Issue 1, Vol.

1, Number 1 - Sunday, 4th January, 2015

Special Edition: Islamic Unity Week

Ayatullah Khamenei's (dz)

speech in International
conference on Takfirism.

Editors: Syed Yasir Abbas & Dr. Ameer Ali Badami

Quran
Muammad, the Apostle of
Allah, and those who are with
him are hard against the
faithless and merciful amongst
themselves. You see them
bowing and prostrating [in
worship], seeking Allahs grace
and [His] pleasure. Their mark
is [visible] on their faces, from
the effect of prostration. Such is
their description in the Torah
and their description in the
Evangel. Like a tillage that
sends out its shoots and builds
them up, and they grow stout
and settle on their stalks,
impressing the sowers, so that
He may enrage the faithless by
them. Allah has promised those
of them who have faith and do
righteous deeds forgiveness and
a great reward. (Quran, 48:29)

Hadith
Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, 'There
will come a time when the town of
Qum & its people will be an
authority (hujja) over the rest of
people. This will be during the
time of the occultation of our
Qaim (AS) until his
reappearance. And if this was not
so, the earth would swallow up its
people. Verily, the angels guard
Qum &its people from disasters,
& no tyrant can aim towards it
with evil intentions without being
annihilated by Allah, the
Annihilator of tyrants.'(Bihar alAnwar, v. 60, p. 213, no. 22)

Observing Spiritual
disciplines in Salat
by: Imam Khomeini

Page 4

Unity Fatwas
(According to Shias
and Sunnis)

Page 3

Page 2

The Awakening
Published in: Bangalore, Complimentary Copy

ISLAMIC UNITY WEEK

the various Islamic Schools of Thought on a
single platform, since Allah is One, and
Muslims believe in the single Quran and
bow towards the same focal point, that is the
Holy Kaba, five times a day during daily
prayers.

The Islamic Unity Week is marked

between 12th-17th Rabiul Awwal on the
occasion of the Birth Anniversary of
Prophet Mohammad (S).
This period in which Muslims ponder on
the fundamental call of unity according to
the Holy Quran was initiated by the
founder of the Islamic Revolution, Imam
Khomeini (R), following the establishment
of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979.
Since its inception, the Islamic Unity Week
has been marked annually, not only in
Iran, but also throughout the world, and
has played an important role in bringing

The late Imam Khomeinis (R) foresight

helped bridge the gap of five days between
the two dates believed to be the birth
anniversary of Prophet Muhammad (S).
According to Sunni Islamic narrations, the
12th of Rabi al-Awwal is recognized as the
birth date of Prophet Muhammad (S).
On the other hand Islamic sources relied
upon by Shia Muslims and based on the
narrations from the Ahlul Bayt (A), the
auspicious birthday of the Holy Prophet (S)
was on 17th of Rabi-al-Awwal. In order to
bridge this difference and use it as an
opportunity to unite the ranks of Muslims,
the founder of the Islamic Revolution of
Iran, Imam Khomeini (R) designated the
period of Milad-un-Nabi celebrations from
12th to the 17th of Rabi al-Awwal as the
Islamic Unity Week. This dynamic concept
aims to bring all Muslim schools of thought
on the common platform of Islamic unity.

Let us work jointly together for Islam and let us forget

everything save our struggle for the sake of the dignity of
Islam. Has not the time come for Muslims to understand
and resolve the division of Sunni & Shiite?

- Martyr Navvab Safavi

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Page 2: Muslim Ummah

The Awakening, Issue 1, Vol. 1, Number 1

Unity Fatwas

"Extracted from Al-Taqrib: A JOURNAL OF ISLAMIC UNITY, Number 4, Winter 2009"

There is no doubt that the Muslim ummah is inflicted with sectarian division and stife. Many Muslims have fallen
victim to parochial ideologies that limit Islam to one particular point of view, while discounting the legitimacy of any
other. The following piece attempts to counter such insular views by bringing out the verdicts and opinions of many
prominent Sunni and Shia personalities regarding the madhahib (schools of thought) in Islam. Many of these
prominent scholars affirm the validity of the various madhahib and attest to their falling within the boundaries of
Islam.
Muslims must know this matter and must refrain from
According to Sunnis
unjust prejudice to any particular school of thought. The
Shaykh 'Ali Jum'ah (Former Grand Mufti of Egypt religion of Allah and the Islamic shari'ah was never
from September 2003 February 2013):
restricted to a particular school of thought."
"There are groups out there who are working hard to
strain the relations between the Shia and the Sunni and
to break the unity between the Muslims so that, in so
doing, they can achieve their own goals. For this reason,
with the issuance of my verdict, I am declaring
permissible the worship according to the Shia fiqh. We
must admit that the Shias, in the present state, are quite
advanced. For this reason, we can work together with
them because so long as the Shias and the Sunnis have
one qiblah (orientation for prayer), there is no difference
between them. From the beginning of our history, the
Shias have always been an inseparable part of the
Islamic ummah.
The followers of the Shia school of thought are
remarkably advanced, but there are a few individuals
who, with the intention of creating differences, make
their (i.e. Shia) books out to be out-dated, and by so
doing bring out certain emotionally-charged and
divisive topics. Some political organizations, which are
supported and backed by the Wahhabis, are mustering
all their forces into hampering the relations between the
Shia and Sunni schools of thought.
Shaykh al-Akbar Mahmud Shaltut (Head of the AlAzhar University in Egypt from 1958 to 1963.):
Question: Some individuals state that the worship and
transactions of a Muslim is only correct if he belongs to
one of the four known schools of thought, and this does
not include the Shia Imamiyyah or the Zaydi schools of
thought. What is your opinion regarding this matter?
Answer: "Certainly, Islam does not require a Muslim to
follow any one particular school of thought. Rather, it
says that every Muslim, from the outset, has the right to
follow one of the schools of thought which has been
correctly narrated and its verdicts have been compiled in
particular books.
Moreover, every follower of any of these schools of
thought is permitted to follow another school without
there being any sin on him for doing so.
As for the Ja'fari school of thought, which is also known
as Shia Imamiyyah IthnaAshari (The Twelver Imami
Shias), it is permissible to follow it just as one would
follow the other Sunni schools of thought.

According to Shaykh Ahmad Kaftaru (The former

Grand Mufti of the Syrian Arab Republic, a position he
held since 1964.):
Question: Are the Zaydi, Ja'fari and Ibadi acceptable
schools of thought in Islam, and if so, on what basis?
Answer: "If we limit the fiqh to the Quran and the Sunnah,
we have not given Islam its due nor have we accounted
for the support that it shows to the changes that occur in
the lives of the Muslims. In so doing, we have constrained
the broad vision of Islam and lowered its goals in such a
way that it can no longer respond to the questions raised
by man in his various life circumstances... The Imamiyyah
(Shia) school, whose jurisprudence is closest to that of the
Shafi'i. In fact, in the common practices, other than
approximately seventeen differences, their jurisprudence
is quite close to that of the Ahl al-Sunnah."

According to Shias
Ayatullah Sayyid Fadl Allah (ra) [Late Ayatullah was
one of the prominent Shia Marjaa Taqlid (Supreme
Religious Authority) in Lebanon]:
Islam, with all the theological necessities that are found in
the Noble Quran, can be summarized in the shahadatayn.
Every individual who accepts the shahadatayn is a
Muslim. He is entitled to all of the rights that is due on
any Muslim, and he is obliged to perform all the Muslim
duties. Moreover, the rejection of the essential aspects of
religion does not make one an apostate except if the
individual knows that the consequence of his rejection is
to deny the Prophet (s) of Allah (swt)which, because of
the topic being clear, is usually the case.
However, differences of opinion in theoretical matters
that most of the 'ulama havewhich may be due to a
difference of opinion regarding the reliability of a
narrator, or the meaning of a hadith, or some other
commotion- causing matter that becomes the basis of
their differencedoes not lead to apostasy.
In light of this view, we are of the opinion that all
Muslims and the followers of the schools of the thought
are included within the Islamic Ummah. Hence, it is not
permissible to proclaim kufr on them for any reason.

Page 3: Muslim Ummah

The Awakening, Issue 1, Vol. 1, Number 1

the teachings of the Noble Quran and the

Sunnah of the Holy Prophet of Islam (s),
Ayatullah Khamenei (dz) [Shia Marjaa but they also lead to the weakening of
Taqlid (Supreme Religious Authority) in the Muslims and to the handing over of
Iran]:
their affairs to the enemies of Islam.
Hence, such divisions are not permitted
Question: Considering the various for any reason.
compelling reasons to necessitate unity
amongst the Muslims, what is the According to Ayatullah Sistani (dz) Shia
opinion of your Excellency regarding Marjaa
Taqlid
(Supreme
Religious
including the followers of the various Authority) in Iraq]:
Islamic schools of thought such as the
four-fold schools of the Ahl al-Sunnah, Question: Can we consider as Muslim
the Zaydi, Zahiri, Ibadi & others who anyone who pronounces the Shahadatayn
believe in the clear principles of (the two-fold testimonies of faith),
religionwithin the Islamic Ummah? Is performs his prayer facing the qiblah,
it permissible to ascribe kufr to the and follows one of the eightfold Islamic
above-mentioned schools or not? schools of thought which include the
Moreover, what ae the limits of takfir hanafi, Shafi'i, Maliki, hanbali, Ja'fari,
Zaydi, Ibadi and Zahiri? Also, as for his
during our day and age?
blood, dignity and property, are they to
Answer: All of the Islamic schools of be respected?
thought are included in the Islamic
Ummah and have access to all of the Answer: Anyone who pronounces the
advantageous
granted
by
Islam. Shahadatayn and does not outwardly
Moreover, the schisms amongst the perform any act contrary to it, and
moreover, does not have enmity to the
Muslim parties, are not only contrary to
Ahlul Bayt (as) is a Muslim.
... Continued from Page -2

Ayatullah Khamenei's (dz) speech in

International conference on Takfirism
We should adopt
towards the issue.

The purpose of your meeting, your

congress and your movement is to
confront
this
orientation
in
a
comprehensive way. The purpose is not to
confront what is known today as DAESH.
The orientation which is known as
DAESH today is only one of the branches
of the malevolent tree of takfirism, not the
whole of it. The corruption - this act of
destroying people and shedding the blood
of innocent individuals - that this group of
people is involved in is only a part of the
crimes of takfirism in the world of - Islam.

this

outlook

I am sorry from the bottom of my

heart that today, we have to focus
our attention on the problems that
arrogance has created in the world
of Islam. This is while we should
focus all our energy on confronting
the plots of the Zionist regime and
the move that they made against
Holy Quds and al-Aqsa Mosque.
This should move and stimulate the
entire world of Islam. However,
there is no other option. In fact,
attending to the issue of takfirism is
something that has been imposed on
the ulama, activists and scholars of
the world of Islam. The enemy has
brought this to the world of Islam as
a custom-made product & problem.
Therefore, we have to attend to it.
However, the main issue is the issue
of the Zionist regime. The main issue
is the issue of Quds. The main issue
is the issue of the first qiblah for
Muslims which is al-Aqsa Mosque.
These are the main issues.

Imam Khomeini (ra)

on Unity

"Oh, Muslims and oppressed people

of the world under the hegemony of
oppressors, rise up and shake the
hands of unity and defend Islam and
your destiny. Do not fear the hue and
cry of the powerful countries, for this
century, by the will of God, marks the
century of victory of the oppressed
over the arrogant powers and right
over wrong. "
"The design of the big powers and
those connected to them in the
Islamic countries, is to divide the
strata of the Muslims among whom
the Blessed and Exalted God has
created brotherhood, and has called
them brothers, & to name them
Turks, Kurds, Arabs and Persians.
In fact, they want to make them
enemies of one another. This is
absolutely contrary to the path of
Islam and the Holy Quran. All the
Muslims are brothers; all of them are
equal. All of them should remain
under the banner of Islam and the
banner of monotheism, the ones that
sow discord among the Muslims in
the name of nationalism, factionalism
& nationality belong to Satans army.
They are the accomplices of the big
powers. They are against the Holy
Quran. "
"Muslims should be awake, Muslims
should be alert that if a dispute takes
place among Sunni and Shia
brothers, it is harmful to all of us, it is
harmful to all Muslims. Those who
want to sow discord are neither
Sunni nor Shia, they are agents of the
superpowers and work for them."
"Muslims are brothers & will not be
segregated by the pseudo-propaganda
sponsored by corrupt elements. The
source of this matter - that Shias
should be on one side & Sunni on the
other - is on the one hand ignorance
and on the other hand propaganda of
the foreigners. "

Page 4: Spirituality

The Awakening, Issue 1, Vol. 1, Number 1

Zahid, 'Abid & 'Arif

Observing Spiritual
disciplines in Salat
"Know that for the Salat, beside
its form, there is a meaning, and
apart from its exterior it has an
interior; and as the exterior has
its disciplines, neglecting which
would render the outer form of
the Salat invalid or incomplete,
likewise its interior has cordial
spiritual disciplines, neglecting
which would render the spiritual
Salat invalid or incomplete;
whereas observing them would
inspire the Salat with a heavenly
spirit." - Imam Khomeini (ra)

Struggle in the way

of Allah (swt)
Struggle waged for the way of GodAlmighty, extension of Islamic rule,
proclamation
of
Monotheism
(Tawhid), defense of Islamic lands
and
governance
of
Quranic
commands,
combating
against
oppression and arrogance, & for the
defense of deprived & oppressed is
considered as one of the great
worship, which results in a
struggler's achieving self-perfection
& spiritual ascension towards GodAlmighty. There are plenty of
traditions and Quranic Verses
which
describe
the
special
importance attached to struggle. e.g:
God-Almighty says in Holy Quran:
"Those who believe & have left
their homes and striven with their
wealth & their lives in God's way
are of much greater worth in God's
sight. These are they who are
triumphant. (9:20)"
The Holy Prophet (S) said: For
every virtue, there is an another
higher virtue except when a human
being sacrifices his life for the sake
of God-Almighty. And in that case
there exists nothing superior than
that.

- Ayatullah Ibrahim Amini (dz)

- Martyr Murtadha Mutahhari (ra)

He who abstains from the enjoyments of the world, even its
wholesome ones, is called a zahid (ascetic); and he who is careful to
perform worship, prayer and fasting and the like, is called an 'abid
(devotee); and he who keeps his thought turned perpetually
towards the realm of light in order that the light of the Real shine in
his heart is called an 'arif; & sometimes two or more of these
epithets may apply to the same person.
Although Ibn Sina defines here the zahid, the 'abid and the 'arif, yet
at the same time he is defining zuhd, 'ibadah, & 'irfan. This is
because a definition of zahid, 'abid, or 'arif per se includes
implicitly a definition of zuhd, 'ibadah, or 'irfan. Thus the
conclusion to be drawn from this passage is that zuhd is abstinence
from worldly enjoyments; 'ibadah is the performance of specific
acts like prayer, fasting, reciting the Quran and the like; and 'irfan is
turning away the mind from everything but Allah and paying
complete attention to the Divine Essence so that the light of the Real
may shine on one's heart.
The last clause indicates an important point. One or more of these
characteristics may occur in combination. Thus it is possible for an
individual to be an 'abid and a zahid, a zahid and an 'arif, an 'abid
and an 'arif, or an'abid, zahid, and 'arif at one and the same time.
Ibn Sina has not elaborated this, but he implies that although it is
possible for one to be a zahid or an 'abid and not be an 'arif, it is not
possible for one to be an 'arif and not be a zahid and an 'abid. One
may be both a zahid & an 'abid without being an 'arif, but an 'arif
by definition is also a zahid and an 'abid. So, although not every
zahid or 'abid is an 'arif, every 'arif is a zahid and an 'abid.
In the next passage we will see that the zuhd of an 'arif differs in its
goal from that of a non-'arif. In fact, the spirit & essence of the 'arif's
zuhd and 'ibadah are different from those of the non-'arif:
The zuhd for the non-'arif, is a transaction by which he gives up the
pleasures of the world for the pleasures of the Hereafter, whereas
for the 'arif it is something through which he dissociates himself
from everything that keeps him from attention towards God and he
looks down on everything except God. Whereas worship for the
non-'arif is a transaction by which he performs actions in the world
for a reward (ajr, thawab) to be received in the Hereafter, for the
'arif it is a kind of exercise that is aimed at strengthening his self's
intellectual and imaginative faculties, and which, by repetition,
draws away the self from the realm of illusion to the realm of the
Real.

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