Amman Message

The Amman Message (Arabic: رسالة عمان‎) is a statement calling for tolerance and unity in the Muslim world that was issued on 9 November 2004 (27th of Ramadan 1425 AH) by King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein of Jordan.[1] Subsequently, a three-point ruling was issued by 200 Islamic scholars from over 50 countries, focusing on issues of defining who is a Muslim, excommunication from Islam (takfir), and principles related to delivering religious opinions (fatāwa).[2]

Content

The Amman Message was delivered in Amman, Jordan, as a Ramadan sermon by Chief Justice Sheikh Iz-al-Din al-Tamimi in the presence of King Abdullah II and a number of Muslim scholars.[3] According to a report issued by the International Crisis Group, "The sermon stressed the need to re-emphasise Islam's core values of compassion, mutual respect, tolerance, acceptance and freedom of religion."[1] The next year, in July 2005, an Islamic convention brought together 200 Muslim scholars from over 50 countries who issued a three-point declaration (later known as 'Three Points of the Amman Message').[2] This declaration focused on:[4]

  1. The recognition of eight legal schools of sharia/fiqh (madhāhib) and the varying schools of Islamic theology viz.[5][6]
    1. Sunni Hanafi
    2. Sunni Maliki
    3. Sunni Shafi'i
    4. Sunni Hanbali
    5. Shia Jaʿfari
    6. Shia Zaydi
    7. Ẓāhirī
    8. Ibadi
    • Forbade declaring an apostate anyone who is a follower of:[5]
    1. the Ashʿari/Maturidi creed
    2. real Tasawwuf (Sufism)
    3. true Salafi thought
  2. The forbiddance from pronouncing disbelief (takfir) upon (or excommunicating) others recognized as Muslims
  3. The stipulations placed as preconditions to the issuing of religious edicts, intended to prevent the circulation of illegitimate edicts

Explaining why the message was issued, King Abdullah stated: "[W]e felt that the Islamic message of tolerance was being subjected to a fierce and unjust attack from some in the West who do not understand Islam's essence, and others who claim to be associated with Islam and hide behind Islam to commit irresponsible deeds."[7]

Conference and declarations

Following are conferences and declarations:[8]

  • The International Islamic Conference: True Islam and Its Role in Modern Society, (Amman, 27-29 Jumada II 1426 ah / 4–6 July 2005 ce)
  • Forum of Muslim 'Ulama' and Thinkers, (Mecca, 5-7 Sha'ban 1426 ah / 9–11 September 2005 ce)
  • First International Islamic Conference Concerning the Islamic Schools of Jurisprudence and the Modern Challenges, (Al al-Bayt University, 13-15 Shawwal ah /15–17 November 2005 ce)
  • The Third Extraordinary Session of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, (5-6 Dhu'l-Qa'da 1426 ah / 7–8 December 2005 ce)
  • The Second International Conference of the Assembly for Moderate Islamic Thought and Culture, (25-27 1 Rabi' 1427 ah / 24–26 April 2006 ce)
  • The International Islamic Fiqh Academy Conference Seventeenth Session, (Amman, 28 Jumada I - 2 Jumada II 1427 ah / 24–28 June 2006 ce)
  • Muslims of Europe Conference, (Istanbul, 1–2 July 2006 ce)
  • The ninth session of the council of the Conference of Ministers of Religious Endowments and Islamic Affairs, (Kuwait, 20-21 1426 AH / 22–23 November 2005 CE)
  • Amman Message in the Eyes of Others: Dialogue, Moderation, Humanity, (The Hashemite University, September 20–21, 2006)

Fatwas and endorsements

Following is the list of some of the many individuals and organizations who have issued fatwas and endorsements in relation to the Amman Message (as per official website listing):[9]

Sr NoNameTitleCountrySectFiqhEndorsing FatwaWebsiteImage
1Muhammad Sayyid TantawyGrand Imam of Al-Azhar University EgyptSunniShafiʿiFatwaOfficial Website
2Ali GomaaGrand Mufti of Egypt EgyptSunniShafiʿiFatwa
3Ali BardakoğluPresident of The Grand Council for Religious Affairs, Turkey TurkeySunniHanafiFatwaOfficial Website
4Ahmed KuftaroGrand Mufti of Syria SyriaSunniShafiʿiFatwaOfficial Website
5Said Abd Al-Hafiz Al-HijjawiGrand Mufti of Jordan JordanSunniShafiʿiFatwa-
6Nuh Ha Mim KellerIslamic Scholar of Jordan JordanSunniShafiʿiFatwa-
7Yusuf al-QaradawiDirector of the Sunna and Sira Council Egypt
Qatar		SunniHanafiFatwaOfficial Website
8Abdullah bin BayyahVice President of the International Union of Muslim Scholars MauritaniaSunniMalikiFatwaOfficial Website
9Muhammad Taqi UsmaniVice President of the Islamic Fiqh Academy PakistanSunniHanafiFatwa-
10Sayyid Shaykh Nazim Al-HaqqaniDeceased leader of the Naqshbandi Haqqani Sufi Order Northern CyprusSunniHanafi-Official Website
11Abdullah al-HarariFounder of the Al-Ahbash EthiopiaSunniShafiʿiFatwaOfficial Website
12Muhammad Tahir ul-QadriFounding Leader of Minhaj-ul-Quran International, Chief Executive of Minhaj International University PakistanSunniHanafi-Official Website
13Habib Ali al-JifriFounding Leader of Tabah Foundation in Abu Dhabi, Member of Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought in Amman YemenSunniShafiʿi-Official Website
14Habib Umar bin HafizFounding Leader and the dean of Dar al-Mustafa in Tarim, Yemen YemenSunniShafiʿi-Official Website
15Ali Hosseini KhameneiGrand Ayatollah, Supreme Leader of Iran IranShiaJafariFatwaOfficial Website
16Muhammad Saeed al-HakimGrand Ayatollah IraqShiaJafariFatwaOfficial Website
17Mohammad Ishaq Al-FayyadGrand Ayatollah IraqShiaJafariFatwaOfficial Website
18Basheer Hussain NajafiGrand Ayatollah IraqShiaJafariFatwaOfficial Website
19Hussein Esmaeel al-SadrGrand Ayatollah IraqShiaJafariFatwaOfficial Website
20Fazel LankaraniGrand Ayatollah IranShiaJafariFatwaOfficial Website
21Muhammad Ali Al-TaskhiriGrand Ayatollah
General Secretary of Forum for Proximity of the Islamic Schools of Jurisprudence		 IranShiaJafariFatwaOfficial Website
22Mohammad Hussein FadlallahGrand Ayatollah LebanonShiaJafariFatwaOfficial Website
23Muhammad bin Muhammad Ismail Al-Mansur
and
Humud bin Abbas Al-Mu'ayyad		Shaykh YemenShiaZaidiyyahFatwaOfficial Website
24Ibrahim bin Muhammad Al-WazirGeneral Secretary, The Islamic Unification and Works Movement, Yemen YemenShiaZaidiyyahFatwaOfficial Website
25Ahmad bin Hamad Al-KhaliliMufti of the Sultanate of Oman OmanIbadi-FatwaOfficial website
26Ali Hosseini SistaniGrand Ayatollah IraqShiaJafariFatwaOfficial Website
27Karīm al-HussaynīThe Āgā Khān IV, Imam of the Shia Imami Nizari Ismailis PortugalShiaJafari (Nizari Ismaili branch)FatwaOfficial Website

Reception

Tony Blair, while Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, gave a speech in which he praised the Amman message and the gathering of numerous scholars, commenting, "This was a clear message that Islam is not a monolithic faith, but one made up of a rich pattern of diversity, albeit all flowing from the same fount."[2]

Despite the ecumenical nature of the Amman Message, since it was issued there has been a marked decline in Shia-Sunni relations as a result of increased sectarian conflict in such countries as Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Bahrain and Yemen.[10]

Criticism

Suhail Nakhouda, writing in the Amman-based Islamica, stated that the Amman message did little to effectively address ongoing problems: "There is no water, no pavements; the economy is bad, and many young people are out of work. Peoples' lives, as well as the images they see, stay the same." Nakhouda stated that King Abdullah's message was likely to be dampened by his lifestyle, which he claims is the subject of criticism.[1]

See also

References
  1. "Jordan's 9/11: Dealing With Jihadi Islamism", Crisis Group Middle East Report N°47, 23 November 2005
  2. "SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER THE RT HON TONY BLAIR MP Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine" (04/06/07), British Embassy in Bahrain
  3. "Jordan issues the 'Amman Message' on Islam". Embassy of Jordan - Washington, DC. Archived from the original on 16 August 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-15.
  4. The Amman Message summary - Official website
  5. The Three Points of The Amman Message V.1 Archived February 2, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  6. Petra News Agency. Summary of the Amman Message (In Arabic) Archived 2016-04-09 at the Wayback Machine
  7. "King Abdullah calls to end extremism". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2007-08-15.
  8. "AmmanMessage.com – The Official Site". ammanmessage.com.
  9. "AmmanMessage.com – The Official Site". ammanmessage.com. Retrieved 2009-11-17.
  10. Volpi, Frederic, ed. (11 Jun 2014). Political Civility in the Middle East. Routledge. p. 150. ISBN 9781317977810.
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