Amman,
the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
In accordance with the fatwas issued by the
Honourable and Respectable Grand Imam Shaykh al-Azhar,
the Grand Ayatollah Al-Sayyid Ali Al-Sistani, the
Honourable and Respectable Grand Mufti of Egypt, the
Honourable and Respectable Shi‘i clerics (both
Ja‘fari and Zaydi), the Honourable and Respectable
Grand Mufti of the Sultanate of Oman, the Islamic
Fiqh Academy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the
Grand Council for Religious Affairs of Turkey, the
Honourable and Respectable Grand Mufti of the
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Respectable
Members of its National Fatwa Committee, and the
Honourable and Respectable Shaykh Dr. Yusuf Al-Qaradawi;
And in accordance with what was mentioned in the
speech of His Hashemite Majesty King Abdullah II bin
Al-Hussein, King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
during the opening session of our conference;
And in accordance with our own knowledge in
sincerity to Allah the Bounteous;
And in accordance with what was presented in this
our conference by way of research papers and
studies, and by way of the discussions that
transpired in it;
We, the undersigned, hereby express our
approval and affirmation of what appears below:
1) Whosoever is an adherent of one of the four Sunni
Schools of Jurisprudence (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi‘i
and Hanbali), the Ja‘fari (Shi‘i) School of
Jurisprudence, the Zaydi School of Jurisprudence,
the Ibadi School of Jurisprudence, or the Thahiri
School of Jurisprudence is a Muslim. Declaring that
person an apostate is impossible. Verily his (or
her) blood, honour, and property are sacrosanct.
Moreover, in accordance with what appeared in the
fatwa of the Honourable and Respectable Shaykh al-Azhar,
it is not possible to declare whosoever subscribes
to the Ash‘ari creed or whoever practices true
Sufism an apostate. Likewise, it is not possible to
declare whosoever subscribes to true Salafi thought
an apostate. Equally, it is not possible to declare
as apostates any group of Muslims who believes in
Allah the Mighty and Sublime and His Messenger (may
Peace and Blessings be upon him) and the pillars of
faith, and respects the pillars of Islam and does
not deny any necessary article of religion.
2) There exists more in common between the various
Schools of Jurisprudence than there is difference.
The adherents to the eight Schools of Jurisprudence
are in agreement as regards the basic Islamic
principles. All believe in Allah the Mighty and
Sublime, the One and the Unique; that the Noble
Qur'an is the Revealed Word of Allah; and that our
master Muhammad, may Blessings and Peace be upon
him, is a Prophet and Messenger unto all mankind.
All are in agreement about the five pillars of
Islam: the two testaments of faith (shahadatayn),
the ritual prayer (salat), almsgiving (zakat),
fasting the month of Ramadan (sawm), and the Hajj to
the Sacred House of Allah. All are also in agreement
about the foundations of belief: belief in Allah,
His Angels, His Scriptures, His Messengers, and in
the Day of Judgement, in Divine providence — good
and evil. Disagreement between the ‘ulama' is only
with respect to the ancillary branches of religion (furu‘)
and not the principles and fundamentals (usul).
Disagreement with respect to the ancillary branches
of religion (furu‘) is a mercy. Long ago it was said
that variance in opinion among ‘ulama' “is a good
affair”.
3) Acknowledgement of the Schools of Jurisprudence
within Islam means adhering to a fundamental
methodology in the issuance of fatwas. No one may
issue a fatwa without the requisite personal
qualifications which each School of Jurisprudence
defines. No one may issue a fatwa without adhering
to the methodology of the Schools of Jurisprudence.
No one may claim to do absolute Ijtihad and create a
new School of Jurisprudence or to issue unacceptable
fatwas that take Muslims out of the principles and
certainties of the Shari‘ah and what has been
established in respect of its Schools of
Jurisprudence.
4) The essence of the Amman Message, which was
issued on the Blessed Night of Power in the year
1425 H. and which was read aloud in Masjid al-Hashimiyyin,
is adherence to the Schools of Jurisprudence and
their fundamental methodology. Acknowledging the
Schools of Jurisprudence and affirming discussion
and engagement between them ensures fairness,
moderation, mutual forgiveness, compassion, and
engaging in dialogue with others.
5) We call for casting aside disagreement between
Muslims and unifying their words and stances;
reaffirming their mutual respect for each other;
fortifying mutual affinity among their peoples and
states; strengthening the ties of brotherhood which
unite them in the mutual love of Allah. And we call
upon Muslims to not permit discord and outside
interference between them.
Allah the Sublime says:
<> (Al-Hujurat, 49:10)
Praise be to Allah alone.
There is a suggestion that an appendix be added to
the Final Statement of the Conference which includes
the two following important recommendations:
- Participants in the International Islamic
Conference, while meeting in Amman, the Capital of
the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, close to the Holy
Aqsa Mosque and occupied Palestinian territories,
underline the necessity of exerting all possible
efforts for the protection of the Holy Aqsa Mosque
against the dangers and encroachments it is exposed
to. This can only be done through putting an end to
occupation and through the liberation of holy
places.
- Participants stress the necessity of consolidation
of the meanings of liberty and respect of opinion
and opinion of the other side (s) in our Muslim
Worlds.
