Iranian Leader's senior Advisor for International Affairs, Ali Akbar Velayati issued a congratulatory message, on Saturday, on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad.
In addition to extending greetings to the Muslims of the world, Mr. Velayati asserted that the top priority of the Islamic World of today is to keep united and preserve solidarity in the face of all divisive plots.
His statement opens with hailing the decree of the Late Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini, who named the week disputed by Shia and Sunni historians as the Week of Unity and solidarity among all sects of Islam.
“The decision paved the ground for unifying and solidifying the Islamic Umma, something its urgency is quite visible today and the Supreme Leader has highlighted, many times, this important issue as the top priority of the Islamic World,” reads the message of Mr. Velayati.
According to the Sunni narrative, the birth date of Prophet Muhammad falls on 12 Rabi-ul-Awwal while the Shias consider 17 Rabi-ul-Awwal as the exact birth date. The week in between is commemorated among Muslims as the “Unity Week.”
During this week, the followers of the two main branches of Islam, Shias and Sunnis, gather to honor Islam’s message of peace and humanity and express their love and affection for their prophet.
Sunni and Shia Muslims have lived peacefully together for centuries and the minor differences between them have never been a cause of conflict. Shias believe in Imam Ali as their first Imam after Prophet Mohammed and his 11 descendant, and Sunnis believe in the four main caliphs after the prophet.
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