The International Fiqh Academy: Addressing New Issues

In light of the many challenges and developments facing Muslim societies, a jurisprudential body was necessary to look into the changes taking place in the world and their impact on Muslim believers. In 1981, the International Islamic Fiqh Academy was established in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in response to the Third Islamic Summit Conference held in Mecca that same year. The academy brings together some of the best Muslim scholars from different regions of the world. They have done a good job in proposing solutions to many of the jurisprudential issues and problems faced by every Muslim. The academy was able to hold 24 sessions during which 238 legal decisions were issued based on legal and scientific considerations. The message of the council and the importance of the 25^th session being held on February 20 for three days in the city of Jeddah demonstrate the International Islamic Fiqh Academy’s seriousness and diligence in maintaining continuity and studying various issues that cause controversy and require in-depth research. The International Islamic Fiqh Academy is holding its 25th session amid challenging regional and international circumstances. Its members, who represent 57 countries and organizations, and the 200 eminent academic personalities in attendance, aspire to consolidate the features of Islamic law and its capacity to address legal issues and contemporary problems in a manner based on moderation, transparency and creativity. This will ensure security, safety and stability for humanity, while also achieving intellectual convergence and cognitive integration between the various Islamic jurists. The session is intended to discuss emerging issues and develop solutions and prospects. It is important that we address the issues raised in accordance with legal rulings and an integrated jurisprudential vision from the best scholars and thinkers of the nation. These issues include the ruling on praying in a language other than Arabic, the provisions and controls of social media, the dissemination of rumors and misinformation, the ruling on abortion due to rape, and the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the provisions of transactions, contracts and financial obligations. We must study these topics deeply in order to come up with appropriate jurisprudential rulings that are both moderate and beneficial to the people, in accordance with the purposes of Islamic law. We greatly appreciate the efforts of His Royal Highness Prince Khalid al-Faisal bin Abdulaziz, advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, for his generous sponsorship of this conference. We are also immensely grateful to the secretary general of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy, His Excellency Professor Koutoub Moustapha Sano, for his tireless efforts in making this session a success and for arranging it to be held under optimum conditions. We are fully confident in the work being done by the academy to serve the Muslim community and to confront all current challenges using the logic of reason and openness, as well as by developing Islamic jurisprudence from within, through the use of rules of deduction, in addition to setting up constructive dialogue with other Islamic religions, sects and cultures, while espousing moderation, tolerance and the values of coexistence. – Muhammad Ali Al-Husseini (translated by Asaf Zilberfarb)