According to Rahyafte (the missionaries and converts website):Speaking to IQNA, Mohaddeseh Moeinifar, professor of Imam Khomeini (RA) International University, underscored the position of unity in the Quran and Islamic teachings.
She said it is important to contemplate the objectives the Holy Prophet (PBUH) pursued in formation of the Islamic society.
Unity among people is one of the main elements that paves the way for formation of the Islamic society and that is why in both the Holy Quran and Hadiths, a lot of emphasis has been put on the issue of unity, the scholar noted.
She added that social life is very important in Islam and the region, along with guidelines for personal happiness, has offered guidelines for collective salvation as well, one of the major ones being about unity among all groups of people in a Muslim society and also unity among different Muslim societies.
Moeinifar referred to verse 103 of Surah Al-Imran as the one including the most direct instruction on unity: “And hold fast to the Bond of Allah, together, and do not scatter. Remember the Favor of Allah bestowed upon you when you were enemies, and how He united your hearts, so that by His Favor you became brothers.”
She further pointed to the need for efforts to promote unity, saying that writing joint texts among Islamic schools of thought and introducing them together and focusing on the common views among the schools of thought are some of the strategies to reach unity.
She noted that the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought (WFPIST) was established in 1990 with the aim of bringing closer all Islamic schools and contribute to realization to true Islamic unity.
The scholar said that by annually organizing the International Conference on Islamic Unity and bringing together prominent Muslim world figures, the WFPIST has tried to facilitate exchange of ideas and thoughts among Islamic schools of thought.
The establishment of the University of Islamic Sects in Tehran can also be considered a strategy in the direction of promoting Muslim unity, she stated, adding that the university is a scene of respectful interaction among Shia and Sunni students and scholars.
She went on to say that spreading thoughts about Islamic unity in different Muslim countries have been among other steps taken by the WFPIST to enhance unity in the Islamic world.
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