May blessings rest upon Hazrat Sayyidna Muhammad, the Final Prophet, and upon his family and companions, and all who follow them well until the Day of Judgement.
In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful
In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful
May blessings rest upon Hazrat Sayyidna Muhammad, the Final Prophet, and upon his family and companions, and all who follow them well until the Day of Judgement.
Brothers and Sisters of Pakistan, Assalamu alaykum waRahmatu’Llahi waBarakatuhu
We write as Muslims who live far from you, on a different continent and in a different cultural world, yet you are very close to our hearts.
‘The believers are brothers’ (49:10), says the Holy Qur’an, followed by this command: ‘So make peace between your brethren.’ The Noble Hadith instructs us that ‘In their love, kindness and compassion for each other, the believers are likeone body; if one part of it hurts, the rest of it sympathises in wakefulness and fever.'
(Bukhari and Muslim)
So writing to you about the troubles you face is no idle gesture; it is an obligation imposed on us by Allah Himself. Here in Europe, we Muslims face many challenges. Over the past few years, some of our communities, particularly in the Balkans, have been threatened with war and genocide. Where necessary we fought and where necessary we negotiated for peace.
In every case, where we succeeded, we succeeded, firstly by the permission of Allah the Exalted (subhanahu wa‐ta’ala) and secondly, by remaining united as Muslims. Our communities are made up of differing schools of thought. We must learn how to embrace unity in diversity and appreciate the need to be committed to the common word for the common good. There are wolves around our flocks that wait for us to be divided. When that happens, they will certainly pounce and destroy us.
In Europe although an immediate threat of extermination seems remote, we are also challenged by growing extremist movements that seek to curtail our freedoms and speak against us with hatred. Again, we have learnt from bitter experience that infighting serves only our enemies. Whatever differences of opinion we might hold amongst ourselves, we know that we must not fall prey to rancour and disputation. If we present a united face to the world, our community will flourish, and people will come to respect and love the peace‐giving message of Islam. If we are always arguing, our community will wither, and the call to Islam will go unheard.
