Senior Jurists of the Muslim Ummah Convene in Malaysia Under the Umbrella of the Islamic Fiqh Council of the Muslim World League

As part of the first-of-its-kind forum for jurists: “Teaching Islamic Jurisprudence and the Formation of the Jurist”


Senior jurists of the Muslim Ummah convene in Malaysia under the umbrella of the Islamic Fiqh Council of the Muslim World League


Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia: “I hope the forum will produce studies and recommendations that help bring the vast body of fiqh closer to students of Islamic jurisprudence, and examine the curricula of jurisprudence in Islamic universities and their role in graduating jurists capable of addressing contemporary issues and emerging challenges.”


Dr. Al-Issa: “The diversity of schools of thought in fiqh is a source of scholarly enrichment that highlights the breadth and flexibility of the Sharia. The great jurists of the Ummah have contributed significantly to strengthening its unity.”


Saleh bin Humaid: “Islamic jurisprudence is not a set of rigid rulings; it is a living science that evolves with time.”


Mufti of Malaysian States: “Modern life has generated new legal issues that did not exist in earlier eras.”

His Excellency Sheikh Dr. Muhammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, the Secretary General of the Muslim World League and President of the Association of Muslim Scholars, inaugurated in Kuala Lumpur the proceedings of the First Forum of Jurists, entitled “Teaching Islamic Jurisprudence and the Formation of the Jurist: Principles and Guidelines.” The forum was organized by the Islamic Fiqh Council of the Muslim World League, under the patronage of the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mr. Anwar Ibrahim. Attendees included Sheikh Dr. Saleh bin Humaid, Imam and Preacher of the Grand Mosque and President of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation; Sheikh Ahmad Fawaz bin Fadhil, Mufti of the Federal Territories of Malaysia; and the Secretary General of the Council of Senior Scholars in Saudi Arabia, who delivered the speech of His Eminence the Grand Mufti of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Sheikh, President of the MWL’s Islamic Fiqh Council and Chairman of the Council of Senior Scholars. The forum also witnessed the participation of a number of senior jurists, muftis, and scholars from across the Muslim world and minority communities.
In the speech delivered on behalf of the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Dr. Fahd bin Saad Al-Majed, the Secretary General of the Council of Senior Scholars, member of the Islamic Fiqh Council, and Chairman of its Scientific Committee, emphasized that fiqh is a precise science pertaining to a specific discipline. He noted that the Islamic library today abounds with a jurisprudential output that is rare in its scope and depth.
His Eminence the Grand Mufti expressed his hope that the forum would produce studies and recommendations aimed at making this vast body of jurisprudence more accessible to students of Islamic law, in addition to examining the methods of teaching fiqh in universities of the Muslim world, their strength, and their effectiveness in preparing jurists capable of research, reasoning, and addressing contemporary issues. He also expressed his gratitude to the Islamic Fiqh Council of the MWL, one of the institutions of the League established by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to serve the Muslim world, bring unity, foster affection among Muslims, and confront contemporary jurisprudential challenges with sound scholarly deliberation.
For his part, His Excellency the Secretary General of the Muslim World League, Sheikh Dr. Muhammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, welcomed the convening of this forum, affirming that Islamic jurisprudence, throughout its rich history, has been and continues to be the authoritative reference for practical rulings derived from detailed evidences, guiding Muslims in their religious life according to the light of Sharia. He stated that the great jurists of the Ummah contributed to strengthening its unity by fostering scholarly connections and mutual respect among jurisprudential schools, driven by sincerity, openness, purity of heart, and depth of knowledge. This atmosphere, he explained, made the scholarly domain a vast space where Islamic ethics prevailed, transforming jurisprudential diversity into a source of enrichment that highlighted the breadth and flexibility of the Sharia, and its capacity to remain harmonious across times, places, and circumstances.
Dr. Al-Issa stressed that only those of limited knowledge and vision fail to appreciate such diversity, warning against the dangers posed by those who memorize texts without understanding their meanings or embodying their higher ethics, unaware that God’s grace is vast, and that Sharia is merciful and accommodating. He noted that reconciling hearts and building unity, even through balancing between interests and harms, may be of greater benefit for both religion and worldly affairs than a jurisprudential opinion that is technically correct. He underscored the necessity of accommodating jurisprudential efforts, building bridges between Islamic schools of thought, and fostering mutual respect and understanding, affirming that the diversity of jurists’ reasoning represents complementary elements of a single structure whose beauty lies in its variety and cohesion.
He concluded by noting that the preparatory committee of the forum had fulfilled its responsibility, resulting in the production of a comprehensive volume of rigorous scholarly studies addressing the teaching of fiqh and the formation of jurists, within important principles and guidelines.
In his address, Sheikh Dr. Saleh bin Humaid emphasized that Islamic jurisprudence is not a set of rigid rulings but a living science that evolves with time, grounded in the Qur’an and Sunnah, attentive to changing realities, while safeguarding its original constants. He explained that developing jurisprudential studies entails refining the tools and standards of ijtihad, drawing from classical and contemporary scholarship, and grasping the language and terminology of fiqh, in order to engage with new issues without departing from the foundations of Sharia and its sources. He added that the formation of jurists requires building balanced scholarly personalities that combine deep Sharia knowledge with contemporary awareness, built upon firm principles such as reliance on the foundational evidences of Qur’an, Sunnah, consensus, analogy, and other sources, in addition to observing the objectives of Sharia and the purposes of those addressed by it.
For his part, the Mufti of the Federal Territories of Malaysia, Sheikh Ahmad Fawaz bin Fadhil, highlighted the importance of collective ijtihad in light of rapid developments and complex transformations across various spheres of life. He pointed out that modern life, with its technological and social advancements, has generated new legal questions that did not exist in earlier eras, thus necessitating precise and methodical approaches to ensure rulings consistent with the objectives of Sharia and the welfare of the Ummah.
The forum discussed significant emerging issues in the teaching of Islamic jurisprudence, outlining key principles and guidelines in the formation of the contemporary jurist.
At the conclusion of its proceedings, the forum issued a final communiqué in which participants praised the role of fiqh academies in providing a modern framework for institutionalizing collective ijtihad, by regulating its processes and entrusting them to scholars who combine both depth of jurisprudential knowledge and practical expertise. The communiqué also included a number of recommendations aimed at strengthening and developing the study of Islamic jurisprudence, the formation of jurists, and the ability to address contemporary jurisprudential challenges.
Participants expressed their gratitude to the Prime Minister’s Office of Malaysia for its patronage of the forum, and extended thanks to the Muslim World League for its efforts in bringing together the jurists. They also called for the forum to be established as a regular event in different Muslim countries, in order to strengthen ties among scholars of jurisprudence and facilitate deliberation on religious and scholarly matters.