This unity is not necessarily made up of only Muslims, but can also be between Muslims and non-Muslims.
IBN Khaldun once said that man is by nature a creature that lives within a society.
God created mankind with the potential to move towards development.
This potential is very much in tandem with the task of mankind as the vicegerent or khalifah of this world.
One of the tasks of being the world’s vicegerent is to develop the world and this cannot be done on an individual basis. The task of a khalifah is, in actual fact, a responsibility.This responsibility is a collective responsibility, meaning mankind’s responsibility as an ummah.
It is from this that mankind is required to live in a society, or a community, or a nation made up of various ethnic and religious backgrounds.
A strong community will be able to function effectively in administering, managing, and developing its needs. Much of this has got a lot to do with unity within the society.
Any society that has a loose social web will be disunited, weak and fragile. Its strength will be eroded from within and without so much so the society would not be able to carry out its duties as the khalifah of God on this world.
The society will become an underdeveloped society with social problems such as poverty and illiteracy.
As evident from history, a weak society or nation would then be dominated by other stronger external forces.
Islam is a religion that offers the best code of life for mankind in this day and age. It is also a religion that is pro-development and encourages mankind to seek success both in this world and the next.
From the Islamic perspective, there is no taqwa without iman. Similarly, in Islam, there is no society without brotherhood. Brotherhood is the core in creating a civilised society and nation.
It is on this importance of brotherhood that Prophet Muhammad said in one hadith to the effect that: “Between one mukmin and the other is like a building, where one block strengthens the other.”
We have to realise that a Muslim community is not made up of entirely Muslims. A Muslim community begins with an individual that later becomes a nation that is a result of unity.
This unity is not necessarily made up of only Muslims, but can also be between Muslims and non-Muslims.
The first Islamic nation was set up in Madinah by the Prophet and we know that Madinah was composed of various and many races and tribes that had different religious beliefs.
Nevertheless, the people of Madinah, who also included the Christians and the Jews, agreed to uphold the constitution drawn up by the Messenger of God.We see that unity in Madinah has two dimensions. The first is obvious, that is unity among Muslims. This unity is based on taqwa and iman.
The second dimension is the unity between Muslims and non-Muslims. This is based on humanitarian brotherhood.
The latter is built on the principle that each person in a country is entitled to justice in obtaining his or her basic
rights.
Islam places utmost importance on the principle of justice in governance and societal administration.
In Islam, the right to obtain justice is not just a privilege to the Muslims but is also accorded to all, as evident from verse 8 of Surah Al-Maidah from the Holy Quran: Be just. That is next to piety, and fear God.
The spirit of the Madinah covenant is, in fact, the spirit of the real new world order where variety and diversity is accepted as a fact of human life.
The Madinah society was a single community allowing for different religions to be practised and observed. All were guaranteed freedom and protection by the constitution.
There are nearly 400 million Muslim minorities scattered around the world. This number is by no means small.
As such, the Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (Ikim) took the initiative to organise an international seminar to look at minority Muslims’ rights and responsibilities with case studies from several countries, such as Cambodia, Thailand, India, China, Germany, Australia, and South Africa.
The seminar, which was held on Sept 21 and 22, attracted scholars and participants from all over the world.
When discussing rights of minorities, we should always refer to the covenant made by Prophet Muhammad.The fundamental for the rights of Muslim minorities living in non-Muslim countries is a humanistic foundation arising from the concept of inalienable liberties possessed by every individual.
We know certain parts of the world are dominated by ideologies such as secularism and atheism.
As such, Muslim minorities can expect, at the most, protection of their fundamental human rights.The treatment of minorities has become a mark of credibility in today’s world where religious communities and political ideologies are judged.
It is quite justifiable to expect each government to treat its nationals with respect and tolerance.
It is not always possible, however, to expect 100% accommodation from the dominant ideology.
Some shortfalls will occur from time to time, since no individual or community can live up fully to the principles it claims to uphold.
As a result, Muslim minorities will have to tolerate a little divergence that can happen. For that matter, the same applies to all religious minorities all round the world.
We are also aware that all religions have certain rules and regulations that set the parameters for what can and
cannot be done. These laws are meant to direct the behaviour of its followers.
Consequently, there are certain activities that are confined to these particular members of that community. In reality Muslims, even if they form a majority, will still live in the modern nation-state world.
As minorities, Muslims cannot run away from the fact that they live in that state and owe loyalty to it.
Muslims as citizens would honour the basic covenant of the nation-state as long as it does not conflict with the Islamic principles. Muslims would also make a significant contribution to the state where they form a large minority.
This would certainly not be unIslamic as by setting good examples, Muslims would give credence to Islam, which will help to present Islam through their words and behaviour, as individuals and as a community, to others.
Some situations facing Muslims in non-Muslims countries can be quite complex. However, it must be realised that through co-ordinated actions within their own locality, Muslim minorities can create a model Islamic environment.
Muslims’ duty of enjoining the right and forbidding the wrong does not decline when Muslims are minorities.
However, it is imperative that Muslims first correct their own wrongs and practise the true teachings of Islam and
set good examples to non-Muslims.
All these efforts must be undertaken with wisdom, lest these will lead to conflict and resentment.
Perhaps, it is best to ponder upon a verse from the Holy Quran, specifically verse 13 of Surah Al-Hujurat: “O mankind! We created you from a single pair of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise each other).”