AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): A specialized webinar titled "Hajj: The Unifying Symbol of the Islamic Ummah in the Face of Global Developments" was held with the participation of scholars, religious figures, and cultural activists from the Islamic Republic of Iran and Thailand. In it, the spiritual and strategic dimensions of the great pilgrimage of Hajj in current circumstances were discussed and examined.
At the beginning of this session, the message of Hojat al-Islam Abdolfattah Nawab, the Supreme Leader's Representative for Hajj and Pilgrimage Affairs and the head of Iranian pilgrims, was read. This figure of rapprochement, in the midst of the Abrahamic Hajj rituals, sending a message from the land of Hejaz, described the gathering at the sanctuary of the Kaaba as the greatest manifestation of Islamic unity, a reflection of brotherhood, and an awakening of Muslims. He emphasized the necessity of utilizing the immense capacity of this divine obligation to strengthen convergence in the Islamic world and counter divisive currents.
Citing verses from the Holy Qur'an, he presented Hajj as an issue far beyond an individual act of worship and noted: "At a time when the true face of the enemies of Islam has been revealed to various nations with the fall of ostensibly humanitarian masks, it is more necessary than ever for the followers of the Ahmadi faith to use the precious opportunity of Dhul-Hijjah to develop a platform for social awakening, exchange of experiences, and creating bonds among religious nations."
Subsequently, Mehdi Zare Bi-Aib, Iran's Cultural Attaché in Thailand, referring to the intellectual and identity crises of the contemporary world, stated in his remarks: "Among the most important challenges facing the Islamic world today are the forgetting of the profound concept of a 'single Ummah' and the expansion of ethnic, religious, and political divisions."
He described Hajj as a symbol of the soft power of the Islamic world and said: "In the greatest Islamic maneuver, various nationalities from around the world, regardless of language, culture, or sect, gather around the secure sanctuary of God, presenting a different image of the world order—an order in which the criterion of superiority is not power and wealth, but piety and human dignity."
Iran's Cultural Attaché in Thailand, referring to the plight of the Palestinian people, presented this issue as a symbol of the Islamic world's unity, stating: "The suffering of millions of displaced co-religionists and the imposition of the harshest conditions for living in Gaza is a shared pain. A serious understanding and real effort to resolve it could be an important factor in greater connection and interaction between Muslims and the multitude of free people in the world."
He considered self-purification among the other philosophies of the Hajj occasion and added: "The rites of Hajj, including standing at Arafat and Muzdalifah, stoning the Jamarat, and sacrificing an animal, are symbols of the struggle against the carnal self, Satan, and worldly attachments. By performing these cognitive acts, the pilgrim finds an opportunity to reexamine the soul and the concept of disavowal (Bara'ah)—a disavowal that, in its most evident example, can be interpreted and understood as repudiation of child-killing regimes."
Zare Bi-Aib recalled: "For greater unity and maximum authority, it is necessary today for the followers of the world's second most populous religion, under the name of the Islamic Republic of Iran, to covenant with each other against the hegemonic system and the front of hypocrisy."
He described Iran as one of the symbols of solidarity among the two-billion-strong Muslim nation and added: "Given that followers of Islam form the majority of the population in 53 countries of the world, the consensus of this vast body behind the resistance front is truly a practical coalition and, consequently, a valuable effort towards a real connection with the unifying foundations of Islam."
Zare Bi-Aib recalled: "The Iranian nation, relying on a culture of perseverance and trust in internal capacities, has stood with full authority and dignity against various military attacks and unjust international sanctions. According to observations, today, this successful model and experience, with all its costs for the civilized Iranian nation, has become, as a spiritual and precious gift, part of the culture of the Islamic world."
In this online session, in addition to a speech by Hojat al-Islam Hebatollah Sadr al-Sadat, the representative of Al-Mustafa International University in Thailand, religious and cultural figures from the host country, including Lt. Gen. Somchai Virunphonl, Fatima Batool Chawikwan, Zarin al-Abidin Pikrim, Sheikh Hussein bin Salim, Sheikh Ansar Lempang, and Sheikh Gholam Ali Abazar, examined various dimensions of Hajj and emphasized the necessity of strengthening solidarity, dialogue among Islamic schools of thought, and reviving the civilizational identity of the Islamic world.
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