Grand Mufti
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The title of Grand Mufti (Arabic: مفتي عام) refers to the highest official of religious law in a Sunni or Ibadi Muslim country. The Grand Mufti issues legal opinions and edicts, fatwā, on interpretations of Islamic law for private clients or to assist judges in deciding cases. The collected opinions of the Grand Mufti serve as a valuable source of information on the practical application of Islamic law as opposed to its abstract formulation. The Grand Mufti's fatāwā (plural of "fatwā") are not binding precedents in areas of civil laws regulating marriage, divorce, and inheritance. In criminal courts, the Grand Mufti's recommendations are generally not binding either.
Relationships between the Grand Mufti and the state
The relationship between the Grand Mufti of any given nation or empire and the state's rulers can vary considerably, both by region and by historical era.
Historical relationships between rulers and Grand Muftis
- Throughout the era of British colonialism, the British retained the institution of Grand Mufti in some Muslim areas under their control and accorded the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem the highest political stature.
- During World War I (1914–1918), there were two competing Grand Muftis of Jerusalem, one endorsed by the British and one by the Ottoman Empire.
- When Palestine was under British rule, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem was a position appointed by the British Mandate authorities.
Nations with elected Grand Muftis
- In countries such as Australia where the office of Grand Mufti receives no official seal of government imprimatur, clerics can be elected to the position by one segment of the Islamic community in that country and yet not be recognised by other Muslim communities in that country.[1]
Nations with collective Grand Muftis
- Indonesia has a unique system of collective mufti, in which the position of Grand Mufti is held by the Indonesian Ulama Council (Majelis Ulama Indonesia). This assembly can make fatāwā.
- Malaysia also has unique system of collective mufti. Nine of the fourteen Malaysian states have their own constitutional monarchy; eight are ruled by sultans (the title for the rulers of Kelantan, Kedah, Terengganu, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Selangor, Perak and Johore) and one by a raja (the title for the ruler of Perlis). These nine monarchs have authority over religious matters within their own states: therefore, each of these nine states have their own mufti who usually controls the Islamic Council or Islamic Department of the state. At the national level, a National Council of Fatwa (Majlis Fatwa Kebangsaan) has been formed under the Department of Islamic Advancement of Malaysia (Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia or JAKIM). JAKIM appoints five Muftis for the five states which don't have monarchs. The muftis of the nine monarchical states, together with the five officials appointed by JAKIM in the National Council of Fatwā, collectively issue fatāwā at the national level.
Past Grand Muftis
- Syrian Arab Republic's Grand Mufti, Ahmed Kuftaro (deceased September 1, 2004)
- Pakistan ex-Grand Mufti, Moulana Mufti Muhammad Shafi
- Australian ex-Grand Mufti, Taj El-Din Hilaly
- Mohammed Tahir al-Husayni, Grand Mufti of Jerusalem from the 1860s to 1908
- Kamil al-Husayni, Grand Mufti of Jerusalem from 1908 to 1921
- During World War I (1914–1918), the Ottoman Empire claimed that As'ad Shuqeiri was the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem.
- Mohammad Amin al-Husayni, Grand Mufti of Jerusalem from 1921 to 1936
- Hussam Al-din Jarallah, Grand Mufti of Jerusalem from 1948 to 1954
- Sulaiman Ja'abari, Grand Mufti of Jerusalem from 1993 to 1994
- Ekrima Sa'id Sabri, Grand Mufti of Jerusalem from October 1994 to July 2006
- Syed Shujaat Ali Qadri, Grand Mufti of Pakistan from October 1965 to July 1992
See also
References
- ^ Alexander Moore (1998). Cultural Anthropology. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 389. ISBN 0939693488.