Cases and Fatwās Roundup: a list of court cases, decrees and other opinions relating to Islamic law issued by legal authorities, Islamic institutions, and jurists.
In Iran, Grand Ayatollahs Hosein Noori Hamedani and Naser Makarem Shirazi “issued separate fatwas saying that any insult, threat or aggression against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei coming from a government or individual will be seen as an insult and aggression to the essence of Islam.” A group of Kenyan sheikhs “strongly opposed a recent… CONTINUE READING
“The Federal Court [in Malaysia] . . . quashed the 2014 fatwa against Sisters in Islam (SIS) that decreed the organisation as deviant by the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (MAIS).” “The Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, has expressed disappointment and sadness with regard to the Federal Court’s decision.” “Sisters in Islam (SIS) Forum… CONTINUE READING
“In its latest conference in Doha, the International Islamic Fiqh Academy ruled that Muslims can consume cultivated meat if certain conditions are met.” “A man and woman were publicly flogged 100 times each in Indonesia‘s conservative Aceh province . . . after they were found guilty of sex outside marriage by a court operating under… CONTINUE READING
“Several clerics in Pakistan have appealed to President Asif Ali Zardari not to sign a contentious bill banning child marriage into law, according to a report by Dawn. The Islamabad Capital Territory Child Marriage Restraint Bill, 2025 – aimed at banning marriage under the age of 18 – was sent to the presidency on 27… CONTINUE READING
“The Supreme Court [of India] . . . reserved its order on interim relief in a batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, which, among other provisions, abolishes the concept of ‘waqf by user’ and introduces sweeping changes to the registration and classification of waqf properties across India.” “Senior… CONTINUE READING
In a recent order, the Allahabad High Court [India] has observed that while Islam permits polygamy under specific conditions, some individuals are misusing this provision for selfish reasons and sexual gratification. Justice Arun Kumar Singh Deshwal noted that while Islamic law permits a Muslim man to marry more than once, this is contingent upon the… CONTINUE READING
“The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Maitama, Abuja [Nigeria] . . . sentenced a man to life imprisonment for raping and impregnating a minor.” “Saudi Arabia executed a Palestinian man who burnt his father to death after an argument, the Interior Ministry said.” “Asked if a Muslim should vote for a fellow Muslim with… CONTINUE READING
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board has expressed its intention to challenge the Supreme Court’s recent verdict that allows divorced Muslim women to claim maintenance from their former husbands beyond the iddat (waiting) period. “The Bombay High Court [recently] observed that religion is only one of the considerations in deciding child custody matters and… CONTINUE READING
In India, “[d]uring the hearing on a batch of petitions challenging the validity of the [Waqf] act, the government assured the top court that all waqf properties, including ‘waqf-by-user’, already registered or notified won’t lose their status or character in revenue records till the matter is decided.” The “waqf-by-user” doctrine provides that “properties used continuously… CONTINUE READING
“The Federal Court [in Malaysia] . . . granted leave to a 32-year-old Orang Asli woman to appeal against her registration as a Muslim, following her conversion to Islam at the age of two. A three-member panel led by Federal Court judge Tan Sri Datuk Nallini Pathmanathan unanimously held that leave should be granted, as… CONTINUE READING
