Fatwa

A fatwa or fetfa or fetva (Arab: rear RTL فتوى, legal opinion , in the plural: fatāwa ) is, in the Islam, a legal opinion delivered by a specialist in religious law on a particular question. In general, a fatwa is emitted at the request of an individual or a judge to regulate a problem where the Islamic jurisprudence is not clear. A specialist who can give fatāwa is called a Mufti.

Contrary to the spread opinion, a fatwa is not inevitably a judgment: it is about a religious opinion being able to relate to varied fields: taxation rules, ritual practices, food…

Emission of fatwa

As there does not exist clergy in the Islam sunnite, there is no rule unanimously accepted to determine which can emit a fatwa; certain scientists Musulman S complain that too many people are regarded as qualified to emit some.

Various muftis can emit contradictory fatwas; the consequence of such an event varies according to the country. In a country where the Islamic law is the base of the Civil law and criminal Law, the fatwas are discussed by the national prelates before being emitted, after a Consensus was obtained. In these cases, they are seldom contradictory and have the force of law. If, despite everything, a contradiction appears, the national authorities slice, often emitting an interpretation of compromise.

In the countries where the Islamic law is not the base of the national right, the contradictory fatwas coexist. The believers then follow those which were emitted by a member of the same tradition as themselves. Thus, a sunnite will seldom follow a fatwa emitted by a Shiite monk .

Nevertheless, a fatwa remains only one legal opinion not having authority that within the framework of a legislative code or if it is adopted.

Examples of fatwa

  • the February 14th 1989, a fatwa claiming the execution of Salman Rushdie, author of the Satanic Verses , was proclaimed on Radio Teheran by the Ayatollah Rouhollah Khomeiny, chief of Iran denouncing the book like " blasphématoire" towards Islam. As the novel suggests that Rushdie does not believe any more in Islam, Khomeiny also condemned it for apostasy, which according to the Hadith is liable to death. Khomeiny specified whereas it was the responsibility for any Moslem " zélé" to carry out Rushdie and its editors.

  • the September 5th 2004, a mufti of Iraq emitted a fatwa asking for the release of two French journalists removed by Islamic groups.

  • In March 2007, the emirate of Dubai launches a fatwa against the non-observance of red lights and speed at the wheel to reduce the road accidents, which involves for the contraveners a fine and a custodial sentence.

In Occident, however, the term fatwa is regularly badly included/understood or compared (reduced) to some of its aspects more the violent ones. Thus, the book Fatwa against the Occident , of Roland Jacquard uses the fatwa term in this canted common direction.

See too

  • Moslem Right

Internal bonds

External bonds

  • Dâr Al-Iftâ of Egypt (official Institute charged with the fatwa in Egypt)
  • European Council for the Fatwa and Research
  • Bank of fatwas (Sunnite general practitioner)
  • Islam-qa (Sunnite Salafite)
  • Ask-Imam (Hanafite)
  • Site containing a great number of fatwas
  • the fatwa according to Youssouf Ibram, member of the European Council for the Fatwa and has Recherche (CEFR) and direct doctor in charia of the university of Riyadh Lien towards the conference with the format RealPlayer
  • FatawaIslam (More than 1000 fatwas on various subjects)
  • Histoire of the word Fatwa

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