Senior jurists of the Islamic Ummah meet under the umbrella of the Islamic Fiqh Council

Within the framework of its 23rd session:

Senior jurists of the Islamic Ummah meet under the umbrella of the Islamic Fiqh Council



His Eminence the Mufti: Sharia issues and jurisprudential rulings face major challenges that need qualitative efforts

Dr. Al-Issa:

The nation's senior jurists' addressing of legal developments comes on top of their duties

Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC):

Contemporary ijtihad is an urgent necessity for the nation to keep pace with the events taking place in the world

Bin Humaid:

Scholars are qualified to instill in the nation the values of unity and
solidarity and help it avoid the danger of division and conflict



The capital, Riyadh, has hosted the meeting of senior jurists of the
Islamic Ummah under the umbrella of the Islamic Fiqh Council headed by
His Eminence the Grand Mufti of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Chairman of
the Council of Senior Scholars, and Chairman of the Council of Fiqh
Council, Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al Sheikh, in the presence of the
Muftis and senior scholars of the Islamic world, where they attend in
the capital, Riyadh, the activities of the 23rd  session of the Islamic
Fiqh Council.

During this session, senior muftis, scholars, and researchers from
Islamic countries and countries with Muslim minorities will discuss a
range of contemporary issues to issue jurisprudential rulings about
them, then translate those rulings with recommendations into several
international languages, and publish them in the media, since the
Islamic Fiqh Council is focused on clarifying the legal rulings that
Muslims face, including issues and calamities. It aims to highlight the
creativity of Islamic jurisprudence, disseminate Islamic jurisprudential
heritage, and clarify its terminology in modern language.

The opening session of the conference began with a speech by His
Eminence the Grand Mufti of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in which he
stressed that "Islamic jurisprudence, with its general principles,
holistic rules, and the huge wealth of the jurisprudence branches,
fatwas, and research on various topics which the ancestors passed on to
us, help the jurists of our time to have broad flexibility and an
insight to study the reality of their nation, and the emerging issues
and calamities, and give them the ability to study, assimilate and
address them from a legal point of view, thus relieving their fellow
Muslims  from hardship and all harm."

His Eminence stressed that the responsibility of Sharia scholars and
Islamic jurists has increased today in light of the development of
information technology, modern means of communication, and the spread of
satellite broadcasting and technical and information communication
sites, noting that "Sharia issues and jurisprudential rulings face major
challenges; various fatwas issued by individuals, bodies, and
academies."

The Grand Mufti of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia stressed the importance
of exerting more efforts in launching purposeful programs and useful
initiatives that help jurists and muftis, Sharia bodies, and Fiqh
councils cooperate and coordinate in addressing Sharia issues and
studying contemporary calamities and new rulings, in accordance with
collective ijtihad conducted within an approved and reliable
institutional framework that brings convergence among different
opinions, narrows the gap between differences, and takes into account
the interests of all Muslims, to guarantee a happy life for Muslim
peoples, serve their issues, solve their problems, and enhance the
tranquility and stability of societies and nations.

At the end of his speech, His Eminence the Grand Mufti, on behalf of the
Muslim World League, muftis, jurists, scholars, and researchers
participating in this session, expressed his sincere thanks to the
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and
His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud -
may God protect them - for their commendable efforts in serving the Two
Holy Mosques and their visitors, generous support of science and
scientists, and care for everything that serves the interests of Muslims
all over the world, and achieves happiness and stability for them,
praying to God Almighty to bless them with good health and well-being,
and preserve them as an asset for Islam and Muslims.

His Eminence the Grand Mufti also thanked the Muslim World League, under
the leadership of His Excellency the Secretary-General, for the
continuous endeavors to serve the Muslim peoples, unify them according
to the guidance of the Qur'an and the Prophet’s Sunnah, and clarify the
sound approach of Islam as regards religious and worldly matters.

For his part, His Excellency the Secretary-General of the Muslim World
League, Chairman of the Association of Muslim Scholars, and Vice
President of the Islamic Fiqh Council, Sheikh Dr. Muhammad bin Abdul
Karim Al-Issa, indicated in his speech that the 23rd session of the Fiqh
Council will address a number of emerging legal issues that it is
competent to consider, preceded by in-depth academic research surveys,
conducted by distinguished researchers.

Al-Issa stressed that "addressing these developments by the senior
scholars of the Islamic Ummah comes on top of their duties, as the more
efforts we exert in research, study and ijtihad to clarify our
jurisprudential rulings, the more we succeed to carry out our duties
towards our religion in general, and scientific responsibility in
particular, as well as towards our mission to highlight the ability of
our Islamic jurisprudence to address all developments whatsoever."

Al-Issa pointed out that the Islamic Fiqh Council "is the oldest Fiqh
Council in Islamic history, and all those working within its framework
have remarkable scientific weight" stressing that throughout its long
history, the council in general and its research and academic
institutions in particular have enjoyed, by the grace of Allah, the
confidence of the peoples of the Muslim world and that its fatwas,
statements and general scientific contributions have been praised and
widely spread.

His Excellency expressed his sincere thanks and deep gratitude for the
generous hospitality and great appreciation rendered to the scholars of
the Islamic Ummah by the leadership of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and
His Highness the Crown Prince, Prime Minister, His Royal Highness,
Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud - may God protect them -
asking Allah, Almighty to reward them for their great services rendered
to Islam and Muslims.

For his part, the OIC Secretary General, Hissein Brahim Taha, said that
this session is held at a critical time in our Islamic world, which
faces deep intellectual and political challenges, considering that the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's hosting of this important meeting, with the
participation of their Eminences, and Excellencies, heads of bodies of
senior scholars and muftis in the Islamic world, confirms its position
as a real actor in supporting the positive orientations of our nation,
working for its rise and protecting it from all imminent dangers.

Taha stressed that "contemporary ijtihad is an urgent necessity so that
the Islamic nation will keep pace with the intellectual, cultural and
economic events taking place in the world," affirming that the meeting
of senior scholars and muftis from all Islamic countries, regardless of
their madhabs and ethnicities, is a reflection of the Muslims’ unity and
concerted efforts to serve their religion.

Taha praised "the tireless efforts of the Muslim World League (MWL) with
all its institutions and branches, on top of which comes the Islamic
Fiqh Council, which is an independent Islamic scientific body consisting
of a well-selected group of Muslim scholars and jurists that plays an
important role in clarifying the legal rulings as regards all calamities
and emerging issues the Muslims face all over the world, disseminating
Islamic jurisprudential heritage, clarifying its terminology,
encouraging scientific research in the fields of Islamic jurisprudence,
in addition to addressing raised suspicions and the problems concerning
the rulings of Islamic Sharia."

For his part, His Excellency the President of the International Islamic
Fiqh Academy, Imam and preacher of the Sacred Mosque, member of the
Council of Senior Scholars, Advisor at the Royal Court, member of the
Islamic Fiqh Council, Sheikh Dr. Saleh bin Abdullah bin Humaid, said:
“The scholars, with the knowledge and wisdom that God has given them,
are qualified to instill in the Islamic nation the values of unity,
cooperation, solidarity and pride in its constants, and help it avoid
the dangers of division, dispersion and conflict, stressing that the
nation has no way to restore its strength, prestige and status except
through their commitment to Allah's verse: ((And hold fast, all of you
together, to the Rope of Allah, and be not divided among yourselves)”

His Excellency stressed that the nation will get rid of all its ills, if
it replaces division and differences with cooperation and harmony,
fanaticism and extremism with wisdom and tolerance, violence and
terrorism with kindness and compassion, and extremism, degeneracy with
moderation and gentleness.

Ibn Humaid pointed out that the topics discussed by the bodies and
academies vary between political, legal, family, medical, economic,
financial, and intellectual ones, all of which are of interest to the
nation, in which valuable research papers are written and discussed in
their sessions, committees, and workshops.

 For his part, His Excellency the Secretary-General of the International
Islamic Fiqh Academy of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation,
Koutoub Moustapha Sano, said: "We are all required to work to unify
legal rulings in Islamic countries in all matters of life, in accordance
with the provisions of Islamic law, and this is the only way to achieve
Islamic unity among Muslim peoples."

Sano praised the efforts of the Islamic Fiqh Council of the Muslim World
League, noting that the International Islamic Fiqh Academy of the
Organization of Islamic Cooperation was pleased to sign an agreement of
cooperation, communication, synergy, and support with the Islamic Fiqh
Council, considering that the two bodies are cooperating and
coordinating together to respond to the needs of the Islamic Ummah.

He added that it is hoped that the coming days will witness close
cooperation and continuous participation, whether at the level of
organizing joint conferences and seminars or studying calamities and
developments of interest to Muslims worldwide.

As a reminder, the activities of the session will continue until Monday,
13 Shawwal, corresponding to April 22, through a number of scientific
sessions that will discuss a range of contemporary jurisprudential
issues and calamities, and issue decisions and statements on these
issues to meet the need of the Islamic nation for reliable,
jurisprudential handling of the issues and developments facing it.