Dear brothers and sisters,
One of the most important chapters in the Qur’an that talks about the manners and etiquette of Muslims is Surah Al-Hujurat. The verses in Surah Al-Hujurat are commandments from Allah to the believers teaching us how to deal with certain scenarios of conflicts between people. Among the verses in this Surah, one of the most famous verses is the following verse:

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ وَأُنثَىٰ وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوا ۚ إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ
O mankind! Indeed, We created you from a male and a female, and made you into peoples and tribes so that you may ˹get to˺ know one another. Surely the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous among you. Allah is truly All-Knowing, All-Aware. [49:13]

This is a fundamental principle in Islam that teaches equality between human beings, and the only factor that decides the level and nobility of a human being is his Taqwa, his fear towards Allah, which can only be known by Allah. Allah also tells us that we have been made differently, so it is also inevitable that there will be differences in opinions and ideas between not only human beings but also within Muslims. These differences are not meant to divide us or to put each other down, but for us to learn from each other and demonstrate the diversity within Islam, as long as these differences are within the boundaries of Allah’s Shari’ah.

One of the great examples that demonstrates how the Sahaba dealt with the differences within themselves was an incident that happened after the Battle of Ahzab, also known as the Battle of Khandaq. Since in the battle of Ahzab, the Jewish tribe of Banu Qurayza in Medina betrayed the Muslims, so right after the Muslims came back from the battle to Medina, the Prophet (SAW) immediately told everyone: “None of you should pray Asr until he reaches Banu Qurayza” which means that they should hurry up and go there right now, and do your Asr prayer once you reach there. However the news of course didn’t reach to everybody at the same time, a group of Sahaba heard the news later, and by the time they heard it, it was already almost Maghrib. So the group was in disagreement: one group thinks that this is an exception and they should only pray Asr once they reach there, even if it means missing the time of the prayer, but the other group thinks that the 5 daily prayers should always be offered on time, no matter what circumstances. So one group went ahead without praying Asr, and the other group stayed and prayed Asr, and eventually reached there. When they told the Prophet (SAW) about this issue, the Prophet (SAW) did not disapprove or deny any of them (Sahih Bukhari 4119).

This is a very important story: it shows us that when both sides are qualified to make Ijtihad (judgment), they don’t have to listen to one another. Both sides sincerely think that they are more correct, without considering their own desires, and they did not criticize each other or call each other as deviants or innovators. The Prophet (SAW) said: “When a judge gives a decision, after trying his best to decide correctly and he is correct, then there are two rewards for him; and if he gave a judgment after trying his best but it turns out incorrect, then there is one reward for him.” (Sahih Muslim 1716)

There is another interesting story during the Battle of Mu’tah. This battle occurred shortly after the Sword of Allah Khalid al Walid converted to Islam, and that was his first battle with the Muslims. During the battle, all the 3 leaders of the companions were martyred, including Zayd ibn Harithah, Ja’far ibn Ali Talib, and Abdullah ibn Rawahah, so the companions appointed Khalid to be their leader after all 3 of them were killed. During this battle, there was a companion who killed one of the enemies who had luxurious weapons and armor, and according to the Shari’ah, he gets to have all of that himself. However, Khalid himself didn’t know about this rule, so he thought that all this war booty was too much for him, so he ordered the man to give them. After they returned to Medina, the man immediately complained to the Prophet (SAW), and after the Prophet confirmed what happened, he ordered Khalid to return it all back. When this happened, the man scoffed and began to mock Khalid and boasting that the Prophet (SAW) stood on his side. When the Prophet (SAW) heard this, he became very angry, and ordered Khalid to not give him back anything, and the Prophet (SAW) told the man: “Will you not leave my commander? Take the good and leave the bad.”
This story tells us, that sometimes even if we are right, our pride shouldn't lead us in the wrong direction. Even though Khalid’s understanding was wrong, but he did judge according to what he knew at that time, and eventually he is not the one who was blamed, but instead the man who was boastful.

This is not to say that the rulers are exempt from any criticism, because had the man kept his respect for Khalid as a leader, he wouldn’t have been reprimanded by the Prophet (SAW). Especially in the case of one group transgressing and oppressing against another group without judging according to what Allah has commanded, the Muslims are commanded to fight against the transgressor. This was also mentioned in Surah Al-Hujurat, where Allah says:
وَإِن طَائِفَتَانِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ اقْتَتَلُوا فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَهُمَا ۖ فَإِن بَغَتْ إِحْدَاهُمَا عَلَى الْأُخْرَىٰ فَقَاتِلُوا الَّتِي تَبْغِي حَتَّىٰ تَفِيءَ إِلَىٰ أَمْرِ اللَّهِ ۚ فَإِن فَاءَتْ فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَهُمَا بِالْعَدْلِ وَأَقْسِطُوا ۖ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُقْسِطِينَ
And if two groups of believers fight each other, then make peace between them. But if one of them transgresses against the other, then fight against the transgressing group until they ˹are willing to˺ submit to the rule of Allah. If they do so, then make peace between both ˹groups˺ in all fairness and act justly. Surely Allah loves those who uphold justice. [49:9]

If the transgressing group does not listen to advice and insists on harming the other group while not obeying the rules of Islam, then they should be opposed and fought until they have decided to submit to Allah. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they will make decisions that are favored and liked by every Muslim: it’s impossible. But as long as it is within the laws of Shari’ah, then the commands of the rulers should be obeyed, and should be criticized if they go against the boundaries of Islam. Many of our predecessors and scholars of the past, for example, all the 4 Imams, as well as Imam An-Nawawi, Imam Al-Suyuti, Shaykh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on them all, despite the pressure and potential consequences they had to bear, they used to fearlessly speak out the truth and criticized against the rulers with dignity and respect.

This also shows that being a scholar is not just about gaining knowledge living a comfortable life and being secluded from the community. On the opposite, knowledge comes with responsibility and sacrifices. These scholars of Islam were not exempted from hardships, and they had the responsibility to stand out and speak against injustice to preserve the truth for the Ummah.

May Allah grant us the strength and courage to speak out the truth even during hard times, may Allah bless us with harmony and peace among our Muslim Ummah, and may Allah help us in upholding justice and fairness in all circumstances.