By Sajid Iqbal

My Ummah, those who follow me, the future of their faith makes me worry till I cry. My brothers and sisters in Islam, will they be strong and carry on after I die?

These are the moving lyrics from a nasheed (Islamic song) by Dawud Wharnsby Ali expressing how the Prophet (peace be upon him) was worried about the likes of ME and YOU - his Ummah.

The Ummah is the Muslim world, about 1.6 million of us in the UK from all colours, races, nations, tribe, backgrounds, languages and cultures.

The Prophet (pbuh) was always worried about his Ummah. He used to stay awake at night crying in front of Allah (swt) and praying for his Ummah. Even when the Prophet (pbuh)was blessed with a visit to the heavens to see Allah (swt) he remembered to pray for his Ummah. It is the prophet (pbuh) who will be interceding for his Ummah on the Day of Judgement.

Today the Ummah is LOST. It's in a mess. The Ummah is divided by race, colour, sect and tribes. Today a lot of Pakistanis and Bangladeshi's don't get on; a lot of Arabs think they're superior to others and a lot of white Muslims are treated as second class. Today, we have separate "Paki" mosques "Guji"

mosques and "Bengali" mosques, even marriages between different cultures and nationalities is still not readily accepted by all. Why? Because we have forgotten the teachings the Prophet (pbuh) gave to this Ummah. We are still divided by race and nationality and forgot about the concept of the 'Ummah'.

Allah says:

"O mankind, verily We created you from a male and a female and made you nations and tribes so you could come to know one another. Verily the noblest of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you."

The Prophet (pbuh) said

"All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over a black, nor a black has any superiority over a white - except by piety and good action."

Today the ummah is busy fi ghting and hating each other on the lines of Sunni and Shia, deobandi and brelwi, sufi and salafi and so on. Our Quran is one, our Prophet (pbuh) is one and our fundamental teachings are one yet we are divided and that is one of the main reasons why this Ummah is weak and not as successful as it should be.

Today, there is too much in-fighting on petty issues, this is also one of the main reasons why the Ummah is in trouble, we're too busy condemning others to hell, big deal if someone's beard is not the right length, or scarf is the wrong colour or does not celebrate Mawlid.

There were differences of opinions among the Companions, their followers, and great Imams. But they did not turn these into fights. They disagreed but they maintained respect and love for each other. The brotherhood remained intact. They had tolerance for the other view; we need to learn from them.

Allah says:

"And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allah (i.e. this Qur'an) and be not divided among yourselves." (3:103)

"The Believers are but a single Brotherhood: So make peace and reconciliation between your two (contending) brothers; and fear God, that you may receive Mercy."(49:10)

The Ummah of the prophet (pbuh) is being attacked, occupied, ripped to shreds and humiliated in Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, Kashmir and the world over. Most of our leaders in the Muslim world are either too weak, too scared or just simply the puppets of the West. Over 60 nations but no bottle, no guts, no wisdom and no real Islam.

They're either kissing Bush's backside, begging from the West or hating the West so much that they are prepared to kill themselves and anyone that comes in their path. We have the amazing deen of our prophet (pbuh), we don't need to look elsewhere for success- and that is why we are suffering around the world.

The Prophet (pbuh) likened the Ummah to one body, when one part of the body is hurting and in pain the entire body suffers as a result. (Bukhari) In the same way if a Muslim is hurting or oppressed at one end of the world, its pain and grief must be felt by all.

LET ME ASK YOU:

Do we feel the pain of our fellow brothers and sisters? Do we care about them? Do we even think about them? Do we pray for them? Do we speak up for them? Or do we just feel sorry for them and then just ignore them?

So today, here and now, we need to think about the Ummah and take positive actions in trying to revive and strengthen our Ummah:

1. To start off give 'Salaam' to every Muslim you know and don't know how many of us do this today? This automatically connects you to the Ummah.
2. Understand and increase Brotherhood and Sisterhood Treat your fellow Muslim as your 'brother' and 'sister'. As the Quran says: The Believers are not else than brothers (and sisters) (49:10) The Prophet (pbuh) said: "A Muslim is the brother (and sister) of another Muslim, so he should not oppress him, forsake him, or despise him."
3. Understand that Muslim unity is not an option We need to understand that we HAVE to unite with each other if we want to strengthen this Ummah. Unity is not to agree on every issue but it is to work together for the common goals.
4. Learn tolerance towards other points of view Even if you disagree with your fellow Muslim- don't fi ght over it and call anyone a Kafi r! Learn to respect each others views, be constructive and always respect each other- remember you belong to the Ummah of the Prophet (pbuh)
5. Make Dua Pray for your Muslims across the world- pray for the Ummah; especially those who are suffering.
6. Help your fellow Muslim in need Don't just feel sorry for your fellow Muslims who are suffering and are in need of help- help them! Donate your money, offer your time, speak up for them and let them know your fellow Muslim cares!

So... play your role in reviving this Ummah of the Prophet (pbuh). Start today!