All praise is due to Allaah, Lord of all the worlds. Peace and blessings of Allaah be upon the Messenger, his household and companions.

Brethren in faith! Fear Allaah for that is the only way to salvation and the Paradise. It strengthens hearts in times of tribulations and light up the path in times of crises.

Fellow Muslims! Anyone who reads the history of Islaam will easily recognise its civilisation and leadership in the world for centuries. Yes, that power was owed to the adherence to the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger and the Muslims’ adherence to unity and their shunning of disunity, in line with the saying of Allaah,

“Truly! This, your Ummah (Shari’ah or religion (Islaamic Monotheism)) is one religion, and I am your Lord, therefore worship Me (Alone).” (Al-Anbiyaa 21:92)

The observer of the present situation of the Muslim will also realise that the Ummah is facing a difficult time amid ferocious enemies and malevolent people. This is in addition to its own internal wrangling and different, contradicting perception of issues and appearance of perverted ideologies and elements that abandon the community of the Muslims. All this has created huge injuries and ruptures in the body of the Ummah. But to Allaah belongs the ultimate wisdom in all that. Allaah says,

“Everyone is going to taste death, and We shall make a trial of you with evil and with good. And to Us you will be returned.” (Al-Anbiyaa 21:35)

Dear brethren! There are many tribulations and crises in the way of the Ummah’s progress, but each day in which the Ummah fails to diagnose the causes of its defects and if fails to make use of the elements of revival, it retrogresses and fails to rise.

Brethren in faith! We are saying this to underline the major landmarks that are on the way of progress and which should be followed by every seeker of truth and in order to remind the forgetful, to teach the ignorant, to bring together differing groups and drive away rancour and malice from souls.

Brethren in Islam! The excellent law of our religion aims at unity and agreement as it repudiates disunity and discord. It calls to mutual love and brotherhood and encourages mutual cooperation and support especially among those who are seekers of the truth and followers of the path of the Qur’aan and the Sunnah. Allaah says,

“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 Allâh’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).” (Aal ‘Imraan 3:103)

In this verse, Allaah reminds us of His favour of changing this Ummah from being deplorably disunited to an orderly and wonderful people.

From the Sunnah, the Messenger of Allaah said, “The dearest to me of all of you and the closest to me in position on the Day of Resurrection are the best of you in conduct; those who are amicable, who love and are loved.” (Al-Bukhaaree)

Brethren on faith! Whoever conceals his ailment; it will weaken him and trouble him. One of the ailments that that troubles this Ummah and needs urgent diagnosis and cure is dissent, disunity and mutual castigation that have become the lot of the members of this Ummah, especially those who follow the true Islaamic creed, manner of worship and conduct, and those who call to the way of Allaah and are keen on safety of this Ummah and its unity.

It is indeed very wrong that some members of this religion should attack the personalities of their brethren who are erudite scholars and callers to the truth and to question their authority. This tendency becomes more heinous if it is done with the aim of deriding these scholars in the media. The Prophet said, “O you who profess faith with their tongues and do not have faith in their hearts! Do not slander the Muslims. And do not pursue their imperfections. For whoever pursues their imperfections, Allaah will Allaah will pursue his imperfections and whoever Allaah pursues his imperfections, He will disgrace him even if he is the innermost part of his house.” (Ahmad and others)

Imaam Ahmad said, “Attacking the personalities of scholars, especially the eminent ones among them, is one of the major sins.”

Maalik bin Deenaar said, “It is enough evil for a man not to be among the righteous and yet attack the righteous.”

Why then do some people who are followers of the same religion make the benefits of this world their greatest concern and thereby pursue the imperfections of their brethren at every available occasion? These people have adopted trouble-making as their method of operation. They know nothing but creating suspicions, harms and unfounded allegations. They never care about insulting others and attacking their honours. Whenever they see you in a blessing they become envious and when you are out of their sights they slander you. If they come to know a fault of yours they fly with joy and whatever good you do they try to hide it. They work day and night to undermine innocent people and disfigure them. In comfort they are friend and in adversity they turn to sworn enemies. They never excuse others and their effort is to bring down virtues people through rumours. Do these people not fear Allaah?

It is in the light of these misconceptions and the excusable faults that these misguided people based their concept of allegiance and renunciation and that of love and enmity. Bigotry and prejudice are the concepts which they feed the students of knowledge and the educated elites not to talk of the common people. Time and resources are wasted on this tendency. Though it is supposed to be the preoccupation of erroneous sects that oppose the true Islaam and seeks to undermine its security. I pray that Allaah protect righteous and well-meaning people from the traits of erroneous people whom the Prophet described as follows, “People who read the Qur’aan and it never exceeds their throats. They will deviate from the religion as the arrow passes through the target. They kill the people of Islaam and leave out the worshippers of idols.” (Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim)

One of brightest sayings of wisdom attributed to Qaadee Iyaas bin Mu’aawiyah is the one narrated by Ibn Katheer on the authority of Sufyaan bin Husayn who said, “I spoke ill of someone in the presence of Iyaas bin Mu’aawiyah who looked me straight in the face and said, “Have you fought Rome?” I said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘Have you fought the Romans, the Sind, the Indians and the Turks?’ I said, ‘No.’ He then said, “Will the Romans, the Sind, the Indians and the Turks be safe from your harm and your Muslim brother not be safe from your harm?” Sufyaan said, “From that day onward, I never spoke ill of anybody.”

Ibn Seereen said, “Your injustice against your brother is to speak about the worst thing you know about him and to hide the good things you know about him.”

Ibn Al-Mubaarak said, “The true believer finds excuse for his brother but the hypocrite pursues the imperfections of his brother.”

All the above is about individuals Muslims. Imagine how serious the matter will be if the attack is directed towards the people of knowledge, righteousness and calling to the way of Allaah. No doubt, refraining from attacking them and protecting them is more compelling. ‘Umar said, “Do not ever think evil of a word uttered by your brother as long as you can find a better interpretation for it.”

Sa’eed in al-Musayyab said, “There is no scholar or virtuous person who has no imperfections. But he whose virtues are more than his imperfections, his virtues overwhelms his imperfections.”

Imaam Adh-Dhahabee said, “If we were to regard to accuse a scholar with innovation and renounce him for every excusable mistake he makes in matters of Ijtihaad, we would not have spared Ibn Nasr, Ibn Mandah or any scholar who was greater than them. Allaah is the One Who guides mankind to the truth and He is the Most Compassionate. We seek refuge with Allaah from desires and crudeness.”

We are therefore calling upon the Muslims that enough of misbehaviour and disunity and now is the time to unite and hold together.

Men and women of media should also fear Allaah. It is only the truth that should be published.

Dear brethren! Let us do away with reactions and counter reactions that arouse dissention and hatred. May Allaah bless the one who knows for the scholars their honours and knows his own limits and repents from the evil that his hand had written. The matter of criticism should be left for those erudite scholars, who know the rules of debates and etiquettes of disagreement. Does anybody possess the impartial criterion for criticizing men and their methods but the well-versed scholars? Adh-Dhahabee said, “Impartiality and piety should be maintained when criticizing the scholars.”

Fellow Muslims! The academic arenas and the fields of Da’wah and knowledge need to inculcate sense of brotherhood that is based on truth, fairness, mutual respect and the will to arrive at the truth. Allaah says,

“Do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just; that is nearer to righteousness.” (Al-Maaidah 5:8)

Brethren in faith! An example of the Salaf’s etiquette of disagreement, their upholding of love and sincerity and their submission to the truth without arrogance is what Adh-Dhahabee narrated from Haafiz Aboo Moosaa As-Sadafy that he said, “I have never seen anyone wiser than Ash-Shaafi’ee. I debated an issue with him one day and we parted. He later met me and took hold of my hand and said, “Aboo Moosaa, is it not good for us to remain as brothers even if we disagree on an issue?”

Adh-Dhahabee commented on this saying, “This indicate the high-mindedness and deep sense of understanding of this Imaam.”

We are in dire need of these concepts and manners, not in need of accusations and counter accusations.

O you followers of Sunnah! Be gentle with one another. Tread it softly with the scholars, the callers to the way of Allaah and other righteous people. May Allaah bless the one who is just with himself, faults his own self, is just with his brethren, love good for them and does not back the Satan against them. It is an act of nobility to face your brothers with their mistakes as it is an ignominious to attack them behind their backs. It is also shameful to be biased when talking about righteous people and to fail to acknowledge their position. Allaah says,

“Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah; and those with him are forceful against the disbelievers, merciful among themselves.” (Al-Fat’h 48:29)

Dear brethren! Let yours be a constructive criticism and let that be from the qualified individuals only. Let this criticism be in form of well-meaning dialogue characterized by mutual love and impartiality, and free from desire, bigotry and name-calling. It is then that you can win your brethren’s praise and invocations.

Fellow Muslims! You should know that your Ummah is in dire need of unity upon the truth and constructive good word. We should have good opinion of the righteous people; give support to the scholars and those in authority. Our confidence in them should not be diminished. We should remain united against the vicious trends and the deadly thoughts that threaten the security of our society especially in these days.

Indeed, turning away from this luxuriant path, wasting the time on pursuing other people’s mistakes and attacking the established values are, no doubt, regarded crimes against this Ummah and failing to help its cause. It is therefore shameful and foolish that a Muslim should preoccupy himself with imperfections of his brother while the enemy is there around the corner watching with interest.

Brethren in faith! In order to have the light at the end of the tunnel, the scholars, the writers and the mass media should unite and feel like a single body which if a part thereof aches, other parts share in the sleeplessness and fever. It is by doing this that the ship of our society can be salvaged from sinking at the hands of unscrupulous elements whose main preoccupation is declaring other Muslims as heretic, sinners and disbelievers; they even carry weapons against fellow Muslims and shed innocent blood.

Dear Muslims! The ship of this Ummah cannot remain safe except at the shore of security and faith, far away from bases of ignorance and desires.

Dear brother! Turn a new leaf before a day comes in which there will be nothing but Paradise or Hell. It is impossible that those who use their pens to attack the fundamental of this Ummah reap any useful fruits.

Fellow Muslims! We are making a call from the pulpit of the Sacred Mosque to the fugitives to surrender themselves so that the law of Allaah can implemented upon them. Doing so will bring blessing to them, their families and their country. This is because, any Muslim, who is assigned any responsibility and discharge this honestly and truthfully, nothing will prevent him from progressing and arriving at the truth.