Grand Mufti
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- This page is about the title and persons carrying the title. For the former Grand Mufti of Jerusalem (from 1921-1948), see Mohammad Amin al-Husayni
The title of Grand Mufti (Arabic: مفتي عام) refers to the highest official of religious law in a Sunni Muslim country. The Grand Mufti issues legal opinions and edicts, fatwa, on interpretations of Islamic law for private clients or to assist judges in deciding cases. The collected opinions of the Grand Mufti serve as a valuable source of information on the practical application of Islamic law as opposed to its abstract formulation. The Grand Mufti's fataawa (plural of "fatwa") are not binding precedents in areas of civil laws regulating marriage, divorce, and inheritance. In criminal courts, the Grand Mufti's recommendations are generally not binding either. In the Ottoman Caliphate the Grand Mufti was a state official, and the Grand Mufti of Constantinople was the highest of these. The British retained the institution in some Muslim areas under their control and accorded the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem the highest political stature. In countries such as Australia where the office of Grand Mufti receives no official seal of government imprimatur, clerics can be elected to the position by one segment of the Islamic community in that country and yet not be recognised by other Muslim communities in that country.[1]
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[edit] Current Grand Muftis
The following clerics, among others, carry the title of Grand Mufti:
- Mufti A'zam of Pakistan, Mufti Rafi Uthmani
- Uzbekistan and (Commonwealth Independent States) Grand Mufti, Sheikh Muhammad Sadik Muhammad Yusuf[2]
- The Supreme Mufti of Caucasus, Allahshukur Pashazade
- Lebanon's Grand Mufti, Mohammed Rashid Qabbani
- Republic of Albania's Grand Mufti, Hafiz Sabri Cocki
- Australia's Grand Mufti (unofficial), Fehmi Naji El-Imam
- Bosnia and Herzegovina's Grand Mufti, Mustafa-ef. Cerić
- Bulgaria's Grand Mufti, Dr. Mustafa Hadji
- Arab Republic of Egypt's Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa, Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah
- Grand Mufti of Marseille (France), Soheib Bencheikh
- Russian Federation's Grand Mufti, Ravil Gainutdin
- Syria's Grand Mufti is Ahmad Bader Hassoun
- Germany's Grand Mufti is Behzad Zibari
[edit] Collective Grand Mufti
Indonesia has a unique system of mufti, in which the position of Grand Mufti is held by Indonesian Ulama Council (Majelis Ulama Indonesia). This assembly can make fataawa (plural of fatwa), such as the fatwa about Ahmadiyah.
[edit] Past Grand Muftis
- Syrian Arab Republic's Grand Mufti, Ahmed Kuftaro (deceased September 1, 2004)
- Australian ex-Grand Mufti, Taj El-Din Hilaly.
[edit] References
- ^ Alexander Moore (1998). Cultural Anthropology. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 389. ISBN 0939693488.
- ^ The Official website of a Common Word [1]
