THE INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC FIQH ACADEMY (IIFA)

Although the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) has not yet succeeded in solving major problems of the Muslim world, it has at least provided a platform for the discussion of our collective problems. It has also produced some academic, research, and economic institutions that are active in various fields. One of these important institutions is the Islamic Fiqh Academy.

The idea of the Islamic Fiqh Academy was proposed by King Khalid in the OIC meeting of Rabi Awwal 1401 (January 81) that was held in Masjid Haram in Makkah Mukarramah. The suggestion was to have a body consisting of scholars and jurists of the Muslim world that would focus on the new problems presented by the contemporary world and propose Islamic answer to those problems. The OIC accepted this suggestion and the idea of the formation of Islamic Fiqh Academy was approved.

Each Muslim country was asked to nominate an expert in Islamic disciplines as its representative. While governments nominate the representative, once nominated only the Academy can revoke their membership. The first meeting of the general council of the Academy, consisting of all the nominated members, was held on 26 Safar 1405 (19 November 1984). Dr. Bakr Abu Zaid of Saudi Arabia was chosen as the president of the academy in that meeting. The operating procedure of the Academy was also decided upon in that meeting.

The planning committee of the Academy selects topics for research. Then a selection of these topics is sent to the Academy members as well as other Islamic experts who are asked to write research papers on them. The research papers are then circulated to all the members for review. In the annual meeting of the Academy, these papers are presented and freely discussed. Every word said in those discussions is recorded and published later. For every topic, a drafting committee is formed to draft the proposed resolution in light of that discussion. Finally, the draft proposal is once again presented to the meeting of all the members for discussion and approval.

In addition, the Academy is also compiling an encyclopedia of fiqh about finance and a compilation of fiqh rules in collaboration with other organizations of the Muslim world.