I am a Muslim (period!). But what kind of muslim? Well, I know of one "kind" only; didn't Allaah (SW) say: "Huwa sammaakumu l Muslimiina ..." which is roughly : He named you the Muslims?[22:78]

Yes, but I mean ... ummm are you sunni, shi'i, sufi, ... what kind? I'm sorry, but I don't believe in these labels at all! In fact, I hate all these labels. Why??? They are good - just like trade marks, aren't they?

Labels are our own invention. I don't care about your badge or name tag. What I do care about is what you stand for and whether you do actually 'stand' for it or not. Actions reveal one's identity since, if you don't tell me what you believe in (through your actions), I have no idea of what goes in the core of your heart - it is none of my business as well.

The story goes something like this: As a Muslim, I love all other Muslims and of course, I love the prophet (pbuh), Muslim members of his family, and his companions who struggled and persevered during the difficult and deciding moments of Islam. Now, according to the 'board of directors of the labelling industry', I qualify for my first label: shi'i. But I also believe in The Qur'aan, The traditions of the prophet, .. (I haven't finished!), so I get my second decoration: sunni. At the end of my innocent statement, where I say something about the companions (may Allaah be pleased with all of them), - and it doesn't matter if labellers actually know exactly what I say or not - but I get an immediate upgrade: ahlus sunnah wal jamaa'ah. And the story continues - the label factory works 24 hrs a day, 365 days a year.

What happens to this bank of labels? How are they sorted, and which ones do people eventually stick on me? Labels are furnished to me free of charge, but later on, they mean committment. They refer to 'clubs' that compete to win (so the other party loses). They don't mean cooperation to spread knowledge, and , in short, they are not organizational tools. They signify nothing but division and lack of love or cooperation. The interest of those bearing such extra tags shifts (in most cases) from focusing on Islam to developing the 'group', 'club', etc.. These labels then develop into sub-labels and become attached to us to the point where they start to come before Islam. Some labels end up being manipulated for 'dirty politics' by regimes claiming championship and guardians for this or that label, and there you go: more division, less understanding, waste of energy and resources and poor performance in forwarding the message of Islam to those in dire need for it. Outsiders, in the best case, become confused from the very beginning by all these 'muslim-made' labels that have no justification whatsoever to exist in the first place.

The question that resurfaces is what happens to 'my' (their!) labels? I end up bouncing back and forth between labels and sub-labels - call it MLSS (muslim label scattering spectroscopy) if you like. I start losing one and getting assigned another without noticing (since it's not my job and I don't care). I 'lose' and 'gain' according to others' assessment of my 'loyalties' which they infer from translations of my beliefs into actions (or lack of them).

As they apply their 'washing powders' to my brain, and discover that they don't work (after all, Islam immunizes its followers from brain-washing), I get a common bad sticker and become a 'lost case'. ... Fair enough! It's the logic of "if you are not with me, you are against me". But here's another twist in the story: This group comes and says:"But, brother, you don't believe in so and so, do you?" My answer comes in a complete package: I resent labels altogether; I know that they came after the message of Islam. I simply throw away all labels and their content: If it is good, it definitely is in Islam and I do have it. If it is bad or nonsense, I haven't lost much, have I? Of course, it is not my job to judge people by their label; they may put on 'very nice ones and still believe in (or practice) nonsense.

what we stand for as Muslims is our own (moral) justification of existence. Worshipping Alaah (SW) - in all its aspects- , unity and cooperation to enjoin good and discourage evil summarizes our identity of which we are very proud. This is what gives our life its meaning and promises a reward in the Hereafter. We are not judges, but seekers and propagators of truth. The prophet (pbuh) delivered the message of Islam perfected and complete before he parted to meet his Lord. There are no (human) 'references' or 'masters' to be blindly followed or worshipped be they dead/alive or in between. Sources of Islam are so widespread and within the reach of any sincere and open-minded truth-seeker. Those who prosper in the label industry end up claiming to have monopoly on guidance and start issuing certificates of 'guided' and 'misguided' and stuff their dictionaries with the vocabulary of hate and denominations carrying all those confusing "isms" - and: Lo and Behold! It's bigotry, real extremism and sectarian conflicts. It is the ideal situation on which bad politicians capitalize and of which innocent truth-seekers get scared.

By accepting a label (even a good one)other than your true Islamic identity, you simply legitimize all other labels - even the worst among them: they are just another label like yours and it's a rich language, plus, a minority could always be right - numbers don't always count!

It is time that we focus upon the real meaning and effect of these 'shiny' stickers. I think it's about time (over due in, fact) that we, M U S L I M S , recycle all this reservoir of different tiny signs and make a much larger banner that answers the call of Allaah (SW) :
"Wa' tasimoo bi h!ablil Laahi Jamii'an wa la tafarraquu" which is roughly : and hold fast to the cause of Allaah, all of you, and never divide among yourselves.[3:103]. Let's remind ourselves also with another call from Allaah (SW): " ... wa la takuunuu mina l mushrikiin, mina l lathiina farraquu deenahum wa kaanuu shiya'an kullu h!izbin bimaa ladayhim farih!uun" the rough meaning of which is : and be not like those who associate (other dieties) with Allaah, those who fragmented their faith and became divided groups (on this basis) with each group happy (satisfied) with their lot. [30:31-2]. We need to sit down with ourselves, read the Qur'aan (better in the original Arabic) and ponder on it. We are to determine if such calls from the Almighty Allaah (SW)are answered or not before we polish the next label for export.

What is needed, and urgently, is some sort of 're-booting' to be applied to the Muslim Ummah to eliminate the bad sectors and preserve the integrity of Islam as a'satisfaction-guaranteed' system we all know of.

I am about to rest my case, but would like to conclude by having pity on those who were born under the "wrong sign": My heart goes out for you and with you - I pray for you, Please, Please, Please: DON'T LOSE HOPE!