Pioneers of Islamic Unity

What better occasion to promote Islamic solidarity and awareness than the birth anniversary of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). We are on the threshold of the birthday of the Almighty’s Last and Greatest Messenger.

We have slight differences regarding this auspicious date. Sunni Muslims consider the Prophet's birthday of the Prophet to be the 12th of Rabi al-Awwal by citing the narrations from his companions, who it is clear had no previous acquaintance with the Prophet until he publicly proclaimed his mission at the age of 40 years. On the other hand, Shi'ite Muslims by giving preference to the accounts of the Prophet's Ahl al-Bayt or immediate family members as more authentic, regard that auspicious day to be the 17^th of the same month. Thus, in order to bridge the minor differences among the Muslims, as a result of the various schools of jurisprudence, the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA), declared the Islamic Unity Week to span these two dates in order to assemble World Muslims on a single platform. Thanks to the Late Imam's foresight great strides have taken place in fostering Islamic unity in Iran and abroad in the face of the feverish plots of the enemies of Islam and Muslims to sow discord. Stay with us for a special feature titled Pioneers of Islamic Unity.

It is undeniable fact of history that no sooner did the Prophet pass away the greatest discord occurred when a group of his companions, ignoring his explicit instructions and in violation of the commandment of God in the holy Qur’an, assembled at a place called Saqifah Bani Sa’da where after a heated argument and exchange of fist blows they selected one of them as caliph or political leader, while the Prophet’s divinely-designated heir, Imam Ali (AS), was busy performing the last funerary rites of the Seal of Messengers. Yet, after protests to the injustice done to him, Imam Ali (AS) showed the highest degree of magnanimity by refraining from reclaiming his right through use of force, in order to preserve the solidarity of the Ummah. He never withheld his advice, whenever the caliphs approached to him in moments of difficulty to solve the problems of the state and Muslims. After the martyrdom of Imam Ali (AS), and the seizure of the caliphate by Mu’awiyah ibn Abu Sufyan, Arab Jahiliyya re-emerged in new form, in the garb of Muslims, to inflict the greatest damage to Islam and Muslims, resulting in deep class divisions in society and the oppression and exploitation of the peoples. Soon the Godless Omayyads were overthrown by the Abbasids, who despite being related to the Prophet, indulged in more horrendous crimes against the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt. During this crucial period of history, the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt were the pictures of piety, patience and Islamic solidarity. After them the dedicated ulema took on the role of promoting the genuine teachings of Islam in society, including the solidarity of Muslims, who had become splintered in sects. The divisions and resulting weakness of the Muslims was exploited by the European colonialists who seized control of most Muslim lands, and sowed the seeds of discord among Muslims by creating cults like the Wahhabis in Arabia, the Bahais in Iran and the Qadiyanis in the Indian subcontinent. In the 19^th century as Muslim scholars began to awaken and preaching solidarity, reformers emerged such as the pan-Islamic activist Seyyed Jamaluddin Asadabadi of Iran, Sheikh Mohammad Abduh of Egypt, Abdur-Rahman Kawakebi of Syria, Mohammad Rashed Redha of what is now Lebanon, and Mohammad Iqbal Lahori of the subcontinent. These enlightened personalities realized that the backwardness of the Muslims was due to disunity and the dominance of tyrannical rulers supported by the European powers, and hence strove to awaken the Ummah.

Seyyed Jamaloddin Asad Abadi is the first and most important religious reformer and advocate of the Islamic alliance in the recent centuries. He is among the religious reformers who, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, tried to remove superstitions and deviations from religious beliefs and return to original Islam. He realized Hthe West was one of the most important causes of the backwardness of the East, and in particular the Muslim societies. Seyyed Jamal believed that Muslims should acquire knowledge and set up political organs having popular appeal, so as to restore the power and prestige of the Islamic ummah. He called for borrowings from the west to speed up reforms, which he did not see contradictory to the religious tradition of Muslims. In view of this, his movement could be called intellectual and modern. Seyyed Jamal strongly criticized regimes ruling Muslim states, although in pursuit of his goals he did collaborate with the governments. He was a firm supporter of Islamic unity, and the enemy of the West's hegemony. Seyyed Jamal believed that if the Islamic world was unified and consolidated it could resist against European hegemony. He did not reject borrowings from the West in modern science and technology.

Sheikh Mohammad Abduh followed in Seyyed Jamal's footsteps and called on the Islamic society’s need to modernity. According to thinkers the thoughts of Seyyed Jamal and Abduh revolutionized Egypt and other lands, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and the Subcontinent. This ideology strove to deliver the Muslim World from European hegemony. On being appointed editor-in-chief of al-Waqa'e al-Misriyya, the official newspaper of the country, he dedicated to reforming all aspects of Egyptian society. In his articles he criticized corruption, superstition, and the luxurious lives of the rich. He was exiled from Egypt in 1882 for six years, which he spent in Lebanon and Paris, where he joined Seyyed Jamal-oddin in publishing the Islamic revolutionary journal "al-Urwat-al-Wusqa" which promoted anti-colonial views. Abduh also visited Germany and Britain and during his exile dedicated his efforts toward furthering respect and friendship amongst Muslims and Christians. He returned to Egypt in 1888. In 1899, he was appointed Mufti of Egypt. He embarked on reforming the education system at al-Azhar having come to the conclusion that Muslims suffer from ignorance about their own religion because of the despotism of unjust rulers. He was a prolific writer, and among his works is a commentary on Nahj al-Balagha, the famous collection of the sermons, letters, and maxims of the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS) – a book, which Abduh reintroduced to the Egyptians, seven centuries after the end of Fatemid rule.

Rashid Reza and Kawakebi were also among the other harbingers of Islamic unity. Kawakebi also considered dictatorship as an obstacle to the unification of Islamic countries. He emphasized the role of Islam, especially the principle of monotheism, in rejecting despotism and emphasized unity of Muslims.

The prominent Egyptian scholar and dean of al-Azhar, Sheikh Mahmoud Shaltut, was disciple of the school of thought of Sheikh Mohammad Abduh. On assuming chairmanship of al-Azhar in 1958, he announced his vision for reform. Shaltut attempted to prove that the shari’a law was not an obstacle to modern society, but rather a guide through the changes modern society brings with it. He was fervently determined to see al-Azhar achieve greater independence from the state’s control. Sheikh Shaltut is remembered for encouraging harmonious interactions between the Sunni and Shi’a Muslims. He maintained close relations with Iran’s Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Hussain Borujerdi and zealously campaigned for open discussion and cooperation between the two branches of Islam. Shaltut issued a fatwa declaring the Ja’fari or Twelver Shi’a School, as a legally valid Islamic system of jurisprudence, permissible to any Muslim adhering and practicing it for fulfillment of religious rites. This fatwa is still seen as a symbol of hope for those aspiring for reconciliation between the two main branches of Islam.

AS/ME