Iranian Shi’a cleric offers Friday prayers with Sunnis in India

Rasa – Iranian Shi’a cleric Hujjat al-Islam Sayyed Mahdi Alizadeh-Mousavi, the president of the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, offered joint Friday prayers at Lucknow’s popular and historic mosque called Tilewali Mosque in Lucknow on Friday.

News ID: 423846

Date: 24 September 2016 - 15:43

RNA – As a step towards bridging gap between Shi’as and Sunnis and sending out a message of a common Muslim platform, Iranian Shi’a cleric Hujjat al-Islam Sayyed Mahdi Alizadeh Mousavi, the president of Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, offered joint Friday prayers at Lucknow’s historic Tila Shah Pir Muhammad Mosque – popularly called Tilewali Mosque in Lucknow on Friday.

While the mosque is under Sunni management, the prayers was also led by Mawlana Qari Mannan, the son of the current Imam of the mosque, Mawlana Fazlul-Mannan. Along with Hujjat al-Islam Alizadeh was also present Hujjat al-Islam Kalbe Sadiq, senior vice president of All India Muslim Personal Law Board and others from the Shi’a community, offering prayers together with their Sunni brethren in the jam-packed mosque.

In his address post the prayers, Hujjat al-Islam Alizadeh-Mousavi said that it was important for Shi’as and Sunnis to come together to fight radical ideologies who want to mar any attempts of unity.

“Clerics and people for both Iran and India should form a joint committee to foster unity and support and initiate such joint efforts,” he said. “We are all but Muslims and the Quran does not demarcate amongst us as Shi’as or Sunnis, and so we need to do the same,” he added.

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