A Brief History of Islamic Unity Invitation
Shi'a-Sunni disputes
Studying the Islamic history reveals the fact that many massive fratricides have taken place on pretext of Shi'a-Sunni disputes. Such moves have led to the severance of any type of scientific or cultural ties between the Shi'a and the Sunni brethren, to the extent that the followers of both these schools of thought once used to think about one another as the believers in two different religions!
Invitation toward the unity
The invitation toward the unity of the Islamic schools of thought took shape based on the opposite mentality and in order to confront such threats relying on a scientific and reformist foundation of the original Islamic beliefs, and the backing of the great Islamic thinkers and Alims, who relying on their strong belief in God set foot in this controversial scene and never feared the blaming and objections of their zealous opponents.
Mohammad-Taqi Qomi
Among them there was Master Mohammad-Taqi Qomi, from the Shi'a seminary in Qom, Iran, who migrated to Cairo, the great scientific stronghold of the Sunni school of thought, and planted the tree of proximity right there. He made it clear for the followers of Sunni schools of thought that they had mistakenly assumed that the followers of Shi'a school of thoughts are quite the same as Qolat, or the followers of Mokhta'ah School, similarly with the Shi'as mistake that the Sunnis are quite the same as the followers of Nasebi School of thought. In his exchange of ideas with Sunni Alims, and in presentation of his thoughts, Qomi always promoted the idea of Islamic unity and invited everyone to observe tolerance and to be lenient in confrontation with followers of other schools.
Establishment of Daar-ut-Taqreeb
The fruit of that exchange of ideas was the establishment of Daar-ut-Taqreeb Bain al-Mazaheb ul-Islamiyyah (Home for Proximity among followers of Islamic Schools of Thought).
Throughout the Islamic history, till the establishment of that center, prominent personalities, both in the past and in contemporary era, had spent efforts aimed at proximity that had unfortunately born no tangible fruits yet. But the efforts made by the devoted Alims at Daar-ut-Taqreeb in a short while led to splendid results.
Grand Ayatollah Boroujerdi and Sheikh Mahmoud Shaltout
Martyr Morteza Motahhari's comments on the issue are noticeable:
"After the elapse of long years (of total separation between Shi'a and Sunni Alims), friendly ties were established between the prominent Shi'a leader Grand Ayatollah Boroujerdi and the prominent Sunni Alim Sheikh Abdul-Majid Salim. Two years later Ayatollah Boroujerdi had also close ties with the Grand Mufti of Egypt and the Head of Al-Az'har University, Sheikh Mahmoud Shaltout, and they regularly wrote letters to one another.
"It would not suffice to say that Ayatollah Boroujerdi was interested in the matter, since he was truly in love with materializing the grand objective of achieving Islamic unity, and it would not be exaggeration to claim that his heart beat with that beautiful rhyme. I have personally heard two very reliable sources as saying that the recent heart attack that led to that grand personality's demise, was the second one, after which he was conscience for a short period of a couple of hours. During those hours he spoke in details about the idea of proximity among Islamic schools of thought, adding, "I had long dreams about the future of that movement."[1]
Magazine Rsalat-ul Islam
Two years after the establishment of Daar-ut-Taqreeb that center started publishing its monthly magazine الاسلام رسالة (Rsalat-ul Islam = Islamic Prophecy), in which prominent Shi'a and Sunni Alims used to reflect their ideas. That magazine's complete series is a rich collection of scientific, literary, ethical, historic, jurisprudential, philosophical, and reformist articles focused on the issue of proximity. Above all, there are a series of articles by the Grand Sheikh Mahmoud Shaltout on interpretation of the Holy Qur'an free from sectarian inclinations and all types of bias.
Among the other publications of that Islamic center we can refer to precious interpretation of the Holy Qur'an by 6th century (AH) Alim, Amin ul-Islam Tabarsi titled
«مجمع البيان لعلوم القرآن» (Majma'ul Bayan li-Oloum il-Qur'an = A Comprehensive Compilation of Sciences on Qur'anic Interpretations).
Sheikh Abdul-Majid Salim
The Head of Al-Az'har University at the time, Sheikh Abdul-Majid Salim, praises that book, saying, "It is a precious, unique, and extremely valuable work. You should not assume that I have exaggerated in having said these words. This is one of the most important source books on interpretation of the Holy Qur'an." [2]
Sheikh Mohammad Shaltout
Later on the Head of Al-Az'har, Sheikh Mohammad Shaltout, issued a verdict based on which following the jurisprudences of any of the authentic Islamic schools of thought, including Ja'fari Shi'a, were considered equally as permissible.
By and by invitation towards proximity became a school of thought all by itself, which was based on the Holy Qur'anic teaching, the Prophet's traditions, and strong scientific reasoning.
Ayatollah Rouhollah Khomeini
After the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran the late founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Grand Ayatollah Rouhollah Khomeini (PBUH), promoted the motto of Islamic unity as a strategic slogan of the world Muslims, based on deep Islamic beliefs and Qur'anic teachings. In addition to that, in the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran full religious freedom for the followers of all authentic Islamic schools of thought is guaranteed. The followers of various Sunni schools of thought are even granted the right to refer to courts of justice in which verdicts are issued based on their respective jurisprudences in Iran, if they wish so.
The Islamic Revolution of Iran meanwhile emphasizes on the need to revive such grand Islamic rituals as the Friday Prayers, and Hajj, the greatest scene for the manifestation of the collective Islamic sentiments towards the unity of the entire Ummah. It also emphasizes on the need for uniting the Islamic Ummah at the scenes of decision making over the sensitive issues with which the Islamic World is entangled that is the most important step taken towards strengthening the foundations of Islamic unity in Islamic World thus far.
Among those moves we can refer to fundamental stands adopted by the Islamic Republic of Iran on the crises in Palestine, Lebanon, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
Ayatollah Khamenei and Global Assembly for Proximity
In order to materialize the grand objective of Islamic Unity, the Islamic Republic of Iran also initiated the Unity Week, following which during the Fourth International Conference on Islamic Unity at the presence of prominent Alims from the entire Islamic World, the proposal for the establishment of the Global Assembly for Proximity of the Islamic Schools of thought was proposed to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei. His eminence, too, approved of the proposal and issued an order for its establishment.
[1]- Motahhari, Morteza, تکامل اجتماعي انسان (Takamol-e Ejtema'ie-ye Ensaan = Mankind's Social Perfection – in Persian), P 205
[2]- Prelude to «مجمع البيان لعلوم القرآن» (Majma'ul Bayan li-Oloum il-Qur'an = A Comprehensive Compilation of Sciences on Qur'anic Interpretations – in Arabic); Published in Cairo