The 17th day of the month of Rabi al-Awwal in the lunar Hijri calendar is believed by Shia Muslims to mark the birth anniversary of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), while Sunni Muslims regard the 12th day of the month as the birthday of the last prophet.
The interval between the two dates is celebrated every year as the Islamic Unity Week.
Late founder of the Islamic Revolution Imam Khomeini declared the occasion as the Islamic Unity Week back in the 1980s.
Imam Khomeini once said in a historic message as following:
"Muslims should be awake, Muslims should be alert that if a dispute takes place among Sunni and Shi'ite brothers, it is harmful to all of us, it is harmful to all Muslims. Those who want to sow discord are neither Sunni nor Shia, they are agents of the superpowers and work for them."
"Those who attempt to cause discord among our Sunni and Shia brothers are people who conspire for the enemies of Islam and want the enemies of Islam to triumph over Muslims. They are the supporters of America and some are supporters of the Soviet Union."
The divergence in Muslims drive and their divide into contentious sects is not a new problem; it’s started right from the dawn of Islam.
The obvious consequence of which aside from its causes, have been the costliest losses and harms for Muslims, and the adversaries of course took the most advantages out of…and unfortunately the notorious problem’s been growing and developing in the context of insanity and poor religious, political and social quality of some of the followers and selfishness and materiality of a number of rulers and elites in Muslim nations.
And today the bitter fruit of this ominous tree is seen under the guise of fanaticism, reactionaries, extremism and sectarianism.
But fortunately same time with the conflicts there have always been efforts run for moderating conflicts and for unionisation of Muslims too of which undoubtedly the greatest and most effective attempts in our time shall be reckoned of Imam Khomeini.
Imam always in both practice and theory believed in and committed to refraining from conflicts and division and so unity of Muslims.His holiness in take says:
“We are one with sunni Muslims as we’re all Muslims and brothers. If one speaks of dividing word between us as Muslims you must know he is either insane or aims for making conflictsin between Muslims.There is nota case as Shia and Sunni at all [since] we are all brothers.”(Sahifa Imam v.6 p.133)
In nowhere in Imam’s tracks and preaches a word in mentioning Shia - Sunni conflicts even as a regular jurisprudence topic is ever found; but all and every word is on calling for foregoing useless challenges and moving towards unity. Also in practice whether before or after revolution his speeches, deeds and acts as a religious and political leader indicates his true, clear and free from reservation belief in unity.
Setting the week of unity is also for this, which was on the basis of truly and smartness as well. Choosing topic of Shia – Sunni views within the holy prophet’s birth date whether of the symbolic view point or of its meaning could’ve beenof the best possible choices, since the holy prophet of Islam and holy Quran Karim are the most important factor of commonality and the pivot of unity of Muslims.
His holiness Imam right to the end of his blissful life also was the proclaimer of Islam’s world unity and would take some reactionary rulers and fanatic religious jurisprudents different from the Islamic nation and warned Muslims of intrigues of evil – minded people in abetting conflicts and division in between Muslims.
Today we truly observe the timeliness of the wisest elder’scall of unity and the rightness of his alarms as well as the consequence of insanity, fanaticism and conflictsas heretic – terrorist sects who organised by oppressor powers of the world, attack Muslims and innocents. Perhaps in this arena necessity of returning to Imam’s style is seen more than ever.