ONE COMMUNITY

God loves unity, harmony, peace, and togetherness.

To achieve all that God wants us to be in One Community.

God hates divisions, sects, pride, arrogance, and falsehoods.

To get rid of all that God wants us to be in One Community.

To be in One Community everyone should be under God's Direction. To be under God's Direction, we have to be united and follow that One Direction. If we follow different directions we will not agree with one another and end up being conquered and divided.

Mankind was once staying in harmony with their belief in the One true Lord then due to the conditioning of the world they started to differ. Some of them believed, some disbelieved and some associated others with God. So God sent the Prophets with glad tidings to those who believed in them and warnings to those who disbelieved in them.

13. The same religion has He established for you as that which He enjoined on Noah - the which We have sent by inspiration to thee (O Muhammad!) - and that which We enjoined on Abraham, Moses, and Jesus: Namely, that you should remain steadfast in religion, and make no divisions therein: to those who worship other things than God, hard is the (way) to which thou call them. God chooses to Himself those whom He pleases, and guides to Himself those who turn (to Him).

14. And they became divided only after Knowledge reached them,- through selfish envy as between themselves. Had it not been for a Word that went forth before from thy Lord, (tending) to a Term appointed, the matter would have been settled between them: But truly those who have inherited the Book after them are in suspicious (disquieting) doubt concerning it.

15. Now then, for that (reason), call (them to Islam), and stand steadfast as you are commanded, nor follow their vain desires; but say: "I believe in the Book which God has sent down; and I am commanded to judge justly between you. God is our Lord and your Lord: for us (is the responsibility for) our deeds, and for you for your deeds. There is no contention between us and you. God will bring us together, and to Him is (our) Final Goal.

16. But those who dispute concerning God after He (His Religion) has been accepted,- futile is their dispute in the Sight of their Lord: on them will be a Penalty terrible." [Quran 42:13-16]

Here God says that He established the same religion to Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Prophet Muhammad but mankind became divided through selfish desires, envy and doubts.

With the unity of prophetic religions, mankind shares one true religion and, thus, bound to a single community:

"Mankind was one single nation, and God sent Messengers with glad tidings and warnings; and with them He sent the Book in truth, to judge between people in matters wherein they held divergent views; but the People of the Book (Jews and Christians) who had been granted this revelation (Quran) began, out of mutual jealousy, to disagree about its meaning after all evidence of the truth had come to them. But God by His Grace Guided the believers to the Truth, concerning that wherein they had disagreed. For God guides whom He will to a path that is straight." [Quran 2:213]

God says the Prophets and the true believers also make one single religious community and are called Muslims:

"Verily this community of yours is one single community since I am a Sustainer of you all, worship then Me (alone). But mankind have torn their unity wide asunder, (forgetting that) unto Us they all are bound to return." [Quran -- the Prophets: 92-93]

Therefore, Islam is the religion for all of mankind, and God has commanded us to convey it to all people. God has commanded us all to adhere to His religion and to be united, and not to be divided. He says:

“And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of God (this Quran), and be not divided among yourselves
[Quran 3:103]

Division, differences and disputes are the cause of mankind's defeat, as God says:

“And obey God and His Messenger, and do not dispute (with one another) lest you lose courage and your strength departs, and be patient. Surely, God is with those who are patient”
[Quran 8:46]

Islam regards all people as equal before the laws of God. Black and white, Arab and non-Arab, male and female, rich and poor – Islam brings them all together and addresses its commands and prohibitions to them all.

Islam came with clear beliefs based upon the Oneness of God, acts of worship that link all human beings with their Creator, morals that strengthen the ties between all humanity, and laws that organise society and bind it with justice and virtue. In this state, everyone can live in harmony and peace.

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said:

“God likes three things for you and He dislikes three things for you. He likes you to worship Him (alone) and not associate anything with Him; to hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of God (Quran), and be not divided among yourselves; and to be sincere to the one who God has appointed over you. And He dislikes for you three things: gossip, asking too much and squandering wealth.”

God says:

"And be not as those (Jews and Christians) who divided and differed among themselves after the clear proofs (Islam) had come to them. It is they for whom there is an awful torment”
[Quran 3:105]

“Verily, those who divide their religion and break up into sects (all kinds of religious sects), you (O Muhammad) have no concern in them in the least. Their affair is only with God, Who then will tell them what they used to do”
[Quran 6:159]

Here God is warning those who divide their religion into sects, each of them calling himself by a name, like the Jews, Christians, Sufis, etc.. Some of them do not complete their faith; they take something from the Law of God and make that their religion, and ignore something of greater importance. This is the case with the people of sects who follow innovations and misguidance and divide the Community.


HOW DID DIFFERENT RELIGIONS COME ABOUT?

When God took the Messiah (peace be upon him) up into heaven, his followers split into different groups. Some of them believed in what God had sent him with, that he was His servant and messenger , the son of His female servant. Some of them exaggerated about him and made him the son of God, and others said that he was God, or that he was the third of three (trinity). God described what they said in the Quran, and refuted all of them.

A person is called a Muslim when he submits himself to God and believes in Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), having faith in all the angels and in all the Books (Psalms, Torah and Gospel in their original forms) without exclusion, believes in all the Prophets, including Abraham and Jesus, and acknowledges them with open hearts, and dares not to make any distinction among them.

Muslims submit to God in the manner that God wishes it to be as taught by the Prophet (pbuh) through the Quran. In this excellent Path, people can find peace and harmony.

"They say: "Become Jews or Christians if you would be guided (To salvation)." Say thou: "Nay! (I would rather) the Religion of Abraham the True, and he joined not gods with Allah.

Say you: "We believe in Allah, and the revelation given to us, and to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) prophets from their Lord: We make no difference between one and another of them: And we bow to Allah (as Muslims).

So if they believe as you believe, they are indeed on the right path; but if they turn back, it is they who are in schism; but Allah will suffice you as against them, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing." [Quran 2:135-137]

The Children of Israel were the holders of the Torah and the Gospels and their teachings were meant only for them. God did not assign them to establish new religions called Judaism or Christianity nor authorized them to preach their teachings to all mankind. The Torah was only valid for a certain period of time and became self-terminated and invalid with the advent of the Gospels. And the Gospels were valid for a certain period of time and became self-terminated and invalid with the advent of the Quran. This is why God urges the Christians and Jews to leave their religions and to place faith in Islam and become Muslims:

"O People of the Scriptures (Jews and Christians), come to common terms as between us and you: that we worship none but God, that we associate no partners with Him, that we shall not take lords and patrons other than God. If then they turn back, say you: 'Bear witness that we are Muslims'."
[Quran 3:64]

"...By the Quran, Full of Admonition: (This is the Truth).

But the Unbelievers (are steeped) in self-glory and Separatism." [Quran 38:1-2]

Here God tells us He hates Separatism among mankind, each calling himself by a name and stirring up enmity and hatred among themselves.

"Those who split up their Religion and become Sects---each party rejoicing in that which is with itself!" [Quran 30:32]

"Those who deny God and His Messengers, and wish to seperate between God and His Messengers, saying: "We believe in some and reject the others": and wish to take a course midway,---

They are in truth Unbelievers; and We have prepared for Unbelievers a humiliating punishment."
[Quran 4:150-151]

God warns us that if anyone believes in Moses and rejects Jesus, they are Unbelievers. And this is the same for those who believe in Jesus and reject Muhammad or those who believe in Muhammad and reject Jesus and others.

Many people have started to put away religion and cultivate personal relationships with God as they believe this will bring them peace and happiness. But this type of peace and happiness is only short-term. There will come a time when one wants to know what God's Commandments are and feel isolated and abandoned if they do not know what to do. They will start to follow their own whims and desires and become wanderers and losers in the end.

This is why God sent down the Glorious Quran to teach us about Faith in the Oneness of God, Love for God, the Messenger and Believers, Compassion and Justice for all and selflessness. It also preaches utopian high morals, and it contains scientific facts and all-comprehensive legal rulings that are just and valid for any time and anywhere. Besides, the Quran is free from any contradictions or disagreements, as God says:

"Do they not then consider the Quran carefully? Had it been from other than God, they would surely have found therein many contradictions."
[Quran 4:82]

If we accept Islam and follow it as God says, we would not need any other religions or any other walls that keep us divided and conquered.

“And verily, this is My straight path, so follow it, and follow not (other) paths, for they will separate you away from His path. This He has ordained for you that you may become the Pious”
[Quran 6:153]

With the perfection of Islam and God's direction in the Quran, we can strive together towards all that is good as one community and transform this world into a place of freedom and joy.

"The Messenger (Muhammad) believes in what has been revealed to him from his Lord, as do the people of faith (Muslims). Each one (of them) believes in God, His angels, His books, and His apostles. "We make no distinction (they say) between one and another of His apostles." And they say: "We hear, and we obey: (We seek) Thy forgiveness, our Lord, and to Thee is the end of all journeys." [Quran 2:285]

May God send peace and blessings to all the Apostles and their righteous families.