The Practical Potentials of Rapprochement between Shia and Sunni Sufis of Pakistan, Especially Brillouin

Extremism and violence are among the serious harms that cause rifts between Islamic countries, and in addition to making coexistence difficult, they also destroy economic and cultural resources. In the meantime, Pakistan, the second most populous Islamic country with a history of five thousand years of civilizational interaction with Iran, has been plagued by religious division for a long time, an issue that has negatively affected its productive relations with its western neighbor, Iran. Considering the tendencies and characteristics of Iranian Shiism and Sufi Sunniism in Pakistan, it seems that one of the ways of approximation and unity is to pay more attention to similar and common beliefs and traditions in the region, especially the centrality of Ahl al-Bayt (AS), the issue that can be seen among both Shiites and Sufis of these regions. The emphasis of the Sufi dynasties on relating their cloak to people from Ahl al-Bayt (AS), resorting to them, visiting the graves of Sadat and divine saints, etc., shows the great capacity of love of Ahl al-Bayt to bring together all sects. Brillouin is the main Sufi community of Pakistan, which has special capacities to connect with Shiism. This article examines the strategies of utilizing the capacity of love for Ahl al-Bayt (AS); their Sufi tendencies; the anti- Excommunication and anti-Wahhabi approach; and the diplomatic, scientific, scholastic, and religious capacity of Brillouins along with the practical solutions for its realization, which is the result of close field interactions and observations with the society.