Speaking on behalf of the members of the Mohammed VI Foundation for African Ulema at the symposium on “Fatwa Rules in the African Context,” Mahamat Alhilou said that the participants in the meeting would benefit from Morocco’s exemplary experience in the field of fatwa, the foundations of which have been cemented by the Supreme Council of Ulema under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Commander of the Faithful.
In this regard, he stressed that the definition of the conceptual scope of the fatwa and its immunization by making it an institutional action and a collegial jurisprudence in Morocco constitutes a model to be followed in the African context, capable of contributing to the training of Ulema and Muftis with a high level of knowledge and reconciling knowledge of the texts and the specificities of their respective societies.
The Kingdom also aims to be a model in terms of establishing and restructuring the bodies responsible for issuing fatwas in accordance with the space-time framework and the needs of people, while taking into account the customs and practices of African societies, he noted.
In this regard, the Mufti of Chad stressed the importance of fatwas in Islam and the in-depth knowledge of the religious text required of those responsible for issuing them.
Convinced that the fatwa is an essential factor for the security and stability of societies, which can adapt to different changes and circumstances, as well as to individual and collective situations, he noted that those who issue fatwas must master all the mechanisms and tools necessary to resolve any problems that may arise.
In this regard, he warned against the greatest scourge currently afflicting the Islamic Ummah, including Muslims on the African continent, which is the reckless practice of issuing fatwas by unqualified individuals.
The symposium is being held in application of the recommendations of the High Council of the Mohammed VI Foundation of African Ulema, which held its 4th session in Fez on October 19-20, 2022, concerning the organization of symposiums on the practice of fatwa in Africa.
A rich program will accompany the work of this symposium, which will deal in particular with the conceptual authentication and scientific anchoring of the fatwa, the scientific standards and principles of the fatwa, and its reality in the African context.
