Salvation lies in being with the jamaat. Alhamdulillah, there is no God but Him. He has no resemblance or associate. He disposes of His kingdom as He pleases. He is not asked about what He does,
His command when He desires a thing is just to say to it, ‘Be!’ and it is.
(36:82)
I bear witness that there is no God but Allah. This is the testimony with which we conclude our life in this world, and with which we will begin life in the hereafter. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, the seal of the prophets and the master of the martyrs, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and to all his family and companions.
Believers! Have taqwa of Allah, for whoever is mindful of Him, He will protect him, and take taqwa as your provision, for it is the best sustenance.
Know that salvation is in staying within the community, and destruction is in separating from it. Allah Almighty said:
Hold fast to the rope of Allah all together, and do not separate.
(3:103)
And remember Allah’s blessing upon you, when you were enemies and He united your hearts, and by His grace you became brothers, and you were on the brink of a pit of fire and He saved you. Thus, He shows you His signs so that you may be guided.
In this verse, Allah, the All-Powerful, commanded us to hold on to the rope of community and warned us against scattering and division. For in union is goodness and guidance, and in division there is evil and misguidance, and that, by companionship, two men are better than one and three are better than two.
etc. The Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, said: “Whoever wants the best place in the Garden, let him remain in the group. Shaitan is with the solitary and with the one who stays away from the group.” And another hadith has: «Whoever dies separated from the community dies in a state of jahiliyah.” And sallallahu alaihi wa sallam also said: “If there are three in a village or town, and they do not pray together, the shaytan takes possession of them.”
Our shariah has forbidden everything that may cause harm to the jamaat, everything that leads to the emergence of factions, division and confusion. Therefore, Islam warns against everything that divides muslims. And Allah, the Almighty, said:
But if anyone opposes the Messenger after the guidance has become clear to him, and follows other than the path of the muminun, We will hand him over to whatever he has turned to, and We will roast him in Hell. What an evil destination!
(4:115)
Therefore, you must join the jamaat, for the wolf feeds only on stray sheep. Servants of Allah! The symptoms of division begin by neglecting the prayers in the mosques.
Allah has commanded muslims to gather five times a day and they are called with the words: “Haya aal as-salat!”, “Haya aal al-falah!”. Success lies in praying in a group.
What about people who do not know the way to the mosque except during Friday prayers and the Eid? This is neglecting salat in a group, unless there is an acceptable excuse. Islam has urged us to do all that unites the hearts, such as cooperation in righteousness, taqwa, cooperation, respecting kinship ties, accepting an invitation, being united in the good and the bad moments, as well as giving food which is one of the qualities of the righteous. Allah, the All- Powerful, said describing them:
They give food, despite their love for it, to the poor and orphans and captives: ‘We feed you only out of desire for the Face of Allah. We do not want any repayment from you or any thanks.
(76:8–9)
* * *
Muslims, Allah, may He be praised, has commanded us to adhere to the group and to obey Allah, His Messenger and those in authority, i.e. the one who has assumed the responsibility of the group. And he said:
You who have iman! obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in command among you.
(4:59)
A group without an amir is like a body without a head. Our Prophet, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, used to appoint an amir in his place during his travels until his return; thus the importance and significance of this goes back to the fact that the ummah cannot do without someone to lead it, even for a moment. The amir is an obligation and an honour.
Every responsible person – amir, rais – who fulfils his duties and works for the rights of his jamaat, will have a great reward, and will be one of the seven categories of people whom Allah will cover with the shadow of His throne. For sallallahu alaihi wa sallam specified in a well-known hadith the seven categories that will be covered by the shadow of Allah, on the Day when there will be no shadow except His shadow; and a righteous ruler is mentioned first, and that is because of the difficulty of being just.
And the amirs will be asked about their followers, one by one, and Allah knows best who are the vulnerable among them and who are the strong. Therefore, in our Maliki madhab, it is recommended that zakat be given to the amir, because he has more knowledge about who are most needy. And whoever pays his zakat to the leader of the group, he is exempted from liability, whether it is zakat on wealth or zakat al-fitr. And to do it through another person is sincerity: Allah, He may be praised, says:
If you make your sadaqa public, that is good. But if you conceal it and give it to the poor, that is better for you, and We will erase some of your bad actions from you. Allah is aware of what you do.
(2:271)
Have taqwa of Allah, servants of Allah, preserve your deen, adhere to your community and you will triumph!
If you seek the victory of Allah then cling to the community. And Allah says,
If they intend to deceive you, Allah is enough for you. It is He who supported you with His help and with the muminun, and unified their hearts. Even if you had spent everything on the earth, you could not have unified their hearts. But Allah has unified them. He is Almighty, All-Wise.
(8:62)
Allahumma, protect our community from division! Unite their word and purify it!
Guide our youth!
And guide our amir to that which You love and that with which You are pleased! And be for us a Guardian, a support, a help!
And have mercy on our oppressed brothers, upon whom destruction, devastation, fighting, displacement and torture have been raging, day and night, for years!
Allahumma, defeat the oppressors and transgressors who corrupt and who do not correct themselves!
Allahumma, grant victory to the oppressed everywhere! Allahumma, grant us iman!
And may we die under the banner of Your Prophet, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam! And may we be resurrected in the group of the pious!
And seal our deeds with faith, Islam and tawhid! Amin.