In The Name of Allaah, The Most Merciful,  The Bestower of Mercy.

Question: What is your view regarding the statement of the one who says that indeed unity is a fundamental requirement, so if a person comes along to split that unity, it [is] obligatory to reject him, even if it is Tawheed he [propagates]?

Answer: Does Allaah [The Blessed and Exalted] merely intend unity, even if the Rawaafid, khawaarij, the Baatiniyyah, the grave worshippers and their ilk are part of this unity?! Is this the unity commanded by Allaah? Is this the meaning of Allaah’s [The Blessed and Exalted] statement:  وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا ۚ – And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allaah, and be not divided among yourselves]? [Surah Aal Imraan’ Aayah 103]

What is the Rope of Allaah? It is the Qur’aan and [authentic] Sunnah; therefore the bond of Tawheed between you has to be the Book of Allaah. Allaah [The Most High] said:[ إِنَّ هَٰذِهِ أُمَّتُكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَأَنَا رَبُّكُمْ فَاعْبُدُونِ – Truly! This, your Ummah is one Ummah, and I am your Lord, therefore worship Me [Alone]. [Surah Al-Anbiyaa’ Aayah 92]  This is the unity that Allaah wants- [unity] upon truth and the revelation Allaah- and obligated on us.

On the other hand, what do we call these people [i.e. those who want to unite upon divergent beliefs and methodologies]? [They are either] enemies of the Prophets or foolish ignoramuses [who carry] political views that are in opposition to the methodology of the Prophets, the methodology of Muhammad, the Dawah that consolidates unity upon truth and does not split the religion [i.e. into divergent sects], just as Allaah [Glorified and Exalted be He] said: [إِنَّ الَّذِينَ فَرَّقُوا دِينَهُمْ وَكَانُوا شِيَعًا لَّسْتَ مِنْهُمْ فِي شَيْءٍ ۚ إِنَّمَا أَمْرُهُمْ إِلَى اللَّهِ ثُمَّ يُنَبِّئُهُم بِمَا كَانُوا يَفْعَلُونَ – Verily, those who divide their religion and break up into sects [all kinds of religious sects] , you [O Muhammad] have no concern in them in the least. Their affair is only with Allah, Who then will tell them what they used to do]. [Surah Al-An’aam’ Aayah 159]

The sound Dawah [necessitates] that we unite the people upon the Book of Allaah and the [authentic] Sunnah of Allaah’s Messenger [sallal laahu alayhi wasallam], so whoever responds will enter – InshaaAllaah- in the shelter of the saved sect and victorious group, and whoever refuses, then indeed he has chosen to be from the destroyed sects- those whom Allaah’s Messenger [sallal laahu  alayhi wasallam] informed us about; because they [i.e. these sects] refuse to unite under the banner of Tawheed, the Qur’aan and the [authentic] Sunnah, therefore they follow nothing else but the paths which the devils amongst mankind and Jinn call to [Ref 1], and Allaah has not burdened any soul beyond what it can bear.

At present, we experience the end results of these Da’waat [i.e. calls of the deviated sects] on the face of the earth! What is taking place at present in Afghanistan between the people of these calls? What took place after Kabul was liberated [i.e. from the Russians]? Did the people of these calls not start to quarrel and kill one another for sake of position?! At present we’ve seen divisions [amongst the groups], except the Dawah of the Imaam – The Mujaddid – Muhammad Bin Abdil Wahhaab [rahimahullaah]. The [upright] scholars of this Dawah have not differed up to this era – no differing in Manhaj,  Aqeedah or politics has occurred between them, because indeed it is a Dawah based on: “Allaah said and Allaah’s Messenger [sallal laahu alayhi wasallam] said”, however others besides them have become [divergent] groups – Jamaa’atut Takfeer [i.e. the Takfeeri Group], Jamaa’atul Jihaad [i.e. the Jihaadi Takfeeris], groups based on splitting and schism, [the emergence] of group after group, without an end…and one cannot find anything to protect them from splitting, [because] that which will protect [this Ummah] from splitting is the Qur’aan [i.e. sound understanding of the Qur’aan based on the understanding of the Sahaabah] and unity upon that. This is why the affair of the sincere ones has been prolonged and amongst those sincere ones are the people upon the Da’wah of Imaam Muhammad Bin Abdil Wahhaab [rahimahullaah], and you will find the [upright] scholars of this Da’wah upon [true and sound] brotherhood- neither differing in Methodology and Creed nor does politics [i.e. innovated political activity] exist amongst them. [Ref 1]

Shaikh Saaleh al Fawzaan [may Allaah preserve him] said: As long as the Aqeedah (creed) is shaky and blemished the Muslims cannot be united. It is not possible to unite the one upon Bidah with the one upon the Sunnah, ABADAN.  It is not possible to unite the person of corrupt Aqeedah (creed) with a person of sound aqeedah even though they share the same name (i.e. they are both called Muslims). The Muslims have to be united upon Tawheed, upon the correct aqeedah, upon the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah (Muhammad-sallal-laahu-alayhi-wasallam). The Muslims have to come together; they have to unite and follow that which emanates from that bond and unity, as long as this does not depart from obedience to Allaah and His Messenger (sallal-laahu-alayhi-wasallam).  And due to that, the Messenger (sallal-laahu alayhi wasallam) said: “Allaah is pleased for you with three things: ”that you worship Him (alone) and not to associate anything with Him; and that you (all) hold unto the Rope of Allaah and not to be divided; and that you give sincere advise to the one placed in charge over your affairs (i.e. the Muslim Ruler)”

As for the one who calls to the unity of the Muslims even though they differ in their aqeedah, indeed, this is impossible. The one who wants to unite the Muslims even though they are upon divergent beliefs, even though they are upon shaky beliefs, this is inconceivable. (It is) like the one who attempts to bring together water and fire or a beast and a fish. This can never be possible because a beast lives on land and a fish lives in the sea. [Ref 2]

[Ref 1: Source: An Excerpt from ‘Majmoo Kutub Wa-Rasaa’il Wa-Fataawaa Fadheelatish Shaikh Al-Allaamah Rabee Bin Haadee Umayr Al-Mad-khalee’ Vol 1. Pages 36 – 39. (slightly paraphrased). Abdullaah Ibn Mas’ood[radiyallaahu-anhu] drew a straight line and drew lines to its right and to its left and then said: The Messenger (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) drew just like this, and he said about the straight line: This is the path of Allaah and about the lines to its right and left he said: These are different ways, upon each of these ways is a devil calling to it.” Allaah the Exalted said: “And verily, this is my Straight Path, so follow it, and do not follow other paths.”[Al-An–aam 6:153].  Read a more detailed article on this link: http://www.salafipublications.com/sps/sp.cfm?subsecID=GSC01&articleID=GSC010003&articlePages=1

[Ref 2: Source: Excerpt from a lecture delivered by sheikh Saaleh al Fawzaan at Masjid At-Tawheed in Taa-if. Title of lecture: At Tahdeer Minal Furqati Wal Ikhtilaaf]