The Corruption of Fatwas

Fatwa - Now available in a stupid Hollywood movie

In the early centuries of Islam, the issuing of fatwas was a very uncommon practice in which only a few well-trained clerics were qualified to do so.

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But in the last half century there was been an explosion of fatwa centers. Before these center used to be endowed by the ruling elite, but in recent years there was been a democratization of fatwas whereby the ruling elite no longer has exclusive reign over centers. While this has brought some benefits since many fatwas are now not under the auspicious of a ruling elite that may abuse them for its own purposes, it has also lead to market of obnoxious fatwas while at the same time keeping in place the ruling endowment of certain fatwa centers.

And these ruling elite fatwas have been grossly corrupted by rulers seeking to promote their agenda under the veneer of Islam in the hopes of legitimizing their goals and simultaneously demonizing rival plans as lacking Islamic sanction.

The fact that a cleric would make himself subject to such abuse is due to the fact that many of these clergyman are involved in a reciprocal relationship with the state whereby the former serves the latter by issuing requested decrees and then is rewarded by the latter through patronage.

Two recent fatwas illustrate the corruption of some bodies and figures:

At the request of the Palestinian Authority, an Islamic scholar published a fatwa on Tuesday banning Muslims from digging or working in tunnels under the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.

Al-Azhar issued an official ruling on the Mubarak wall around Gaza. It said that "those who oppose the construction of this wall are opposing what has been ordered by Islamic Shari`ah."

Both those fatwas were issued at the request of patrons, and both bodies duly compiled and issued an empty fatwa seeking to give Islamic sanction to un-humanitarian and thus un-Islamic plans. It just shows how corrupt and unprincipled some clerics are in that they will say whatever - as if Islamic law is entirely ambiguous - in order to cultivate favor with a corrupt ruling elite for the selfish purposes of securing money and prestige.

In the end, fatwas centers like al-Azhar who are seen as being corrupted and issuing any ruling requested - being "bought" - greatly undermine their credibility. There is no Vatican in Islam. No authority and no institution is infallible or seen as beyond reproach. An institution and an individual must earn respect through wise rulings. Thus no ruling - fatwa - issued from anyone is considered beyond debate and disagreement. No fatwa has to be believed by the people. It will only by heard if the people respect the sources. When they see corruption like the above, they greatly lose respect for the authority.

And once respect is lost, it is hard to regain. al-Azhar has greatly undercut its self in recent years - and this may be the worst ruling. And a fatwa to be dismissed.

Its fatwas are already shunned by most Muslims despite the arrogance of its clerical elite, and its audience narrows and narrows to only Mubarak and his son.