Part 4
By Basham Shaheed
When Muslims assumed the leadership of the world, they removed from power those diseased, beast-like elements that were dragging humanity toward corruption, injustice, oppression, coercion, and utter worthlessness under their pharaonic systems of rule. By dismantling those regimes, Muslims set humanity on a path of balance, harmony, and moral order. This did not happen by chance. They possessed qualities that made them worthy of leadership and capable of guiding mankind.
Yet, regrettably, as noted in the previous sections, the foremost and most decisive cause behind the decline of Muslims, and the loss of their strength and leadership, was the emergence of weakness in faith and practice from within their own ranks.
2. Division and Fragmentation
(The Absence of Unity Within the Islamic Ummah)
The second major factor responsible for the weakness of the Islamic Ummah is division and internal discord. As a consequence of these internal fractures, Muslims today are subjected to oppression and persecution in every corner of the world. Many rulers who claim to represent Islam, driven solely by personal interests, have entered into compromises and alliances with Islam’s historical enemies. In doing so, they have become complicit in the killing of Muslims and partners in countless other injustices committed against them.
Whenever a group of Muslims in any region rises to defend its religious, national, or territorial rights, these same rulers hasten to suppress them. Their objective is to safeguard the dominance of oppressive regimes and to ensure the continuation of occupation and tyranny. The reality of this behavior is plainly visible in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Palestine, where its consequences are evident to all.
In short, there is only one path to restoring the honor and dignity of the Islamic Ummah and eliminating the condition of weakness afflicting Muslims today, and that path is unity. Muslims must return to the model of the earliest generations. Scholars, teachers, engineers, poets, writers, journalists, and all segments of society must give priority to the unity of the Islamic Ummah above every other concern and work actively to achieve it. If Muslims unite and stand together, they will rise once again and regain the ability to defend all oppressed people and to hold their oppressors to account. If they fail to do so, their divisions and internal fractures will continue to provide the disbelievers with the opportunity to commit oppression, just as they do in the present age.
Another powerful factor contributing to division among Muslims is the spread of nationalism and territorial patriotism. These ideologies have deepened the roots of division, intensified hatred, and sown the seeds of discord and internal fitna within Muslim societies. Likewise, the formation of political parties has repeatedly been used as a tool to fragment and weaken this Ummah.
Allah Almighty addresses the necessity of unity in His Noble Book, saying:
«وَأَطِيعُوا اللّٰهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَلَا تَنَازَعُوا فَتَفْشَلُوا وَتَذْهَبَ رِيحُكُمْ وَاصْبِرُوا إِنَّ اللّٰهَ مَعَ الصّٰبِرِين» [الانفال: 47]
“And obey Allah and His Messenger, and do not dispute and [thus] lose courage and [then] your strength would depart; and be patient. Indeed, Allah is with the patient.” (Al-Anfal: 47)
In this verse, Allah Almighty makes it clear that internal disputes and conflicts strip a community of its strength, dignity, and authority. This is not merely a warning in theory. It is a reality unfolding before our very eyes today.
