Grand Mufti

This page is about the title and persons carrying the title. The Grand Mufti issues legal opinions and edicts, fatwā , 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 " fatwā ") 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.

The Grand Mufti ( muftī ʿām  , "general expounder " or كبير المفتين kabīr al-muftīn  , "the great of expounders") is the highest official of religious law in a Sunni or Ibadi Muslim country. The Grand Mufti issues legal opinions and edicts, fatāwā , on interpretations of Islamic jurisprudence 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 fatāwā (plural of " fatwā ") 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.

The office originated in the early modern era in the Ottoman empire and has been later adopted in a number of modern countries. Muftis are Islamic jurists qualified to issue a nonbinding opinion ( fatwa ) on a point of Islamic law ( sharia ). In the 15th century, muftis of the Ottoman empire , who had acted as independent scholars in earlier times, began to be integrated into a hierarchical bureaucracy of religious institutions and scholars. By the end of the 16th century, the government-appointed mufti of Istanbul came to be recognized under the title Shaykh al-Islam (Turkish: şeyhülislam ) as the Grand Mufti in charge of this hierarchy. The Ottoman Grand Mufti performed a number of functions, including advising the sultan on religious matters, legitimizing government policies, and appointing judges. After the dissolution the Ottoman Empire the office of the Grand Mufti has been adopted in a number of countries across the Muslim world, often serving the role of providing religious support for government policies. The Grand Mufti is generally an individual appointed by the state, although the office has collective or elective character in some modern countries. The Oxford Dictionary of Islam .

The office originated in the early modern era in the Ottoman Empire and has been later adopted in a number of modern countries. Muftis are Islamic jurists qualified to issue a nonbinding opinion ( fatwa ) on a point of Islamic law ( sharia ). In the 15th century, muftis of the Ottoman Empire , who had acted as independent scholars in earlier times, began to be integrated into a hierarchical bureaucracy of religious institutions and scholars. By the end of the 16th century, the government-appointed mufti of Istanbul came to be recognized under the title Shaykh al-Islam (Turkish: şeyhülislam ) as the Grand Mufti in charge of this hierarchy. The Ottoman Grand Mufti performed a number of functions, including advising the sultan on religious matters, legitimizing government policies, and appointing judges. After the dissolution the Ottoman Empire the office of the Grand Mufti has been adopted in a number of countries across the Muslim world, often serving the role of providing religious support for government policies. The Grand Mufti is generally an individual appointed by the state, although the office has collective or elective character in some modern countries. The Oxford Dictionary of Islam .

Appointed leading or chief muftis of states 0px Grand Mufti of various countries: Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad , Grand Mufti of India Shawki Allam , Grand Mufti of Egypt Muhammad Ahmad Hussein , Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Ahmed bin Hamad al-Khalili , Grand Mufti of Oman Abdul Aziz Juned , Grand Mufti of Brunei Salman Musayev , Mufti of the Caucasus Talgat Tadzhuddin , Grand Mufti of Russia Husein Kavazović , Grand Mufti of Bosnia and Herzegovina A Grand Mufti (also called Chief Mufti , State Mufti and Supreme Mufti ) is a title for the leading Islamic jurist of a country , typically Sunni , who may oversee other muftis . Not all countries with large Sunni Muslim populations have Grand Muftis; in those that do, the Grand Mufti is typically appointed by the state or elected by a council of scholars. The office originated in the early modern era in the Ottoman Empire and has been later adopted in a number of countries that were never part of the Ottoman Empire. Muftis are Islamic jurists qualified to issue a nonbinding opinion ( fatwa ) on a point of Islamic law (sharia) . In the 15th century, muftis of the Ottoman Empire , who had acted as independent scholars in earlier times, began to be integrated into a hierarchical bureaucracy of religious institutions and scholars. By the end of the 16th century, the government-appointed mufti of Istanbul came to be recognized under the title Shaykh al-Islam (Turkish: şeyhülislam ) as the Grand Mufti in charge of this hierarchy. The Ottoman Grand Mufti performed a number of functions, including advising the sultan on religious matters, legitimizing government policies, and appointing judges. After the dissolution the Ottoman Empire the office of the Grand Mufti has been adopted in a number of countries across the Muslim world, often serving the role of providing religious support for government policies. The Oxford Dictionary of Islam .