Stay United — The Hand of Allah is with the Jama‘ah

Islam teaches us the importance of unity, brotherhood and sisterhood. Muslims are not meant to live as though they have no connection to one another. We are one Ummah, and we should support, protect and encourage one another upon what is good.

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ gave us a powerful example to explain the danger of separating ourselves from the Muslim community. He ﷺ said:

“The wolf only eats the sheep that strays away from the flock.”

(Sunan Abi Dawud 547)

Think about a flock of sheep. When they remain together, there is protection in their numbers. But when one sheep wanders away from the others, it becomes much more vulnerable to the wolf.

The same principle applies to us. When Muslims remain united upon the Qur'an and Sunnah, support one another and encourage each other towards righteousness, they are stronger. But when a person deliberately isolates themselves from good people and separates themselves from the community, they can become more vulnerable to temptation and misguidance.

This is why the Prophet ﷺ compared the danger to a wolf. Shaytan seeks to separate people from what protects them. He encourages division, arguments, hatred and isolation. If he can make Muslims turn against one another or convince someone that they do not need righteous companions, he has made them more vulnerable.

Allah ﷻ tells us:

“And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not be divided.”

(Qur'an 3:103)

Unity does not mean that Muslims will agree on every single matter. People will naturally have differences of opinion, personalities and backgrounds. Rather, our unity comes from having the Qur'an and Sunnah as our foundation and refusing to allow disagreements to turn into hatred and division.

Being united also means looking after one another. If our brother or sister is struggling, we should not simply leave them behind. We should advise them with kindness, make du'a for them and help them return to what is good.

Sometimes a person may feel alone, and that is exactly when they need the support of righteous people around them. A good friend can remind you to pray, encourage you when you are struggling and help you stay firm when temptation comes.

The wolf does not need to defeat the entire flock. It only needs to find the one that has become separated.

This is a powerful reminder for every Muslim. We should be careful about isolating ourselves from good people and should make an effort to stay connected to those who remind us of Allah ﷻ.

At the same time, we should make sure that we are not the reason someone else feels pushed away. Our words and behaviour should bring people closer to goodness, not drive them away.

The strength of the Ummah is found in Muslims supporting one another upon righteousness. When we stand together, encourage one another and hold firmly to the guidance of Allah ﷻ, we are far stronger than when we allow ourselves to become divided.

Stay close to the flock. Support one another. Hold firmly to the rope of Allah ﷻ, and do not allow Shaytan to separate you.