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Malegoan:
In a move that can probably work as a model for the Muftis in India,
Saudi King Abdullah has issued a royal order saying only approved
scholars can issue religious edicts or decrees popularly known as
fatwas.
"As part of our religious and national
duty we want you to ensure that fatwas are only issued by members of
the Council of Senior Religious Scholars and other permitted
people," Arab News correspondent Fatima Sidya quoted King
Abdullah as saying in the decree.
The Royal Decree was sent Thursday to
Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh, who heads
the Presidency for Scholastic Research and Religious Edicts (Dar Al-Ifta)
as well as the scholars council.
The decree also asked Al-Asheikh to report to the king on those
fully qualified and eligible to issue fatwas.
"Individual fatwas on personal matters such as matters of worship,
dealings, personal matters are exempt from this ruling, but they
should be between the questioner and the scholar. There should be a
total ban on any topics involving strange or obsolete views", the
King ruled.
The king said the issuing of fatwas by unqualified persons was a
violation of Islamic teachings.
"We have observed the fallout from unqualified people issuing fatwas.
It is our religious duty to stop them in order to preserve our
religion, which is our dearest possession, and cut off an evil
which, if we do not tackle now, will return with added force." the
king added in the decree. "Religion is no place for bragging nor
seeking worldly ambitions."
The king said differences of opinion among scholars should be
confined to their own circles and not involve other people.
"We find some people undermining the role of official establishments
and crossing into state jurisdiction. They pose as eligible scholars
to dispute these religious establishments," he added.
"This situation has prompted us to face them with determination in
order to return them to the right path and make them understand the
great role played by our religious establishments."
Islamic Affairs Minister Saleh Al-Asheikh
had warned earlier that many fatwas issued by individuals recently
had lacked balance.
They include giving permission to kill men and women who share
workspaces or, more bizarrely, allowing them to work together if a
woman breastfeeds her male colleagues.
"They should not publish fatwas before consulting other experts," he
said.
The minister also told members of the public to only ask for fatwas
from authentic sources, including Dar Al-Ifta.
He said he had noticed scholars issuing fatwas on silly issues.
"This will give a bad impression about the Kingdom, especially with
it being an Islamic state. We have so many other important issues to
deal with. We have to confront terrorism and the false allegations
people make connecting Islam and its Prophet (peace be upon him)
with terrorism," he said.
Other fatwas, including giving permission for women to travel
without a legal guardian, allowing men to pray at home instead of
going to mosque and allowing people to celebrate birthdays have
triggered heated debates among religious scholars.
A number of leading sheikhs welcomed King Abdullah's decision.
Sheikh Abdullah Al-Muslih, who hosts a fatwa program on a religious
channel, said major issues requiring a fatwa should remain in the
hands of top scholars.
However, he added that personal matters such as how to pray, perform
ablution or pay zakah were considered as educating the public and
therefore exempt from the decree.
Sheikh Saleh Al-Shamrani, a teacher at the Scholarly Institute for
Islamic Studies, also agreed with the king's decree and said it
would curb outlandish fatwas during Ramadan.
"Lately, some people have had the nerve to issue random fatwas. Some
of them have little religious education, while others claim they are
scholars. It is time to return fatwas to qualified people who are
fit to issue them," he said.
"We have waited for this decision, especially as religious channels
host people belonging to different intellectual schools of thought
and the public might see their beliefs as the truth."
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