RNA – On Thursday, March 23rd, a group of Iraqi Sunni scholars from the Imam al-Shafi’i Institute in Baghdad met with Hujjat al-Islam Abdul-Mahdi al-Karbala’i, the trustee of the Holy Shrine of Imam al-Husayn in Karbala.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the annual conference on Islamic brotherhood which was held with the participation of the Holy Shrine of Imam al-Husayn and Imam al-Shafi’i Institute.
Hujjat al-Islam al-Karbala’i said there are many commonalities which can unite Muslims upon the axis of Islam and the Prophet Muhammad and one of these common points is that we must speak out against the oppressors and the corrupt thinkers and remain steadfast upon our truthful positions because Iraq is one of the countries which has suffered from deviant and misguided thinking.
The representative of Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali al-Sistani in Karbala added that intellectual deviation is the root of the root of the current problem and added, “We’re hopeful that we can eliminate this problem.”
His Eminence continued, “On the other hand, Daesh is one of the groups which was born from the Takfiri ideology and with their thoughts and actions, they have the distorted the image of Islam and still some people and personalities are propagating this false ideology among the people.”
He added that the ongoing military campaign against Daesh is coming to an end but the intellectual battle against Daesh to protect pure and authentic Islam continues and we appreciate the courageous stance taken by some Sunni scholars and elders.
“Of course all of these positions are the results of the positions taken and the fatwa issued by Ayatollah al-Sistani and we must protect these results,” he said.
Hujjat al-Islam al-Karbala’i added, “We appreciate the courageous stances taken by our Sunni brothers and we believe that these positions were formed under difficult conditions. Iraq and the Islamic world need to take strong, courageous and self-sacrificing positions because Islam cannot be established through speaking and preaching alone and alongside these, it also requires selflessness and sacrifice.”
He stressed that we must restore the true, bright and luminous face of Islam and this requires the efforts of the clergymen and scholars, especially in some areas where distortions and conflicts are more intense and the protection of Islam requires efforts and the struggle of thought.
Hujjat al-Islam al-Karbala’i called on Sunni clergymen to invite the people toward consistency and firmness on positions of truth and to explain the truth based on the Quran and hadith because some clergymen and scholars have created problems based on false interpretation and understanding of texts based on their own opinions and have interpreted them against the will of God.
“For this reason, we’re hopeful that the truths of the prophetic tradition and the effects of the mercy of Islam are explained to the people so that all know that the Prophet Muhammad fought to defend Islam and Muslims,” he said in conclusion.
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