AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Ayatollah Sayed Ahmad Khatami, member of the Supreme Council of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, in an interview with ABNA on the occasion of Islamic Unity Week, stated, “By the Grace of God, after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, Islam gained a renewed spirit and vitality, and this is the reason behind the relentless confrontations and hostilities against the Islamic Revolution of Iran.”
Khatami added that before the Revolution, religion had been completely marginalized and was considered an opiate, but the Islamic Revolution demonstrated that religion gives life. “The enemies of the Islamic Revolution are fearful of the revived and life-giving Islam. Accordingly, what is being shaped in the Islamic world today follows this strategic goal,” he said.
Speaking about the role of international institutions, he stressed that both the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly and the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought must play a role, since the enemies’ ultimate goal is to strike at Islam itself. “We see that in Lebanon, they target Shiites, and in Gaza, they target Sunnis. This proves the enemy has one overarching strategy: eliminating Islam. That is why Unity Week always holds a strategic position, especially in the current situation. Shiites and Sunnis must realize that we face enemies who oppose the very essence of Islam. Facing such enemies, we must emphasize our commonalities. Our God is one, our Prophet (p.b.u.h) is one, our Quran is one. I even believe that love for the AhlulBayt (a.s.) is also a basis for unity.”
Highlighting the centrality of love for the AhlulBayt (a.s.), Khatami said, “Imam Sadiq (a.s.) is a beloved figure in the Islamic world. Malik ibn Anas, one of the Sunni Imams, said he had never seen anyone superior to Imam Sadiq (a.s.). Abu Hanifa, another Sunni Imam, remarked that had it not been for the two years he benefited from the presence of Imam Sadiq (a.s.), he would have been ruined. Al-Shafi‘i learned from Abu Hanifa’s students, and Ahmad ibn Hanbal benefited from Al-Shafi‘i. This shows that the Islamic world owes much to Imam Sadiq (a.s.). Therefore, now that Islam and Shiism have, Alhamdulillah, gained vitality, we must serve Islam and the Quran.”
Concluding on the necessity of unity, he emphasized, “This guidance on unity, which the Supreme Leader and before him Imam Khomeini (r.a.) stressed, is a strategic matter for the entire Islamic world, not only for Shiites. Unity never means merger; rather, it means standing together against the common enemy.”
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