Family with two fathers

In the Name of Allah.

All praise is due to Allah, who is the owner of the day of judgement.

"O believers enter into Islam completely ..." (Quran 2:208)
I have been asked many times what I beleived to be the cause of the disunity in muslim Ummah today. We can articulate many reasons, but one reason is the root of this current situation. For example, muslims complain about western media comparing muslim countries to western countries in treatment of women. Their argument is that the media should compare Quran with Bible instead. I disagree, because the abuse of women is happening in real life and not in a book, so the accusation of western media is correct and we should accept the truth and deal with it, instead of denying it. We should put up (establish such community) or shut up (stop complaining).

Islam was established in Medina the first time as a system, where there was a single leader who was the secular authority as well as religous authority, and the qualification to become a leader included complete grasp on Islamic Sharia. Somewhere along the lines, muslim Ummah has degraded to a level where the political leaders have been chosen without any consideration of their Taqwa or Islamic knowledge. Also, the "religous" leaders like Mawlvis or Imams have accpeted this situation, and are enjoying their authority by avoiding secular issues. Some even claim that no one follows Islam in their life anymore, so it is impossible to show an example of a community to compare with US treatment of women.

If it is true, then the movement started with Muhammad bin Abdullah (PBUH) has died, and Islam is no more. Messenger of Allah (PBUH) never made that differentiation in his life nor did his companion. I do not recall any instance where any of them said that Islamic laws don't apply to a certain aspect of our life and we need a secular law to govern it. On the contrary, this was the mian argument that non-beleivers could not accept. They were willing to worship Allah every other year, as long as they can keep the laws of ignorance intact. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) refused to accept Islam as a ritual and insisted on applying it globally in every part of our lives. For this, he was rejected by the political leaders in Makkah, who did not want their authority to slip away.

I am not sure when this thinking seeped into Muslim Ummah, but muslims now see a separation of religion and state, and like to have a religious leader, and a secular leader. In essence, muslims want two fathers for themselves. One father will take them to masjid and teach them about Islam, and the other father will take them to school and play sports with them. Even in our local masjid, Imams avoid every political issue, and defer to Shura and Trustees who are uneducated in Quran and Sunnah. How can a person with no knowledge in Quran and Sunnah lead us politically? I say that no family can afford two fathers, and it is absurd to have two head of the family, and each pulling in the different direction.

In the battle of Yarmuk, Khalid bin Walid was the Ameer, and was fighting with Roman Army. Romans sent their bishop (religious leader) to give a proposals to muslims. Bishop came to the frontline, and asked to see his religous counterpart in muslim Army. Khalid came forward to meet bishop. Bishop asked to speak to religous leader instead like a Mawli or Maulana or Imam. Khalid told him that there is only one Ameer of muslims here, and it is him. Bishop had hard time understanding this new concept of one Ameer leading muslims militarily and spritually.

If Pope makes the same request today, I can assure you that political leaders will step aside and someone with white beard and white turban will go out to mee him. What a shame? Muslim Ummah is in disunity due to the separation of religious and secular laws. Quran is not a book to be read like a novel, and memorized like a poetry. It is to be followed. If we follow it, then there is no place for a separate law in Islam. Hence, any law that governs human life is comparable to Islam, and vice versa.

We should blame ourselves for the treatment of women under muslim authority, and not the western media, who is doing their job in identifying the faults in Muslims. If there is not a single community that is following Quran as it is to be followed, which we can put forth to Sean Hannity, then Quran is nothing but a pipe dream, but I know that is not be true.

If someone to be blamed for this, it is the scholars who are holding monoply on Islamic Sharia, and who does not allow open debate because of their Taqleed of four Imams even if their rulings are against the will of Allah and will of Muhammad bin Abdullah (PBUH).

Let us compare our practice of Islam to the implementation of US constitution, and see if Quran has any say whatsoover in our lives. If the women have more rights in USA then the most sacred city, Makkah, I don't see how Sean Hannity has to be blamed, rather we should hide our faces due to shame until death reaches us.

Oh Allah! provide us leaders who implements Quran and Sunnah as law, and protect us from the fitnah of two fathers who split laws in secular and religous parts.

JazakAllah Khairin

A person with one father
Abu Arman