We praise Allah ﷻ
for this blessed gathering and this purposeful, impactful seminar.
What distinguishes this seminar is its hosting of eminent scholars.
Their attendance and input will enrich the seminar's content, ideas, and advice.
This will advance the Two Holy Mosques' global mission.
We commend our rulers' kind approval of this seminar. May Allah ﷻ guide them.
We also commend the organizers, who have striven and still do for success.
At their head is Dr Abdulrahman Al-Sudais. May Allah ﷻ reward them all abundantly.
Paper title: The impact of fatwas on the Two Holy Mosques' standing.
I will address the topic in points:
Definitions of impact and fatwa within the scope of this paper.
Then I'll cover fatwa's impact there, ending with recommendations and proposals.
Linguistically, athar is what remains of a thing's mark, tangible or intangible.
Technically, it has several meanings.
It can mean a result, a report, or a sign.
It can also mean what comes from a thing, which jurists call a ruling.
Thus, the rulings of marriage are what follows from it, and so on.
As for a fatwa, it is a statement.
A fatwa conveys the Sharia ruling on a matter one is asked about.
It may also be issued unprompted, to guide the public on an issue or conduct.
Thus, the effect of a fatwa means its outcome and what follows from it.
Aspects of the impact of fatwas in the Two Holy Mosques.
First: strengthening the standing of the Two Holy Mosques.
This standing is deeply rooted.
It lives in Muslims' hearts, past and present, until the Last Hour.
Since its founding, this has been a priority.
The Presidency of Religious Affairs has taken it into account.
Its importance grew when linked to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.
It has played a major role.
It organized lessons, fatwas, pulpit sermons, and hosted scholars.
This reflects its sense of duty.
It fulfills its mission through integrated service.
It works with the General Authority for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques.
People trust fatwas from the Holy Mosques.
So the land's leaders gave them great care.
There was care for physical upkeep.
Public services and spiritual care also received attention.
Fatwa work is a bright expression of that very development.
A glance around the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque makes this clear.
It appears in the remarkable organization of fatwas in the Two Holy Mosques.
This curbs chaos through set channels.
Known names and posted numbers make access easy for questioners.
Technology provided fatwa points.
Gate phones and digital boards offered e-books, guidance, and translation.
To achieve this, they enlisted scholars from university faculty and agency staff.
Leading trusted scholars were summoned, and expert muftis were handpicked.
All this reflected the highest standard and wise fatwa practice, as Allah ﷻ says.
Allah ﷻ says, "Ask the people of knowledge if you do not know."
Another aspect is the lessons held there.
They enhance the status of the Two Holy Mosques.
These lessons vary.
Some are evening lessons for visitors.
Others are morning academic lessons.
They run through Makkah's Grand Mosque Institute and its Madinah branch.
Another feature is facilitation and removing hardship.
The Sharia is founded on removing hardship and easing things in difficulty.
Here, fatwa plays a key role.
It brings relief to the questioner, given his condition. It seeks a lawful way out.
This is based on his circumstances and the ignorance behind the problem.
A legal ruling relates to people's actions in general.
It does not look at people one by one.
A fatwa, by contrast, addresses reality and the questioner's condition.
Here, the astute mufti acts with skill.
He applies the legal ruling to the case.
He does so in a way suited to the questioner, who may be an exception.
Ibn al-Qayyim said:
"Some issue fatwas from books alone.
Yet people differ in norms and customs. They also differ in time and situation.
Ignoring that leads one astray and misleads others."
Quoted from I'lam al-Muwaqqi'in.
Hence, a mufti is one capable of knowing Sharia rulings on cases through evidence.
Analogous rulings vary by person or terms;
only jurists of principles and maxims know why.
In Al-Furuq, Al-Qarafi said:
"Without general rules, particulars become inconsistent."
End quote. Our religion is balanced.
This shows in its dealings, rulings, and laws.
A mufti must issue balanced fatwas, avoid aberrant ones, and grasp the question.
He must beware some questioners' plots. He must answer with tact, sense, and wisdom.
There should be no excess in the reply. No harsh rebuke, blame, or accusing him.
Rather, read his question in a good light and show him mercy and benefit.
Fourth: Combating extremism and bolstering intellectual security.
Fatwas in the Two Holy Mosques boost intellectual security.
They also curb deviation, extremism, and excess.
Hence cybersecurity has emerged.
It is a field of technical information security.
Its task is to protect and monitor content so corruption and breaches stay out.
Sound fatwas in the Two Holy Mosques help curb extremism and guide the misled.
Fifth: preserving faith.
Preserving faith is essential in Sharia: faith, life, mind, honor, and wealth.
The Two Holy Mosques best safeguard faith; they foster study, worship, safety, peace.
A fatwa is one form of preserving faith and knowledge.
A mufti is like a doctor people need; he mends hearts; sound hearts keep faith.
The Friday sermon in the Two Holy Mosques greatly enhances their status.
It educates people and urges them to ask trusted scholars.
It guides them to the relevant bodies, warns them against false muftis
and directs them to recognized fatwa platforms and councils.
As for the proposals and recommendations, first comes point A.
Document fatwas, given the sanctity of the place.
The muftis at the Two Holy Mosques best assess new issues.
They also take different legal schools among visitors into account.
B- Consider the asker's legal school, especially in divorce and marriage.
C- Hold courses in fatwa methods for future muftis at the Two Holy Mosques.
Give them focused training in usul al-fiqh and its rules, the measure of fiqh.
D- Create online, television, or radio fatwa outlets for the Two Holy Mosques.
Use varied technology—some live, some prerecorded, and so on.
E- Create a Q&A center or database for visitors to the Two Holy Mosques.
Let it be a reference for muftis when they need to consult it.
F- The Two Holy Mosques have libraries.
They are among the largest in Islamic and other fields.
This enhances the standing of the Two Holy Mosques in this field.
The library aids mufti and seeker alike: mufti checks sources; seeker reads fatwas.
G- Benefit from visiting students.
They can be students from the Islamic University in Madinah.
They can translate visitors' questions and answers, live or in advance.
This is what I could mention and explain.
May this symposium's recommendations spark broader ideas and better proposals.
May they then be shared with the Presidency of Religious Affairs.
Who knows? An idea you dismiss may turn into initiatives.
These initiatives may benefit visitors, Hajj pilgrims, and Umrah pilgrims.
And they may become a lasting charity for their initiator and all who helped.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:
"Who guides to good is like its doer. Who guides to good earns the same reward."
Reported by Muslim.
In closing, I thank the chair, Sheikh Abdullah Al-Manea, and the panelists.
Thanks to the rapporteur and all present.
I ask Allah ﷻ for sincerity and success.
Peace and blessings be upon Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, his family, and Companions.