Ahlul Bayt News Agency (ABNA.ir), Proximity among different Islamic schools of thought is an idea based on the principles of brotherhood and unity in the Islamic Ummah.
This idea has for long been the centre of attention of great Muslim scholars as a significant and practical step toward the realization of unity and brotherhood among Muslims.
Moreover, proximity among different Islamic schools of thought is a practical and logical step aimed at the creation of a positive and constructive mentality among the followers of different Islamic schools of thought toward each other.
This positive mentality encourages the followers of different Islamic schools of thought to respect and tolerate the different opinions regarding the secondary issues of Islam through the negation of religious dogmatism and bigotry resulting from ignorance.
Today, globalization and mutual dependence among humans in different corners of the world have led to the existence of challenges between liberalism and materialism with Islamic values.
The theory of clashes among civilizations is an example of the efforts aimed at showing that the expansion of Islam is a danger to the world.
On the other hand, the Islamic world is facing various internal challenges and problems which have cast doubt on the divine teachings of Islam and have made Muslim youths skeptical regarding their religious beliefs.
These internal challenges as well as the external attacks on the Islamic world mean that Muslims should be alert and make an all-out effort to establish brotherhood among the followers of different Islamic schools of thought and to create proximity among them.
Nevertheless, the main question is how to practically establish proximity among different Islamic schools of thought and to create brotherhood among Muslims.
The answer to this question shows us that it is absolutely crucial to create an efficient and comprehensive strategy through which proximity among different Islamic schools of thought may be achieved.
In this essay, the most important practical and realistic methods aimed at creating proximity among different Islamic schools of thought have been mentioned in brief.
1-Promoting Islamic teachings based on the Holy Quran and the Sunnah:
The Holy Quran and the Prophet’s Sunnah are common among all Islamic schools of thought. The followers of all Islamic schools of thought unanimously agree that the Quran and the Sunnah are valuable and rich sources of Islamic jurisprudence and rules.
They also believe that the followers of these two valuable sources and the legacy of the Honorable Prophet of Islam (SAW) are all part of the big Islamic Ummah.
Thus, stressing the importance of the Quran and the Prophet’s Sunnah as common sources among the followers of all Islamic schools of thought will prevent conspiracies aimed at creating disunion and division among the Islamic Ummah.
The secondary rules of Islam, on which some Muslim scholars disagree, are of mush less significance when compared to what they have in common based on the Quran and Sunnah.
Such differences are so minor and insignificant that they cannot destroy the strong and firm unity among Muslims. Therefore, it is important that all Muslim scholars stress these common points, and view all followers of different Islamic schools of thought, as brothers and respect them all.
2- Underlining the need for the protection of Islamic morals and values:
Today, the Islamic world is more than ever exposed to cultural onslaught and non-religious benchmarks which are inconsistent with the human and moral values of Islam.
Muslims gain their identity based on the values of Islam, which conform to human nature and have been derived from divine revelation. Therefore, protecting the identity of Muslims and the moral values of Islam is the duty of all Muslim scholars.
Protecting the identity of Muslims is the responsibility of all Muslim scholars as well as the Islamic Ummah.
Underlining Islamic identity and keeping it alive means negating all cultural beliefs which are inconsistent with the values of Islam.
The strengthening of Islamic identity, as the identity of all Muslims, is a fundamental and practical step toward the true realization of a single and united Islamic Ummah.
3- The strengthening and expansion of common points among Muslims as well as underlining the fact that Muslims share a common fate:
The Islamic Ummah is widely spread throughout the world and has a common social fate. According to Islam, solving the problems of Muslims is one of the duties of each and every Muslim. The prophet of Islam (SAW) has said, Muslims must feel responsible toward their religious brothers and sisters and to sympathize with them.
This strengthening of the feeling of sympathy and accepting the fact that all Muslims have a similar fate, will ultimately lead to unity among Muslims.
4- Stressing the fact that Muslims face common threats:
Today, the Islamic Ummah faces common political, economic and cultural threats. Cultural threats, which challenge the religious beliefs of Muslims, are among the most dangerous and important threats of the world. Actually, cultural threats challenge the totality of the beliefs of Muslims.
These threats have gone beyond geographical, national, religious and tribal boundaries and have cast doubt on the common identity of the Islamic Ummah.
Attracting the attention of Muslim writers and religious scholars to this common danger will prevent them from focusing on trivial disagreements and will lead to defending the totality of Islam by all Muslims.
Who can accept that in the world today cultural and ideological onslaught is destroying the basis of religious beliefs and continue arguing over trivial differences which may exist among Muslim jurisprudents?
Obviously, when the totality of a religion is being challenged, it does not seem wise for Muslim scholars to be engaged in arguing over trivial differences. Therefore, Muslim scholars are responsible for protecting Islam as their common aim. This exemplifies true brotherhood among Muslims.
5- Holding scientific conferences by religious scholars and leaders:
Without a shadow of a doubt, different opinions and views among Shia and Sunni Muslim scholars is one of the factors which keeps them apart and sometimes leads to negative mentality among them as well as among the Islamic Ummah towards each other.
Therefore, holding scientific conferences in which Shia and Sunni scholars discuss their religious viewpoints side by side will play an important role in creating Islamic unity and proximity among different Islamic schools of thought.
A clear perception of religious opinions as well as views regarding religious jurisprudence among Shia and Sunni scholars, will ultimately lead to an increase in common points and the fading away of trivial differences on issues regarding religious jurisprudence. It will also pave the way for the realization of true brotherhood among Muslims.
6- Preventing negative propaganda about different Islamic schools of thought:
The world of Islam has had bitter experiences due to the excommunication of certain Islamic schools of thought and the existence of extremism among some followers under the pretext of protecting Islam.
Even today, in Islamic countries, there are some who in the name of Shia, Sunni and other Islamic schools of thought accuse others of apostasy without any flexibility or tolerance.
Preventing negative propaganda by a particular Islamic school of thought against other Islamic schools of thought is a fundamental requirement for creating proximity among different Islamic schools of thought. Religious scholars shoulder the responsibility of countering such measures which are against the interests of the Islamic Ummah.
Unfortunately, it has to be said that among Shias and Sunnis, some ignorant scholars who are easily trapped by political manipulations perform such negative acts thinking that they are serving a particular Islamic school of thought while they are actually betraying Islam.
The followers of different Islamic schools of thought are free to propagate their religious teachings, but it is against Islamic logic and the interests of the Islamic world as well as being against the principle of brotherhood, to make negative propaganda against other Islamic schools of thought.
Preventing dogmatism which is neither for the benefit of any Islamic school of thought and Islam is one of the important duties of Muslim scholars and is an important step toward the realization of brotherhood among Muslims.
7- Stressing the importance of respecting different opinions regarding religious jurisprudence:
The social and scientific lives of Muslim leaders are a useful and valuable model for others to follow. If the leaders of different Islamic schools of thought did not have disagreements concerning religious jurisprudence, it may not have been as dynamic as it is today. By considering the Quran and Sunnah as the basis of Islam, they value the existing differences in Islamic jurisprudence and respect the different opinions.
If today the Islamic Ummah and Muslim scholars respect the differences in opinions concerning Islamic jurisprudence, such differences will not prevent brotherhood among them; on the contrary, they will pave the way for the growth and perfection of Islamic jurisprudence.
source : http://abna.ir/
