United We Stand Divided We Fall

 

By: S. Nawabzadeh

     "Hold fast to the Rope of Allah, altogether, and do not be divided.” (Holy Qur’an 3:103)

     God Almighty’s command to the believers is crystal clear, and the Prophet of Peace spared no efforts during his 23-year long mission to preach the universal message of Islam in uniting not just the fratricidal Arab tribes, but all those who came into contact with him, like the enslaved black Africans, the Romans such as Suhayb, and the Persians represented by Salman Farsi, into the monolithic Muslim Ummah. 

     While departing from the mortal world for his heavenly abode the Messenger of Mercy bequeathed to the Muslims the excellent formula of unity, saying they will never go astray if they hold fast to the Two Weighty Things (Thaqalayn), that is, the Book of God (Holy Qur’an) and his progeny the Ahl al-Bayt that he was leaving behind for guidance.

     The Revealed Word of the Almighty Creator and the Hadith or statements of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) transcend the barriers of time and geography, which means they are beacons of light for all eras and all places, especially for members of the Ummah who today inhabit all parts of the globe.  

 
     Today when Muslims account for a fifth of the world’s estimated 7 billion population and 53 of the countries where they are in majority, have got together to form the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), along with 4 countries where they have sizeable numbers (the country left out being India and its huge Muslim population of around 250 million Muslims), the Ummah, unfortunately, presents the spectacle of a house divided against itself, for the simple reason the rulers, not the people they rule, have decided to drift away from the Qur’an and the Sunnah (the Prophet’s practice and behaviour).

     Instead of trying to bridge the gaps that have grown over time in jurisprudential matters, in order to build ideological unity, or to cooperate and coordinate with each other to at least promote political proximity for proper use of the vast natural resources bestowed by the Almighty Creator, these so-called Muslim rulers, in addition to repressing the people they rule and creating terroristic sectarian divisions, dance to the tune of the avowed enemies of the Ummah, such as the US and the illegal Zionist entity, to whom the wealth of the lands of Islam is being systematically channeled.

     The result has been the destabilization of Syria, the devastation in Iraq, the destruction of Yemen, the desertion of Palestine and the cause of Islam’s First Qibla, the US occupation of Afghanistan, the brutalization of Bahrain, the crushing of the people’s Islamic aspirations in Egypt, the fragmentation of Libya, the weakening of Pakistan, the terrorization of Nigeria, and last but not the least the humiliating surrender of all Arabia including Hijaz the Land of Revelation to the Americans and the Israelis.

     Gone are the days when the enemies of Islam and Muslims used to laugh behind backs at the ideological ignorance and political immaturity of their client regimes in the Muslim world. Now, these archenemies of the Ummah are arrogantly and openly giving orders to these regimes to indulge in fratricide and internal conflicts.

     In such a horrific situation what is the responsibility of the Muslim masses, especially of the ulema, who are supposed to be religious, spiritual, and social guides of the people? 

     The answer is obvious. They should endeavor to narrow the ideological, especially the jurisprudential gaps among the believers.

     It is now almost 40 years since the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (AS) made the dynamic move in designating the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) as Islamic Unity Week, spanning the two dates of the moth of Rabi al-Awwal believed to be the actual birthday of the Seal of Messengersm – 12th for the Sunnis in accordance with the narrations of the Prophet’s companions, and 17th for the Shi’as who deem family accounts to be more reliable. 

      Thanks to the enedavours of the Islamic Republic, the Islamic Unity Week has not just succeeded in fostering solidarity in Iran but has spread in the region and all over the world to arouse the conscience of the Muslims to the benefits of knitting their ranks on the basis of the ayahs of the holy Qur’an and the Prophet’s Hadith, much to the chagrin of the Ummah’s satanic enemies who in a desperate attempt to undermine Iran’s efforts have launch a war of economic terrorism. 

      Nonetheless, Tehran which is hosting the 32nd International Islamic Unity Conference where some 350 leading figures from over a hundred world countries are participating, continues to play its role as the leader of the Ummah’s solidarity.

     Undaunted by the plots of the US and the Zionists, or the conspiracies of the so-called Muslim regimes, the message of Iran to the ulema of Islam all over the world, irrespective of the minor jurisprudential differences, is crystal clear: Adhere to the Holy Qur’an and the Prophet’s Sunnah, whose most clear manifestation is love for the Ahl al-Bayt, and the Ummah will indeed triumph over sectarianism, terrorism, and thralldom to the US and the Zionists.