By: Kayhan International

Hold fast to the Rope of Allah, altogether, and do not be divided.” (Holy Qur’an 3:103)
God Almighty’s command to the believers is clear. Prophet Muhammad (SAWA), as the Last and Greatest Messenger of God, spared no efforts during his 23-year long mission to preach the universal message of Islam. He united not just the fratricidal Arab tribes, but all those who came into contact with him, like the enslaved black Africans, the Romans such as Suhayb, and the Persians represented by Salman Farsi, into the monolithic Muslim Ummah. 
While departing from the mortal world for his heavenly abode the Messenger of Mercy bequeathed to the Muslims the excellent formula of unity, saying they will never go astray if they hold fast to the Two Weighty Things (Thaqalayn), that is, the Book of God (Holy Qur’an) and his progeny the Ahl al-Bayt that he was leaving behind for guidance.
The Revealed Word of the Almighty Creator and the Hadith or statements of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) transcend the barriers of time and geography, which means they are beacons of light for all eras and all places, especially for members of the Ummah who today inhabit all parts of the globe.    
Today, though Muslims account for a fourth of the world’s estimated 7 billion population and 56 Muslim majority countries have got together to form the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) – India and its huge Muslim population of almost 300 million Muslims have unfortunately no representation – the Ummah presents the spectacle of a house divided against itself.
The reason is that the rulers, not the people they rule, have drifted away from the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah and Seerah (practice and behaviour) of the Prophet of Peace.
Instead of efforts to bridge the gaps grown over time in jurisprudential matters in order to build ideological unity, or to cooperate and coordinate with each other to promote political proximity for proper use of the vast natural resources, these rulers dance to the tune of the avowed enemies of Islam.
While the US, West European regimes, and the illegal Zionist entity are systematically siphoning off the wealth of the Muslim lands, rulers who do not represent the people they rule, are doing nothing to end the genocide in Gaza.
Gone are the days when the enemies of Islam and Muslims used to laugh behind backs at the ideological ignorance and political immaturity of their client regimes in the Muslim world. They now arrogantly give orders to these regimes to officially recognize usurper Israel and stop flow of any armaments to the long persecuted Palestinians.
In such a horrific situation what is the responsibility of the Muslim masses, especially of the ulema, who are supposed to be religious, spiritual, and social guides of the people? 
The answer is obvious. They should endeavour to narrow the ideological, especially the jurisprudential gaps among the believers.
This is the avowed goal of the Islamic Republic of Iran in hosting every year the International Islamic Unity Conference by inviting scholars of various persuasions to focus on benefits of solidarity of the Muslim world ever since the dynamic move of the Father of the Islamic Revolution 45 years ago.
Imam Khomeini (RA), in order to bridge the two dates of Rabi al-Awwal believed to be the birth anniversary of the Seal of Messengers, declared Islamic Unity Week – 12  for the Sunnis in accordance with narrations of the Prophet’s companions, and 17  for the Shi’as who deem family accounts to be more reliable. 
Undaunted by the plots of the US and the Zionists, or the conspiracies of the so-called Muslim regimes, the message of Iran to the ulema of Islam all over the world, irrespective of the minor jurisprudential differences, is loud and clear:
Adhere to the Holy Qur’an and the Prophet’s Sunnah. Its manifest message is love for the Ahl al-Bayt, and the Ummah will surely triumph over terrorism, sectarianism, and thraldom to the US and the Zionists.