Among the scholars, intellectuals and leaders within the worldwide Muslim Ummah (community), one of the most prominent figures who emphasise the need for dialogue in all its forms is Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, president of the International Union of Muslim Scholars. This attitude can be seen even in his books on aspects of Islamic jurisprudence, such as his research on music, in which not only does he disagree with the prevailing view on its prohibition, but exemplifies the way to disagree with respect and in the spirit of truth-seeking.

Here I want to share a very useful summary by Dr Qaradawi – a Sunni scholar – of the need for intra-faith dialogue between Sunnis and Shi’ah, as the two main branches within the Ummah today and historically. Many points from this (translated) research can be generalised and adapted for the purpose of the Charter of Religious Dialogue which this diablog is working to build.

Principles for the Rapprochement of Muslim Schools of Thought

The main sections, which you may access directly on their own pages, are:

• Knowing the Others from their Own Sources
• Searching for the Common Ground
• Intelligent Discussion Without Provocation
• Avoiding Excessiveness
• The Necessity for the Ummah to be Vigilant and to Unite

Personally, I have not done a great deal of reading in this field, nor engaged in much dialogue with people of the Shi’ah. I do think there are a number of interesting questions that arise from this issue, giving us cause to think more broadly than the specifics of Sunni-Shi’i dialogue.

Points of divergence
What makes a Shi’i a Shi’i? (Or someone may ask the opposite question for a Sunni.) The origin of the question is a political matter, namely the dispute over the succession of leadership after the death of the Prophet Muhammad (on whom be peace), who was the leader of the Muslims in every sense. Over the centuries, the differences between Sunnis and Shi’ah has not remained in the political sphere, so it is interesting to consider how the various doctrinal, jurisprudential and geographical/sociological differences we see today came to be. I see this as retracing our steps to see where we went wrong (whoever it was who was at fault).

Labels
If the term Sunni means someone who is upon the example and tradition of the Prophet (peace be upon him), and the word Shi’ah has its origins in expressing loyalty to ‘Ali, who was the fourth of the universally acknowledged righteous caliphs (may God be pleased with them), why would anyone wish to have one of these labels while making a point of rejecting the other? It seems plausible that some Sunnis would claim, “We are the true Party of ‘Ali,” and that some Shi’is would claim “We are the true people of Sunnah.” This question leads us to reflect on the nature of labels and why and how they are used.

That’s all I’ll note; please do see Sheikh Qaradawi’s paper and let me know your thoughts.