Reader responds to the concerns expressed by a reader in an earlier letter.
Re: ‘Need to focus on commonalities,’ letter by Br. Abdulaziz-ul Haqq (CI, April 2014). The sources (usul) of our belief (‘aqidah) are the same: the Qur’an and the Sunnah of our Nabi (pbuh). Again, they are the sources of our confidence: the Qur'an gives the Muslim confidence that Allah (swt) is greater, that Islam is the direction, and that the Prophet (pbuh) is central to the way things ought to be.
If you have read Pioneers of Islamic Scholarship by Adil Salahi (2006), you will see how the Islamic schools of thought were developed and how they complement each other. If one fails to know his place in history, one will not be able to anticipate future incidents, nor adapt oneself to current realities.
Lack of sincere leadership is the cause of disunity. Despite our geographical distances, we can still recognize the importance of having a leader and work with greater urgency to select one.
With the initiative of our sisters and brothers to make available ICIT’s publications and works via the web library, which will serve the emerging Islamic leadership, it will also serve individuals like us to better understand and participate in our efforts to implement Islam in our lives.
Muslim A. Mahmood
Wuse 2, Abuja, Nigeria