THEAMMAN

MESSAGE

the royal aal al-bayt institute for islamic thought

2008 • Jordan

THEAMMAN

MESSAGE

the royal aal al-bayt institute for islamic thought

2008 • Jordan

© , TheRoyal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought, Jordan

CONTENTS

Introduction v

TheAmmanMessage

TheThree Points of theAmmanMessage

GrandList of Signatories

FrequentlyAskedQuestions

INTRODUCTION

TheAmmanMessage started as a detailed statementreleased the eve of the th of Ramadan /

th November by H.M. King Abdullah II binAl-Hussein inAmman, Jordan. It sought to declarewhatIslam is and what it is not, and what actions representit and what actions do not. Its goal was to clarify to themodern world the true nature of Islam and the nature oftrue Islam.In order to give this statementmore religious author-

ity, H.M.KingAbdullah II then sent the following threequestions toof themost senior religious scholars fromall around the world representing all the branches andschools of Islam: ()Who is aMuslim? () Is it permissibleto declare someone an apostate (takfir)? () Who has theright to undertake issuing fatwas (legal rulings)?Based on the fatwas provided by these great scholars

(who included the Shaykh Al-Azhar; Ayatollah Sistani

v

and Sheikh Qaradawi), in July , H.M. KingAbdullah II convened an international Islamic confer-ence of of the world's leading Islamic scholars‘Ulama) from countries. In Amman, the scholarsunanimously issueda rulingon three fundamental issues(which became known as the ‘Three Points of theAmmanMessage’):

. They specifically recognized the validity of all Mathhabs (legal schools) of Sunni, Shi‘a and IbadhiIslam; of traditional Islamic Theology (Ash‘arism);of Islamic Mysticism (Sufism), and of true Salafithought, and came to a precise definition of who is aMuslim.

. Based upon this definition they forbade takfir (dec-larations of apostasy) betweenMuslims.

. Based upon theMathahib they set forth the subjec-tive and objective preconditions for the issuing offatwas, thereby exposing ignorant and illegitimateedicts in thenameof Islam.

TheseThree Points were then unanimously adoptedby the Islamic World’s political and temporal leader-ships at the Organization of the Islamic Conferencesummit at Mecca in December . And over a period

vi

of one year from July to July , theThree Pointswere also unanimously adopted by six other internatio-nal Islamic scholarly assemblies, culminating with theInternational Islamic Fiqh Academy of Jeddah, in July. In total, over leadingMuslim scholars world-wide—as can be seen on this website [click here to seethe entire list]—unanimously endorsed the AmmanMessage and itsThreePoints.This amounts to a historical, universal and unani-

mous religious and political consensus (ijma’) of theUmmah (nation) of Islam in our day, and a consolidationof traditional, orthodox Islam.The significanceof this is:() that it is the first time in over a thousandyears that theUmmahhas formally and specifically come to such a plu-ralistic mutual inter-recognition; and () that such arecognition is religiously legally binding on Muslimssince theProphet (maypeace andblessings beuponhim)said:MyUmmahwill not agree upon an error (IbnMajah,Sunan,Kitab al-Fitan,Hadithno.).This is good news not only for Muslims, for whom it

provides a basis for unity and a solution to infighting, butalso for non-Muslims. For the safeguarding of the legalmethodologies of Islam (the Mathahib) necessarilymeans inherently preserving traditional Islam’s internal‘checks and balances’. It thus assures balanced Islamic

solutions for essential issues like human rights; women’srights; freedom of religion; legitimate jihad; good citi-zenship of Muslims in non-Muslim countries, and justand democratic government. It also exposes the illegiti-mate opinions of radical fundamentalists and terroristsfrom the point of view of true Islam. As George Yeo,the ForeignMinister of Singapore, declared in the thSession of the U.N. General Assembly (about theAmman Message): “Without this clarification, the waragainst terrorismwouldbemuchharder to fight.”Finally, whilst this by the Grace of God is a historical

achievement, it will clearly remain only principial unlessit is put into practice everywhere. For this reason, H.M.King Abdullah II is now seeking to implement it, Godwilling, through various pragmatic measures, including() inter-Islamic treaties; () national and internationallegislation using the Three Points of the Amman Mes-sage to define Islam and forbid takfir; () the use ofpublishing and the multi-media in all their aspects tospread theAmmanMessage; () instituting the teachingof the Amman Message in school curricula and univer-sity courses worldwide; and () making it part of thetraining of mosque Imams and making it included intheir sermons.God says in theHolyQur'an says:

There is no good in much of their secret conferencessave (in) whosoever enjoineth charity and fairnessand peace-making among the people and whoso doeththat, seeking the good pleasure of God, We shallbestow on himavast reward. (Al-Nisa,:).

THEAMMAN

MESSAGE

THE AMMAN MESSAGE

I , the Compassionate, theMerciful. Peace and blessings upon His chosenProphet, and upon his household, his noble blessed

companions, andupon all themessengers andprophets:GodAlmighty has said:O humankind! We created you

fromamale and female, andmade you into peoples and tribesthat youmayknoweach other.Truly themost honored of youbeforeGod is themost pious of you. (:)This is a declaration to our brethren in the lands of

Islam and throughout theworld thatAmman, the capitalof the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is proud to issueduring the blessed month of Ramadan in which theQur’an descended as guidance to humankind and as clarifi-cations for guidance and discernment. (:)In this declaration we speak frankly to the [Islamic]

nation, at this difficult juncture in its history, regardingthe perils that beset it. We are aware of the challengesconfronting the nation, threatening its identity, assailingits tenets (kalima), andworking to distort its religion and

harm what is sacred to it.Today the magnanimous mes-sage of Islam faces a vicious attack from those whothroughdistortion and fabrication try toportray Islamasan enemy to them. It is also under attack from somewhoclaim affiliation with Islam and commit irresponsibleacts in its name.This magnanimous message that the Originator—

great is His power—revealed to the unlettered ProphetMuhammad—God’s blessings andpeace uponhim, andthatwas carriedbyhis successors and themembers of hishousehold after him, is an address of brotherhood,humanity and a religion that encompasses all humanactivity. It states the truth directly, commands what isright, forbids what is wrong, honors the human being,and accepts others.TheHashemiteKingdomof Jordanhas embraced the

path of promoting the true luminous image of Islam,halting the accusations against it and repelling theattacks upon it.This is in accordance with the inheritedspiritual and historical responsibility carried by theHashemite monarchy, honored as direct descendants ofthe Prophet, the Messenger of God—peace and bless-ings upon him—who carried the message. For fivedecades, his lateMajesty KingHussein BinTalal—Godrest his soul—demonstrated this way with the vigorous

effort that he exerted. Since the day he took the flag, HisMajestyKingAbdullah II has continued this effort,withresolution anddetermination, as a service to Islam, forti-fying the solidarity of . billionMuslimswho compriseone fifth of humanity, preventing their marginalizationor extrication from themovement of human society, andaffirming their role in building human civilization andparticipating in its progress during ourpresent age.Islam is founded upon basic principles, the funda-

mentals are attesting to the unity of God (tawhid Allah);belief in the message of His Prophet; continuous con-nection with the Creator through ritual prayer (salat);training and rectifying the soul through the fast ofRamadan; safeguarding one another by paying the almstax (zakat); the unity of the people through the annualpilgrimage (hajj) to God’s Sanctified House, [perfor-med] by those who are able; and [observing] His rulingsthat regulate human behavior in all its dimensions. Overhistory these [basic principles] have formed a strong andcohesive nation and a great civilization. They bear wit-ness to noble principles andvalues that verify the goodofhumanity,whose foundation is the oneness of the humanspecies, and that people are equal in rights and obliga-tions, peace and justice, realizing comprehensive secur-ity, mutual social responsibility, being good to one’s

neighbor, protecting belongings and property, honor-ing pledges, and more.Together, these are principles that provide common

ground for the followers of religions and [different]groups of people. That is because the origin of divinereligions is one, and Muslims believe in all Messengersof God and do not differentiate between any of them.Denying the message of any one of them is a deviationfrom Islam. This establishes a wide platform for thebelievers of [different] religions to meet the other uponcommon ground, for the service of human society, with-out encroaching upon creedal distinctions or uponintellectual freedom. For all of this we base ourselvesuponHis saying:

Themessenger believes in what has been revealed untohim from his Lord as do the believers. Each onebelieves in God andHis angels andHis scriptures andHis messengers. We make no distinction between anyof His messengers—and they say: “We hear, and weobey. [Grant us] Your forgiveness, our Lord. UntoYou is the journeying.” (:)

Islam honors every human being, regardless of hiscolor, race or religion:We have honored the sons of Adam,provided them transport on land and sea, sustained them

with good things, and conferred on them special favors abovea great part of our creation. (:)Islam also affirms that the way of calling [others] to

God is foundeduponkindness andgentleness:Call to thepath of your Lord with wisdom and a beautiful exhortation,anddebatewith them in thatwhich ismost beautiful (ahsan).(:) Furthermore, it shuns cruelty and violence inhowone faces and addresses [others]:

It is by some Mercy of God that you were gentle tothem. Were you severe—cruel hearted—they wouldhave broken away from you. So pardon them and askforgiveness for them and consult with them in the con-duct of affairs. And when you are resolved, put yourtrust in God; truly God loves those who trust [inHim]. (:)

Islam has made clear that the goal of its message isrealizing mercy and good for all people. TheTranscen-dent has said,We did not send you [Muhammad] but outof mercy for all creatures. (:) And the ProphetMuhammad—blessings and peace upon Him—said,“TheMerciful has mercy upon those who are merciful,bemerciful to those on earth,Hewho is in heavenwill bemerciful unto you.”Islam calls for treating others as one desires to be

treated. It urges the tolerance and forgiveness that ex-press the nobility of the humanbeing:The recompense foran evil is an evil equal thereto, but who forgives and recon-ciles, his recompense is fromGod. (:)Good and evil arenot equal.Repelwithwhat ismost virtuous.Then he betweenwhom and you there is enmity will be as if he were an inti-mate friend. (:)Islam confirms the principle of justice in interacting

with others, safeguarding their rights, and confirms thatone must not deny people their possessions: And let notthe hatred of others make you swerve to wrong and departfrom justice. Be just: that is closer to piety; (:) God com-mands you to return trusts to their owners, and if you judgebetween people, you shall judge with justice; (:) So give[full] measure and [full] weight and do not deny the peopletheir goods, and work no corruption in the land, after it hasbeen set right. (:)Islam requires respect for pledges and covenants, and

adhering to what has been specified; and it forbidstreachery and treason: Fulfill the covenant of God whenyou have entered into it, and break not oaths after they havebeen confirmed and you have made God your surety; trulyGodknowswhat you do. (:)Islam recognizes the noble station of [human] life, so

there is to be no fighting against non-combatants, and no

assault upon civilians and their properties, children attheir mothers’ bosom, students in their schools, norupon elderly men and women.Assault upon the life of ahuman being, be it murder, injury or threat, is an assaultupon the right to life among all human beings. It isamong the gravest of sins; for human life is the basis forthe prosperity of humanity:Whoever kills a soul for otherthan slaying a soul or corruption upon the earth it is as if hehas killed the whole of humanity, andwhoever saves a life, itis as if has revived thewhole of humanity. (:)The primordial religion of Islam is founded upon

equanimity, balance, moderation, and facilitation: Thushave we made of you a middle nation that you might be wit-nesses over the people, and the Messenger a witness overyourselves. (:) The Prophet Muhammad—peaceand blessings upon him—said: “Facilitate and do notmake difficult, bear good tidings and do not deter.”Islam has provided the foundation for the knowledge,reflection and contemplation that has enabled the cre-ation of this deep-rooted civilization that was a cruciallink by which the West arrived at the gates of modernknowledge, and in whose accomplishments non-Muslims participated, as a consequence of its being acomprehensive humancivilization.No day has passed but that this religion has been at

war against extremism, radicalism and fanaticism, forthey veil the intellect from foreseeing negative conse-quences [of one’s actions]. Such blind impetuousnessfalls outside the human regulations pertaining to reli-gion, reason and character. They are not from the truecharacter of the tolerant, acceptingMuslim.Islam rejects extremism, radicalism and fanaticism—

just as all noble, heavenly religions reject them—con-sidering themas recalcitrantways and formsof injustice.Furthermore, it is not a trait that characterizes a particu-lar nation; it is an aberration that has been experiencedby all nations, races, and religions.They are not particu-lar to onepeople; truly they are a phenomenon that everypeople, every race and every religionhas known.We denounce and condemn extremism, radicalism

and fanaticism today, just as our forefathers tirelesslydenounced and opposed them throughout Islamic his-tory.They are the ones who affirmed, as do we, the firmandunshakeableunderstanding that Islam is a religionof[noble] character traits in both its ends andmeans; a reli-gion that strives for the good of the people, their happi-ness in this life and the next; and a religion that can onlybe defended in ways that are ethical; and the ends do notjustify themeans in this religion.The source of relations betweenMuslims and others

is peace; for there is nofighting [permitted]when there isno aggression.Even then, [itmust bedonewith] benevo-lence, justice and virtue: God does not prevent you, asregards those who do not fight you in religion’s [cause], nordrive you from your homes, from dealing kindly and justlywith them: truly God loves the just; (:) Then if theycease, let there be no aggression, save against the oppressors.(:)On religious and moral grounds, we denounce the

contemporary concept of terrorism that is associatedwithwrongful practices, whatever their source and formmay be. Such acts are represented by aggression againsthuman life in an oppressive form that transgresses therulings of God, frightening those who are secure, violat-ing peaceful civilians, finishing off the wounded, andkilling prisoners; and they employ unethical means,such as destroying buildings and ransacking cities: Donot kill the soul that God has made sacrosanct, save for jus-tice. (:)Wecondemn thesepractices andbelieve that resisting

oppression and confirming justice should be a legitimateundertaking through legitimate means. We call on thepeople to take the necessary steps to achieve the strengthand steadfastness for building identity and preservingrights.

We realize that over history extremism has beeninstrumental in destroying noble achievements in greatcivilizations, and that the tree of civilization witherswhen malice takes hold and breasts are shut. In all itsshapes, extremism is a stranger to Islam,which is found-ed upon equanimity and tolerance. No human whoseheart has been illumined by God could be a radicalextremist.At the same time, we decry the campaign of brazen

distortion that portrays Islam as a religion that encour-ages violence and institutionalizes terrorism. We callupon the international community to work earnestly toimplement international laws and honor the interna-tional mandates and resolutions issued by the UnitedNations, ensuring that all parties accept them and thatthey be enacted without double standards, to guaranteethe returnof rights to their [rightful] holders and the endof oppression.Achieving this will be a significant contri-bution to uprooting the causes of violence, fanaticismand extremism.The way of this great religion that we are honored

to belong to calls us to affiliate with and participate inmodern society, and to contribute to its elevationand progress, helping one another with every faculty [toachieve] good and to comprehend, desiring justice for all

peoples, while faithfully proclaiming the truth [of ourreligion], and sincerely expressing the soundness of ourfaith and beliefs—all of which are founded upon God’scall for coexistence and piety. [We are called] to worktoward renewing our civilization, based upon the guid-ance of religion, and following upon established prac-tical intellectual policies.The primary components of these policies comprise

developing methods for preparing preachers, with thegoal of ensuring that they realize the spirit of Islam andits methodology for structuring human life, as well asproviding them with knowledge of contemporary cul-ture, so that they are able to interact with their com-munities on the basis of awareness and insight: Say,“This is my way. I, and those who follow me, call for Godwith insight.” (:); taking advantage of the communi-cation revolution to refute the doubts that the enemies ofIslamare arousing, in a sound, intellectualmanner,with-out weakness or agitation, and with a style that attractsthe reader, the listener and the viewer; consolidating theeducational structure for individual Muslims, who areconfident in their knowledge and abilities, working toform the integral identity that protects against corrupt-ing forces; interest in scientific research and workingwith the modern sciences upon the basis of the Islamic

perspective that distinguishes between creation, life andthe humanbeing; benefiting frommodern achievementsin the fields of science and technology; adopting anIslamic approach for realizing the comprehensive devel-opment that is founded upon [maintaining] the delicatebalance between the spiritual, economic and socialdimensions [of life]; providing for human rights andbasic liberties, ensuring life, dignity and security, andguaranteeing basic needs; administering the affairs ofsociety in accordance with the principles of justice andconsultation; and benefiting from the goods andmecha-nisms for adopting democracy that human society haspresented.Hope lies in the scholars of our Nation, that through

the reality of Islam and its values they will enlighten theintellects of our youth—the ornament of our present ageand the promise of our future. The scholars shield ouryouth from the danger of sliding down the paths of igno-rance, corruption, close-mindedness and subordina-tion. It is our scholars who illuminate for them the pathsof tolerance, moderation, and goodness, and preventthem from [falling] into the abysses of extremism andfanaticism that destroy the spirit andbody.We look to our scholars to lead us in partaking of our

role and verifying our priorities, that they may be exem-

plars in religion, character, conduct, and discerningenlightened speech, presenting to the nation their noblereligion that brings ease [in all matters] and its practicallaws in which lie the awakening and joy of the nation.Among the individuals of the nation and throughout theregions of the world, they disseminate good, peace andbenevolence, through subtle knowledge, insightful wis-dom and political guidance in all matters, uniting andnot dividing, appeasing hearts and not deterring them,looking to the horizons of fulfillment to meet the requi-rements and challenges of the st century.We ask God to prepare for our Islamic Nation the

paths of renaissance, prosperity and advancement; toshield it from the evils of extremism and close-minded-ness; to preserve its rights, sustain its glory, and upholdits dignity. What an excellent Lord is he, and what anexcellentSupporter.GodAlmighty says: This is My straight path, so follow

it. And follow not the [other] ways, lest you be parted fromHis way. This has He ordained for you, that you may beGod-fearing. (:‒)And the last of our supplications is that praise be to

God,Lord of theworlds. (:)�

Amman Ramadan

TheHashemiteKingdomof Jordan November

THE THREE POINTSOF THE AMMAN MESSAGE

( )

() Whosoever is an adherent to one of the four Sunnischools (Mathahib) of Islamic jurisprudence (Hanafi,Maliki, Shafi‘i and Hanbali), the two Shi‘i schools ofIslamic jurisprudence (Ja‘fari and Zaydi), the Ibadischool of Islamic jurisprudence and the Thahiri schoolof Islamic jurisprudence, is a Muslim. Declaring thatperson an apostate is impossible and impermissible.Verily his (or her) blood, honour, and property are invio-lable. Moreover, in accordance with the Shaykh Al-Azhar’s fatwa, it is neither possible nor permissible todeclare whosoever subscribes to the Ash‘ari creed orwhoever practices real Tasawwuf (Sufism) an apostate.Likewise, it is neither possible nor permissible to declarewhosoever subscribes to trueSalafi thought an apostate.Equally, it is neither possible nor permissible to de-

clare as apostates any group of Muslims who believes in

God, Glorified and Exalted be He, and His Messenger(may peace and blessings be upon him) and the pillarsof faith, and acknowledges the five pillars of Islam,and does not deny any necessarily self-evident tenet ofreligion.

() There exists more in common between the variousschools of Islamic jurisprudence than there is differencebetween them. The adherents to the eight schools ofIslamic jurisprudence are in agreement as regards thebasic principles of Islam. All believe in Allah (God),Glorified and Exalted be He, the One and the Unique;that theNoble Qur’an is the RevealedWord of God; andthat our master Muhammad, may blessings and peacebe upon him, is a Prophet andMessenger unto all man-kind.All are in agreement about the five pillars of Islam:the two testaments of faith (shahadatayn); the ritualprayer (salat); almsgiving (zakat); fasting the month ofRamadan (sawm), and the Hajj to the sacred house ofGod (in Mecca). All are also in agreement about thefoun-dations of belief: belief inAllah (God), His angels,His scriptures, His messengers, and in the Day ofJudgment, in Divine Providence in good and in evil.Disagreements between the ‘ulama (scholars) of theeight schools of Islamic jurisprudence are only with

respect to the ancillary branches of religion (furu‘) andnot as regards the principles and fundamentals (usul) [ofthe religion of Islam]. Disagreement with respect to theancillary branches of religion (furu‘) is a mercy. Longago it was said that variance in opinion among the ‘ulama(scholars) “is a good affair”.

() Acknowledgement of the schools of Islamic juris-prudence (Mathahib) within Islam means adhering toa fundamental methodology in the issuance of fatwas:no one may issue a fatwa without the requisite personalqualifications which each school of Islamic jurispru-dence determines [for its own adherents]. No one mayissue a fatwa without adhering to the methodology ofthe schools of Islamic jurisprudence. No one may claimto do absolute Ijtihad and create a new school of Islamicjurisprudence or to issue unacceptable fatwas that takeMuslims out of the principles and certainties of theShari‘ah and what has been established in respect of itsschools of jurisprudence.

( )

The Official version of the three points of the AmmanMes-sage (see above) was the version signed by most of the sig-

natories listed in the Grand list on the following pages. Thethree points were also endorsed at the Islamic Fiqh Aca-demy’s th session held in Amman, Jordan, on th-thJune . The text had slight variations to the official textyet it followed an essentially identitical form. This is dulynoted as version in the Grand List. The full text is asfollows:

() Whosoever is an adherent to one of the four Sunnischools (Mathahib) of Islamic jurisprudence (Hanafi,Maliki, Shafi‘i and Hanbali), the two Shi‘i schools ofIslamic jurisprudence (Ja‘fari and Zaydi), the Ibadischool of Islamic jurisprudence and the Thahiri schoolof Islamic jurisprudence, is a Muslim. Declaring thatperson an apostate is impossible and impermissible.Verily his (or her) blood, honour, and property areinviolable.Moreover, in accordance with the ShaykhAl-Azhar’s fatwa, it is neither possible nor permissible todeclare whosoever subscribes to the Ash‘ari creed orwhoever practices real Tasawwuf (Sufism) an apostate.Likewise, it is neither possible nor permissible to declarewhosoever subscribes to trueSalafi thought an apostate.Equally, it is neither possible nor permissible to

declare as apostates any other group of Muslims whobelieves in God, Glorified and Exalted be He, and His

Messenger (may peace and blessings be upon him), thepillars of faith (Iman), and the five pillars of Islam, anddoes not deny any necessarily self-evident tenet ofreligion.

() There exists more in common between the variousschools of Islamic jurisprudence than there is differencebetween them. The adherents to the eight schools ofIslamic jurisprudence are in agreement as regards thebasic principles of Islam. All believe in Allah (God),Glorified and Exalted be He, the One and the Unique;that theNoble Qur’an is the RevealedWord of God pre-served and protected by God, Exalted be He, from anychange or aberration; and that our master Muhammad,may blessings and peace be upon him, is a Prophet andMessenger unto all mankind.All are in agreement aboutthe five pillars of Islam: the two testaments of faith (sha-hadatayn); the ritual prayer (salat); almsgiving (zakat);fasting the month of Ramadan (sawm), and the Hajj tothe sacredhouse ofGod (inMecca).All are also in agree-ment about the foundations of belief: belief in Allah(God), His angels, His scriptures, His messengers, andin the Day of Judgment, in Divine Providence in goodand in evil. Disagreements between the ‘ulama (schol-ars) of the eight schools of Islamic jurisprudence are

only with respect to the ancillary branches of religion(furu‘) and some fundamentals (usul) [of the religion ofIslam]. Disagreement with respect to the ancillarybranches of religion (furu`) is a mercy. Long ago it wassaid that variance in opinion among the ‘ulama (scholars)“is amercy”.

() Acknowledgement of the schools of Islamicjurisprudence (Mathahib) within Islam means adheringto a fundamental methodology in the issuance of fatwas:no one may issue a fatwa without the requisite quali-fications of knowledge. No one may issue a fatwa with-out adhering to the methodology of the schools ofIslamic jurisprudence. No one may claim to do unli-mited Ijtihad and create a new opinion or issue unaccep-table fatwas that take Muslims out of the principles andcertainties of theShari‘ah andwhat has been establishedin respect of its schools of jurisprudence.

GRAND LIST OF ALL RELIGIOUS AND POLITICALLEADERS WHO HAVE ENDORSED THE AMMAN

MESSAGE AND ITS THREE POINTS(July –July )

Total number of signatures: *from countries

⁄

§ True Islam and Its Role inModern SocietyConference,Amman (July )[ ] -

¶ ForumofMuslimUlama andThinkers,Mecca(September ) -

* Islamic Schools of JurisprudenceConference,AalAl-BaytUniversity, Jordan (November )-

∞ th Session of theCouncil ofMinisters of ReligiousEndowments and IslamicAffairs, Kuwait(November ) -

∫ rd Extraordinary Session, OIC,Mecca(December ) -

≈ Moderate IslamicThought andCulture,Amman(April )[ ] -

◊ International FiqhAcademyConference,Amman(June )[ ] -

π Muslims of EuropeConference, Istanbul(July ) -

H.E. Mr. Hamid Karzai ∫President

Amb. Nusair Ahmad Nour §AfghaniAmbassador to QatarIslamic Envoy of theGovernment ofAfghanistan

H.E. Mr. Florent Celiku ∫DeputyMinister of ForeignAffairs

Mr. Tahir Zenelhasani π

’

H.E. Mr. Abdel Aziz Belkhadem ∫Minister of ForeignAffairs

H.E. Lakhdar Ibrahimi §Special Envoy of the SecretaryGeneral of theUnitedNations;Former ForeignMinister ofAlgeria

Prof. Dr. Abd Allah bin al-Hajj MuhammadAl Ghulam Allah §Minister of ReligiousAffairs

Dr. Mustafa Sharif §Minister of Higher Education andFormerAlgerianAmbassador inCairo

Shaykh Yusuf bin Mahdi ¶Professor andMember of the FatwaCommittee inAlgeria

Dr. Sa‘id Shayban §FormerMinister of ReligiousAffairs

Prof. Dr. Ammar Al-Talibi §Department of Philosophy,University ofAlgeria

Mr. Abu Jara Al-Sultani § ≈Head of theAlgerian Peace SocietyMovement

Dr. Ammar Jaydal *BatinaUniversity

Dr. Muhammad Zurman *BatinaUniversity

Shaykh Salim ‘Ulwan al-Hassani fatwa §SecretaryGeneralDarulfatwa, IslamicHighCouncil

Ms. Maha Karim Abdo ≈

Prof. Anas Al-Shaqfa §Head of the Islamic Commission

Ayman Aly πFederation of the IslamicOrganizations in Europe,Graz

Mr. Tarafa Baghajati § πInitiative ofAustrianMuslims

H.E. Mr. Ilham Aliev ∫President

Shaykh Al-Islam Allah-Shakur bin Hemmat Bashazada §GrandMufti,MuslimAdministration of theCaucasus

H.M. King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa ∫

Shaykh Dr. Muhammad Ali Al-Sutri §Minister of Justice

Dr. Farid bin Ya‘qub Al-Miftah § ¶Undersecretary of theMinistry for IslamicAffairs

Mr. Mansour Al-Jamri ≈

Dr. Ibrahim Fadil Al-Dibbo ◊Professor, Faculty of Humanities,University of Bahrain

’

H.E. Begum Khaleda Zia ∫PrimeMinister

Prof. Dr. Abu Al-Hasan Sadiq §President of theAsianUniversity of Bangladesh

Prof. Shamshir Ali ¶President of theAcademy of SciencesandUniversityVice-President

Mr. Ismail Batakli πProfessor of Islamic Studies

Mr. Mohamed Boulif πPresident, Islamic Executive Council

Mr. Ahmed Bouziane π

Dr. Karim Chemlal πPasteur Institute, Lille

Mrs. Malika Hamidi-Hosseinpour πCoordinator, EuropeanMuslimNetwork

Mr. Ibrahim Kocaoglu π

Sheikh Yacob Mahi πProfessor of Islamic Studies,Athénée Royal Léonardo daVinci

Dr. Abdelmajid Mhauchi πProfessor of Islamic Studies

Mr. Khallad Swaid πPresident, FEMYSO

H.E. Mr. Dzulkifli Salami ∫SeniorMinister of Planning, Economy andDevelopment

Shaykh Fathi Shitu ◊

Prof. Dr. Shaykh Mustafa Ceric § πHead of the ‘Ulama’ andGrandMufti of Bosnia andHerzegovina

Prof. Hasan Makic §Mufti of Bihac

H.E. Professor Enes Karic ¶Professor in Faculty of Islamic Studies

Prof. Anes Ljevakovic §Researcher andLecturer, Islamic Studies College

Dr. Ahmet Alibasic πLecturer, Faculty of Islamic Studies, Sarajevo

Mr. Amer Bukvic πIslamicDevelopment Bank

Imam Senaid Kobilica πVice President, Islamic Council of Norway

Mr. Mirnes Kovac πJournalist, Preporod IslamicNewspaper

Dr. Sukrija Ramic πUniversity of Zenica

H.M. Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah ∫

Prof. Suhaili bin Hajj Muhyi Al-Din ◊DeputyMufti of Brunei

H.E. Mr. Youssouf Ouedraogo ∫Minister of State,Minister of ForeignAffairs

Dr. Abu Bakr Dakuri ¶ ◊Member of the Executive Council, ISESCO

Shaykh Ali Muhmmad Abduni §Representative of the International IslamicYouthClub inLatinAmerica; AccreditedReligious Representative of theDarAl-Fatwa of the Republic of Lebanon in Sao Paolo

H.E. Mr. Marfa Hamidou Yaya ∫Minister of State

Shaykh Mahmud Malbakri ◊Imam,GrandMosque and President of theCouncil of‘Ulama’

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani §Hanafi Scholar, Sunnipath.com

Mr. Fouzan Khan πReviving the Islamic Spirit Organization

H.E. Mr. Idris Derby ∫President

Shaykh Dr. Hussein Hasan Abkar §President,Higher Council for IslamicAffairs, Chad

Mr. Tijani Sabun Muhammad ◊

H.E. Mr. Kub Mohamed Lisharti ∫Deputy President

’

H.E. Mr. Hamza Salleh ∫Ambassador in Riyadh

Imam Fatih Alev πDanishAssociation of Cybermuslims

H.E. Mr. Ismail Omar Gulleh ∫President

Shaykh Abd Al-Rahman Sulayman Bashir ¶Member of theHigher JudiciaryCouncil

H.E. Mr. Mohamed Hosni Mubarak ∫President

H.E. Grand Imam Prof. Dr. MuhammadSayyid Tantawi fatwaShaykh al-Azhar

Prof. Dr. Mahmud Hamdi Zaqzuq § ∞Minister of ReligiousAffairs

Prof. Dr. Ali Jumu‘a fatwa § * ∫ ◊GrandMufti of theArabRepublic of Egypt

Prof. Dr. Ahmad Muhammad Al-Tayyib §President ofAl-AzharUniversity

Prof. Dr. Kamal Abu Al-Majd §Islamic Intellectual; FormerMinister of Information;Attorneyin theCourt of Cassation

Dr. Muhammad Al-Ahmadi Abu Al-Nur § *FormerMinister of ReligiousAffairs in theArabRepublicof Egypt; Professor, Faculty of Islamic Law,YarmoukUniversity,Jordan

Prof. Dr. Fawzi Al-Zifzaf §Chairman of the Permanent Committee of NobleAl-Azhar forDialogueAmong theHeavenly Religions;Member of theAcademy of Islamic Research

Prof. Dr. Hasan Hanafi §Researcher and Islamic Intellectual, Department of Philosophy,CairoUniversity; Fellow of theAal al-Bayt Institute for IslamicThought

Prof. Dr. Muhammad Muhammad Al-Kahlawi §Secretary,GeneralUnion of IslamicArchaeologists;Dean, Faculty ofAntiquities, FayyumBranch, CairoUniversity

Prof. Dr. Ayman Fuad Sayyid §Former SecretaryGeneral, Dar al-KutubAl-Misriyya

Shaykh Dr. Zaghlul Najjar §Head of theCommittee onTheMiraculousNature of theQur’anin theHigher Council for IslamicAffairs, Egypt

Shaykh Moez Masood §IslamicMissionary

Prof. Dr. Muhammad Al-Dasuqi *Researcher andMember of the Forum for theProximity of the Islamic Schools of Jurisprudence

Mr. Amr Khaled πIslamicMissionary

Mr. Bara Kherigi πDirector,AwakeningRecords

Dr. Heba Raouf Ezzat πDepartment of Political Science, CairoUniversity

Dr. Ja‘far Abdussalam ◊President of the League of IslamicUniversities

Dr. Shawqi Ahmad Dunya ◊Dean of the (Womens’) Faculty of Commerce,Al-AzharUniversity

Dr. ‘Umar ‘Abd Al-Kafi ≈

Dr. Huda ‘Abd Al-Sami‘ ≈

Eng. ‘Amr Faruk Farid ≈

Mr. Muhammad Al-Samman Lutfi ≈

Eng. Abu Al-‘Ala Madi ≈

Dr. ‘Abd Al-Wahhab Al-Masiri ≈

Dr. ‘Abd Al-Halim Oweis ≈

Mr. Ahmad Sha‘ban ≈

Mr. Husam Tammam ≈

Mr. Muntasir Al-Zayyat ≈

Dr. Raged al-Sirjani §

Dr. Muhammad Hidaya §

Dr. Muhammad Abd al-Mun‘im Abu Zayd ◊Professor, Faculty of Shari‘ah,Department of IslamicEconomics,YarmoukUniversity

Shaykh Prof. Dalil Abu Bakr §Chairman of the France SupremeCouncil of the IslamicReligion andDean of the ParisMosque

Dr. Husayn Rais §Director of CulturalAffairs, ParisGrandMosque

Prof. Dr. Abd Al-Majid Al-Najjar *President of the Islamic Centre, Paris

Dr. Fouad Alaoui πPresident,Union of IslamicOrganizations in France (UOIF)

Ms. Fatiha Ajbli πSociologist

Ms. Siham Andalouci πMember, PrésenceMusulman

Dr. Ahmed Bakcan πRepresentative,Milli Görüs

Mr. Abdelwaheb Bakli πPresident,MuslimYouth of France

Shaykh Khalid Adlen Bentounes πAlawiyah Sufi Order;Honorary President of the InternationalAssociation of the Friends of Islam

Mr. El Hadji Babou Biteye πPresident,MuslimStudents of France (EMF)

Mr. Laj Thami Breze πUnion of IslamicOrganizations in France (UOIF)

Mr. Haydar Demiryürek πSecretaryGeneral,The Islamic Council of France

Dr. Boubaker El Hadj Amor πTreasurer,Union of IslamicOrganizations in France (UOIF)

Shaykh Ounis Guergah πHead of the FatwaHouse, Paris

Prof. Dr. Ömer Faruk Harman πDITIP,Germany

Mr. Fouad Imarraine πCollecive ofMuslims of France

Dr. Ahmed Jaballah πMember of the EuropeanCouncil for Fatwa andReseach,France

Mrs. Noura Ben Hamouda Jaballah πPresident of Europeanwomen forum (France)

Dr. Zuhair Mahmood πInstitute for theHumanSciences (IESH), Paris

Dr. Mohamed Mestiri πDirector, International Institute of IslamicThought, Paris

Mr. Abdelmajid Najar π

Ms. Nora Rami πFreeCommunityOrganization, Paris

Shaykh Zakaria Seddiki π

Dr. Muhamad Bashari ◊President, Federal Society forMuslims in France

H.E. Elhadj Ali Bongo Awadamba ∫Minister of NationalDefence andChairman of SupremeCouncil for IslamicAffairs and Special Envoy of the President

H.E. Alhaji Dr. Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh ∫President

Mr. Samba Fall ∞Minister of ForeignAffairs,Youth, Sport, andReligiousAffairs, Gambia

Prof. Dr. Omar Jah ¶ ◊FormerDeputyAssistant to the President for SpecialAssistance Programs, IslamicDevelopment Bank,Jeddah

Prof. Dr. Murad Hofmann §FormerGermanAmbassador toMorocco; Intellectual andResearcher

Shaykh Salah Al-Din Al-Ja‘farawi §Assistant Secretary-General ofWorldCouncil for IslamicPropagation

Mr. Ridvan Çakir πPresident,Turkish-IslamicUnion of Germany

Shaykh Bashir Ahmad Dultz πGermanMuslimLeague

Mr. Belal El-Mogaddedi π

Mr. Ibrahim F. El-Zayat πHead of Public Relations, Federation of IslamicOrganisationsin Europe (FIOE)

Dr. Sabiha El-Zayat πCentre for IslamicWomenStudies, Institute for theHumanSciences (IESH), Paris

Mr. Mesud Gülbahar πIGMGPresident ofYouthOrganisations,Germany

Mr. Ali Kizilkaya πHead, Islamic Council of Germany

Dr. Eyüp A. Köhler π

Mr. Michael Muhammed Abduh Pfaff πGermanMuslimLeague

Mr. Celal Tüter πIGMGPresident of UniversityOrg.,Germany

Mr. Recep Yildirim πEuropeAssociation ofTurkishCultural Centers,Germany

Mr. Osman Yoba π

Mr. Nabil Chabib ≈

H.E. Mr. Cellou Dalein Diallo ∫PrimeMinister

Mr. Al-Husayni Diallo ¶InspectorGeneral,Ministry of Justice

Prof. Dr. Qutb Mustafa Sanu ◊Department of Usul al-Fiqh, International IslamicUniversityofMalaysia

H.E. Maulana Mahmood Madani § πMember of Parliament;General Secretary, JamiatUlema-i-Hindi

Prince Ja‘far Al-Sadiq Mufaddal Sayf Al-Din §Islamic Intellectual

Prince Taha Sayf Al-Din §Islamic Intellectual

Prof. Dr. Sayyid Awsaf Ali §President of HamdardUniversity

Prof. Dr. Akhtar Al-Wasi §Head of the Bureau of Islamic Studies,Dean of theCollege ofHumanities andLanguages;Director of theDhakirHusaynCentre for Islamic Studies

H.E. Dr. Alawi bin Shihab ∫CoordinatingMinister for People’sWelfareand Special Envoy of the President

Dr Muhammad Maftuh Basyuni ∞Minister of ReligiousAffairs

Dr. Tutty Alawiyah §President,Al-Shafi‘i IslamicUniversity

Amb. Rabhan Abd Al-Wahhab §Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to theHashemiteKingdomof Jordan

Shaykh Al-Hajj Ahmad Hashim Muzadi §Chairman, Central Board of NahdlatulUlama, Indonesia

Shaykh Rozy Munir §Vice-Chairman of theCentral Board of NahdlatulUlama,Indonesia

Mr. Muhamad Iqbal Sullam §International Conference of Islamic Scholars, Indonesia

Dr. Muhammad Masyuri Naim ¶Professor, IslamicUniversity

Prof. Dr. M. Din Syamsuddin πChairman ofMuhammadiyah

Supreme Spiritual Leader Grand AyatollahAl-Sayyid Ali Khamenei fatwa

H.E. Dr. Mahmood Ahmedinejad ∫President

Grand Ayatollah Shaykh Muhammad Ali Al-Taskhirifatwa § ¶ ◊SecretaryGeneral, Forum for the Proximity of the IslamicSchools of Jurisprudence

Grand Ayatollah Al-Sayyid Fadil Lankarani fatwa

Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Waez-zadehAl-Khorasani § ◊Former SecretaryGeneral, Forum for the Proximity of theIslamic Schools of Jurisprudence

Grand Ayatollah Prof. Dr. Al-Sayyid MustafaMohaghegh Damad §Director of theAcademy of Sciences; Justice in theMinistryof Justice;Head of the InspectorateGeneral

Hujjat Al-Islam Dr. Mahmoud Mohammadi Iraqi §Chairman of theCultural League and Islamic Relations in theIslamic Republic of Iran

Dr. Al-Sayyid Mahmoud Mar‘ashi Al-Najafi §Head of theGrandAyatollahMar‘ashiAl-Najafi Library

Dr. Muhammad Ali Adharshab §Secretary-General,Arab-Iranian Friendship Society

Mr. Murtada Hashim Bur Qadi §Secretary-General, Bureau for International Relations,GreatIslamic Encyclopaedia

Shaykh Abbas Ali Sulaymani §Representative of the Supreme Spiritual Leaderin Eastern Iran

Mr. Ghulam Rida Mirzai §Member, Consultative Council

Dr. Syed Muhammad Rida Khatimi §Political leader; FormerDeputy Speaker of the IranianParliament

Shaykh Muhammad Shari‘ati §FormerAdvisor to the President of Iran;Member of Parliament

Amb. Muhammad Kazem Khuwansari ◊Permanent Representative of Iran to theOIC

Mr. Ma Sha Allah Mahmoud Shams Al-Waithin §Journalist andWriter

Dr. Ruqayya Rustum Yurmaki *ImamSadiqUniversity

Dr. Mojgan Sakhaei *ImamSadiqUniversity

Shaykh Ahmad Mablaghi ◊Professor, QomSeminary

Dr. Gholam Reza Noor-Mohammadi ◊Director, Centre for IslamicMedical Research, Imam al-SadiqUniversity, Qom; Professor, Faculty ofMedicine,University ofTehran

Shaykh Hassan Jawahiri Zadeh ◊Professor, Religious Seminary, Qom

H.E. Mr. Jalal Talabani ∫President

Grand Ayatollah Al-Sayyid Ali Sistani fatwa

Grand Ayatollah Shaykh Ishaq Al-Fayad fatwa

Grand Ayatollah Al-Sayyid Muhammad Sa‘id Al-Hakim fatwa

Grand Ayatollah Shaykh Bashir Al-Najafi fatwa

Grand Ayatollah Al-Sayyid Shaykh Hussein Isma‘il Al-Sadr fatwa

Grand Ayatollah Shaykh Husayn Al-Mu‘ayyad § *Knowledge Forum, Baghdad

Grand Ayatollah Ahmad al-Bahadili §IslamicMissionary

Shaykh Dr. Harith Al-Dari ≈Head of Ulema organization

Dr. Muhsin ‘Abd Al-Hamid ≈

Dr. Ahmad Abd Al-Ghaffur Al-Samara‘i §Head of theDiwan of the SunniWaqf

Al-Sayyid Abd al-Sahib Al-Khoei §SecretaryGeneral, ImamAl-Khoei Benevolent Foundation

Al-Sayyid Muhammad Al-Musawi §SecretaryGeneral,World IslamicAhlAl-Bayt League

Shaykh Dr. Mahmoud Mhd. Dawud Al-Sumayda‘i ≈

Prof. Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Duri §Researcher andHistorian,Department of History,Universityof Jordan; Fellow ofAal al-Bayt Institute for IslamicThought

Prof. Dr. Bashshar Awwad Marouf § *Researcher andEditor; Fellow ofAal al-Bayt Institute forIslamicThought

Shaykh Abbas Ali Kashif Al-Ghita §College of Islamic Studies,University of al-Kufa

Dr. Abd Al-Hamid Al-Najdi §Islamic Intellectual

Shaykh Walid Faraj Allah Al-Asadi §College of Islamic Studies,University of al-Kufa

Shaykh Prof. Dr. Ahmad Al-Kubaysi § ≈Missionary and Islamic Intellectual

Prof. Ghanem Jawad §Director of CulturalAffairs, Khoei Benevolent Foundation

Mr. Muhammad Allawi §AssistantDirectorGeneral,World IslamicAhlAl-Bayt League

Prof. Sa‘d Al-Malla §Islamic Intellectual

Dr. Mustafa Abd Al-Ilah Kamal Al-Din §Islamic Intellectual

Prof. Dr. Adnan Ali Al-Faraji *IslamicUniversity

Dr. Aziz Rashid Al-Dayini *IslamicUniversity

Dr. Abd Al-Qadir Mustafa Al-Muhammadi *IslamicUniversity

Mr. ‘Ala’ Al-Din Al-Mudarris *Researcher andHistorian

Mr. Nooh al-Kaddo πDirector, Islamic Cultural Centre of Irelands

Mr. Yahya Sergio Pallavicini § πVice President, Islamic Religious Community of Italy(CO.RE.IS.)

Dr. Ali Abu Shwaima πHead, Islamic Centre ofMilan

H.M. King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein ∫

Prof. Dr. HRH Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad § πPersonal Envoy and SpecialAdvisor toHMKingAbdullah IIbinAl-Hussein; Chairman of the Board ofTrustees of theAalal-Bayt Institute for IslamicThought

Shaykh Izzedine Al-Khatib Al-Tamimi §IslamicAffairsAdvisor toHM theKing; Chief Justice

Prof. Dr. Abdul-Salam Al-Abbadi § ¶ ∞ ◊FormerMinister of IslamicAffairs; President,Aal al-BaytUniversity

Prof. Dr. Shaykh Ahmad Hlayyel § ≈Advisor toHM theKing and Imamof the Royal Court

Shaykh Said Al-Hijjawi § ≈GrandMufti of theHashemiteKingdomof Jordan

Mr. Akel Bultaji §Advisor toHM theKing

Prof. Dr. Khalid Touqan §Minister of Education;Minister of Higher Education andScientific Research

H.E. Shaykh Salim Falahat §DirectorGeneral of theMuslimBrotherhood in Jordan

H.E. Shaykh Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Khayyat § ◊FormerMinister of ReligiousAffairs

Shaykh Nuh Al-Quda §FormerMufti of the JordanianArmedForces

Prof. Dr. Khalid Al-Karaki §Deputy-Chairman of the Board ofTrustees,Aal al-BaytInst. for IslamicThought; President, Jerash PrivateUniversity

Prof. Dr. Ishaq Al-Farhan §President of Zarqa PrivateUniversity;FormerMinister of Education

Prof. Kamil Ismail Hamdan Al-Sharif § ¶SecretaryGeneral, International Council for IslamicPropagation andRelief

Dr. Abd Al-Latif Arabiyyat §Former Speaker of the LowerHouse of Parliament;Chairman of theConsultative Committee of the IslamicAction Front

Shaykh Abd Al-Karim Salim S. Al-Khasawneh §GrandMufti of the JordanianArmedForces

Prof. Dr. Adel Al-Toweisi § *Former President,Aal al-BaytUniversity;Minister of Culture

Prof. Dr. Yusuf Al-Ghaydhan §Dean of theUniversity Faculty of Religion, Balqa’AppliedUniversity

Shaykh Hasan Al-Saqqaf §Advisor to theChairman of the Board ofTrustees of theAal al-Bayt Institute for IslamicThought;Director of ImamAl-Nawawi Publishers andDistributors

Eng. Marwan Al-Faouri § ≈Chairman, Forum forModeration inThought andCulture

Mrs. Nawal Al-Faouri § ◊Educator and Islamic Intellectual

Prof. Dr. Abd Al-Nasir Abu Al-Basal § ◊FormerDean of the Faculty of Islamic Law,YarmoukUniversity

Mr. Bilal Al-Tal § ◊Editor-in-Chief, Liwa’Newspaper

Prof. Dr. Azmi Taha Al-Sayyid §College of Jurisprudential andLegal Studies,Aal al-BaytUniversity

Prof. Dr. Muhammad Hisham Sultan *Vice-President for Islamic Studies,Aal al-BaytUniversity

Prof. Dr. Ziyad Al-Daghamin *Dean of theCollege of Jurisprudential and Juridical Studies,Head of the PreparatoryCommittee of the Internal IslamicConference

Dr. Rashid Sa‘id Shahwan ◊Faculty of Islamic Propagation and the Fundamentals ofReligion, BalqaAppliedUniversity

Prof. Dr. Qahtan Al-Duri *Aal al-BaytUniversity

Prof. Dr. Sharif Al-Shaykh Salih Al-Khatib *Aal al-BaytUniversity

Prof. Dr. Abd Al-Majid Al-Salahin *Dean of theCollege of Islamic Law,University of Jordan

Dr. Hayil ‘Abd Al-Hafiz ≈

Shaykh ‘Abd Al-Karim Al-‘Akor ≈

Mr. Haytham Al-‘Amayreh ≈

Dr. Muhammad Al-Khatib ≈

Mr. Hatim Al-Manasir ≈

Dr. Malik Al-Moumini ≈

Dr. Muhammad Al-Qada ≈

Dr. Fayez Al-Rabi‘ ≈

H.E. Mr. Askar Mussinov ∫Ambassador in Riyadh and Special Envoy of the President

Shaykh Abdullahi Abdi πChief ExecutiveOfficer,NorthernAid

H.H. Shaykh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah ∫PrimeMinister

Dr. Abdullah Matuq al-Matuq ∞Minister ofAwqaf andReligiousAffairs, Kuwait

Prof. Dr. Abdullah Yusuf Al-Ghoneim §Head of theKuwaiti Centre for Research and Study

Dr. Adel Abdullah Al-Fallah §Undersecretary of theMinistry of ReligiousAffairs

Dr. Mohamed Abdul Ghaffar Al-Sharif ◊Secretary-General, SecretariatGeneral of ReligiousAffairs

Dr. Muhammad Abd Allah Ja‘far Al-Sharif ¶Undersecretary ofWaqf Foundation

Dr. Khaled Madhkour Abdallah Madhkour ◊Professor, Faculty of Shari‘ah,University of Kuwait

Mr. Mutlaq Rashed Al-Qarawi ≈

Shaykh Dr. ‘Ajil Jassim al-Nashami ◊Professor, Faculty of Shari‘ah,University of Kuwait

Dr. Ahmad Raja‘i al-Jundi ◊Islamic Organization forMedical Sciences, Kuwait

H.E. Mr. Dastan Sarygulov ∫Secretary of State

H.E. Mr. Fouad Sinoura ∫PrimeMinister

Prof. Dr. Hisham Nashabeh §Chairman of the Board of Higher EducationDean of Education atMakassedAssociation

Al-Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Fadlallah fatwa

Shaykh Muhammad Rashid Qabbani ¶GrandMufti, Republic of Lebanon (Mufti of the SunniMuslims)

Prof. Dr. Hani Fahs § ≈Member of theHigher Shi‘i Council

Shaykh Abdullah al-Harari fatwa §Head of theHabashiOrder

Prof. Dr. Ridwan Al-Sayyid §Faculty of Humanities, LebaneseUniversity;Editor-in-Chief,Al-IjtihadMagazine

Prof. Muhammad Al-Sammak § ¶Secretary-General of theNational Council for Islamic-ChristianDialogue; Secretary-General for the Islamic SpiritualSummit

Ja‘fari Qadi Shaykh Asad Allah Al-Harashi §Higher Islamic Shi‘i Council

Shaykh Khalil Al-Mays § ◊Mufti of Zahleh andWestern Beqa‘

Shaykh Abd Al-Emir Qublan §DeputyHead of theHigher Shi‘i Counci

Prof. Dr. Zakariyya Abd Al-Razzaq Al-Misri *ImamAl-Awza‘iUniversity

Prof. Dr. Ahmad Al-Sahmarani *ImamAl-Awza‘iUniversity

Dr. Muhammad ‘Assaf ≈

Dr. As‘ad Al-Sahmarani ≈

Shaykh Abd Al-Naser Jabri ≈

Shaykh Jamil Muhammad Husseini fatwa §

Mr. Hasan Farhat §

’

H.E. Mr. Abdel Rahman Mohamed Shalqam ∫Minister of ForeignAffairs

Prof. Ibrahim Ali Abu Al-Qasim Al-Rabu § ¶Secretary of theOffice of Conferences, International IslamicPropagation Society

Dr. Al-Ujaili Farhat Al-Miri §Official forDialogue in the International Islamic PopularLeadership

Dr. Muhammad Al-Ziyadi ◊President, International Islamic CallUniversity

Prof. Dr. Hamzah Abu Faris *Al-FatihUniversity

Mr. Abd Al-Salam Muhammad Al-Sharif Al-Alim *Al-FatihUniversity

Mr. Rufat Sherifi π

H.E. Dato’ Seri Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi ∫PrimeMinister

Dr. Anwar Ibrahim § πFormerDeputy PrimeMinister

Dato’ Dr. Abdul Hamid Othman §Minister in theOffice of the PrimeMinister

Prof. Dr. Kamal Hasan ¶President, Islamic InternationalUniversity, Kuala Lumpur

Prof. Dr. Mohammad Hashim Kamali § πDean of the International Institute of IslamicThought andCivilisation

Mr. Shahidan Kasem §FirstMinister of Perlis State,Malaysia

Mr. Khayri Jamal Al-Din §DeputyChairman for theYouth Sector, theUnitedMalaysNational Organisation

Dr. Salih Qadir Karim Al-Zanki *International IslamicUniversity

H.E. Mr. Maumoon Abdul Gayoom ∫President

Dr. Mahmud Al-Shawqi §Minister of Education

Shaykh Mohamed Rasheed Ibrahim ◊President of the SupremeCouncil for IslamicAffairs

H.E. Mr. Amadou Toumani Toure ∫President

Mr. Sidi Mohamed Youssouf Djire ◊General President of the Islamic Foundation for Production

H.E. Mr. Al Ould Mohamed Fal ∫President

H.E. Shaykh Abdallah Bin Bayyah fatwa πFormerVice President ofMauritania;Vice President of the InternationalUnion ofMuslimScholars

Mr. Al-Hajj Wuld Al-Haji Ahmad ¶Advisor to theMinister of Education and IslamicGuidance

Mr. Cheikhna Bin Bayyah π

Shaykh Ghulam Muhammad §Chairman and SecretaryGeneral of the BlueCrescent Society

Mr. Abdulraheem Aljabari π

H.M. King Mohammed VI ∫

Prof. Dr. Abbas Al-Jarari § ¶Advisor toHM theKing

Prof. Dr. Abd Al-Hadi Bu Talib §FormerAdvisor toHM theKing

Amb. Al-Makki Kawan ∞Ambassador of theKingdomofMorocco toKuwait,representingDr.AhmadAl-Tawfiq,Minister of ReligiousAffairs, KingdomofMorocco

Prof. Dr. Abdelhadi Al-Tazi §Fellow of the RoyalMoroccanAcademy; FormerAmbassador

Prof. Dr. Mohammad Farouk Al-Nabhan §FormerDirector of DarAl-HadithAl-Hasaniyya

Prof. Dr. Ahmad Shawqi Benbin §Director of theHasaniyya Library

Dr. Hamdati Chbihanna Malainine ◊Member, SupremeConstitutional Council;President, Regional Scientific Council,Al-Qunaitra

Prof. Dr. Najat Al-Marini §Department ofArabic Language,MohammedVUniversity

Dr. Abdul Filali Ansary §Director, Institute for the Study ofMuslimCivilizations,AgaKhanUniversity

Dr. Abdel-Kabeer Al-Madghari ◊FormerMinister ofWaqf and IslamicAffairs

Dr. Maryam Ayat Ahmad ≈

Mr. Muhammad Al-Amin ≈

Mr. Muhammad Tullabi ≈

Dr. Sa‘d Al-Din Al-‘Uthmani ≈

H.E. Mr. Aris Ali ∫Minister of Education andCulture

Mr. Zakaria Hamidi πDirector,NewHorizon

H.E. Mr. Hama Amadou ∫PrimeMinister

H.E. Mr Ibrahim Mousa Kazawari ∫Ambassador in Riyadh

H.H. Prince Haji Ado Bayero §Emir of Kano

Mr. Sulayman Osho §SecretaryGeneral of the Islamic Conference forAfrica

Dr. Ahmad Limu ¶Head of theOrganization of the Islamic Endowment forEducation andGuidance

Dr. Al-Khidr Abd Al-Baqi Muhammad *Researcher andWriter

Mr. Brahim Belkilani πJournalist, ITRI

Dr. Lena Larsen πCoordinator,TheOsloCoalition onFreedom of Religionor Belief, NorwegianCentre forHumanRights,Uni. of Oslo

H.H. Al Syed Asaad bin Tareq Al Said ∫Special Envoy of the Sultan

Shaykh Ahmad bin Hamad Al-Khalili fatwa § ¶ ◊GrandMufti of the Sultanate of Oman

Shaykh Ahmad bin Sa‘ud Al-Siyabi § ◊General Secretary in theOffice of theGrandMufti

Dr. Abd Allah Mubarak Al-Shanfari ¶University Professor,University of Dhofar

Shaykh Dr. Kahlan bin Nahban Al-Kharusi * ≈JurisprudentialAdvisor in theOffice for the Issuance ofFatwas

Mr. Aflah bin Ahmad Al-Khalili *Researcher in theOffice for the Issuance of Fatwas

Abd Al-Latif Al-Humaym ≈

H.E. General Pervez Musharraf ∫President

H.E. Ambassador Muhammad Aslam ∞Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan toKuwaitrepresentingDr.Muhammad I‘jazAl-Haqq,Minister ofReligiousAffairs, Islamic Republic of Pakistan

Shaykh Mufti Muhammad Taqi Uthmani fatwa ¶ ◊DeputyChairman, Islamic FiqhCouncil, Jeddah;Vice President,Dar al-Ulum,Karachi

Shaykh Dr. Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri § πDirectorGeneral, Centre for Islamic Research, Islamabad

Prof. Dr. Zafar Ishaq Ansari §DirectorGeneral, Centre for Islamic Research, Islamabad

Dr. Reza Shah-Kazemi § πResearcher and Islamic Intellectual

H.E. Ambassador Arif Kamal §Ambassador of the Republic of Pakistan to theHashemiteKingdomof Jordan

H.E. Prof. Dr. Mahmoud Ahmad Ghazi §President of the IslamicUniversity, Islamabad;FormerMinister of ReligiousAffairs, Pakistan

H.E. Mr. Ahmed Qorei ¶PrimeMinister

Shaykh Dr. Ikrimah Sabri § ≈ ◊GrandMufti of Jerusalem andAll of Palestine;Imamof the BlessedAl-AqsaMosque

Shaykh Taysir Rajab Al-Tamimi § ≈Chief Justice of Palestine

Dr. Mustafa Mahmud Yusuf Abu Suway ¶Lecturer in theDepartment of Philosophyand Islamic Studies inAl-QudsUniversity

Dr. Muhammad Ali Al-Salibi *Al-NajahUniversity

Dr. Marwan Ali Al-Qaddumi *Al-NajahUniversity

Dr. Samir Ismail π

Mr. Abdool Magid Vakil § πChairman, Banco Efisa

Mr. Sohail Nakhooda § πEditor-in-Chief, IslamicaMagazine

H.E. Shaykh Hamad bin Jassem Al Thani ∫FirstDeputy PrimeMinister andMinister of ForeignAffairs

Prof. Dr. Shaykh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi fatwa § πDirector of the Sunna and Sira Council;Vice President of the InternationalUnion ofMuslimScholars

Shaykh Thaqil bin Sayer Zayd Al-Shammari ◊Justice, Court of Cassation,Member of the Supreme JudicialCouncil

Prof. Dr. Aisha Al-Mana‘i §Dean of the Faculty of Islamic Law,University of Qatar

Shaykh Abd Al-Rahman bin Abd Allah bin Zayd AlMahmud ¶Member of Prominent PersonsCommittee,Organization of the Islamic Conference

Dr. Ali Muhyi Al-Din Qaradaghi ◊Professor, Faculty of Shari‘ah,University of Qatar

Dr. Ali Ahmad Al-Salus ◊Professor, Faculty of Shari‘ah,University of Qatar

Shaykh Mohammad Haj Yusuf Ahmad ◊Imam,DohaMosque

Shaykh Rawi Ayn Al-Din §Mufti; Head of theMuslimReligiousAdministration

Prof. Dr. Said Hibatullah Kamilev § ¶Director,Moscow Institute of Islamic Civilisation

Dr. Murad Murtazein §President, IslamicUniversity,Moscow

Mr. Rushan Abassoof §Director of ExternalAffairs, Dept. of Council ofMuftis, Russia

Mr. Yakupov Valiulla πAssistant to theChiefMufti ofTatarstan

H.M. King Abdullah bin Abdel Aziz Al Saud ∫King of SaudiArabia; Custodian of theTwoHolyMosques

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz bin Uthman Al-Touaijiri § ¶DirectorGeneral,The Islamic Educational, Scientific andCultural Organization (ISESCO)

H.E. Shaykh Abd Allah Sulayman bin Mani‘ ◊Member, Council of Senior ‘Ulama’ of SaudiArabia

Dr. Hassan bin Mohamed Safar ◊Professor, Islamic StudiesDepartment, Faculty of HumanitiesKingAbdulazizUniversity, Jeddah

Mr. Abobakr Abdelfatah π

Shaykh Ali Baddahdah π

Dr. Salih Al-Wuhaibi ≈

Shaykh ‘Abd Allah Yahya ≈

Mr. Nabil Abd Al-Ilah Nassif ◊Assistant to the President forAssistanceAffairsIslamicDevelopment Bank, Jeddah

Dr. Muhammad Jabr Al-Alfi ◊Professor,Higher Judiciary Institute,Departmentof Comparative Jurisprudence, Riyadh

Dr. Muhammad bin Yahya bin Hasan Al-Najimi ◊Associate Professor, KingFahdDefenceCollege

Dr. Ahmad Abd al-Alim Abd Al-Latif ◊Researcher,Department of Studies,The InternationalIslamic FiqhAcademy, Jeddah

Dr. Abd Al-Qahir Qamar ◊Researcher,Department of Studies,The InternationalIslamic FiqhAcademy, Jeddah

Shaykh al-Habib Muhammad bin Abdurrahman al-Saqqaf §

Dr. Mohamed Ali Al-Bar ◊KingFahdCentre forMedical Research

H.E. Mr. Abdoulaye Wade ∫President

Mr. Al-Hajj Mustafa Sisi §≈SpecialAdvisor to the President of Senegal

Prof. Abdallah Bah §President of theUnion ofVolunteers in Islamic Education andCulture

Prof. Abadir Tiyam ¶University Press and President of theNational Society,Dakar

Prof. Ahmad Mukhtar Embo ¶FormerDirectorGeneral, UNESCO, Paris

Prof. Rohan Mbaye ◊Director, Islamic Institute,Dakar

H.E. Alhaji Dr. Ahmad Tejan Kabbah ∫President

Dr. Yaqub Ibrahim §Minister of the Environment andWater Resources, andMuslimAffairs

H.E. Mr. Abdullah Youssef Ahmed ∫President

Shaykh Ibrahim Gabriels §Head of SouthAfrican ‘Ulama’

Mr. Mansur Escudero πSpanish Islamic Commission

Mr. Ali Boussaid πIslamic League forDialogue andConviviality

H.E. General Omar Hassan Al Bashir ∫President

Abd Al-Rahman Sawar Al-Dhahab §Former President of the Republic of Sudan

Al-Imam Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi ≈Former PrimeMinister of SudanHead ofAnsarMovement

Dr. Isam Ahmad Al-Bashir § ¶Minister of Guidance andReligiousAffairs

Mr. Tariq Ali Bakhit ¶Director in theGeneral Secretariat andHead of Cultural and IslamicThought Committee, Khartoum

Prof. Dr. Izz al-Din Umar Musa §Lecturer in theDepartment of History,Malik SaudUniversity, Riyadh

Dr. Muhammad Mahjub Harun ¶Journalist andUniversity Professor,University of Khartoum

Dr. Ahmad Ali Al-Imam ¶Advisor to the Sudanese President

Dr. Mustafa ‘Uthman Isma‘il ≈Former ForeignMinister of SudanSpecial Envoy of the SecretaryGeneral of theArabLeague

Dr. Ibrahim Ahmad Uthman ◊SecretaryGeneral, Supreme JudiciaryCouncil

Dr. Ahmad Khaled Babacar ◊SecretaryGeneral of the Islamic FiqhAcademy of Sudan

Mr. Mahmoud Khalfi Driri π

Prof. Tariq Ramadan § πIslamic intellectual

H.E. Mr. Farouk Al-Sharaa’ ∫Minister of ForeignAffairs

Shaykh Dr. Ahmad Badr Hasoun §GrandMufti of the SyrianArabRepublic

Prof. Dr. Muhammad Sa‘id Ramadan Al-Buti § ≈Head of the ReligionDepartment, Faculty of Law,Universityof Damascus

Prof. Dr. Shaykh Wahba Mustafa Al-Zuhayli § ≈ ¶Head of Department of Islamic Jurisprudence and its Schools,Islamic LawFaculty,DamascusUniversity

Dr. Salah Al-Din Ahmad Kuftaro §DirectorGeneral, ShaykhAhmadKuftaroAcademy andIslamic Intellectual

Dr. Muhammad Tawfiq Sa‘id Al-Buti §Professor of Shari‘ah atDamascusUniversity

Dr. Mahmud Al-Sayyid ¶Academic Researcher in theCentre of Islamic Studies,School of Oriental andAfrican Studies,University of London

Shaykh Abdallah Adhami § πIslamicmissionary and scholar

Dr. Muhammad Habash ≈

Dr. Muhammad Abd al-Latif Saleh al-Farfur ◊SecretaryGeneral, International ScientifiAcademy

Prof. Dr. Abd Al-Sattar Abu Ghuddah ◊President of theUnited Shari‘ahCouncil of the BarakaGroup, Jeddah

H.E. Mr. Imam Aly Rahmanov ∫President

Mr. Wan Muhammad Nur Matha §Advisor to the PrimeMinister

Amb. Wiboon Khusakul §Ambassador ofThailand in Baghdad

H.E. Mr. Zarifou Ayéva ∫Minister of ForeignAffairs

Mr. Mohamed Al-Ghanousi ∫PrimeMinister

Prof. Dr. Al-Hadi Al-Bakkoush §Former PrimeMinister ofTunisia

Dr. Abu Baker Al-Akhzuri §Minister of ReligiousAffairs

Prof. Dr. Ali Al-Shabi §Chairman of theHigher Islamic Council;FormerMinister of IslamicAffairs

Prof. Ibrahim Chabbouh §Advisor to theHigher Chairman of theAal al-Bayt Institutefor IslamicThought;Director of theAal al-Bayt Institute forIslamicThought

Shaykh Dr. Mohammad Al Habib ibn Al Khojah ◊Secretary-General, Int. Islamic FiqhCouncil, Jeddah

Prof. Dr. Muhammad Al-Bashir Al-Buzaydi ¶Director of theHigher Institute for the Fundamentals ofReligion, ZaytunaUniversity

Mr. Ahmad Al-‘Ujaymi ¶Advisor in theOffice of the SecretaryGeneral of theOrganization of the Islamic Conference

Shaykh Dr. Rachid Ghannouchi πLeader of Ennada

Prof. Habib Shaybub §Writer andHistorian

Dr. Amir Al-Zamali §Advisor of IslamicWorldAffairs, International Committee forthe RedCross

Dr. Shaykh Mohieddine Gadi ◊TheHigher Islamic Council,Tunis

Dr. Taieb Salama ◊TheHigher Islamic Council,Tunis

H.E. Mr. Bulent Arinc ∫President of theGrandTurkishAssembly

Prof. Dr. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu § π ◊Secretary-General, Organisation of the Islamic Conference

H.E. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Aydin πMinister of State,Government ofTurkey

Prof. Dr. Ali Bardakoglu ¶Head of ReligiousAffairsDirectorate

Prof. Dr. Ali AuzakHead of the Endowment for Islamic Scientific Studies,Istanbul

Prof. Dr. Mualla Saljuq §Dean of the Faculty of Islamic Law,Ankara

Prof. Dr. Mustafa Çagrici § π ≈GrandMufti of Istanbul and Professor of Islamic Philosophy

Prof. Ibrahim Kafi Dönmez §Professor of Islamic Jurisprudence at theUniversity ofMarmara

Dr. Ali Ihsan Bala *YüzüncüYilUniversity

Mr. Ufuk Gökçen πAdvisor to the SecretaryGeneral of theOIC

Mr. Mustafa Akyol πWriter and journalist

Dr. Muhammet Aruçi πTurkishReligious Endownment (DiyanetVakfi)

Prof. Dr. Akif Aydin πMarmaraUniversity

Mr. Kurtulu Aykan π

Dr. Savas Barçin π

Ms. Selin Bölme πMarmaraUniversity

Prof. Ali Dere πForeignAffairsDepartment, Presidency of ReligiousAffairs,Ankara

Mr. Muammer Dumanli π

Mr. Ahmet Hakan π

Dr. Ibrahim Kalin πAssistant Professor of Islamic Studies, College of theHolyCross,USA;Director, SETAFoundation,Ankara

Prof. Recep Kaymakcan πAssistant Professor of Religious Education, SakaryaUniversity

H.E. Ambassador Fazli Kesmir πCounsellorTurkish Embassy and Permanent RepresentativeofTurkey to FAO,Rome

Dr. Abdülhamid Kirmizi π

Mr. Fehmi Koru πJournalist,Yeni Safak

Dr. Ali Köse πLecturer, Faculty ofTheology,MarmaraUniversity

Mr. Talha Köse π

Prof. Talip Küçukcan πCentre for Islamic Studies, Istanbul

Ambassador Ömür Orhun πOCSEPersonal Representative onCombating Islamophobia

Mr. Taha Özhan π

Prof. Mehmet Paçaci πFaculty ofTheology,AnkaraUniversity

Mr. Ali Sarikaya πPresident, Islamic ConferenceYouthForum forDialogue andCooperation

Prof. Bülent Senay πProfessor of Comparative Religion,UludagUniversity, Bursa

Dr. Nazife Sisman π

Dr. Ismail Taspinar πFaculty ofTheology,MarmaraUniversity

Mr. Ahmet Selim Tekelioglu πSETA,Anakara

Dr. Nuri Tinaz πCentre for Islamic Studies, Istanbul

Mrs. Ümare Yazar π

Professor Ali Murat Yel πLecturer in Sociology andAnthropology, FatihUniversity

H.E. Mr. Rashid Mirdov ∫Minister of ForeignAffairs

Mufti Shaykh Ahmad Tamim §Mufti of Ukraine

Mr. Anas Abdunnoor Kalissa ◊Director of Research and Shari‘ah

H.H. Shaykh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan ∫President

H.H. Ambassador Nasir bin Abd Allah bin Hamdan ¶

Mr. Ali bin Al-Sayyid Abd Al-Rahman Al-Hashim §Advisor to the President for Judiciary andReligiousAffairs

Shaykh Muhammad Al-Banani §Judge in the SupremeFederal Court

Dr. Saleh bin Zabin Al-Marzuqi §Secretary-General, International Islamic FiqhAcademy,Jeddah

Muhammad Abdulrahim Sultan Al-Ulama ◊Deputy-Dean of Scientific ResearchAffairs, UnitedArabEmiratesUniversity

Dr. Hamad bin Al-Sheikh Ahmad Al-Chibani ◊Secretary-General, Bureau for IslamicAffairs andCharitableWorks,Dubai

Shaykh Mansur ‘Etah al-Minhali ◊Director, IslamicAffairs andAwqaf

Dr. Ahmad Abdul Aziz Al-Haddad ◊ChiefMufti, Bureau of IslamicAffairs andCharitableWorks,Dubai

Shaykh Talib Muhammad Al-Shehi ◊Preacher,Ministry of Justice and IslamicAffairs

Dr. Mahmud Ahmad Abu Layl ◊Professor, Faculty of Shari‘ah,Al-‘AinUniversity

Dr. Khalid Sulayman Al-Fahdawi ≈

Dr. Ali Muhammad Ujla ◊

Dr. Muhammad Al-Zahili ◊Dean, Faculty of Shari‘ah,University of Sharjah

Dr. Abbas Mahajarani §Member of the ImamAl-Khoei Benevolent Foundation

Dr. Hassan Shamsi Basha ◊Expert,The International Islamic FiqhAcademy, Jeddah

Mr. Shams Vellani §Director, Special Studies,The Institute of Ismaili Studies

Dr. Farhad Daftary §AssociateDirector,The Institute of Ismaili Studies

Shaykh Yusuf Islam §IslamicMissionary

Dr. Fuad Nahdi §Editor-in-Chief, Q-News International

Shaykh Wanis Al-Mabrouk *Representative,Union ofMuslimOrganisations of UK&EIRE

Mr. Sharif Banna πCo-Founder,AwakeningRecords;President,Union ofMuslimStudents in theUK

Mr. Sami Yusuf § πIslamic singer

Mohamed Abdul Aziz πDirector, Faithwise

Dr. Manazir Ahsan πDirector,The Islamic Foundation

Mr. Khurshid Ahmed πBritishMuslimForum (BMF)

Mrs. Fareena Alam πEditor, Q-News International

Dr. Anas Shaikh-Ali πDirector, International Institute of IslamicThought, London

Mr. Ahmed Al-Rawi πPresident, Federation of IslamicOrganisations in Europe

Mr. Ismail Amla π

Mr. Iqbal Asaria πFinanceDirector,MuslimCouncil of Britain

Dr. Mehmet Asutay πDepartment of Economics,DurhamUniversity

Mr. Yasar Çolak πCounsellor forTurkishReligiousAffairs in London

Mr. Said Ferjani πMuslimAssociation of Britain

Dr. Sophie Gilliat-Ray πCardiff University

Mr. AbdelRahman Helbawy π

Mr. Dilwar Hussain πThe Islamic Foundation

Mrs. Sarah Joseph πEditor, EmelMagazine

Mr. Wakkas Khan πPresident, FOSIS

Mr. Mustafa Köker πChief Editor,HaberNewspapers (Turkish)

Ms. Maleiha Malik πDepartment of Law,King’s College

Ms. Unaiza Malik πMuslimCouncil of Britain

Mr. Ahmed Sheikh Mohamed π

Dr. Mohamed Mukadam πAssociation ofMuslimSchools

Mr. Ahmed Musawi π

Prof. Farhan Nizami πDirector, OxfordCentre for Islamic Studies

Mr. Habibur Rahman π

Sir Iqbal Sacranie πFormer SecretaryGeneral of theMuslimCouncil of Britain

Shaykh Haytham Tamim πUtrujj Institute

Mr. Ahmed Versi πEditor,TheMuslimNews

Mr. Shaukat Warraich πCommunity leader

Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad / Tim Winter § πLecturer,University of Cambridge

Mr. Haider Ali πBook distributor

H.E. Prof. Dr. Seyyed Hossein Nasr §Author and Professor of Islamic Studies at theGeorgeWashingtonUniversity

Shaykh Hamza Yusuf Hanson § πPresident of the Zaytuna Institute

Shaykh Faisal Abdur Rauf §Imamof NewYorkCityCentralMosque

Prof. Dr. Ingrid Mattson §Professor of Islamic Studies,Hartford Seminary;President of the Islamic Society of NorthAmerica (ISNA)

Prof. Dr. Suleiman Abdallah Schleifer §Director Emeritus of theAdhamCenter forTelevisionJournalism

Mr. Nihad Awad § ≈ExecutiveDirector, Council onAmerican-Islamic Relations

Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller § πIslamicMissionary and Intellectual;Fellow of theAal al-Bayt Institute for IslamicThought

Sheikh Suhaib D. Webb πIslamicMissionary

Dr. Caner Dagli πSpecialAdvisor for InterfaithAffairs, RoyalHashemite Courtof Jordan; Professor of Islamic Studies, RoanokeCollege,USA

Prof. James Morris § πUnivesity of Exeter

Mr. Radwan Al-Masmudi ≈

Prof. Joseph Lumbard §Former SpecialAssistant toH.M.KingAbdullah II forInterfaithAffairs

H.E. Mr. Shawkat Sirdayev ∫PrimeMinister

Shaykh Muhammad Al-Sadiq Muhammad Yusuf §GrandMufti of the Republic

Prof. Yusufov Ortoqbek §Islamic Intellectual

H.E. General Ali Abdullah Saleh ∫President

Shaykh Muhammad bin Muhammad Isma‘il Al-Mansur fatwa

Shaykh Humud bin ‘Abbas al-Mu‘ayyad fatwa

Shaykh Ibrahim bin Muhammad Al-Wazir fatwa §SecretaryGeneral of the IslamicUnification andWorksMovement

Shaykh Habib ‘Umar bin Muhammad binSalim bin Hafiz §Principal, Dar al-Mustafa,Tarim

Shaykh Al-Habib Al-Jifri §IslamicMissionary and Intellectual

Shaykh Muhammad Abduh Umar ◊Head, Bureau of Direction andGuidance, PermanentCommittee of theGeneral People’s Conference

Prof. Dr. Husayn Al-Umari §Member of theConsultative Committee,Member of theUNESCOExecutive Committee; Professor ofModernHistory,University of Sana‘a’

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

. How does Islam function?Islamhasno central authority or church. It has beenheldtogether over the centuries and generations, across geo-graphic, juridical and intellectual diversity, by texts andby established, authoritative interpretations of thesetexts—starting with the Holy Qur’an itself. Misinter-pretation of these texts, and misunderstanding of themethodologies of their interpretation canhave very dan-gerous consequences andcan lead to anentirelydifferentcivilization from that of traditional orthodox Islam.

. What are the greatest challenges facing Islamtoday?Islam today as a religion facesmany challenges andprob-lems. Perhaps one of the greatest of these is misunder-standing and confusion about the true nature of the reli-gion of Islam amongstMuslims and non-Muslims alike.This misunderstanding has led to erroneous interpreta-

tions of Islamic texts and thus illegitimate religiousedicts (fatwas) by people who are intellectually andmorally unqualified tomake religious edicts. Correctingthis situation through proper understanding of the tra-ditional Islamic texts in all theirdiversity andcomplexityis thus of profound importance to the future of IslamandMuslims.

. What is The Amman Message?The Amman Message started as a simple but detailedstatement issued in Ramadan /November inAmman, Jordan byKingAbdullah II of Jordan andsenior Islamic scholars. It described what Islam is andwhat it is not, and what actions represent it and whatactionsdonot. Its goalwas to clarify to themodernworldthe true nature of Islam and the nature of true Islam. It is amessage of devotion to God, love of the neighbor, good-will,moderation andpeace.

. What are The Three Points of The AmmanMessage?In order to give more religious authority to the AmmanMessage and in order to tackle the root problemofmisin-terpretation in Islam, in KingAbdullah II sent thefollowing three critical questions to of themost senior

religious scholars from all around the world represent-ing all the branches and schools of Islam:

. Who is aMuslim?;. Is it permissible to declare someone an apostate(takfir)?; and

. Whohas the right to undertake issuing fatwas (legalrulings)?

Based on the fatwas provided by these great scholars(who included the Shaykh Al-Azhar; Ayatollah SistaniandSheikhQaradawi), in July ,KingAbdullah IIof Jordan convened an international Islamic conferenceof of theworld’s leading Islamic scholars or ‘Ulama)from countries. InAmman, the scholars unanimouslyissued a ruling on three fundamental issues (whichbecame known as the ‘Three Points of the AmmanMessage’):

. They specifically recognized the validity of all Mathhabs (legal schools) of Sunni, Shi‘a and IbadhiIslam; of traditional IslamicTheology (Ash‘arism);of Islamic Mysticism (Sufism), and of true Salafithought, and came to a precise definition of who is aMuslim.

.Basedupon this definition they forbade takfir (decla-rations of apostasy) betweenMuslims.

. Based upon theMathahib they set forth the subjec-tive and objective preconditions for the issuing offatwas, thereby exposing ignorant and illegitimateedicts in thenameof Islam.

These Three Points were then unanimously adopted bythe IslamicWorld’s political and temporal leaderships atthe Organization of the Islamic Conference summit atMecca inDecember .And over a period of one yearfrom July to July , theThree Points were alsounanimously adopted by six other international Islamicscholarly assemblies, culminating with the InternationalIslamic Fiqh Academy of Jeddah (the Islamic World’sleading juridical body), in July . In total, over leading Muslim scholars worldwide—as can be seenonline (atwww.ammanmesage.com)—unanimouslyendorsed theAmmanMessage and itsThreePoints.

. Why is it so Important?The signed, universal Islamic Consensus on theAmmanMessage and itsThree Points is of the greatest importancebecause it amounts to a historical, universal and unani-mous religious and political consensus (ijma’) of the

Ummah (nation) of Islam in our day, and a consolidationof traditional, orthodox Islam.The significanceof this is:() that it is the first time in over a thousandyears that theUmmahhas formally and specifically come to such a plu-ralistic mutual inter-recognition; () that such a recog-nition is religiously legally binding onMuslims since theProphet (maypeace andblessings beuponhim) said:MyUmmah will not agree upon an error (Ibn Majah, Sunan,Kitab al-Fitan,Hadithno.), and () that it addressesone of the most critical problems facingMuslims today:lack of agreement aboutwhat constitutes Islam, and thuslack of agreement about who is a Muslim and what istruly ‘Islamic’.

. Is the content of the Amman Message somethingnew in Islam?No. There is nothing essentially new in the AmmanMessage, nor could there be for it to be truly authentic,for Islam is a religion revealed byGod, and therefore notchangeable by man. The Amman Message is merely aconcrete restatement and crystallization of the commonprinciples of traditional, orthodox, ‘moderate’ Islam—in all its traditional schools of thought and law—theIslam to which over the vast, overwhelming majority oftheworld’s approximately.billionMuslimsbelong.

. What does ‘Amman’ have to do with the‘Message’?Nothing. The name ‘Amman’ merely comes from thefact that theMessage was first launched in Jordan by thecountry’s king and scholars. The Message is a universalpan-Islamic one, as is seen in its acceptance by Muslimsauthorities from every school of thought and of law inIslam, and in its ratification by Muslims from everycountry and major Muslim community in the world.

. Will it resolve all of Islam’s problems?Will it help?No, the Amman Message will not resolve all of Islam’sproblems: no religion can be without problems on theworldly plane, especially in the modern age. The Eco-nomist (June th, ) argues that:This much is true:any of the Muslims who are drawn to jihadist violence,or to strident forms of political Islam, are indifferentto, or ignorant of, the nuances of theology; that makesthem susceptible to “amateur” fatwas. But as a Frenchscholar, Olivier Roy, points out, it doesn’t follow thatsuch people—when presented with sophisticated reli-gious arguments—would change their mind. In manycases, theyhave a general aversion to the idea of elaboratetheology.

However, what proper awareness, education andunderstanding of the Amman Message and its ThreePoints, might well do,GodWilling, is prevent .%ofMuslims from being influenced by illegitimate fatwasand sliding into takfir and terrorism, as a visceral over-reaction to poverty, injustice and mistakes in Westernforeignpolicy.After all,God says in theHolyQur’an:

O ye who believe! Be steadfast witnesses for God inequity, and let not hatred of any people make youswerve from justice.Deal justly, that is nearer to piety.Observe your duty to God. Lo! God is Informed ofwhat ye do. (Al-Ma’idah,:)

Finally, proper awareness of The Amman Message, mayalso, by exposing the illegitimate opinions of radical fun-damentalists and terrorists from thepoint of viewof trueIslam, help in preventing calls in the West for hostilityagainst Muslims as such. As George Yeo, the ForeignMinister of Singapore, declared in the th Session oftheU.N.GeneralAssembly (about theAmmanMessage):“Without this clarification, the war against terrorismwould bemuch harder to fight”. It thusmay help to pre-vent a wider conflict between the over % of theworld’s population: approximately . billionChristiansand.billionMuslims…

. What could it mean for Islam’s relations withnon-Muslims?The AmmanMessage Initiative is good news not only forMuslims, for whom it provides a basis for unity and asolution to infighting, but also for all non-Muslims. For,in safeguarding of the basic principles, texts and legalmethodologies of Islam, theAmmanMessage necessarilymeans inherently preserving traditional Islam’s internal‘checks and balances’. It thus assures balanced Islamicsolutions for essential issues like human rights; women’srights; freedom of religion; legitimate jihad; good citi-zenship of Muslims in non-Muslim countries, and justanddemocratic government, all key issues that are essen-tial toworldpeace andharmony.

. What is the next step?Inorder thatAmmanMessagenot remainmerely ahistor-ical agreement on basic principles, various steps arebeing taken to introduce it through pragmatic and insti-tutional means, such as: () inter-Islamic treaties; ()national and international legislation using the ThreePoints of theAmmanMessage to define Islam and forbidtakfir; () the use of publishing and the multi-media inall their aspects to spread theAmmanMessage; () insti-tuting the teaching of the Amman Message in school

curricula and university courses worldwide; and ()making it part of the training ofmosque Imams andmak-ing it included in their sermons.

. What can you do?Whoever you are, and wherever you live, you canhelp by adding your voice to this unique and histo-ric international Islamic consensus. Please visit www.ammanmessage.com,where you can readmore aboutthe Amman Message and find many useful documentsand links. Under the button saying: Click here to endorsethe Amman Message (or on the automatic pop-up) youcan add your name to the list of people worldwide whohave endorsed and supported the three points. Yourunderstanding of the Amman Message is in itself impor-tant goal. Your endorsement of the Amman Message isoneway to contribute towards peace in theworld.

Chairman of theAmmanMessageCommitteeJuly nd,.

And praise be toGod, the Lord of the worlds

U.S. $3U.K. £2H.K.J. JD2