Author: International Islamic Fiqh Academy

In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

Praise belongs to God, Lord of the worlds, and blessings and peace be upon our master Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets, and all his family and Companions.

Resolution No. 100 (3/11) concerning Islam Confronting Comprehensive Modernity

The Council of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy, an organ of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, meeting at its eleventh conference session in Manama, Bahrain, from 25–30 Rajab 1419 AH, corresponding to 14–19 October (November) 1998,

having considered the papers submitted to the academy on “Islam Confronting Comprehensive Modernity”, and in light of discussions that drew attention to the gravity of this subject and revealed and clarified modernity’s reality as a new intellectual doctrine founded on deifying reason, rejecting the unseen, denying revelation and demolishing every inherited tradition concerning beliefs, values and morals; and having established that its most important characteristics for its proponents are:

  1. Absolute reliance on reason and restriction to the findings of experimental science, detached from sound Islamic creed.
  2. Complete separation of religion from all cultural, social, economic, political and charitable institutions, thus converging with secularism.

Resolves as follows

First, modernity as defined above is an atheistic doctrine rejected by God, His Messenger and the believers because it contradicts Islam in its foundations and principles, however it may cloak itself in apparent concern for Islam and claims to renew it.

Second, Islam’s principles and the characteristics of its law meet humanity’s needs in every time and place. They rest on certain, enduring foundations without whose continuing presence human life cannot be sound, and on variable elements that ensure progress and development and accommodate every sound new development through disciplined independent reasoning based on the diverse sources of legislation.

Recommendations

The academy recommends:

  1. That the Organisation of the Islamic Conference give attention to establishing a committee of Muslim thinkers to monitor modernity and its consequences, studying it scientifically, objectively and comprehensively to expose any falsity it contains and protect the younger members of the Muslim community from dangerous effects.
  2. That those governing Muslims repel modernity’s methods from Muslims and their countries and take the measures necessary to protect them.

God grants success.

Source: Journal of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy, issue 11, volume 3, p. 467.

Article link: https://www.iifa-aifi.org/ar/2031.html

About the organisation

The International Islamic Fiqh Academy is an official international body established pursuant to Resolution 8/3-TH (I.S.) of the Third Islamic Summit Conference, the “Palestine and Jerusalem Session”, held in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, on 19–22 Rabi‘ al-Awwal 1401 AH (25–28 January 1981). It belongs to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, which comprises 57 Muslim states. Its scholar members are the official scholars representing their countries. The academy’s website states: “The statute of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy provides that each member state of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation appoints an active member to the Fiqh Academy. More than one active member from the same country may be admitted by decision of the academy’s council. The member states of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy are the 57 member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.”