Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Saeedi, the custodian of the shrine of Hazrat Fatemeh Masoumeh (PBUH) and the representative of the Supreme Leader in Qom province, first congratulated the birth of the Holy Prophet of Islam and his son Imam Ja'far Sadiq (AS) and referred to the beginning of the 35th International Islamic Unity conference with the slogan “Islamic Unity, Peace and the Avoidance of Divisions and Conflicts in the Islamic World”, and said: “Allah the Almighty says in the Holy Qur'an:
«وَأَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَلَا تَنَازَعُوا فَتَفْشَلُوا وَتَذْهَبَ رِيحُكُمْ ۖ وَاصْبِرُوا ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ»؛
‘And all of you, follow the command of God and His Messenger, and never follow the path of discord and strife, because you will be frightened and weakened by division, and your power and greatness will be destroyed, but all of you must be united, steadfast and patient, for God is always with the patient.’”
He added: “One of the components of preventing conflict is patience and forbearance. Therefore, God Almighty said in the Holy Qur'an: ‘O you who believe, seek help from patience and perseverance, and seek the remembrance of God and prayer, for God is with the patient.’”
He continued: “This verse is a message of a strong, valuable, strategic and comprehensive command for the Islamic Ummah, and in all areas and situations, it is a component of victory, unity, growth and excellence of the Islamic Ummah in the light of cohesion.”
The Friday Imam of Qom stated: “On the battlefields of warriors and resistance groups and even soft warfare, in hard battles against enemies, this solidarity and avoidance of differences is an important condition, many examples of which we see in the early days of Islam.”
The representative of Qom province in the Assembly of Leadership Experts said: “In fact, what caused damage to the body of Islam after the death of the Prophet of Islam (PBUH) was division. The Islamic Republic of Iran has blown the breeze of unity in the region and has consolidated this shadow of unity.”
A Member of the Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom said: “Now, the important mission of the Islamic Ummah in difficult and critical circumstances is to not allow divisive enemies to infiltrate and harm the united ranks of Muslims.”
He added: “Amir al-Mu'minin deliver sermon 176 in Nahj al-Balaghah; ‘God Almighty has not placed any good in the light of division, either in the past or in the future.’ He says in another sermon, ‘Participate in gatherings and congregations, because God’s hand is with the unity and solidarity of the Islamic Ummah. Islamic societies have been beneficial.”
