The First Meeting Of The Scientific Committee To Study Fiqh Al Nawazel For Women Organized By Dubai Islamic Affairs
The Fatwa Department of the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department in Dubai (IACAD) recently formed a scientific committee to study Fiqh Al Nawazel for women (Women’s Contemporary Issues Islamic Jurisprudence). The committee was chaired by Dr Ahmed Abdulaziz Al Haddad, the Grand Mufti of Dubai and Head of the Fatwa Department, and included muftis and preachers from IACAD.
Contemporary Jurisprudence Issues means the new incident that came down to the nation, and there is no text from the Holy Quran or Sunnah that provides ruling of affirmation, approval, prohibition, makrooh or permissibility. Under this framework, the committee was formed to analyse the jurisprudential provisions for women in order to raise awareness on the subject. Another reason behind the formation of the committee is the emergence of new trends that need to be addressed, with the aim to create religious awareness in areas of purity, clothing, adornment, beauty, medical developments among others.
The chairman of the committee praised IACAD’s role in empowering women in various areas, including administrative, jurisprudence and preaching. He stressed that the scientific committee of Fiqh Al Nawazel for women is the basis for women empowerment. He also added that the Prophet's Covenant empowered women who demonstrated a distinct intellectual heritage. Women were part of the scientific community right from the emergence of Islam. They studied, taught, and stated fatwa. The participation of women on the jurisprudence science in that era is undeniable. A woman came to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon Him, and said, “O Messenger of Allah, the men only benefit by your speech, so make a day for us when we can come to you and you teach us what Allah taught you.” The Prophet said: “Gather on a certain day at a certain place.”
Al Haddad pointed out that the meeting of the scientific committee to study Women’s Contemporary Issues Islamic Jurisprudence resulted in key takeouts, such as scientific articles and research papers on women's jurisprudential issues, as well as the study of Fiqh Al Nawazel for women (Women Contemporary Issues Islamic Jurisprudence) and its jurisprudential provisions. He added that the Fatwa Department will organise seminars and jurisprudential sessions, participate in them and form women's fatwa committees as part of its annual plans.
The committee will also visit clinics and beauty centres to devise the ways to implement these processes in a comprehensive manner, stating that merely hearing about them or watching videos was inadequate to issue a jurisprudential provision on these issues. The committee will also communicate with medical and legal authorities, and other relevant entities, in order to exchange ideas with specialists in those areas. This is to ascertain the right perspective on the issues, construct jurisprudence accurately, archive the approved fatwa, and prepare fatwa to spread awareness within society, especially women.
The committee will also forward plans to examine contemporary issues, as well as expected changes to existing ones, that require a new jurisprudential provision. This will prevent the Faqih and the Mufti from delaying the statement of fatwa in case it is needed urgently.
The members of the committee include: Dr. Bushra Al Jasmi, Dr. Najat Al Marzouqi, Dr. Sadiqa Al Kamali, Ms. Zahra Al Jaberi, Ms. Awatif Al Shehi, Ms. Hamda Al Hajri (Rapporteur).
