RNA – In an exclusive interview with Rasa News Agency, Hujjat al-Islam Ali Malakouti, the representative of the people of East Azerbaijan province in the Assembly of Experts, referred to the academic and religious foundations of unity among Muslims and said, “Our religious foundations have focused strongly on the unity of Muslims and have always avoided disagreement and noncooperation.”
The revered teacher in the Islamic Seminary of Qom considered unity as one of the self-evident essentials of Islam and stated, “The brotherhood that the Holy Prophet Muhammad created among Muslims at the beginning of Islam is the best evidence of this.”
He explained the lifestyle of the Immaculate Family of the Prophet Muhammad regarding unity among Muslims and said, “Even in the narrations, attending the congregational prayers of the Sunnis, visiting their sick, taking part in their funerals of their deceased and other similar issues are recommended and the scholars and the Muslims also did the same.”
Hujjat al-Islam Malakouti pointed to the emphasis of the late Imam Khomeyni and Ayatollah Khamenei on the need to give attention to Islamic unity and said, “The late Imam [Khomeyni] and the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution as well as the sources of emulation and the scholars have always emphasized the necessity of adhering to Islamic unity and have encouraged people towards solidarity and unity in various ways and will continue to do so.”
His Eminence argued that Islamic unity frustrates the enemies from achieving their goals, emphasizing, “When we stand against the irrational and destructive enemies, reason requires that we stand and resist with unity and solidarity. On one hand, we have frustrated the enemies from achieving their evil goals and, on the other hand, we have achieved the highest goals of Islam.”
He referred to the lifestyle of the scholars of Islam in the field of unity and said, “The scholars didn’t always allow religious dissension to lead to the separation of Shi’ah and Sunni scholars and while they had religious differences with each other, they would be present at each other’s meetings and classes.”
Hujjat al-Islam Malakouti said that the academic discussions didn’t originate from the differences between Shi’ah and Sunni Islam and added, “Academic discussions are based on proof, logic and reason. Therefore, they won’t lead to differences and dissociation but rather, it is ignorance, hypocrisy and malice that causes division among Muslims.”
At the end of the interview, he noted the attitude of the sources of emulation and the scholars towards combating with the divisive efforts of the enemies of Islam and stated, “The scholars has always thwarted the enemies through their vigilance and have neutralized their conspiracies through their divine advice.”
Rasa News Agency
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