Panellist during a discussion at the seminar yesterday.
Doha, Qatar: The 26th session of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy conference, convened in Doha, Qatar, continued its rigorous scholarly discussions. On its third day, yesterday.
The the event addressed pressing contemporary jurisprudential issues relevant to Muslim communities worldwide. The fifth academic session explored the phenomenon of electronic games, examining their financial implications and global prevalence. The participants evaluated the benefits juxtaposed against the psychological, social, behavioural, and financial risks, particularly for those grappling with addiction.
The discussions were anchored in core Islamic legal principles, such as “promoting benefits and averting harms” and the maxim that “beneficial matters are permissible by default, while harmful ones are prohibited.”
The sixth session delved into the impact of psychological disorders on legal capacity under Sharia. Scholars elucidated the nuanced distinction between “mental illness” and “psychological disorder,” drawing on contemporary research.
Psychological disorders were defined as clusters of clinically significant symptoms that impair cognition, mood, or behavior, adversely affecting social and professional functioning. The analysis, grounded in the American Psychiatric Association’s framework, aligned with Sharia’s objectives of safeguarding the mind and soul.
The seventh session focused on Sharia governance within Islamic financial institutions, emphasizing the critical need for robust oversight mechanisms to ensure adherence to Shariah principles. This integration of financial performance with Shariah compliance serves to uphold the ethical objectives of Islamic economic transactions.
Participants underscored the urgency of establishing a unified jurisprudential framework for Islamic financial institutions, a necessity both for religious integrity and professional credibility. Such a framework would foster consistency, trust, and coherence in fatwas and financial practices.
They cautioned against the persistent discrepancies in applying Sharia rulings, which risk destabilizing markets and generating conflicting fatwas. The session advocated for strict adherence to resolutions from authoritative scholarly bodies, notably the International Islamic Fiqh Academy and the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI). Challenges facing Sharia boards were also highlighted, including external pressures to sway decisions or impose administrative directives contrary to Sharia, underscoring the need to bolster their independence and authority.
The session further addressed emerging jurisprudential questions, including the permissibility of stunning animals prior to slaughter and its effect on the validity of the sacrifice, the ruling on providing premature infants with milk from known or unknown mothers, and the Sharia-compliant production and marketing of cultured meat, genetically modified foods of animal origin, and insect-derived products.
On the fourth day, drafting committees will convene to finalize the Academy’s resolutions and recommendations, which will be presented at the closing session on Thursday, May 8, 2025.
