Let me be very honest – I am tired of hearing Muslims complain about division. It pains me greatly to see so many in my community showing a sense of hopelessness and hopelessness due to the mistaken belief that the nation is divided and therefore we are all “losers.”

I know that this negativity stems primarily from having to bear witness to the violence and injustice inflicted on our brothers and sisters in the faith in a number of Muslim-majority countries, with impunity, in the context of various geopolitical conflicts.

However, we as Muslims have a responsibility not to despair. Our religion encourages us to reflect and adhere to the Islamic ideal of “enjoining good and forbidding evil.” This requires careful analysis and, if necessary, criticism of the status quo. But never be sad.

After the loss of the Caliphate with the fall of the Ottoman Empire in 1922, a large majority of Muslims focused all their attention and energy on finding a way to “reunify” the nation. They assumed that without a caliphate, the world’s Muslims would struggle to stay on the same page on important issues and suffer the consequences. This led to seemingly endless infighting—primarily between those who sought to preserve ancient religious practices and understandings and those who wanted to institute fundamental reforms of religion in the name of reuniting the nation. Where did all this bickering and screaming get us? What did all this achieve? A full century has passed since the establishment of the Caliphate, and many of us still cry over the dispersion of Muslims.

Those who have become obsessed with the nation losing its “oneness” in the absence of a common political structure have lost sight of the things that still keep us united—the things that can help our society collectively achieve justice, peace, and prosperity.

True unity cannot be found in imposing political or cultural unification under a utopian empire extending from Morocco to Malaysia. It is already present in our collective commitment to the basic principles of Islam, which are universal in nature. The Qur’anic message delivered by the Prophet Muhammad confirms this universality. Islam’s origins as a living oral tradition make it uniquely accessible to diverse societies, from nomadic tribes to advanced civilizations. This accessibility has created a unity that is incredibly difficult to break.

Today, despite the lack of a common caliphate or political structure, the world’s Muslims are far more united than we ever give them credit for. We are united in our principles, practices and values. For us Muslims, recognizing this unity, and harnessing its power, is a theological necessity. Equally important, embracing and cherishing this unity, and not giving in to misleading narratives of division, is a political act of resistance against the enduring legacy of colonial and imperialist tyranny.

This is because our constant infighting and pessimism about our perceived lack of unity is not entirely of our society’s making. The false narrative of “division” is pushed on us by outsiders, by authoritarian forces, who have been subjugating us for centuries. They want us to believe that since there is no general Islamic political unity, we are not united in anything. They want us to lose ourselves in despair, to become truly divided, so that they can maintain their dominance over our people.

In fact, the discourse of division prevalent in Islamic society today cannot be separated from the scars of Western colonialism and imperialism. For more than two centuries, the Islamic world has been subjected to political, economic, and social oppression under Western imperial powers. The artificial borders drawn by colonial officials were designed to divide Muslim-majority areas, sow division among our people and allow us to continue to control them. Today, these imposed borders continue to fuel conflicts and strife.

However, the unity of the nation still exists in a way that these “invaders” were unable to erase. The continuity of Islamic practices – from prayer to Hajj – across 1,400 years attests to a continuous metaphysical connection. This unity, rooted in faith, has outlived countless empires and regimes. Recognizing this fact does not mean ignoring real political challenges, but rather reframing the narrative to highlight resilience.

The key to understanding this is to embrace the diversity of the global Muslim community. Early Islamic society was multicultural, multilingual, and multiethnic. The differences in governance and political approach between the first four caliphs did not undermine unity; Instead, they demonstrated the flexibility and comprehensiveness of Islamic principles. Likewise, the development of various Islamic politics across continents – from the Abbasids to the Ottomans – demonstrates that political differences do not mean division.

In light of this rich history, it is a grave mistake to confuse unity with sameness, and to view diversity as a weakness and a sign of division. The ability to accommodate different opinions, schools of thought, and cultural expressions is a force that has historically enriched the nation. For example, differences in prayer practices between Islamic schools of thought are not signs of division, but rather are reflections of a strong tradition that values ​​diversity within a common framework.

When our people face oppression, violence and injustice or suffer defeat by a tyrannical external force – as we have tragically seen too many examples in recent years – our response must not be to denounce “divisiveness” and fall into despair, but to demonstrate resilience and focus. For all the things that unite us.

The Indian Mutiny of 1857 against British colonial rule is a poignant example of resilience in the face of defeat. After the failed uprising, which resulted in the slaughter of thousands of Indian Muslim scholars, the scholars of Deoband did not give in to despair. Despite the devastating psychological impact of the losses they experienced, they accepted their failure, acknowledged it, and immediately began working to rise from their ashes. They did not panic or complain about the nation’s division and weakness. They did not become desperate. They decided to move forward by protecting Islamic knowledge in British India, knowing full well that oppressors can defeat individual Muslims, but they can never defeat the sacred knowledge that unites us in something greater than ourselves.

Their proactive response transformed the moment of defeat into a basis for renewal, which led to the establishment of educational institutions such as Dar al-Ulum Deoband, whose products served Muslims in the entire Indian subcontinent, if not the entire world. It was a positive response to failure, and a real lesson in the kind of leadership Muslims should aspire to today.

Indeed, at this juncture in time characterized by conflict, inequality and widespread injustice, rather than focusing on narratives of failure, our focus as Muslims should be on the achievements and enduring ties that bind the nation across time and space. The unity of the Islamic world is not a far-fetched idea, but rather a living reality that requires recognition and celebration.

Of course, recognizing the ideological unity of the nation should not lead to complacency either. The challenges of the modern world – from political instability to economic inequality and systemic human rights violations – require innovative solutions. However, these solutions should build on the current foundation of unity, not undermine it with pessimistic narratives.

By reframing the narrative and celebrating what unites us, Muslims can move forward with confidence, turning unity into a force for renewal and resistance in a world still grappling with the vestiges of colonialism.

This is not a time for despair. It is time for us to use our faith in the eternal powers of God and engage in proactive efforts to reform and refine our Islamic endeavors!

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Al Jazeera.