What exactly do you mean when you say "Muslims must unite"?
Why it sounds good to say but usually has no practical application.
Unite on what?
That’s the question I find myself constantly having to ask when Muslims repeatedly offer the same “solution” to every challenge we face:
“Muslims need to unite; then we’ll be able to…”
Then follows a list of actions supposedly needed to solve the issue in question but…
Only if we unite first?
Why is that?
Why are certain actions—apparently useful and needed—impossible unless we unite?
I ask again:
Unite on what?
“We need to unite so that we can form groups to challenge and take on X”.
Unite on what??
Can’t you take action now? Can’t you get some friends together and make a start?
What exactly do you want to unite on?
Do people need to qualify to be united with you?
Do they need to announce their unity?
What exactly do Muslims mean when they say “unite”!?
Because to me it sounds like an excuse.
There’s a task to be done. We have hands and feet. We have time and health.
So why aren’t we doing it?
Why are we waiting for so called “unity”?
Look…
What are Muslims doing right NOW?
Working
Earning
Building
Charity
Education
Study
Worship
Fighting
Struggling
Raising children
Building schools
Forming startups
Trying to survive
Trying to better themselves
Trying to help each other…
The list is endless…
Are we seriously going to sit here and act like Muslims aren’t already doing amazing, worthwhile, valuable things?
Don’t we all know someone doing at least one of the above?
Most of the Muslims you know are probably juggling several of these worthwhile actions at the same time.
And they exist within our individual circles of influence:
Someone we can help (or hinder) depending on OUR OWN ACTIONS.
Why not join them?
You can literally UNITE NOW:
Help a Muslim in something they are working on.
Ask Muslims to help you on something you are working on.
Connect Muslims with each other.
Do we really need so called “unity” to do that?
Of course not!
But we want them to follow our idea…
Our version…
Our lead…
It’s not unity we want.
Its uniformity.
Uniformity of beliefs.
Sorry… but that’s never going to happen…
And it shouldn’t need to happen.
And BTW…
When we insist on unity as a prerequisite to action…
What we’re really saying is…
“Whatever you want to do I know better and… whatever the best outcome is rests in my hands. From my lips. By my blessing…”
Or “with my group”.
Or “from my sheikh”.
It’s ego driven.
Millions of Muslims are already doing amazing things.
Just take one example: charity.
Muslims are already the most charitable demographic on the planet.
Picture every charitable act done by Muslims as a unit of measure.
Let’s see it as a percentage… the current charitable output of Muslims as the baseline: 100%.
Now add one supporter, contributor, facilitator, etc., to every single unit of charity.
That means you and I and every Muslim helps in one unit of charity that is already being done.
Mathematically our output is now 200%. It’s doubled.
What I’m trying to illustrate here is Muslims are already united in the only thing that can be practically united on:
Practical actions.
To formalise it as a universal principle:
WE NEED TO UNITE ON NECESSITIES… NOT BELIEFS.
A Muslim wants to feed his family… that’s necessity.
And one we can all relate to and share in the struggle… that’s action.
And when we realise this and start helping each other… that’s unity.
If you want Muslims to unite… lead by example…
By uniting with fellow Muslims on something virtuous:
Identifying the necessity.
Breaking it down into practical actions.
Helping each other take action.
The combined efforts… the combined, overlapping circles of influence of Muslims helping each other…
Will grow and multiply and compound into massive change…
True unity.
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