Talib writes "Peace Be With You. All praise is due to God, The Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings of God be upon the Last Messenger and upon his family and companions - together. God commanded us through His Holy Book to say, "He is Allah, the One and Only."

The whole of this universe is based on unity, everywhere we look we can see it in the marvellous workings and laws which bind all things together. Humanity is also one kind of species and has been favoured by God to be placed above much of His creation. As human beings we are chosen as the successors of this earth and the stewards over all creatures who live and thrive in her.

Humanity was singled out and honoured by God when He ordered the Angels to bow before the first man, Adam. Only Iblis refused to bow and so he separated himself from the unity of the Angels by disobedience to God's command. Man was then given the position on earth to oversee the affairs of this world in accordance with God's will and to bow only to Him in submission.

As God is One, He loves unity. Islam is the religion of unity: every prophet ever sent brought the message of oneness, and tried to bring humanity together to submit to the one and only Sovereign King of this universe. Indeed, everything in this universe submits to God, willingly or unwillingly, and everything is ultimately returning to Him.

In Islam we learn to follow the teachings of oneness from the most simple action to the most profound and complicated. We find this oneness expressed clearly in the five pillars of Islam: When we say, 'La ilaha, iIla' Allah', we enter into the brotherhood of faith - we enter into unity with each other and with believers throughout time. This is Shahadah.

When we share our wealth and give it to those people who are in need, we are learning to re-unite and bring equality amongst human beings, fellow brothers and sisters - Muslim or not - those who are less fortunate. This is Zakah.

Islam teaches us to pray together at the same time, in the same way, in a straight line - in total unity. The rewards of praying together are twenty seven times greater than that of praying alone. This is Salah. We learn also to fast together, following the great clock which God has placed in the heavenly sky; the moon tells us when it is Ramadhan so that we can share those Holy days together and break our fast amongst the fellowship of God's grateful servants. This is Saum.

And lastly another of the great signs of Islam's unity is the month of Hajj. This is the month where believers travel a great distance and learn how to go through difficulties in order to come closer to God and closer together in the greatest sign of human togetherness the world can witness. This is Hajj.

It is because of this massive concentration of humanity in one place, at one time, that we find the Qur'an advising us to be careful and not to enter into arguments, not to fight and to go gently in peace to the House of God and the Plains of 'Arafat. There we join the rest of humanity who have responded to the call of God Almighty and pray collectively in this great congregation for His forgiveness.

The ultimate unity and everlasting success will be given to those who will be together in paradise, those who have been blessed with God's Grace. But those who ran away from unity and who've refused to bow will be in a much worse position, suffering the separation from His Light and merciful radiance.

Allah Almighty loves unity, that is why He made us so that we rely on each other and learn how to live together, sharing what we have by trading and giving in charity. In fact, He could have talked to each one of us and conveyed His words, but instead God chose to send prophets at different times, so that mankind should unite round them, forget their differences and follow their example in unity. The last of God's prophets, Muhammad (peace and blessings of God be upon him) was sent for all mankind to gather together within the true religion of faith and submission - Islam.

Most of the problems which Muslims are facing today are due to lack of unity. We are not following the Prophet's teachings. Remember when he said, "He is not a believer, who goes to bed with his stomach full while his neighbour is hungry." He also said, "You will not enter paradise until you love one another, shall I tell you how to increase love? - spread salaams (the message of peace)."

Allah the Almighty is Single and He loves people to unite. The mother and father of the house are to be respected and obeyed, otherwise there is disunity and chaos. The only reason not to obey your parents is if they teach you to go against the unity of Allah and His message. We must learn how to obey our elders so that we can enjoy the order of life as has been decreed for us, bringing happiness and contentment.

If we have brothers and sisters we should care for each other, the big should look after the small and the small should obey their elders. The Prophet (peace and blessings of God be upon him) said, "You will not have faith until you love for your brother what you love for yourself."How can we achieve this great unity and love? One way is to learn, first and foremost, how to love Allah and His Prophet. This is the supreme love in Islam which will bring about the bonding of humanity under one light,
under one rule, in the one world that we have all been given to share.

Once, Umar, the great Caliph and companion of the Prophet (pbuh), said to the Prophet, "O Messenger of Allah! I love you more than anything except my soul." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings from God be upon him) then said, "No, by Him in whose Hand my soul is (you will not truly believe) till I am dearer to you than your own soul." Umar said, "However, now by Allah, I love you more than my own soul." The Prophet (peace and blessings from God be upon him) said, "Now, Umar, (you are a believer)."

Pilgrimage to Makkah (Hajj) is answering the call of God made through His Friend, Abraham, the father of the prophets. Hajj symbolises coming back to the oneness of mankind through the unbroken path of the one true religion - monotheism (Islam). When we say, 'La Baik, Allahumma, La Baik', this means "Here I am!, O Allah, here I am!". May God bless all those who gather together for the sake of the Almighty, extolling His oneness in the tradition of the last Prophet who was sent as a Mercy and as a guide for all people. May God accept the pilgrims and bless us with the unity which is promised to all those who have true faith.

Islamia School , Friday 3rd Dhu Al Hajjah

Source: http://www.mountainoflight.co.uk/newpages/newsarchive/Februray%202002/hajj.html"