straight line) and said, 'these are the path of shaytaan.' Then he placed his finger on the line in the middle and then recited this ayah:'
'And verily, this is my Straight Path, so follow it, and follow not (other) paths, for they will separate you away from His Path.'(Q6:153)
Therefore, whoever takes hold of the middle line will be safe and happy, and whoever turns away from the middle line will traverse the deviated lines. He will fall to destruction in this worldly life, in the Barzakh and in the hereafter.
'And he for whom Allaah has not appointed light, for him there is no light." (Q24[an- Nur]:40)
Eid Mubaraak!