The Concept and the Challenges of Muslims Unity in Contemporary Nigeria from an Islamic Perspective

Kamal-deen Olawale Sulaiman

ABSTRACT


Abstract
The glory of Islam’s past civilization clearly demonstrates the bond of brotherhood in a multicultural society that was sustained for such a long period of time. Such glory is a manifestation of the great messenger’s determination and his companions who advocated righteousness and forbade evil based on the guidance from Allah. The concept of brotherhood and harmony commanded by Allah was well understood by them. The question is whether that methodology is understood by today’s Muslims in Nigeria. Therefore, this paper briefly explores the concept of unity in Islam and its relation to a united Muslims and initiates a brief discussion on some selected findings that relate to the situation of unity and national integration in Nigeria. It also examines the background to Islamic unity, the practical steps towards Muslim unity and the validity and the necessities of Muslim unity in recent times are equally highlighted. The research method was based on the exegetical and hermeneutics of the Glorious Qur’an and Ahadith, including the appraisal of the views of Islamic scholars. The paper comes to understand that unity in Islam as one of the greatest blessings granted by Allah to the Muslims is not an option. Anything opposed to this blessing such as tribalism and selfishness is an act of ingratitude with lasting consequences. It observed that, Muslims in Nigeria have reduced Islam to rituals and ignored other basic aspects of the faith that emphasize brotherhood. It is concluded that, unity is an obligatory duty for every Muslim.
Keywords: Unity, Islamic perspective, Muslim, Nigeria, brotherhood.