The Ummah Obligatory Migration from Disunity to Unity

   The blessed Hijra (migration) charted the path of unity for the believing Ummah, which worships and submits to Allah Almighty. It laid out the path of monotheism and defined its major features: that the path of divine monotheism, the rejection of polytheism, idolatry, and the life of Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic ignorance), is achieved through the unity of this believing Ummah that migrated from Mecca (the place, meaning, and symbol of idolatry at the time) to Medina (the abode of faith, the meeting point of the second half of the Ummah, and the symbol of faith at that time).

The unity of the monotheistic body of the Ummah on earth at that time was through migration and the journey from Mecca to Medina. Therefore, migration at that time was considered not only an act of faith but also a basis for lineage and inheritance, replacing the lineage of Jahiliyyah and its inheritors.

The legislation at that time was clear in making migration the criterion for guardianship, lineage, and inheritance, overriding kinship and blood ties: "Indeed, those who believed and emigrated and strived with their wealth and their lives in the cause of Allah and those who gave shelter and aid – they are allies of one another. But those who believed and did not emigrate – you have no guardianship over them whatsoever until they emigrate" (Al-Anfal: 72). Thus, the Hijra was a complete plan for building the identity of the new believing society: a society of unity and monotheism.

Explanation of the Two Verses of "One Nation"

The Quran directed the unity of the Ummah in two clear passages, each with its own significance and meaning that the Ummah of monotheism should heed during the blessed remembrance of the Hijra. The first passage is in Surah Al-Anbiya': "Indeed, this, your community, is one community, and I am your Lord, so worship Me" (Al-Anbiya': 92). The second passage is in Surah Al-Mu'minun: "And indeed, this, your community, is one community, and I am your Lord, so fear Me" (Al-Mu'minun: 52).

Among the implications of His saying "one community" in Surah Al-Anbiya' is that the call of all prophets is one call, which is the call to monotheism. Consequently, the followers of the prophets, from Adam (peace be upon him) until Muhammad (peace be upon him), are all one community in purpose, path, and goal, even if time separates them. The trajectory of this call is united by the path of all prophets, as clarified by the Wise Quran in mentioning comprehensive and inclusive examples of the path of monotheism, which is known as the history of the prophets in the Quran.

And that successive monotheistic nations should consider the trajectory of previous monotheistic nations with reflection, insight, benefit, and planning for their present call, situated in their time and place. The Wise Quran did not mention the lives of the prophets and their struggles with their peoples for amusement or as a miracle in reporting the unseen that the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not witness. Rather, the purpose of recording the movement of the prophets with their peoples in their various and diverse circumstances was a record of the movement of monotheism on earth, its paths of action, and the obstacles it faced, in order to examine and explore the lessons and considerations that the final monotheistic Ummah must adopt.

Thus, the Quran describes this record as having detailed the movement of monotheism and its trajectory, leading up to the final prophethood, so that it might be a consideration for the final monotheistic Ummah and spare it the hardships of the path by understanding it, enabling it to prepare, plan, and gather the correct, clear, and necessary provisions for the path of monotheism.

Allah Almighty said: "There was certainly in their stories a lesson for those of understanding. Never was it a narration invented, but a confirmation of what was before it and a detailed explanation of all things and guidance and mercy for a people who believe" (Yusuf: 111). In this consideration are many meanings that researchers in Islamic sociology and the sociology of Da'wah (calling to Islam) must pay attention to.

Among the implications of His saying "one community" in Surah Al-Anbiya' is also that the verse concludes by urging the worship of Allah Almighty, linking the unity of monotheistic nations across time with worship. The essence of monotheism is complete allegiance to Allah Almighty and directing worship to Him alone, in ease and hardship. This is what the Ummah of monotheism must prepare the appropriate environment for: achieving complete allegiance to Allah, and by its unity, pushing back against everything that distorts and deviates that allegiance from its true direction (such as dispersion and fragmentation).

Furthermore, examining the lives of the prophets, which the Quran recorded in many places, clearly shows the value of allegiance and its connection to the value of worship or servitude. A person directs their servitude to the one they believe will support them. Therefore, the Quran's constant and sole command on this issue is to direct worship to Allah Almighty and His allegiance alone and with sincerity: "And they were not commanded except to worship Allah, [being] sincerely obedient to Him in religion" (Al-Bayyinah: 9).

The Implication of His Saying: "One Community" in Surah Al-Mu'minun

If we consider the first instance of His saying "one community" as adherence to the vertical line of unity among the followers of the call to monotheism from creation until the final prophethood, and all that it entails of the values of servitude and what is associated with them and their requirements, as demonstrated by the movement of the prophets throughout history in their defense and struggle to establish complete and pure monotheism on earth.

Then this instance of His saying "one community" in Surah Al-Mu'minun relates to the unity of the final Muslim society, which is apparent from the name of the Surah in which this saying appears: "The Believers."

The believers here refer to the existing and final community of faith until the Day of Judgment, where time, place, meaning, structure, call, defense, specificity, and universality of the call to monotheism are all gathered. The Ummah of the final prophethood inherited all the legacy of the previous prophets and their injunctions to their own prophets. It took upon itself the responsibility of achieving this call first among themselves, then in their generations and future, and in the reality of humanity and the world in general, by inviting them to monotheism through explaining the value of this call in humanity, and embodying that in the continuous and enduring time and place of this Ummah's existence.

Although Surah Al-Mu'minun is a Meccan Surah, it suggests that even if Islam initially appeared individual in Mecca, that is neither its destiny nor its true state. This is because the true state of Islam is in the collective and communal form of believers, with which this noble Surah opened with the words: "Certainly will the believers prosper" (Al-Mu'minun: 1). This indicates that Islam, from its revelation, is a communal, not individual or isolationist, religion. Therefore, the Quran condemned monasticism and isolation in all their forms. Then came the verse: "And indeed, this, your community, is one community, and I am your Lord, so fear Me," directing that the community of believers is one, and that Allah Almighty warns the community of believers against loosening the bonds of this unity. Therefore, He followed it with His saying: "And I am your Lord, so fear Me," meaning: beware of dividing this Ummah and thereby losing the meaning and value of worship on earth. This is because division relates to the failure to perform the duties of Islam and the vicegerency that the Ummah of Muhammad bore as a trust and inheritance for previous monotheistic nations. The final Ummah was as its Prophet was, the final Prophet, so it should not fail to maintain unity, because that reflects its dangers on monotheism and its requirements in the reality of the Ummah.