AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): The closing ceremony of the 40th International Conference on Islamic Unity was held near the heavenly shrine of Imam Reza (a.s.) in the holy city of Mashhad. At this event, a group of prominent scholars from the Islamic world delivered speeches.
Resistance Is the Path to Realizing Unity and Restoring the Nation to Its Rightful Place
Hojat al-Islam Sheikh Ali al-Khatib, Vice-President of the Supreme Islamic Shia Council of Lebanon, at this ceremony, while appreciating the organizers of the conference, emphasized the necessity of elucidating the thoughts of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution regarding the issues and challenges facing the Islamic nation.
Referring to the holding of this conference near the holy shrine of Imam Reza (a.s.), he stated, "This conference provided an opportunity to examine the thoughts of Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei and the research presented on his views regarding the issues of the Islamic world, and we hope that its outcomes will have significant effects in the practical sphere of Islamic society."
Sheikh Ali al-Khatib identified resistance as one of the most important strategies for confronting the challenges facing the Islamic world and said, "Resistance is the path of the Islamic nation's steadfastness against the enemies, particularly America and the Zionist regime. If resistance had not been effective, America would not have ultimately been forced to enter this battle directly."
Referring to recent developments in the region, he stated, "Few could have imagined that a country that is outwardly the most powerful in the world, with extensive material and military capabilities, would face such a challenge from the Islamic Republic of Iran, which has been under pressure and sanctions for years."
The Vice-President of the Supreme Islamic Shia Council of Lebanon identified the formation of the resistance front as one of the most important achievements of this path and added, "The nations of the Islamic world have stood alongside the resistance, and this support is more evident especially in the issue of Palestine and the defense of the Palestinian nation's cause. Our hope in God Almighty is that the outcome of this path will be the unity of the Islamic nation, and that the effects of resistance against the enemies will become a factor for increasing Muslim cohesion and restoring the Islamic nation to its powerful and rightful place."
He appreciated the Islamic Republic of Iran for playing its role in the path of Islamic unity and stated, "The Islamic Republic of Iran deserves to play a pioneering and central role in the path of unity of the Islamic world, and it has endured great costs and pressures along this path. If the Islamic Republic of Iran had only sought to expand its influence and secure its own interests, it could have reached agreements with the West at various junctures and obtained concessions, but it has chosen the path of resistance and defense of the issues of the Islamic nation."
Islamic Unity Cannot Be Achieved Without Respect for the Other
Muhammad al-Asi, the Friday Prayer Leader of Washington and a Qur'an commentator, at this ceremony, congratulating the occasion of the birth of the Great Prophet (p.b.u.h.), considered the prophetic tradition as a model for the Islamic nation's movement toward solidarity and unity, and stated, "The Great Prophet (p.b.u.h.) is a role model for the believers, and Muslims must apply his teachings in their lives and relationships."
Stating that the root of many differences should be sought in "prejudice," he said, "Even if a person considers himself superior to another, he is still obligated to respect him, because the criterion of faithful behavior is obedience to the divine command, not a feeling of superiority over others."
Al-Asi, emphasizing the necessity of Muslims returning to the common teachings of the Holy Qur'an, asserted, "If a narration stands against a verse of the Qur'an on which all Muslims agree, the Qur'an must serve as the basis for action, because the Holy Qur'an is the common ground of all Muslims."
Referring to the verse "And He brought their hearts together," he said, "The Holy Qur'an speaks of 'bringing hearts together,' meaning that creating affection among the hearts of Muslims is a responsibility that lies with us ourselves."
Muslim Unity Is the Only Way to Stand Against Zionism
Akram Kalsh, former Head of Turkey's Religious Affairs Directorate, at this ceremony, honoring the memory of the martyrs of the resistance against the Zionist regime, thanked the Islamic Republic of Iran for organizing this conference and supporting the cause of Palestine.
Referring to the current conditions of the world, he stated, "Today, oppression has spread in many parts of the world, and humanity needs the message of the Great Prophet (p.b.u.h.), the message of mercy, justice, and human dignity, more than ever."
Kalsh, referring to the status of Bilal al-Habashi in Islamic society, asserted, "The Great Prophet (p.b.u.h.) elevated a person who was once a slave to a high station and demonstrated that in the school of Islam, color, race, ethnicity, and social status cannot be the criteria for human superiority."
He described Muslim unity as meaning their solidarity and unification against enemies and oppressors, and said, "Unity does not mean abandoning the principles of schools of thought, but rather unification against the common enemy."
Iran Has the Right to Possess All Necessary Capacities for Its Own Defense
Zafar Najjar, Vice-President of the Islamic Council of South Africa, at this ceremony, referring to the verses of the Holy Qur'an about the necessity of Muslim unity, stated, "God Almighty has called upon all Muslims to hold fast to the rope of God and avoid division."
Stating that one of the most important questions in the Islamic world today is how to stand against the enemies, he asserted, "The priority of the Islamic nation today must be avoiding division and using opportunities such as the Unity Conference to strengthen solidarity among Muslims."
Najjar, referring to the necessity of increasing the defensive power of Islamic countries, said, "God in the Holy Qur'an has called upon Muslims to prepare and gather strength, and on this basis, we believe that Iran has the right to provide all necessary facilities and capacities to defend itself and stand against the enemies, especially the Zionist regime. When Iran was attacked, it defended itself, and this power was not merely due to human capability but was achieved through divine grace and power."
Islamic Unity Is Among the Essential Principles of the Prophets' Call and the Path of Salvation of the Nation from Division
Mawlawi Lotfollah Haqparast, a professor at Shahid Rabani University in Kabul and Deputy of the Islamic Brotherhood Council of Afghanistan, at this ceremony, while congratulating the birth of the Great Prophet (p.b.u.h.) and Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (a.s.), stated, "God Almighty in the verses of the Holy Qur'an has invited Muslims to unity, brotherhood, and fraternity, and has warned them against division and fragmentation."
Referring to the story of the Mosque of Harm in the Holy Qur'an, he considered it a clear example of the enemies' exploitation of sacred things to create division in Islamic society, and said, "The enemies of Islam, through various deceptions, attempt to use even the most sacred matters to create discord among Muslims."
Haqparast considered the holding of the International Conference on Islamic Unity as one of the important initiatives in the contemporary world and said, "Preventing discord and division is among the great duties of the Islamic nation, and the Islamic Republic of Iran, in the current sensitive circumstances, by holding such meetings, has provided the ground for dialogue, solidarity, and strengthening unity among Muslims."
Islamic Unity Is Achieved When We Set Aside Takfir and Division
Sheikh Asadullah Mwaleh, the leader of Shia Muslims in Zambia, at this ceremony, congratulating the blessed birth of the Great Prophet (p.b.u.h.), emphasizing the necessity of understanding the Holy Qur'an, added, "Reading and reciting the Qur'an alone does not lead a person to paradise, nor does mere recitation make a person knowledgeable; rather, recitation of the Qur'an must be a prelude to understanding its concepts and divine messages."
Referring to the view of the martyred leader regarding Islamic unity, he said, "His view of Islam was as it should be, and he followed the same path that the Great Prophet (p.b.u.h.) emphasized, that is, moving along the straight path and confronting takfiri and divisive currents."
Mwaleh, criticizing takfiri currents and extremist views, added, "We must condemn takfiri movements, because excommunicating Muslims and creating rifts among Islamic schools of thought is contrary to the teachings of Islam and the unity of the Islamic nation. Shia is a part of Islam, and the followers of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) are within the framework of the Islamic nation."
At the conclusion of this ceremony, all speakers emphasized the necessity of preserving the unity of the Islamic nation as the greatest asset against the conspiracies of the enemies, and stressed the continuation of the path of the martyred leader Ayatollah al-Uzma Sayed Ali Khamenei in the direction of Islamic rapprochement and convergence, standing against global arrogance, and supporting the resistance front and the oppressed Palestinian nation.
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