The cleric's plea came after the recent beheading of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians in Libya by Islamic State militants. In response, Egyptian and Libyan bombers attacked IS targets in Libya. The group, which governs a caliphate on swathes of land across Iraq and Syria, is notorious for multiple kidnappings and brutal executions.
Speaking at a counter-terrorism conference in the Saudi holy city of Mecca, Tayeb strongly condemned terrorism and urged Muslims to unite against the threat posed by Islamic extremists.
On Sunday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi said in a televised statement that the creation of a united Arab military force is crucial in the struggle against terrorism in the Middle East. He added that several countries including the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, had offered their help in the fight against the jihadists.
A US-led international coalition of 60 countries has been conducting airstrikes against the IS since August 2014.
