The English proverb says, \u201cWords are like arrows: once released, they cannot be taken back.\u201d <\/p>\n\n
The Arab world was shaken\u2014almost to the point of turmoil\u2014following a statement by Saudi Sheikh Saleh Al-Moghamsy on That<\/em>, a program broadcast by Saudi TV during Ramadan 1445 AH. <\/p>\n\n Despite his stature as the former imam and preacher of the Quba Mosque in Medina and being one of the most prominent religious figures in Saudi Arabia, he is well known through his programs, lectures, and numerous writings. <\/p>\n\n His remarks on that show stirred a storm of controversy. He openly declared his intention to establish a new Islamic legal school, saying: \u201cThe hope I ask from Allah, may He be glorified, is that He grants me the establishment of a new Islamic jurisprudential school. This is what I pray for and strive toward.\u201d <\/p>\n\n Reactions were sharply divided. Some considered it a commendable boldness and a step toward renewing Islamic jurisprudence and liberating it from the rigidity of blind imitation. <\/p>\n\n Others saw it as a dangerous excess that compromises religious fundamentals, potentially opening the door to a \u201cmodernist Islam\u201d that strips texts of meaning, echoing the nonsense of hostile Orientalists or the delusions of alienated liberals. <\/p>\n\n Among the strongest criticisms came from Saudi Arabia\u2019s Council of Senior Scholars in an official press statement published by the Saudi Press Agency<\/a>. The statement affirmed: \u201cIslamic jurisprudence, with its recognised schools and diverse ijtihads, addresses all the needs of modern life and reconciles them with Islamic law. This is evidenced by scholarly bodies and fiqh councils that engage in collective ijtihad.\u201d <\/p>\n\n The Council further added: \u201cOne of Allah\u2019s blessings upon Muslims today is the accessibility of collective ijtihad through these bodies and councils, which respond positively to the needs of society and its intellectual, social, and economic developments. Hundreds of resolutions issued by these institutions across different fields stand as clear proof of this.\u201d <\/p>\n\n \n\n