Short answer
Islam teaches that all Muslims are one community, like one body. The Qur'an tells them to hold together and not to split. The Prophet (ﷺ) said that believers are like one body: when one part hurts, the whole body feels it. They are like a building whose bricks hold each other up. The Qur'an warns that quarrels make a people lose heart and lose their strength. So why are Muslims divided today? Not because they have different Qur'ans or different prayers: every Muslim reads the same Qur'an and faces the same Kaaba. Many of the splits are of borders, rulers and pride. The Prophet (ﷺ) foretold a time when Muslims would be many but weak, like foam on a flood, and he named the cause: love of the world and dislike of death. So the cure lies in the heart, and in doing what the Qur'an asks: making peace between brothers. Every Muslim has a part: going to the local mosque, passing on what they know, offering their skills, working with others, and starting today.
Full explanation
One body, one building
The Prophet (ﷺ) said that believers, in their love, mercy and kindness to one another, are like one body. When one part aches, the whole body stays awake with fever. He also said a believer is to another believer like a building whose parts hold each other up, and he laced his fingers together to show it. The Qur'an says: "The Believers are but a single Brotherhood". It says God (﷾) made people into nations and tribes so that they may know each other.
Nu'man ibn Bashir reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said the believers, in their love, mercy and kindness to one another, are like one body: when one part aches, the whole body shares its sleeplessness and fever.
Abu Musa reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said a believer is to another believer like a building whose parts hold each other up, and he joined his hands with his fingers laced together.
“The Believers are but a single Brotherhood: So make peace and reconciliation between your two (contending) brothers; and fear Allah, that ye may receive Mercy.”
“Verily, this brotherhood of yours is a single brotherhood, and I am your Lord and Cherisher: therefore serve Me (and no other).”
“O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).”
The ummah, the Muslim community
"The Believers are but a single Brotherhood"
One body
When one part aches, the whole body feels it
One building
Each brick holds the others up
One direction
Every prayer faces the same Kaaba
Commanded to hold together
The Qur'an says: "hold fast, all together, by the rope which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves". It reminds the first Muslims that they had been enemies, and God (﷾) joined their hearts. It warns: "Be not like those who are divided amongst themselves and fall into disputations after receiving Clear Signs". It says the same command was given to Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus: keep the religion and "make no divisions therein".
“And hold fast, all together, by the rope which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves; and remember with gratitude Allah's favour on you; for ye were enemies and He joined your hearts in love, so that by His Grace, ye became brethren; and ye were on the brink of the pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus doth Allah make His Signs clear to you: That ye may be guided.”
“Be not like those who are divided amongst themselves and fall into disputations after receiving Clear Signs: For them is a dreadful penalty,-”
“The same religion has He established for you as that which He enjoined on Noah - the which We have sent by inspiration to thee - and that which We enjoined on Abraham, Moses, and Jesus: Namely, that ye should remain steadfast in religion, and make no divisions therein: to those who worship other things than Allah, hard is the (way) to which thou callest them. Allah chooses to Himself those whom He pleases, and guides to Himself those who turn (to Him).”
Quarrels take a people's strength
The Qur'an says: "fall into no disputes, lest ye lose heart and your power depart". So it ties a people's strength to their unity. At his last Hajj the Prophet (ﷺ) told the crowd that their blood, property and honour were sacred to one another. He warned them not to turn back after him into disbelievers, striking one another's necks. He told those present to pass it on to those who were absent.
“And obey Allah and His Messenger; and fall into no disputes, lest ye lose heart and your power depart; and be patient and persevering: For Allah is with those who patiently persevere:”
Ibn Abbas reports that on the Day of Sacrifice the Prophet (ﷺ) asked the people what day, town and month it was, and they answered that each was sacred. He said their blood, property and honour are as sacred to one another as that day, in that town, in that month, and repeated it again and again. Then he raised his head and said: O Allah, have I not conveyed? Ibn Abbas adds that his charge to his community was that those present must convey it to those absent, and that they must not turn back after him into disbelievers, striking one another's necks.
Abu Bakra reports the Prophet's (ﷺ) sermon on the Day of Sacrifice. He asked what day, month and town it was, and was silent each time until they thought he would give it a new name. Then he said their blood and property are as sacred to one another as that day, in that month, in that town, until they meet their Lord. He asked whether he had conveyed the message; they said yes, and he said: O Allah, be witness. He told those present to convey it to those absent, since one who is told may understand it better than one who heard it, and warned them not to turn back after him into disbelievers, striking one another's necks.
Many in number, light as foam
The Prophet (ﷺ) said a time would come when the nations would call one another against the Muslims, as diners call one another to a dish. He was asked whether the Muslims would be few then. He said no, they would be many, but like the foam carried on a flood. Their enemies would stop fearing them, and weakness, wahn, would enter their hearts. Asked what wahn is, he said: love of the world and dislike of death. This does not mean seeking death: the Prophet (ﷺ) forbade even wishing for it. It means clinging to this world and forgetting the next. Some read this as a sentence of weakness on the Muslims. But the hadith names a cause, and the cause is in the heart. The Qur'an says that Allah (﷾) does not change a people's lot unless they change what is in their hearts.
Thawban reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said the nations would soon call one another against his community, as diners call one another to a dish. Asked whether that would be because they were few, he said no: they would be many, but like the scum carried on a flood. Allah would take the fear of them from their enemies' hearts and put wahn, weakness, into theirs. Asked what wahn is, he said: love of the world and dislike of death.
Anas reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said none of you should wish for death because of a harm that has struck him. If he must wish, let him say: "O Allah, keep me alive as long as life is better for me, and take me when death is better for me."
“For each (such person) there are (angels) in succession, before and behind him: They guard him by command of Allah. Allah does not change a people's lot unless they change what is in their hearts. But when (once) Allah willeth a people's punishment, there can be no turning it back, nor will they find, besides Him, any to protect.”
Many in number
Not few, but like foam on a flood
The cause
Wahn: love of the world and dislike of death
The cure
Allah (﷾) does not change a people's lot unless they change what is in their hearts
What every Muslim shares
Muslims in every country read the same Qur'an. They make the same testimony, that there is no god but Allah (﷾) and that Muhammad (ﷺ) is His Messenger. They pray five times a day and face the same Kaaba, wherever they are. They fast the same month of Ramadan and give the same charity. Every year people from every land go on the same Hajj. So the faith itself is one. Muslims do differ, and some have split into sects, which the Qur'an forbids. But many of the bitterest divisions today are between states and rulers.
Ibn Umar reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said Islam is built on five: to bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, to establish the prayer, to pay zakah, to perform the pilgrimage, and to fast the month of Ramadan.
Abu Hurayra heard the Prophet (ﷺ) ask whether any dirt would be left on someone who bathed five times a day in a river at his door. They said not a trace would be left. He said that is the example of the five prayers, by which Allah wipes out evil deeds. Also in Sahih Muslim 667.
“We see the turning of thy face (for guidance to the heavens: now Shall We turn thee to a Qibla that shall please thee. Turn then Thy face in the direction of the sacred Mosque: Wherever ye are, turn your faces in that direction. The people of the Book know well that that is the truth from their Lord. Nor is Allah unmindful of what they do.”
“"And proclaim the Pilgrimage among men: they will come to thee on foot and (mounted) on every kind of camel, lean on account of journeys through deep and distant mountain highways;”
The same Qur'an
The same testimony of faith
Five daily prayers toward the same Kaaba
The same month of Ramadan
The same Hajj, from every land
Disagreeing is not dividing
Scholars have always differed on details. The Prophet (ﷺ) said that a judge who strives to find the right ruling has two rewards when he is right, and still one reward when he is wrong. So an honest difference on a detail, as between the schools of law, is not the splitting the Qur'an forbids. The Qur'an says that when believers differ, they should refer it to Allah (﷾) and His Messenger (ﷺ). What it forbids is turning differences into parties, "each party rejoicing in that which is with itself". When two of his companions shouted the names of their groups in a quarrel, the Prophet (ﷺ) called it the call of the age of ignorance.
Amr ibn al-As reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said that when a judge strives to reach the right ruling and is right, he has two rewards, and when he strives and is wrong, he still has one reward.
“O ye who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and those charged with authority among you. If ye differ in anything among yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger, if ye do believe in Allah and the Last Day: That is best, and most suitable for final determination.”
“As for those who divide their religion and break up into sects, thou hast no part in them in the least: their affair is with Allah: He will in the end tell them the truth of all that they did.”
“Turn ye back in repentance to Him, and fear Him: establish regular prayers, and be not ye among those who join gods with Allah,- Those who split up their Religion, and become (mere) Sects,- each party rejoicing in that which is with itself!”
Jabir reports that on a campaign an Emigrant struck a man of the Ansar in jest. The Ansari cried out for help to the Ansar, and the Emigrant cried out for help to the Emigrants. The Prophet (ﷺ) came out and asked why they were raising the call of the age of ignorance, and told them to stop, for it was a foul call.
Why Muslims are divided today
Many Muslim lands won their independence in the twentieth century. Some Arab states then tried to merge. Egypt and Syria became one state in 1958, but Syria left after a coup in 1961. In 1969 Muslim countries founded the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation; it now has 57 members. In 1974 the leaders of Tunisia and Libya agreed to merge, but the plan was dropped almost at once. Many of the quarrels since have been between Muslims themselves, as the Qur'an foresaw they might be. That is a failing of people, not of the teaching.
Egypt and Syria joined as one state, the United Arab Republic, in February 1958. Syria left the union after a coup on 28 September 1961.
Founded in Rabat, Morocco, on 25 September 1969, after a fire at the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem in August 1969. It has 57 member states and calls itself the collective voice of the Muslim world.
In January 1974, at Djerba, the leaders of Libya and Tunisia agreed to merge their two countries into one. Tunisia drew back soon after, and the union was never put in place.
“If two parties among the Believers fall into a quarrel, make ye peace between them: but if one of them transgresses beyond bounds against the other, then fight ye (all) against the one that transgresses until it complies with the command of Allah; but if it complies, then make peace between them with justice, and be fair: for Allah loves those who are fair (and just).”
- 1958
Egypt and Syria
Join as one state
- 1961
Syria leaves
After a coup
- 1969
The OIC
Founded in Rabat; 57 members today
- 1974
Tunisia and Libya
Agree to merge; the plan is dropped
When believers fight
The Qur'an does not pretend that believers never quarrel. It says: "If two parties among the Believers fall into a quarrel, make ye peace between them". If one side keeps attacking, the others must hold it back, by force if need be, until it returns to Allah's (﷾) command. Then they must make peace "with justice". The next verse still calls both sides brothers. So when Muslims fight each other, the Qur'an names the duty of every other Muslim: make peace, with justice.
“If two parties among the Believers fall into a quarrel, make ye peace between them: but if one of them transgresses beyond bounds against the other, then fight ye (all) against the one that transgresses until it complies with the command of Allah; but if it complies, then make peace between them with justice, and be fair: for Allah loves those who are fair (and just).”
“The Believers are but a single Brotherhood: So make peace and reconciliation between your two (contending) brothers; and fear Allah, that ye may receive Mercy.”
Make peace between them
If one side keeps attacking, hold it back, by force if need be
Then make peace with justice, and be fair
Remember they are brothers
How Muslims treat each other
Unity starts with how one Muslim treats another. The Prophet (ﷺ) said none of you truly believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself. He said a Muslim does not wrong his brother or abandon him to a wrongdoer, and whoever eases a brother's hardship, Allah (﷾) eases his. He forbade suspicion, spying, envy, hatred and cutting each other off: "be brothers". The Qur'an says to repel evil with what is better, and an enemy may become a close friend.
Anas reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said none of you has faith until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself.
Ibn Umar reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said a Muslim is the brother of a Muslim: he does not wrong him or hand him over to one who wrongs him. Whoever meets his brother's need, Allah meets his need; whoever relieves a Muslim of a hardship, Allah relieves him of a hardship on the Day of Resurrection; and whoever covers a Muslim's fault, Allah covers his on that Day.
Abu Hurayra reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: beware of suspicion, for suspicion is the most false of talk. Do not look for others' faults, do not spy, do not envy, hate or cut off one another, and be brothers, servants of Allah.
“Nor can goodness and Evil be equal. Repel (Evil) with what is better: Then will he between whom and thee was hatred become as it were thy friend and intimate!”
No room for despair
The Prophet (ﷺ) said that when a man says the people are ruined, he is himself the most ruined of them. The Qur'an tells believers: "lose not heart, nor fall into despair". So a Muslim does not give up on his community. He works to mend it, starting with himself.
Abu Hurayra reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: when a man says the people are ruined, he is himself the most ruined of them. A narrator was unsure of one vowel, which would make it: he is the one who ruins them.
“So lose not heart, nor fall into despair: For ye must gain mastery if ye are true in Faith.”
“For each (such person) there are (angels) in succession, before and behind him: They guard him by command of Allah. Allah does not change a people's lot unless they change what is in their hearts. But when (once) Allah willeth a people's punishment, there can be no turning it back, nor will they find, besides Him, any to protect.”
What one Muslim can do
What can one Muslim do for the whole community? First, do not say the community is ruined; count what Allah (﷾) has given it: "if ye count the favours of Allah, never will ye be able to number them". Second, pass on what you know of the faith. The Prophet (ﷺ) said to pass on what he taught, even a single verse. Third, learn how Muslims live in other lands, since one body feels the pain of each part. Fourth, offer the skill you have: a teacher, a doctor, a coder and a builder each serve in a different way. Fifth, work with others: "Help ye one another in righteousness and piety". Sixth, earn an honest living. The Prophet (ﷺ) said no one eats better food than what he earns by his own hands. Seventh, keep going. The Qur'an says "man can have nothing but what he strives for", and that striving for the Hereafter is "acceptable". The outcome is Allah's (﷾): "if any one puts his trust in Allah, sufficient is (Allah) for him".
Abu Hurayra reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: when a man says the people are ruined, he is himself the most ruined of them. A narrator was unsure of one vowel, which would make it: he is the one who ruins them.
“And He giveth you of all that ye ask for. But if ye count the favours of Allah, never will ye be able to number them. Verily, man is given up to injustice and ingratitude.”
Abdullah ibn Amr reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: pass on what you have from me, even a single verse; you may relate the reports of the Children of Israel, and there is no harm in it; and whoever lies about me on purpose will take his seat in the Fire.
Nu'man ibn Bashir reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said the believers, in their love, mercy and kindness to one another, are like one body: when one part aches, the whole body shares its sleeplessness and fever.
“O ye who believe! Violate not the sanctity of the symbols of Allah, nor of the sacred month, nor of the animals brought for sacrifice, nor the garlands that mark out such animals, nor the people resorting to the sacred house, seeking of the bounty and good pleasure of their Lord. But when ye are clear of the sacred precincts and of pilgrim garb, ye may hunt and let not the hatred of some people in (once) shutting you out of the Sacred Mosque lead you to transgression (and hostility on your part). Help ye one another in righteousness and piety, but help ye not one another in sin and rancour: fear Allah: for Allah is strict in punishment.”
Al-Miqdam reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said no one has ever eaten better food than what he earned by the work of his own hands, and that the prophet David used to eat from what he earned by his own labour.
“That man can have nothing but what he strives for; That (the fruit of) his striving will soon come in sight:”
“Those who do wish for the (things of) the Hereafter, and strive therefor with all due striving, and have Faith,- they are the ones whose striving is acceptable (to Allah).”
“And He provides for him from (sources) he never could imagine. And if any one puts his trust in Allah, sufficient is (Allah) for him. For Allah will surely accomplish his purpose: verily, for all things has Allah appointed a due proportion.”
Count Allah's (﷾) blessings; never call the community ruined
Pass on what you know, even one verse
Learn how Muslims live in other lands
Offer the skill you have
Work with others in what is good
Earn an honest living
Keep going, and trust Allah (﷾) with the outcome
Start today
Every step taken for Allah's (﷾) sake counts. The Prophet (ﷺ) reported that Allah (﷾) says: if My servant comes to Me walking, I go to him running. The Qur'an says: "those who strive in Our (cause),- We will certainly guide them to our Paths". So do one thing this week. Attend your local mosque: the Prophet (ﷺ) said prayer in congregation is twenty-seven degrees better than prayer alone. Greet a Muslim you do not know. Make peace between two who have fallen out. Meet a brother's need, or pass on one verse. Not even "an atom's weight of good" is lost. And do not stop: "Persevere in patience and constancy; vie in such perseverance; strengthen each other".
The Prophet (ﷺ) reports that Allah says: I am as My servant thinks of Me, and I am with him when he remembers Me; if he comes a hand-span nearer to Me, I come an arm's length nearer to him, and if he comes to Me walking, I go to him running. Also in Sahih Muslim 2675.
“And those who strive in Our (cause),- We will certainly guide them to our Paths: For verily Allah is with those who do right.”
Muslim gives the chain: Yahya ibn Yahya, who read it to Malik, from Nafi', from Ibn Umar, that the Prophet (ﷺ) said prayer in congregation is twenty-seven degrees better than prayer alone.
Abdullah ibn Amr reports that a man asked the Prophet (ﷺ) which qualities of Islam are best. He answered: to feed people, and to greet with peace both those you know and those you do not know.
“The Believers are but a single Brotherhood: So make peace and reconciliation between your two (contending) brothers; and fear Allah, that ye may receive Mercy.”
Ibn Umar reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said a Muslim is the brother of a Muslim: he does not wrong him or hand him over to one who wrongs him. Whoever meets his brother's need, Allah meets his need; whoever relieves a Muslim of a hardship, Allah relieves him of a hardship on the Day of Resurrection; and whoever covers a Muslim's fault, Allah covers his on that Day.
Abdullah ibn Amr reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: pass on what you have from me, even a single verse; you may relate the reports of the Children of Israel, and there is no harm in it; and whoever lies about me on purpose will take his seat in the Fire.
“Then shall anyone who has done an atom's weight of good, see it! And anyone who has done an atom's weight of evil, shall see it.”
“O ye who believe! Persevere in patience and constancy; vie in such perseverance; strengthen each other; and fear Allah; that ye may prosper.”
Attend your local mosque
Greet a Muslim you do not know
Make peace between two who have fallen out
Meet a brother's need
Pass on one verse
Perspectives
Critics: Muslims are too divided
Some say that if Islam were true, its people would not be so divided, and would not fight one another.
Muslims are split into rival groups and countries.
Rebuttal
Many of the splits are of countries and rulers. Every Muslim still reads the same Qur'an, prays toward the same Kaaba and keeps the same five pillars. The Qur'an itself commands unity and forbids splitting into parties.
Muslims fight one another, so Islam cannot be a religion of brotherhood.
Rebuttal
A teaching is not proved false when people fail to keep it. The Qur'an foresaw that believers might fight, and commanded the rest to make peace between them with justice. It warns that quarrels take a people's strength away.
The Islamic perspective
Muslims are one community, like one body. The Qur'an commands them to hold together, forbids splitting into parties, and tells them to make peace when they quarrel. The faith they share is one; what divides them is mostly politics and the love of the world.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said that believers are like one body, and like a building whose parts hold each other up.
The Qur'an commands believers to hold fast together and not be divided.
The Qur'an warns that disputes make a people lose heart and lose their strength.
The Prophet (ﷺ) named the cause of the Muslims' weakness when they are many: love of the world and dislike of death.
The Qur'an commands believers to make peace, with justice, between two groups of believers who fight.