Intra-Islamic Dialogue.. Seminar at Abu Dhabi International Book Fair

As part of its cultural and intellectual activities at the 34th edition of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, the Muslim Council of Elders organized a seminar titled “Intra-Islamic Dialogue: One Nation and One Shared Destiny.”

The seminar was presented by His Eminence Dr. Ahmed bin Abdulaziz Al-Haddad, member of the Muslim Council of Elders, Senior Mufti and Director of the Fatwa Department in Dubai, and member of the UAE Fatwa Council.

At the outset of the seminar, Dr. Al-Haddad emphasized that the unity of the Muslim Ummah is a fundamental pillar for achieving peace and stability. He pointed out that division and fragmentation open the doors to destruction, strife, and intellectual invasion.

 He clarified that the unity of the Muslim Ummah is a divine mandate outlined in the Glorious Quran and advocated by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), where Allah Almighty commands the believers to hold fast to His rope and not be divided, as stated in the verse: “And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided.” (The Quran, 3:103).

Dr. Al-Haddad added that since its establishment, the Muslim Council of Elders has been keen on building bridges of dialogue among various religions and cultures. One of its most prominent milestones was the signing of the “Document on Human Fraternity,” in Abu Dhabi, in 2019 by Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, and His Holiness Pope Francis, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates.

 This event represented a historic moment that advanced the concept of coexistence and global peace.

He explained that after the Council’s success in extending bridges of dialogue with followers of other religions, it found an urgent need to focus on intra-Islamic dialogue due to the sectarian differences and divisions that have weakened the Ummah and led to its fragmentation. 

He confirmed that the call for internal unity has become a religious duty and a collective responsibility. 

He noted that the Bahrain Conference on Intra-Islamic Dialogue represented a qualitative leap in this direction, as it called for the unity of Muslims under the “Call for the People of Qiblah,” a charter launched by the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, advocating for it to be a cornerstone for Islamic constants and joint collective action.