The decision of Iran, a Shia-majority country, and Saudi Arabia, a Sunni-majority country, to reestablish ties after decades of sectarian rivalry is by far the most important and positively significant event in the recent history of the Islamic world. On March 10, delegates from both countries converged in Beijing to reach a landmark agreement, with China playing the role of mediator.
For centuries, these two Muslim states coexisted peacefully despite their minor sectarian differences. However, in recent times, certain circles exploited and exaggerated these differences, driving the two nations into a bitter rivalry. Although Iran and Saudi Arabia never engaged in direct military conflict, their animosity turned the entire Middle East into a battleground.
Many countries in the Middle East with Shia-Sunni populations received support from each side against the other, leading thus to devastating civil wars that shattered their economies, hindered them from all kinds of progress, and created huge humanitarian and refugee crises. It also resulted in the emergence of radical organizations like ISIS that took advantage of sectarian division, used fabricated hadiths to practice brutality not only on innocent Muslims but also kept the whole world in a state of terror and caused islamophobia to spread.
Western powers, instead of making reconciliatory efforts, only fueled the fire and used sectarian division for their own advantage. They backed the leaders of Muslim countries further against each other, supplied weapons to both sides, facilitated war and bloodshed, invaded Muslim countries on false pretexts, installed their puppet governments, and kept the whole region destabilized. The refugees fleeing death from these countries were not even fully welcomed by the West and faced harsh treatment, many died on their way crossing the sea, including kids.
The magnitude of suffering and devastation this sectarian division has caused in the Middle East is too great to fathom. The internally weakened and crisis-stricken Muslim countries couldn't even help Muslim minorities living under oppression in other countries. Sufferings upon suffering befall Muslims, and they became the most oppressed religious group in the world.
Had Muslims followed God's commandment to remain united and protected each other, all this sectarian division and bloodshed that came along could have been averted and Muslim countries would have been the exemplary and most prosperous countries in the world.
Now that efforts towards the restoration of ties have started, it should also be ensured that no such sinful division ever takes place again. Any external or even internal attempts to sow seeds of discord between Muslim nations should be made futile.
This faithful unification of Iran and Saudi Arabia will send a positive wave in all Muslim countries. All conflicts that originated because of their disunity will come to an end. Yemeni people, who became prey to this sinful conflict that only benefited people of warmongering nature, will again see their country heading toward prosperity. The swamp of All radical organizations that were being fed on sectarian divisions will be drained. A prosperous and peaceful golden era is guaranteed for all Muslims in the world as long as they stay united and live by Allah's command.
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