Islam provides for the necessity of Muslims unity, as the Almighty said:
{Surely this Islam is your religion, one religion (only), and I am your Lord,
therefore srve Me.} [20]
The separation of Muslims from each others is against the directions of Islam
and against the statements of the grate scholars of Sunna in olden times and
recently.
Here are some of scholars' sayings:
Allama Al Dhahabi:
Look at the words of Allama Al Dhahabi, who is
one of the greatest scholars, he says in Mizanul E'tidal[21].
(- Shi'sim- is spread among the Tabi'een and their followers who were known
by piety, religiousness, and trueness. And if their narrations were rejected –
the Shi'a – then the whole prophetic traditions is gone).
The great Allama, Sharafuddeen has mentioned in his valuable book ( Al
Muraja'at ) [22] hundreds of the Shi'a men from whom scholars have taken in the
books of Hadith and so on.
Shaykh Shaltoot:
The recent scholars have followed the path
of the previous ones with regard to this matter, this is the previous great
Shaykh of Azhar has declared frankly:
(The faith of Jafaries, the Imamies is legal, and it is lawful to worship
according to it as well as other faiths, and Muslims should know that fact, and
they should get rid of party spirit toward certain faiths)[23]
Here is the text of his legal opinion:
His Eminence was asked:
Some people believe that if Muslims wanted their worship to be true, then
they should imitate one of the four well known schools, and they of course do
not include the Shi'a Imamiyah School or the Shi'a Zaydeya, so do you absolutely
agree with this opinion? Do you prohibit imitating the faith of Shi'a the Twelve
for example?
His Eminence answered:
Islam doesn’t obligate any of his followers to imitate a certain school, but
we say: Every Muslim has the right to imitate any of the true schools, which has
its own judgments in their own books, and whoever imitate a certain school, he
has the right to turn to another one and objection about that.
2. The Jafari school which is known as the Ethna Ashari Shi'a Imamiyah school
, is a true school and the worship according to this faith is legal as well as
the other Sunni schools, so Muslim should know that, and they should get rid of
the untrue party spirit toward certain schools, since the religion of God is not
limited on a certain school, and all of them are accepted at God, and whoever
find himself unable to reach the true legal opinion, he has to imitate one of
these schools and work according to their jurisprudence the same in worships or
dealings.
Signature:
Mahmood Shaltoot
[20] Suratul Anbeya', verse: 92
[21] Mizanul E'tidal: Volume
1, page 5.
[22] Al Muraja'at: 173.
[23] Yanabee'ul Mawadah:
440.