Council of Ministers Approves Draft Law to Regulate Fatwa Issuance

The Council of Ministers has approved a draft law proposed by the Ministry of Awqaf that regulates the issuance of fatwas. The provisions of this draft law regarding the regulation of fatwa issuance will apply to religious guidance and the jurisprudential efforts in the fields of Sharia and scientific research.

The draft law ensures that the general Islamic opinion on important matters affecting all people will be the responsibility of the Council of Senior Scholars at Al-Azhar Al-Sharif and the Egyptian Dar Al-Ifta. The responsibility for specific Islamic legal opinions for individuals will lie with the Council of Senior Scholars at Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, the Islamic Research Academy, the Egyptian Dar Al-Ifta, or the Fatwa Committees at the Ministry of Endowments.

The fourth section of the law states that the Minister of Awqaf will form one or more committees specializing in issuing Islamic legal opinions on individual, private matters. The law also outlines the criteria for selecting the leader of these committees and the regulations overseeing their work. In the event of a contradiction in Islamic legal opinions among the scholars or Ulama, the Council of Senior Scholars at Al-Azhar Al-Sharif will have the final say.

Furthermore, the law grants imams, preachers at Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, affiliated bodies, appointed specialists at the Ministry of Awqaf, and other legally authorised individuals the right to provide Islamic guidance and advice, without it being classified as a formal legal Islamic opinion.

The law also mandates that all media outlets, across various platforms, may only share Islamic legal opinions from those who are specialized and legally authorised as outlined in the law’s criteria. Failure to comply will result in legal consequences.