By: Seyyed Ali Shahbaz
     
“Hold fast, all together, to Allah’s Cord, and do not be divided [into sects]. And remember Allah’s blessing upon you when you were enemies, then He brought your hearts together, so you became brothers with His blessing. And you were on the brink of a pit of Fire, whereat He saved you from it. Thus does Allah clarify His signs for you so that you may be guided.”  (3:103)
 “And obey Allah and His Messenger and do not dispute, or you will lose heart and your power will be gone. And be patient; indeed Allah is with the patient.”  (8:46)
“The faithful are indeed brothers; therefore make peace between your brothers and be wary of Allah, so that you may receive [His] mercy.” (49:10)
The above mentioned Ayahs of the Almighty Creator’s Last and Final Heavenly Scripture for the guidance of all mankind, emphasizes unity, especially amongst believers so that Muslims (those who submit to His Will) become a monolithic bloc for the welfare of the society and safeguard the body-politic of Ummah against the plots of the disbelievers and deviants.
Islam is thus the religion of universal brotherhood and in accordance with the revelation of the Holy Qur’an, the Almighty’s Last and Greatest Messenger strove to build a monolithic and monotheistic society on the basis of virtue and ethics so as to rise above the superficial differences of race, ethnicity, nationality, colour of skin, class status and language.
During the 23 years of his mission Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) left no stone unturned in this regard, and later upon migration to Medina in the last 10 years of his life, he established the model administration of justice and equity where there was no difference between Arabs and others, like Salman the Persian, Bilal the black African, and Soheib the Roman.
While departing the world he bequeathed the formula of unity by stressing firm adherence to the Thaqalayn (Two Invaluables) that he was leaving behind for the guidance of the Ummah – the Book of God (Holy Qur’an) and his Immaculate Progeny the Ahl al-Bayt whose purity is guaranteed by Ayah 33 of Surah Ahzaab:
“Indeed Allah desires to keep all uncleanness away from you Ahl al-Bayt and preserve you thoroughly purified.”
The Prophet said in explicit words that these two are inseparable from each other even when they return to him on the Day of Judgement at the Fountain of Kowthar. 
Thus in order not to go astray or be divided in sects we should hold fast to “Allah’s Cord” and if we fail to knit ranks the sworn enemies of humanity, such as the US and the devilish Zionist entity, will continue to terrorize the Muslim world.
So what better occasion to promote Islamic solidarity and awareness than the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA)?
We have slight differences regarding this auspicious date. Sunni Muslims consider the Prophet’s birthday to be Rabi al-Awwal 12 by citing the narrations from his companions, who had no previous acquaintance with him 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 17th of the same month. 
Thus, in order to bridge this minor difference the Father of the Islamic Revolution had declared the “Islamic Unity Week” spanning these two dates in order to assemble World Muslims on a single platform. 
Thanks to the Late Imam Khomeini’s (RA) foresight, followed by the earnest endeavours of his successor, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, 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 to sow discord amongst Muslims.
Here we should heed the advice of the Prophet’s dearest cousin, son-in-law and Divinely-designated Heir, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS), the gist of whose saying is that: refrain from discord and do not separate from each other, for those who drift away fall prey to the Satan, in the same manner that sheep which stray from the flock are devoured by wolves. 
Imam Ali (AS) did not speak mere words but set a practical example in this regard. He was proclaimed by the Prophet, on the express commandments of God, as Vicegerent at Ghadeer Khom, as recorded by all denominations of Islam.
However, after the passing away of the Prophet when discord crept in and he was denied his political right of the caliphate or rule of the Muslim society on various pretexts, this brave conqueror of many a crucial battle did not resort to the sword to claim his right. He rejected such insinuations, saying Muslims would splinter. 
Imam Ali (AS) was so magnanimous that whenever those that had become the caliphs sought his advice, he never withheld it. For him, unity of the Islamic society was more important than other issues including rule over the people which was his undeniable right. 
In view of these undeniable facts, it is now time for world Muslims, irrespective of the school of jurisprudence they follow, to set aside trivial differences and hold fast to the ethereal teachings of the Holy Qur’an to defeat the devilish designs of the neo-colonialists. 
The genocide in Gaza will never end unless the Muslim world unites and mobilizes all resources against the illegitimate Zionist entity and its godfather, the US.  
The Prophet’s birth anniversary and the Islamic Unity Week afford us the opportunity to solidify ranks. As the Almighty Creator says in Ayah 11 of Surah Ra’d: 
“Indeed Allah does not change a people’s lot, unless they change what is in their souls.”