Dear Brothers and Sisters!

Allah (swt) mentions in the Quran; “And hold firmly to the rope of Allāh all together and do not become divided. And remember the favour of Allāh upon you – when you were enemies and He brought your hearts together and you became, by His favour, brothers. And you were on the edge of a pit of the Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus does Allāh make clear to you His verses that you may be guided.”[1] Islamic scholars have stated that what is meant by the rope of Allah in the verse is the Qur’an and Islam. “To cling to the rope of Allah all together” means to believe in the religion of Islam and to fulfill its requirements. Rasulullah (saw) explains the Quran by saying, “It is Allah’s rope hanging from the sky to the earth.”[2]

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

The religion of Islam, which will prosper those who believe in it, warns Muslims not to fall into division. Segregation refers to the division of communities that have a certain religious, intellectual or political unity, into groups. If we do not show mutual respect for our different thoughts and opinions and act in a heartbreaking style, conflict may arise. Allah (swt) mentions in the Quran, “Indeed, those who have divided their religion and become sects – you, [O Muḥammad], are not [associated] with them in anything. Their affair is only [left] to Allāh; then He will inform them about what they used to do.”[3] By saying so, Allah (swt) expresses that he is not willing to let us be divided. He commands us not to go astray in any way.

Dear Jama’ah!

Due to our disagreements on social issues and our different opinions on political issues, we should never harm our relations. We cannot ignore the views in which we agree on, by bringing in the small disagreements. We are Muslims, who all believe in Allah, His Messenger and the Last Day. We must act according to the verse “The believers are but brothers.”[4] We should see our differences as abundance and be tolerant and compassionate towards each other.  Rasulullah (saw) has said; “You will not enter Paradise until you believe and you will not believe until you love each other. Shall I show you something that, if you did, you would love each other? Spread peace among yourselves.”[5]

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

Of course, the concept of love is not just a dry expression. The feeling of love has obligations to human beings. A Muslim is a person who fulfills his love for his brother in Islam. Our Prophet (saw) has said; “No one among you can truly believe until he wishes for his (Muslim) brother what he wants for himself.”[6] In our daily life, we should not fight with our brothers for any reason. We should avoid offensive words, be embracing and not discriminating. Believers are fierce against oppression and injustice, and humble and forgiving among themselves. As long as Muslims do not differ, Allah (swt) will preserve our strength and power. Our great poet and thinker Mehmet Akif points to this fact as follows: “Without causing division among a nation, the enemy cannot invade. As hearts beat together, no cannon can crush them.”

May Allah (swt) make us among his servants who preserve their unity and love each other for the sake of Allah. Ameen.

[1] Surah Âl-i İmrân 3:103

[2] Müsned, III, 14, 17

[3] Surah Al-An’am 6:159

[4] Surah Al-Hujurat 49:10

[5] Müslim, Îmân 93

[6] Buhârî, İmân, 7

Khutba – Clinging To the Rope of Allah