By Humaira Ahad
Tehran appears particularly vibrant these days, alive with a sense of togetherness, as Iranians prepare to mark the 1,500th birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Across the capital city, banners stretch over streets and squares, expressing devotion to the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and carrying messages of Shia-Sunni unity.
Passersby often pause to take pictures, reflecting on centuries of shared faith, while the capital itself transforms into a canvas echoing the timeless message of brotherhood that the Islamic Republic of Iran has long championed.
These displays of unity serve as a living tribute to a vision first articulated decades ago by the founder of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini, and carried forward by Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.
Imam Khomeini remains one of the most influential figures in Islamic history, remembered for his sincere and tireless efforts to bridge the divide between Shia and Sunni Muslims.
His revolutionary leadership went far beyond political changes within Iran, where he led the struggle against the West-backed Pahlavi dictatorship. He actively promoted Islamic unity across sects, championing a cause that has left a lasting impact on the Muslim world.
His far-sighted vision sought to rise above sectarian differences and forge an unbreakable bond of brotherhood by focusing on the shared foundations of Islam.
Muslim Unity Week
One of Imam Khomeini’s most important initiatives to foster unity was the introduction of Unity Week to commemorate the birth of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Traditionally, Sunnis mark the Prophet’s birth on the 12th of Rabi’ al-Awwal, while Shias observe it on the 17th.
Rather than allowing these differences to deepen divides, Imam Khomeini proposed that the entire period between the two dates be celebrated as a week of unity and brotherhood.
His vision was for Muslims to shift their focus from what separates them to what unites them—their shared devotion and reverence for the Prophet (PBUH).
Since then, Unity Week has become a platform for Muslims of both sects to come together, engage in dialogue, and reaffirm their commitment to the core principles of Islam..
Imam Khomeini’s efforts in establishing this tradition have had a lasting impact, as Unity Week continues to be celebrated in Iran and other parts of the Muslim world, serving as a reminder of the importance of Shia-Sunni collaboration and mutual respect.
Imam Khomeini frequently invoked Qur’anic principles to underline the urgency of unity.
"We must be awake and know that the divine judgment says: 'The believers are but brothers.' There is nothing among them other than brotherhood, and they are obliged to have brotherly conduct. It is a political point to have all Muslim nations, nearly a billion in number, to be brothers to one another, in which case no harm may befall them, and none of the superpowers will be able to transgress them. Pay attention to this! Sunnis and Shias are brothers and should avoid all disputes," he once said.
"We must pay attention that we are all Muslims and we all believe in the Qur’an; we all believe in Tawheed and must work to serve the Qur’an and Tawheed. The Muslims must be united in hand against all arrogance. If the Muslims were a united, single fist, none could rise against them."
He also warned Muslims against divisive propaganda: "Muslims are brothers and will not be segregated by the pseudo-propaganda sponsored by corrupt elements. The source of this matter, that Shiites should be on one side and Sunnis on the other, is, on the one hand, ignorance and, on the other hand, propaganda of the foreigners."
In one of his addresses to the Muslim world, Imam Khomeini declared, "You powerful Muslims! Beware! Know yourselves and let the world know you. Cast aside the sectarian and regional disputes, which have been created by the world-devouring powers and their corrupt agents for the purpose of plundering you and treading upon your human and Islamic honour... May Allah, the Highest, deliver Islam and the Muslim countries from the evil of the world devourers and their affiliated and connected agents."
The founder-leader of the Islamic Revolution, who inspired an entire generation of truth seekers worldwide, warned of global forces seeking to exploit the division between Muslims.
"Today, all Islamic denominations are facing the satanic powers who want to uproot Islam because they know that the unity of the Muslim nations would not be in their interest. Today is the day on which all the Muslims of the whole world must come together,” he said.
“Today is not the day for a group in one place to say: 'Only we', and another group in another place to say: 'Only we'. Today is the time when all are to be united based on the rule of Islam and the judgments of the Qur’an. The dispute among Muslims, in whatever way it may be, is prohibited by the Qur’an. Dispute will bring them failure and efface the attractive qualities of man. This is the command of Allah, the Generous."
Imam Khomeini also condemned those who fomented disunity between Shias and Sunnis.
“Those who try to create disunity, and yet claim to be Muslims, have not found the Islam whose Book is the Qur’an, the Islam in which the Ka’bah is the Qiblah. They do not believe in Islam. The ones who believe in Islam are those who accept the Qur’an, which says: 'The believers are but brothers.' So they must comply with what the brotherhood requires. Brotherhood requires that if some misfortune happens to one brother, other brothers should sympathise with him, and if anything happy happens to him, they all should be happy, too," he emphasised.
Leader’s calls for unity
The vision of unity promoted by Imam Khomeini has been carried forward by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.
In 2024, Ayatollah Khamenei urged Sunni scholars to rely on the Islamic identity and the collective strength of the Ummah, warning against the malicious activities of ill-wishers who seek to exploit religious differences. He underlined that these forces employ intellectual, propagandistic, and economic means to divide Muslims.
Ayatollah Khamenei has often stressed that unity is not a political manoeuvre but a divine command: “The issue of unity is not a tactic but a Qur’anic principle. The issue of the Islamic Ummah’s identity is a fundamental issue beyond nationality, and geographical boundaries do not change the truth and identity of the Islamic Ummah,” he said once.
The Leader has also highlighted the steadfast role of the Sunni community in defending unity, noting “the 15,000 Sunni martyrs in the Sacred Defence and other periods, as well as the martyrdom of a large number of Sunni scholars for the sake of truth and the revolution.”
“We see that our collective religious knowledge is the same. Our monotheism is the same. Our conception of returning to God is the same. Our conception of prophethood is the same. Our daily prayers and fasting are the same. Our hajj is the same. Our enemies are the same. Our goals, ideals and interests are intertwined. How can Muslim nations, Shia or Sunni, be separate from one another? The enemy wants to impose this on us…”
From the earliest days of the Islamic Republic, the support for Palestine has been unwavering in his speeches: “Since the first day, the Islamic Republic has stood by its Palestinian brothers… Our Palestinian brothers used to consider our country as their own home. They still have the same feeling: they come and go.”
The Leader also drew a clear parallel in one of his speeches: “The arrogant powers’ attitude and behaviour toward the Palestinian Hamas is the same as their attitude and behaviour toward the Lebanese Hezbollah; the first is Sunni and the second is Shia. The attitude of the global arrogance toward faithful and committed Muslims living in any part of the world is the same, and it does not make any difference to arrogant powers whether those Muslims are Shia or Sunni.”
Emphasising the moral weight of unity, Ayatollah Khamenei declared, “The dignity of the Islamic Ummah can only be achieved through unity. Today, supporting the oppressed people of Gaza and Palestine (mostly Sunnis) is an essential duty. Anyone who ignores this duty will be held accountable before God.”
Reflecting on historical experience, he said in 2022, “When there is conflict between you, it causes frailty and weakness. ‘And your power will be gone’ is the same as saying ‘your dignity’ will be gone. Whenever there is a dispute between you, you will definitely become miserable, and you will certainly allow others to dominate you. That is the result of division… They planted the rotten seed, this cancerous cell in this region called the Zionist regime, to serve as a base for Western enmity against Islam.”
On sectarian differences, he clarified in 2013, “The existence of differences between Islamic denominations and between Shia and Sunni Muslims will not create any problem as long as these differences are confined to ideological differences… Problems arise when these ideological differences lead to behavioural differences, confrontation, hostility and enmity.”
“The enemies of the world of Islam are after creating such a situation and hatching such a plot. They have properly understood that the Zionist regime can breathe easily if Islamic denominations in the world of Islam start confronting and fighting with one another.”
Ayatollah Sistani on Muslim unity
Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the top spiritual authority in Iraq, has long echoed and supported Imam Khomeini and Ayatollah Khamenei’s calls for unity among Muslims.
In 2007, he issued a landmark message, later reaffirmed amid Takfiri terrorist attacks in Iraq.
“There is no real difference between Shiite and Sunni beliefs, and I am the servant of all Iraqis (either Sunni or Shiite). I love everyone, and this religion (Islam) is the religion of love,” he said in an immortal message.
He explained the practical importance of solidarity: “Shiites should defend Sunnis’ social and political rights before defending their own rights, and we call (everyone) for unity. We should attend Sunnis’ Friday prayers more than Shiites. We do not discriminate between Arabs and Kurds, and Islam has collected all of us (under a common umbrella).”
Ayatollah Sistani summed up his vision of unity in these words: “Do not use the term Sunni brothers, but say they are ourselves (our soul) because we are from the same origin and there is no difference between us and them.”
Sunni voices on unity
In 2011, Ayatollah Khamenei spoke about his experiences with Sunni scholars while in exile in Sistan and Baluchestan province during the Western-backed Pahlavi regime.
"I myself had been exiled to Sistan and Baluchestan Province, and since those days I've been friends with Hanafi Sunni scholars from cities of Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iranshahr, Chabahar, Saravan and Zahedan. I have been in contact with brothers who are living today, and we remain close friends,” he recounted.
“While I was living in exile there, governmental organisations would not let us engage in any activities; nonetheless, we decided to do something to exhibit a sign of Shia-Sunni unity in the city. The idea of Unity Week, the birth anniversary of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), which is on the 12th of Rabi al-Awwal according to Sunni scholars and the 17th of Rabi al-Awwal according to Shia scholars, came to mind, and we implemented it in Iranshahr: we celebrated from the 12th to the 17th of Rabi al-Awwal. This took deep consideration and was not a recent innovation."
Calls for unity between Sunni and Shia Muslims have echoed across Sunni Islamic scholarship, with Egypt’s prestigious Al-Azhar University often at the centre of this message.
Shaikh Mahmood Shaltoot, a former head of Al-Azhar, emphasised collaboration with Shi’a scholars and also oversaw the creation of Dar al-Taqreeb al-Madhahib al-Islamiyyah, a pioneering centre aimed at bringing Islamic schools of thought closer together.
That legacy continues today. Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, declared, “I and major scholars of Al-Azhar and the Muslim Council of Elders are ready with open arms to sit down together on one roundtable with our Shia brothers to put aside our differences and strengthen our Islamic unity.”
Former Egyptian Grand Mufti Vasel Nasr voiced similar hope, praying that God would “create unity among Muslims and remove any enmity, disagreement and contention in the ancillaries of Fiqh (jurisprudence).”
Former Grand Mufti of Egypt and the head of al-Azhar, Muhammad Sayyid Tantawy, underscored the principle, “Anyone who believes that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is his Messenger is definitely a Muslim… Muslims should strive to become united and protect themselves from denominational sectarian fragmentation. There are no Shiites and no Sunnis. We are all Muslims.”
Prominent Sunni Islamic Scholar Sheikh Mohammed al-Ghazali likewise affirmed: “It is the duty of all Muslims to unite against enemies of Islam and their propaganda.”
A central theme in al-Ghazali’s work was the concept of Ummah unity. He argued that divisions within the Muslim community undermined its strength and effectiveness in addressing contemporary challenges. Al-Ghazali believed that fostering a sense of solidarity among Muslims was essential for countering both external threats and internal discord.
These voices echoed an earlier exchange between Ayatollah Seyyed Hossein Borujerdi of Iran and Sheikh Abd al-Majid Salim, a former Grand Mufti of Al-Azhar. Writing in the mid-20th century, Borujerdi prayed for an end to “ignorance, separation and division among Islamic schools,” hoping instead for “knowledge, kindness and solidarity.”
As Tehran’s streets glow with banners calling for unity, the city embodies a message that has resonated through generations: Islam’s strength lies in its togetherness.
From Imam Khomeini’s visionary establishment of Unity Week to Ayatollah Khamenei’s repeated calls for solidarity, reinforced by the voices of Sunni scholars, the message is that sectarian divides are artificial constructs, easily exploited by external forces, but fundamentally irrelevant to the core of Islam.
In marking the Holy Prophet’s (PBUH) 1,500th birth anniversary, streets across Iran these days project a vision for the present and future. Muslims are brothers, and only together can they uphold the dignity, strength, and promise of Islam.
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