Islamic Unity is based mainly on the unity of belief. The establishment of Islamic Unity on the basis of faith means that a sound and pure faith will dominate the world. The worship of Allah (swt) will prevail, and co-operation and solidarity will prevail among Muslims and even among all human beings as long as they work in the path of virtue and goodness. We say as long as he works in the path of virtue and goodness. Because this virtue prevents man from working in the fields of evil, from making mischief in the earth, from degrading himself like monkeys, from feeding on filth like pigs, and from being stripped of his humanity. This leads to justice between far and near, between friend and foe, between Muslim and non-Muslim. This is because justice is the rule of Allaah and His religion, Islam. Virtue is the measure of superior humanity. Allah Almighty forbids injustice even to the hated enemy, saying:

"Let not your anger against a people lead you to injustice. Do justice! This is closer to avoiding disobedience to Allah."[1]

If the Islamic Union is established on the basis of unity of belief and Muslims adopt the morals taught by the Qur'an and the Messenger of Allah (SAW), most of the injustice and evil in the world will disappear. Muslims will become, as they were in the beginning, outstanding examples of virtue and sublime humanity.[2]

As a result of the disintegration of the Muslims and their turning away from Islam and missing the first place among mankind, the world has been deprived of these superior examples. They have been replaced by monkey tendencies and pig characters.

Islamic brotherhood is based on certain elements. There is nothing in these elements that would be unfair to anyone or that would be considered bigotry against any person. This brotherhood is based on three interdependent principles:

1- The consciousness of brotherhood among Muslims themselves. With this consciousness, the Almighty Allah says: "Believers are only brothers. Settle between your brothers so that you may have mercy, and fear Allah."[3] This is the realisation of Allah's Law. Injustice and aggression against anyone has no place in this brotherhood, unless it is against some Muslims or a corner of the Islamic world.

2- Co-operation in every field. Through unity, Muslims can together find the opportunity to resist destructive currents and ideas. As a body, they can prevent the spread of destructive currents and ideas among the believers in particular and among the people in general, and prevent them from causing corruption on earth.

3- The absence of conflict and war between two Muslim regions or communities, in whatever way and in whatever form, be it economic or in the form of co-operation and agreement in other fields.

Someone may say that this union is against the rules of unification. Because societies are built on unity of nationality, unity of economy and, as in the USA, unity of territory. Muslims, on the other hand, are scattered in different continents and regions of the world. How can these people, who are so scattered on the earth, whose economic structures, languages and nationalities are so different, come together under the unity of faith? How can they unite?

In reply, we say that the establishment of the Islamic Union on the basis of unity of belief and virtue is the ideal way to establish international unions. What we mean by unity is not the establishment of a single state. On the contrary, the Islamic Union is an Islamic community of Muslims living in many regions.

The gathering based on economic or geographical factors is not the ideal gathering for the formation of the Ummah. Because the community is formed only when emotions and spiritual tendencies are united. These feelings and tendencies do not develop and form only under the understanding of mutual interest exchange. In addition to the exchange of mutual interests, it is also inevitable for spiritual feelings and tendencies to unite. Because as long as the exchange of mutual interests exists, it provides a temporary unity. As soon as the exchange of interests disappears, the unity also disappears. In fact, such unity is temporary and not permanent. Even if there is an ummah based on the exchange of economic interests or a commonality of material interests, the members of this ummah will not be united and integrated with each other.

It is not enough to gather in one place despite the differences in nationalities. Because when there are no strong spiritual sanctions that eliminate the differences of nationality and prevent nationalist causes, a community will bring along the factors that will lead to and accelerate its destruction. First of all, it is necessary to shade a pure faith that melts and prepares different nations in a melting pot and acts as a glue. Because nationalism is always based on the idea of the superiority of one lineage or nation over another. This idea of superiority also brings injustice to other descendants and nations that are not considered superior. Ultimately, this leads to discord and hatred.

Indeed, in a way, nationalism is gathering together with animal instincts. Because in animal communities, members of the same family come together and fight against other members. They choose a gathering place to attack and defeat others, and change places to continue this attack. Therefore, when there was no religion and education to unite people, wars went on and on. Because gathering according to the understanding of nationality is nothing more than bringing forward the primitive sense of animalism. We clearly see this in states that treat peoples according to their colour. In these states, the understanding of white colour and other colours is nothing but a form of nationalist domination and a remnant of primitive animalism, even the most prominent characteristic of animalism.

Unity under the faith, or more precisely, unity in the name of Islam, is not based on strife and rivalry, but on general brotherhood among Muslims, compassion and mercy among them, and human solidarity among other states, which do not do injustice to Muslims and do not dominate others in the name of genealogy or nationalism.

Islamic unity creates an ummah that has sublime human feelings, encourages the human spirit towards the world of the sublime, and orientates towards virtue. In this ummah, man submits only to the Creator of the worlds. Then man rises above the feelings of fighting and oppressing others, except when he is wronged. If he is wronged, he has the right of defence, and sometimes this right is obligatory. This is a virtue in itself, and it is also to prevent mischief on earth. Allah Almighty says:"If it had not been for Allah's repelling mankind from one another, the order of the earth would have been disturbed. But Allah is gracious to the worlds."[4] In the Islamic Union, which is based on faith, there is justice in the real and ideal sense that does not discriminate between sex, descent and colour. Because there is no chauvinism in Islam. On the contrary, in Islam "You are all from Adam. Adam is from the earth. People are equal like the teeth of a comb!' There is a principle.

Societies built on the basis of chauvinism exist today in the USA, South Africa and elsewhere. There are enough lessons in this for those who have foresight.

In societies based on nationalism, moral and virtuous values have been ignored and all kinds of discrimination have been practised. For example, in the USA and South Africa, while whites are given all kinds of free enterprise and behavioural rights, blacks are deprived of human rights and condemned to oppression and poverty. The oppression of the Negroes is not at all inferior to the oppression in the age of ignorance. Laws which outwardly express equality in rights and duties are in reality nothing more than ink on paper. They have no practical function or application to demonstrate their existence. That is why American society has fallen to a level in morality and character that no other society in the age of civilisation has fallen to.

In the case of the realisation of Islamic unity, in virtuous societies such as this one, superiority is not based on bloodshed, but on good deeds and piety. It is established on the basis of respect for human dignity, which is a common right among Muslim societies. Allah Almighty says: "And We have honoured mankind and made them wander in the land and in the sea, and We have provided them with good things, and We have made them superior to many of Our creatures."[5]

If virtue prevails in societies, conflicts will be prevented and the laws of the jungle based on the domination of the strong will be eliminated. Personal and social virtue can only be realised in the shadow of Islam, which prescribes general cooperation between people and calls for just tolerance after eliminating the ugliness.

When virtue prevails, strife is eliminated and the law of oppressing others is nullified.

As he stated, personal and virtue can only be established in the shadow of Islam, which calls for general human co-operation. It can only be established in the shadow of Islam, which calls for just tolerance after eliminating vices.

We would like to emphasise the general principle that none of the heavenly religions brought by the prophets calls for fighting and injustice, nor does it encourage it. Nor is the source of bigotry, which leads to division and categorisation among people, strong piety or strict adherence to the truths of religion. On the contrary, it is not religiosity itself that leads to discrimination and division, but the distortions and imbalances caused by corrupt religion.

In history, there have been conflicts between people in the name of religions. However, the source of these conflicts is not religion itself. On the contrary, it is caused by the corrupt understanding, weakness of personality and superstitious thoughts of the people who lead in the name of religion.

In addition, in people who do not perceive the truths of religion correctly, religion turns into an understanding similar to the understanding of nationalism. In this case, the conflict arises not from religion itself or its principles, but from nationalism and ambitions that are disguised as religion and from which religion is completely distant. To the extent that the followers of religion are struggling, they are moving away from the truth of religion.

Undoubtedly, Islam gives people the love of goodness and virtue, the love of meeting and helping each other. The motto of Islam is to meet. Greeting people with salaam. And after greeting comes co-operation in goodness and piety and in preventing mischief.""Co-operate in goodness and piety, and do not co-operate in injustice and evil, and fear Allah!"[6]

In the Islamic society, there is no nationalism, race, colour and lineage discrimination, regionalism, in short, all kinds of separatism. Instead, there is unity, love and brotherhood. The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) said:

"There are servants of Allah Almighty. They are not prophets or martyrs. But the prophets and martyrs will envy them on the Day of Resurrection because of their closeness to Allah." Who are they, O Messenger of Allah? He said, "These are the people who love one another for the sake of Allah, without any kinship between them or any wealth they have exchanged. By Allah, they have light. They are on the light. When people fear, they do not fear, and when they grieve, they do not grieve. Verily, they are the friends of Allah. They will have no fear and they will not grieve."[7]

This is the Islamic unity based on brotherhood, virtue and justice that we have defined.[8]

[1]  Surah al-Ma'ida, 5/8.

[2]  World Islamic Unity, Muhammad Abu Zahra.

[3]  Surat al-Hujûrat, 49/10.

[4]Surah al-Baqarah, 2/251.

[5]Surah Isra, 17/70.

[6]Surah al-Ma'ida, 5/2.

[7]Tirmidhi, Zuhd, 53 Ibn Hanbal, 5/229, 239, 328, 341.

[8] World Islamic Union, Muhammad Abu Zahra.