al-Wahda al-Islamiyya Ususuha wa Wasail Tahqiqiha
- Author died
- 1434 AH
- Editions
- Islamic University of Madinah
al-Wahda al-Islamiyya: Ususuha wa-Wasa'il Tahqiqiha (Islamic Unity: Its Foundations and Means of Realization) is a study by Ahmad bin Saad Hamdan al-Ghamdi (d. 1434 AH / 2012 CE) examining the contemporary condition of the Muslim community, the factors causing its disunity, the fundamental bases required for its cohesion, and the practical avenues for achieving unity . The work was published as a research treatise in scholarly journals, including issue 21 (1408 AH) of Majallat al-Buhuth al-Islamiyya while the author served as an assistant professor at the College of Da'wah and Usul al-Din .
Purpose and Scope
The author frames the work around the premise that the Muslim community's sense of needing mutual cooperation and unity is a realistic response to the harms of factional dispute and weakness . He emphasizes that bringing the community together requires an accurate diagnosis of the underlying causes of its current condition, identification of the sound principles upon which Muslims must unite, and determining the proper practical instruments, so as to avoid shifting from one deviant state to another .
Structure and Contents
The treatise is structured into four main sections followed by a brief conclusion :
- The Reality of the Islamic Ummah (واقع الأمة الإسلامية): This section surveys deviations across three areas: creed (aqida), worship (ibada), and legislation (sharia). In creed, it addresses atheistic tendencies, theoretical deviations concerning the divine names and attributes, and both classical sectarian deviations—highlighting the Shi'a and Sufis—and modern sectarian movements . In worship, it examines excessive extremism, complete neglect, and deviation from correct practice . In legislation, it addresses the replacement of Islamic law with man-made legal codes and attempts to reconcile the two .
- Causes of this Reality (أسباب هذا الواقع): The second section identifies three root factors behind the fragmented state of the Muslim world: ignorance of God's religion, military invasion of Muslim lands, and intellectual invasion (al-ghazw al-fikri) .
- Foundations of the Islamic Ummah's Unity (أسس وحدة الأمة الإسلامية): The third section outlines four essential pillars for genuine unity: unity of purpose (wahdat al-ghaya), unity of creed (wahdat al-aqida), unity of leadership (wahdat al-qiyada), and unity of legislation (wahdat al-tashri') .
- Means of Realizing the Foundations of Unity (وسائل تحقيق أسس الوحدة): The fourth section outlines five practical mechanisms necessary to revive and protect these foundations: directed education (al-ta'lim al-muwajjah), principled media (al-i'lam al-multazim), an independent economy (al-iqtisad al-mustaqill), striving toward self-sufficiency (al-iktifa' al-dhati), and establishing scholarly centers (marakiz ilmiyya) .
The book closes with a brief supplication asking God to provide the means for unifying the Muslim community upon truth .
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