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Cooperating within a Community upon Birr and Taqwá

Shaykh ʿUmar Quinn

The Muslim is in a time of strangeness and in a land (the West) where he is a stranger so he is in dire need of support and assistance from Allāh, subḥānahu wa taʿālá, most importantly, and from his brothers and sisters. So it is of utmost importance to cooperate with each other upon birr and taqwá because we are in dire need of help and support from each other to maintain our creed, our religion and our morality. ʿUmar Quinn gives general advice on cooperating upon what is pleasing to Allāh and building and dealing with all the affairs of a community in a manner most pleasing to Him. (From a telelink at Masjid al-Furqān (TROID) 08/015.)

Allah, subḥānahu wa taʿālá, has told us to cooperate mutually upon birr and taqwá—righteousness and piety, and do not cooperate upon sin and transgression. This is a commandment from Him. The Muslim is in a time of strangeness and in a land (the West) where he is a stranger so he is in dire need of support and assistance from Allah, most importantly, and from his brothers and sisters. So it is most important to cooperate with each other upon birr and taqwá because we need each other to maintain our creed, our religion and our morality. It is a blessing from Allah to be upon the Sunnah; it is a gift. So we should strive to assist the people of Sunnah, cooperate with the people of Sunnah, not tear down each other by spreading rumours, lies and confusion. It is absurd that a person will say he is Salafī yet slander and attack his brother. In a time when the Salafīs have made great strides in the West with masājid, classes, schools, etc., there are those who wish to spread chaos within the community. It is the Salafīs who keep the dīn pure, who are not affected by academia and social engineers who wish to dilute and destroy the religion by creating a British Islām, a Canadian Islām, an American Islām, etc. Now more than ever the Salafīs should be united upon birr and taqwá. Each of us should know our roles within the community. Everyone is not capable of doing every and anything. The hand cannot do the job of the feet and the feet cannot do the job of the head. Each part works in cohesion and in harmony, just as the different parts of the community should be in cohesion—everyone should know his capability and operate within that capability, everyone has his place in the community. Do not be swayed and fooled by those who want to cause division within the community by bringing up affairs of money or roles, etc. These people do nothing for the community—they do not spend in the way of Allāh, or if they do they spend very little; they do not give daʿwah; they do not enjoin the good and forbid the evil; all they do is find faults just to create chaos and division. They cast doubt on other things because they cannot find doubts or mistakes in the methodology and ʿaqīdah of the community. They slow the people down, keeping them from worshipping Allāh, from striving for the sake of Allāh. May Allāh keep us safe from these people and keep our community united, cooperating with each other upon birr and taqwá.

Published: March 14, 2017
Edited: April 3, 2023