A Historic Manifesto: The Founding of Lebanon's Union of Muslim Scholars (June 2012)
Historical Document: The Founding Declaration
This historic founding statement was issued in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, on Friday, 11 Rajab 1433 AH, corresponding to 1 June 2012 CE. It was attended and participated in by hundreds of scholars and preachers from across the various regions of Lebanon, marking a pivotal moment in the institutional organization of the country's Sunni scholarly community.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings upon the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers, our master Muhammad, and upon his family and all his companions. To proceed:
In response to the divine command: "And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided." (Quran 3:103)
Drawing inspiration from this divine guidance, and out of a profound sense of the great trust and the profound religious and historical responsibility placed upon their shoulders, the Muslim scholars of Lebanon—mindful of preserving the unity of word and safeguarding both the Islamic and national identity—convened hundreds of scholars and preachers from Beirut, Tripoli, Sidon, the Bekaa Valley, Akkar, the North, and the South. Together, by the grace of Allah the Almighty, they proclaimed the establishment of the "Union of Muslim Scholars in Lebanon" (Hay'at Ulama' al-Muslimin fi Lubnan), a comprehensive religious-scholarly framework for the scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah. Its mission is to unite the community's voice, serve society, and uphold truth and justice.
Foundational Pillars of the Founding Statement
1. Unifying the Scholarly Ranks
The Union is conceived as an inclusive framework that embraces all scholars and preachers across their diverse affiliations. It seeks to strengthen complementarity while renouncing division and discord, transforming potential fragmentation into collective strength.
2. Rationalizing Discourse and Da'awa
The body commits to disseminating a true appreciation of the religion's tolerant teachings, confronting extremism and excess in all their forms, and protecting youth from intellectual and moral deviation—a concern that was particularly acute given the regional upheavals of the period.
3. Safeguarding the Institutions of Ahl al-Sunnah
The Union pledges to stand firmly alongside the Dar al-Fatwa (the office of the Grand Mufti) and the Supreme Islamic Sharia Council, working to activate their roles and preserve their independence from the pulls of political contestation.
4. Defending Freedoms and Rights
The declaration demands justice for detained Islamists, the redress of grievances, and an end to policies of sectarian and security-based marginalization and targeting.
5. Protecting Civil Peace
The Union affirms the sanctity of Muslim blood and human blood alike, and emphasizes adherence to the principles of coexistence within a framework of equality in rights and duties.
6. Supporting the Causes of the Ummah
The body declares its unwavering position in supporting the Palestinian people and their just cause, and rejects all forms of injustice and aggression against oppressed peoples.
A Call for Cooperation
As the Union embarks on its journey, it extends the hand of cooperation to all scholarly reference bodies, scholarly associations, and civil institutions in Lebanon and the wider Muslim world, in service of the ummah and its people.
And Allah is behind the intent, and He guides the way.
Editorial Significance
This founding manifesto represents far more than a mere institutional announcement. Issued at a moment of intense regional turbulence—amid the upheavals of the Arab Spring and rising sectarian tensions in neighboring Syria—the declaration reflects a deliberate effort by Lebanon's Sunni religious establishment to consolidate its voice, assert its institutional independence, and articulate a vision that balances religious commitment, national belonging, and pan-Islamic solidarity. The text's emphasis on unity, moderation, the protection of civil peace, and the defense of Sunni rights within the Lebanese confessional system reveals the strategic calculations of a scholarly community seeking to navigate a perilous political landscape while preserving its moral and religious authority.