Recommendation of Grand Ayatollah Makarim Shirazi to the president of Azerbaijan

Prominent cleric, Grand Ayatollah Makarim Shirazi in a meeting with the eminent scholar of Caucasian and Azerbaijan, by mentioning to the neighborhood of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Azerbaijan and the Caucasus region asserted: “In Islam we have many narrations about the relation of neighbors to each other to the extent that we can see in the words of Imam Ali that he said that Prophet Muhammad used to tell us to look after our neighbors to that extend that we thought that being some ones neighbor can make family relationships.”

The Ayatollah by emphasizing the importance of the need for alertness of the neighboring counties against the enemies plans, asserted: “We don’t have to let the enemies to make any gap or misunderstandings in between us.”

Ayatollah Makarim Shirazi by expressing that all the Muslims from all around the world, by the order that we have in the holy Quran, are brothers and noted: “The holy Quran considers all the Muslims as brothers and it asserted that if there is any disagreements between them they have to solve it and make peace and friendship between them as soon as they can.”

The Ayatollah considered making any schismatic and disagreements between the Muslims as following the path of the enemies and said: “The enemies of Islam are trying to make wars between Muslims with different types of conspiracy; now in some Islamic counties over instigation of the enemy they are killing each other and the enemies are happy and taking their own benefits from it.”

He expressed: “We have to take a lesson from the division that is happening and don’t do anything that can make our enemies happy”.

The Ayatollah emphasized to Sheikh Pashazad: “As( according to what ) we heard about you, you are an influential person in Azerbaijan and the Caucasus region and you can use this influence to neutralize the enemies conspiracies and to solve the problems and surely this trip would make a deeper relationship between us and Azerbaijan and the Caucasus region.”

Ayatollah Makarim Shirazi emphasized: “Use your position and make more freedom for the Muslims so they can have their Islamic programs because as much as they have more freedom about their Islamic programs they would have better ties with the regime”.

He emphasized: “I suggested to the Azerbaijan’s president to take it easy on the people and release some of those who are in prison which will have a very good effect in between your nation and the neighboring countries”.

The Islamic jurist added: “We had and are having a good relationship with the Turks and we know the Turks as very brave and kind people and I wish to have time to accept your invitation and I can come to your country and be with you”.

He asserted to deeper relationship between the scholars of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Azerbaijani’s and said: “We have to try more and make better ties and friendship between the two counties, it will be good for both counties, Islam and Muslims and I hope we can see more of these kinds of relationships.”

It’s noteworthy that at the beginning of this meeting Sheikh Pashazade conveyed the warm greetings of the people of Azerbaijan and the Caucasus to the Ayatollah Makarim Shirazi and invited this Islamic jurist to visit their county.”