At a time when people are being killed in the name of Allah, and when a Muslim believes that shedding the blood of his fellow Muslim is his ticket to Heaven, a balanced speech that would bring Muslims together is rather essential. His Eminence, Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlullah (ra), was described as the “pioneer of Islamic unity.” Islamic unity was one of His Eminence’s main concerns during his life, and he called for unity among all Muslims—a feat he committed himself to until his final days.
In addition, as described by Dr. Muhammad Salim al-Awwa, His Eminence clarified the concept of Islamic unity, being the unity of intellect and culture. A lot of his texts—tens of them—underline his profound faith in this unity. His faith was not a mere belief lacking actuality just like the beliefs of all the others; but rather, it was a firm, steady faith compounded with practicality. If the issue of the Islamic differences between the Sunnis and the Shiites, for instance, was brought to the table, Sayyed Fadlullah would definitely resort to practicality. One of the features of this practicality is the potential to practice it so that people would not have to withstand what they cannot bear. His Eminence believed that Muslims belonging to both sects are, first and foremost, Muslims. The sects themselves should be viewed as two points of view in Islam, while their members ought not to involve in prejudice and bias against one another. This belief conforms to Allah's saying in His Holy Quran:
"And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is the best [way] and best in result." Surah An-Nisa (04:59)
The dialogue between the Shiites and the Sunnis is based on resorting to Allah’s words, the Messenger (p.), and the Quran.
An intriguing statement given by His Eminence (ra) during Ashura can be a source from which we can derive many lessons during such a critical period for the Islamic arena. His Eminence (ra) explained how the commemoration of Ashura is an occasion that should be regarded as: “…a model of an Islamic movement that seeks to consolidate the Islamic reality in its concepts and movement, in which Ashura will remain a symbol of the real Islamic unity. This is because Al-Hussein (a.s.) was the Imam of all Muslims and not for a specific party, and he will remain the cresset of all the freemen in the world.”
Thus, we should utilize Ashura to make it a platform for protecting Islamic unity and not for wronging it, since AhlelBeit (a.s.) sought most to unify Muslims and reject all means that may divide them.
At the end of his statement, the Religious Authority (ra) saw that the state of the sectarian tension that turns into political tension in the Islamic world, in addition to the catastrophe that is still unfolding in [the Muslim world] and which the American occupation has furthered and is encouraging… This sectarian tension represents one of the most serious calamities that is afflicting the entire nation and threatening its fate. Thus, the arrogant American-Zionist entity concentrates on exploiting this calamity extensively, not only for the purpose of dominating the Arab and Muslim countries, but also to attack Islam as a whole—to uproot and undermine Islamic thought.
Moreover, this blind drift, in many of our Arab and Islamic countries, towards sectarianism in its fanatic and clannish meaning that is represented by the response of the group or some of its members to the call of sowing the seeds of discord among the different parties when the sectarian drums are beaten here and there, is a result of our ignorance and is due to the fact that we are not Islamically brought up to acknowledge that there are, in the Islamic environment, other parties that do not think the way we do, or do not adopt the same principles that we adopt. Consequently, the conclusions of these parties might be different from ours. For that reason, we should admit and respect these differences and be tolerant towards them. We should discuss them while observing mutual respect towards one another, since the followers of every sect see that they represent a point of view in understanding Islam just like others. Besides, we should understand that no party can claim that it is the only party that has the right to monopolize Islamic representation and the call for Islam, or even to monopolize the right of defending Islam.
Besides, the problem is that, in our narrow communities, we are brought up on sectarianism and then we try to spread this sectarianism in our broader societies, while such sectarianism is not an intellectual one that comprises the basis of dialogue and understanding. That is why every party has closed the doors on itself and claimed that it is the one that represents the truth. Thus, we entered the mazes of fanaticism of the sectarian ego—a fanatic ego that does not have the spirit, taste, or smell of Islam.
For that reason, we believe that we cannot get out of the maze of sectarianism except by defending our Islamic personality. This way out will not be achieved except by interacting with the issues from a wide Islamic perspective to see what Islam gains here and loses there. We should not only seek to gain individuals here and there for the interests of this sect or that, since in this way we will not be able to change the Islamic world, and because what threatens Islam surpasses the issues of Sunni-Shiite differences to reach Islam as a whole.
We should be aware of what America wants from the region, since [the American] administration started to think that the only way to get out of its impasse is to incite the Islamic sects against one another and inflame the fire of strife in Iraq and its neighbors. This administration is very insane to the extent that, despite all its failures in the wars that it waged in the region, it sees that the only exit from the current impasse is to stir up internal strife that may pave the way for a big war in the region.
Moreover, the madness of this administration will lead it to burn its fingers with its coming attempts. Accordingly, Muslims should know that they should seize the opportunity to unite in Lebanon, Palestine, and [other Muslim countries] in order to make America the one who will have to pay the price. They also have an opportunity to establish an axis of Islamic unity in order to confront the American plans, based on the so-called moderate axis, since the aims of these plans have been exposed. Therefore, those who follow America can no longer bury their heads in the sand, and those who are against its policy can no longer hide behind the events.
Therefore, it is the responsibility of everybody to establish the Arab Islamic axis that is able to confront the American-Israeli project that must pay for all the crimes it has committed against the region and against all humanity.