Imam Khomeini’s Chief Goal: Islamic Unity
During the past decade, the Islamic nation passed through a momentous phase as it suffered from two chief challenges that threatened its existence; the first was internal, represented by a critical state of division, and the second was external, represented by the increasing arrogance of the imperialist powers, which are working hard to distort Islamic culture and control the capabilities of the nation by promoting normalization with the Zionist colonial enemy and promoting immoral LGBTQ+ along with feminist concepts that destroy the entity and sanctity of the family.
However, the heroic Al-Aqsa Flood operation has significantly thwarted these vicious efforts, as the Palestinian cause has once again formed a solid base that unites the nation, and this is what Imam Khomeini has always accentuated, as the issue of Islamic unity has highly received his attention.
Imam Khomeini has done unremitting efforts for Islamic unity considering it a vital need. According to him, Islamic unity does not mean eliminating the other or reshaping their ideology according to the will of the dominant party. It does not mean melting the self-identity of the Islamic sects into one crucible, due to which the peculiarities and characteristics are lost. Rather, it means employing these natural difference to serve the sender, the messenger, and the message, i.e. Allah the Almighty, Prophet Muhammad (S), and the Islamic religion.
Islamic unity is the unification of the fronts, in form, content, and style, with the aim of strengthening the nation’s capabilities in a bid to resist the enemy that has concealed its monstrous fangs to crush the body of our nation.
Indeed, this call for Islamic unity is a response to the recommendations of Prophet Muhammad, as the nature of Islam is based on making Muslims a single bloc united by one belief, one Qibla, and one destiny. Any crack in this unity leads to the nation’s fragility and humiliation.
One of the most important foundations of Islamic unity is resistance. Besides, the nation faces intellectual challenges as the West has studied our culture and tries to control us by exploiting gaps and weaknesses.
Imam Khomeini confirms that the call to Islam is essentially a call to unite the peoples of the world, including Arabs, Turks, Persians, and other races, under the banner of Islam. Imam Khomeini (ra) believed that the division of Muslims is a deviation from the approach enshrined by the Prophet Muhammad pointing out that, after World War I, the West separated Islamic governments from each other by igniting disagreement and sedition. Unfortunately, some have rulers helped it in this fateful mission and contributed to the implementation of this dirty scheme.
The late Imam Khomeini accuses the Great Satan America, of sowing seeds of division among Muslims by all means and tricks, and dragging the Islamic nation into hostility so that it can plunder our riches, and dominate us.
Imam Khomeini asserts that the dirty hands that sow division between Shias and Sunnis aim to weaken and degrade them, adding that if we preserve our unity, we will eventually emerge victorious.
The Imam addresses the Muslims by saying: What is wrong with you, o Muslims of the world? You were the ones who were able to terminate the great powers -at the early days- of Islam despite your humble number, and you founded the great Islamic nation. But today, with your number nearly a billion people and your possession of great wealth, which constitute the greatest weapon against the enemies, you have become so weak! Do you know that all your misfortunes stem from your division?!
Imam Khomeini stresses that one of the most important mechanisms for consolidating harmony between Muslims is united jihad against the Zionists, the usurpers of Palestine. Indeed, the current amalgamation of the fronts of the axis of resistance is the practical experience of his outstanding views.
The Imam suggested that if each Muslim threw a bucket of water on “Israel,” it would have been swept away by torrents. He confirms that what is important for the Muslims is to follow the Qur’an, which facilitates all issues related to human life and values, warning that the enemies of Islam exploit the Qur’an as he says: “How unfortunate that the Qur’an – which is the book of guidance – is no longer read except in funerals, because of conspiring enemies … The book that should be a means of uniting Muslims and a constitution for their lives has become a means of division, and cause controversy.”
Imam Khomeini stresses the importance of the Qur’an saving us from the shackles that fetters our body, heart, and mind, and lead us to be slaves before the tyrants. Imam Khomeini further draws attention to the Qur’anic stories related to resistance, such as the Prophet’s war with the polytheists, and the jihad of the believers. This alerts all Muslims – Sunnis and Shias – to the necessity of standing up on the front lines of jihad, otherwise their fate will be like Pharaoh, Qarun, Nimrod, the companions of the elephant, etc.
Imam Khomeini, like his great grandfather Prophet Muhammad, was a unifying figure for all Muslims, an inspiration, and a role model. He says that we are required to leave differences aside. If this were to be achieved, the Zionists’ project would fail miserably. This is the role of the elites at this decisive time of our contemporary history. Imam Khomeini says: The great scholars and thinkers must rise up and be of one heart and in one direction on the path to saving humanity from the control of the Zionist occupation.
We ask God in these days to grant us success in preserving the great path of Imam Khomeini and to carry out our effective humanitarian and moral duty to support the people of Palestine in fulfilment of the sacrifices of Imam Khomeini and his sincere students, the mujahedeen and the martyrs, especially Hajj Qassem Soleimani and the two dear martyrs, Sayyed Ibrahim Raisi and Dr. Abdullahian, along with the shrewd leaders of our resistance factions, and every free nation across the globe.
