To me, in-fighting and argumentation in the deen amongst Ahl al-Sunna is nothing other than a sign that we lost perspective. You have to zoom out and look around. All through the 90’s sufis and salafis fought, then boom, seemingly over night we got the ‘progressive’ movement after 9/11, and nobody was ready for it.
This movement attacked what both parties considered sacred and took for granted. And all those “silent majority” folks we didn’t reach due to our arguing fell for this progressivist movement. Every minute spent fighting your own teammates is time *not* spent advancing your cause.
- If there's a possible interpretation for a person's action, then there's no reason to get heated over it: The usuli principle: "If a possibility of interpretation, then there is no argument" (ُاذا وُجدَ الاحتِمالُ سَقَطَ الاسْتِدلال).
- In-fighting and argumentation is a sign of misguidance: “No people went astray and yet having been guided, except that they were given (as a punishment) argumentation.”
- Leaving off an ill-willed argument takes priority over doing good: “Recite the Quran. But if you differ on it, get up from it.” This hadith means engage in religious activities together, but as soon as argumentation and dislike for each crops up, leave and go home.
- To merely hurt the feelings of a Muslims with sarcasm, mockery, etc is actually a grave sin: "Those who harm believers without reason have incurred a grave sin" (33:58 Ahzab) and the word used here is adha, which is the least possible harm a person can suffer. And the hadith: "Allah has honored you (the Ka'ba) and made you great, but the honor of a Muslim is greater."
- Read the history of Andalucia at the end. You won't have any sympathy for them. The Muslims were surrounded by enemies threatening their very existence, yet they still managed to fight, hate, connive, and even sell each other out. All you can say is, if that's your state, you deserved to be conquered.
- The Quran consistently links two attributes together: kindness with believers and strength against the enemy. It is as if saying, you cannot have one without the other. "Believer" is a broad category of everyone who affirms the explicit texts of the Quran and Sunna.
- The Quran speaks about the believers as one, but non-believers as different types. Therefore, any language that divides the hearts of Muslims is disliked by Allah, and likewise lumping non-believers as one group is also inaccurate, as there are amongst them those who will be fair, honest, and humble.
- There is a time for harshness, fighting, and conflict. But they are limited to those attacking the undebatable pillars of the deen and livelhood. Quran: "...those who fight you in your religion or remove you from your homes.
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