On Monday 08 Shawwal 1443H corresponding to 09 May 2022G, His Excellency Prof. Koutoub Moustapha Sano, Secretary General of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA), chaired the nineteenth monthly periodic meeting of the Academy’s employees, through video communication technology from his residence in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

At the beginning of the meeting, His Excellency the Secretary General welcomed everyone, thanking them for their regular attendance at these important periodic meetings that discuss the business of the Academy and also focuses on the complaints and suggestions of all employees without exception, and work to resolve them by listening to opinions and suggestions about them. Then His Excellency spoke about his visit to the United Arab Emirates and his participation in the International Conference of the World Council of Muslim Communities with the participation of delegations from more than 150 countries from all regions of the world to discuss and study the topic of “Islamic unity…the concept, opportunities and challenges”.

His Excellency participated in Conference with an opening speech in which he presented an accurate methodological conception of the concept of unity. He affirmed that the desired unity is the unity of feelings, and the unity of rituals, and that this unity does not in any way conflict with the modern national and country states that were referred to in the Holy Quran in Surat Al-Hujurat: [O humanity! Indeed, we created you from a male and a female, and made you into peoples and tribes so that you may ˹get to˺ know one another] (verse: 13), which means peoples residing in multiple countries and states choose for themselves the systems that suit them and that are compatible with their traditions and customs.

His Excellency also emphasized that this unity is a unity in diversity, and diversity in unity where there is social, intellectual, and economic unity, and these forms of unity are based on integration, solidarity, cooperation, synergy and support among Muslim peoples. His Excellency also mentioned that the desired unity is based on five important pillars mentioned in the saying of the Prophet, prayers and peace be upon him: “Do not envy, do not quarrel, do not detest each other, do not fight, and do not purchase what your brother wants to purchase, and be the servants of God and brothers. A Muslim is a brother to a fellow Muslim, he does not oppress him, he does not despise him, and he does not let him down, that is piety”. His Excellency concluded by referring to the most important manifestations of unity, which are the kindness, compassion, and sympathy based on the saying of the Prophet, prayers and peace be upon him, “The likeness of the believers in their affection, mercy, and compassion is like that of the body: if one part of it complains, the rest of the body responds to it with fever and sleeplessness.”

Then His Excellency spoke about the memorandum of understanding concluded on Sunday 08 May 2022G with Mohamed bin Zayed University for Human Sciences in Abu Dhabi, hoping that this memorandum would open up prospects for cooperation and communication with this promising young university, especially in the fields of scientific research, the exchange of knowledge sources and publications, as well as the organization of conferences, seminars and workshops. His Excellency concluded by thanking everyone and urging cooperation, integration and solidarity to improve the performance of the Academy.