| Al-Azhar shia fatwa | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Created | 17 Rabiʽ al-Awwal 1378H (1959 M) |
| Author(s) | Mahmud Shaltut |
| Subject | practicing Shia jurisprudence is permissible, as is practicing the jurisprudence of the four Sunni mazhab. |
TheAl-Azhar Shia Fatwa, known in Arabic as theShaltut Fatwa (Arabic:فتوى شلتوت), is anIslamicfatwa issued in 1959 on the topic ofShi'a–Sunni relations bySunni scholar ShaikhMahmud Shaltut. Under Shaltut, Sunni-Shia ecumenical activities would reach their zenith.[1]
The fatwa is the fruit of a decade-long collaborative effort between a group of Sunni andShia scholars at the Dar al-Taqreeb al-Madhahib al-Islamiyyah ("center for bringing together the various Islamic schools of thought") theological center atAl-Azhar University inCairo. The aim of the effort is to bridge the gap between the various Islamic schools of thought, and to foster mutual respect, understanding and appreciation of each school's contributions to the development of Islamic jurisprudence.[2] However, despite the ecumenical fatwa, while Shaltoot wasGrand Imam of Al-Azhar he refused to establish an independent Shia chair at the University, which was one of the greatest aspirations, especially, of the Shia members of the Dar al-Taqreeb.[3] On the other hand, the fatwa was opposed by a number of Al-Azhar scholars, such as: Sheikh Muhammad Hassanein Makhlouf, Sheikh Abdul Latif Al-Subki, head of the Fatwa Committee, and Sheikh of the Hanbalis at Al-Azhar, and Sheikh Muhammad Arafa, and it was also opposed by other scholars from outside Al-Azhar.[4]
It is claimed that this fatwa, which admitsTwelver Shias andZaydi Shias who had been considered heretics and idolaters for hundreds of years, into mainstream Islam, was inspired by Egyptian presidentGamal Abdel Nasser.[5] Nasser saw it as a tool to spread his appeal and influence across the entire Arab world.[6]
In 2012, due to drift towardsIslamism in Al-Azhar, and the rise of theMuslim Brotherhood into leadership, the dean of theFaculty of Islamic Studies at Al-Azhar issued a fatwa strongly opposed to the 1959 fatwa. It forbade worship according to the Shia tradition and condemned as heretics anyone who insulted the wives or companions of the Islamic prophetMuhammad. Al-Azhar also published a book condemning the Shia.[7]
But perhaps the most far reaching change [initiated by Nasser's guidance] was the fatwa commanding the readmission to mainstream Islam of the Shi'as. They had been considered heretics and idolaters for hundreds of years, but Nasser put an end to this for once and for all. While endearing himself to the majority Shia of Iraq and undermining Kassem [the communist ruler of Iraq at the time] might have played a part in that decision, there is no doubting the liberalism of the man in this regard.
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