Yusuf al-Qaradawi is a controversial
EgyptianEgyptians are nation an ethnic group made up of Mediterranean North Africans, the indigenous people of Egypt.Egyptian identity is closely tied to geography. The population of Egypt is concentrated in the lower Nile Valley, the small strip of cultivable land stretching from the First Cataract to...
Islamic theologian. He is best known for his programme,
ash-Shariah wal-Hayat ("Shariah and Life"), broadcast on
Al JazeeraAl Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
, which has an estimated audience of 60 million worldwide. He is also well-known for IslamOnline, a popular website he helped found in 1997 and for which he now serves as chief religious scholar.
Al-Qaradawi has published more than 120 books, including
The Lawful and the Prohibited in IslamThe Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam is a book by Islamic scholar Yusuf al-Qaradawi .Publisher's foreword:Sheikh Saleh Al-Fawzan has written a refutation to this book.-External links:*...
and
Islam: The Future Civilization. He has also received eight international prizes for his contributions to Islamic scholarship, and is considered one of the most influential such scholars living today. Al-Qaradawi has long had a prominent role within the intellectual leadership of the
Muslim BrotherhoodThe Society of the Muslim Brothers is the world's oldest and one of the largest Islamist parties, and is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. It was founded in 1928 in Egypt by the Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna and by the late 1940s had an...
, an Egyptian political organization, but twice (in 1976 and 2004) turned down offers for the official role in the organization.
Some of al-Qaradawi's views have been controversial in
the WestThe Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
, and he was refused an entry visa to the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 2008. In 2004, 2,500 Muslim academics from
Saudi ArabiaThe Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
,
IraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and from the Palestinian territories condemned Qaradawi, and accused him of giving "
IslamIslam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
a bad name."
As of 2004, al-Qaradawi was a trustee of the Oxford University Center for Islamic Studies. He also served as a technical consultant for an epic movie in English on
MuhammadMuhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
.
Biography
Al-Qaradawi was born in Safat Turab village in the
Nile DeltaThe Nile Delta is the delta formed in Northern Egypt where the Nile River spreads out and drains into the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of the world's largest river deltas—from Alexandria in the west to Port Said in the east, it covers some 240 km of Mediterranean coastline—and is a rich...
,
EgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, in a poor family of devout Muslim peasants. He became an orphan at the age of two, when he lost his father. Following his father's death, he was raised by his uncle. He read and memorized the entire Qur'an by the time he was nine years old.
He then joined the Institute of Religious Studies at
TantaTanta is a city in Egypt. It is the country's fifth largest populated area, with an estimated 429,000 inhabitants . Tanta is located north of Cairo and southeast of Alexandria...
, and graduated after nine years of study. He moved on to study Islamic Theology at the Al-Azhar University in
CairoCairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, from which he graduated in 1953.
He earned a diploma in Arabic Language and
LiteratureLiterature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
in 1958 at the Advanced Arabic Studies Institute.
He enrolled in the graduate program in the Department of
Qur'anThe Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
and
SunnahThe word literally means a clear, well trodden, busy and plain surfaced road. In the discussion of the sources of religion, Sunnah denotes the practice of Prophet Muhammad that he taught and practically instituted as a teacher of the sharī‘ah and the best exemplar...
Sciences of the Faculty of Religion's Fundamentals (Usul al-Din), and graduated with a Masters degree in Quranic Studies in 1960. In 1962, he was sent by Al-Azhar University to Qatar to head the Qatari Secondary Institute of Religious Studies. He completed his PhD thesis titled
Zakah and its effect on solving social problems in 1973 with First Merit, and was awarded his PhD degree from Al Azhar.
In 1977, he laid the foundation for the Faculty of Shari'ah and
Islamic StudiesIn a Muslim context, Islamic studies can be an umbrella term for all virtually all of academia, both originally researched and as defined by the Islamization of knowledge...
in the University of Qatar and became the faculty's dean. In the same year he founded the Centre of Seerah and Sunna Research.
He also served at the Institute of Imams, Egypt under the
Egyptian Ministry of Religious EndowmentsThe Ministry of Awqaf of Egypt is one of eighteen ministries in the Egyptian government and is in charge of religious endowments. Religious endowments, awqaf, are similar to common law trusts where the trustee is the mosque or individual in charge of the waqf and the beneficiary is usually the...
as supervisor before moving back to Doha as Dean of the Islamic Department at the Faculties of Shariah and Education in
QatarQatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
, where he continued until 1990. His next appointment was in Algeria as Chairman of the Scientific Council of Islamic University and Higher Institutions in 1990–91. He returned to Qatar once more as Director of the Seerah and Sunnah Center at Qatar University, a post he still occupies today.
Al-Qaradawi is the head of the
European Council for Fatwa and ResearchThe European Council for Fatwa and Research is a Dublin-based private foundation, founded in London on 29 March - 30 March 1997 on the initiative of the Federation of Islamic Organisations in Europe...
,an Islamic scholarly entity based in Ireland. He also serves as the chairman of International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS).
He was imprisoned under
King FarouqFarouk I of Egypt , was the tenth ruler from the Muhammad Ali Dynasty and the penultimate King of Egypt and Sudan, succeeding his father, Fuad I, in 1936....
in 1949, then three times during the reign of former President Gamal Abdul Nasser, until he left Egypt for Qatar in 1961. He returned to Egypt in 2011 in the wake of the
2011 Egyptian RevolutionThe 2011 Egyptian revolution took place following a popular uprising that began on Tuesday, 25 January 2011 and is still continuing as of November 2011. The uprising was mainly a campaign of non-violent civil resistance, which featured a series of demonstrations, marches, acts of civil...
.
Al-Qaradawi is a principal shareholder and former
ShariaSharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
adviser to Bank Al-Taqwa, a member bank of the Lugano-Switzerland Al-Taqwa group, a bank that the U.S. states finances terrorism and that the UN Security Council had listed as associated with Al Qaeda. On August 2, 2010, the bank was removed from a list of entities and individuals associated with Al Qaeda maintained by the Security Council.
Al-Qaradawi has three sons and four daughters, three of whom hold doctorates from British Universities.
His daughter, Ilham Yousef Al-Qaradawi, is an internationally recognized
nuclearNuclear physics is the field of physics that studies the building blocks and interactions of atomic nuclei. The most commonly known applications of nuclear physics are nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons technology, but the research has provided application in many fields, including those...
scientist. While his son, Abdurrahman Yusuf al-Qaradawi, is a
poetA poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and a political activist in
EgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
.
In 2008, in an open online poll, Yusuf al-Qaradawi was voted the 3rd most intellectual person in the world on the list of Top 100 Public Intellectuals by
Prospect MagazineProspect is a monthly British general interest magazine, specialising in politics and current affairs. Frequent topics include British, European, and US politics, social issues, art, literature, cinema, science, the media, history, philosophy, and psychology...
(UK) and
Foreign Policy (US).
2011 return to Egypt
After the
2011 Egyptian RevolutionThe 2011 Egyptian revolution took place following a popular uprising that began on Tuesday, 25 January 2011 and is still continuing as of November 2011. The uprising was mainly a campaign of non-violent civil resistance, which featured a series of demonstrations, marches, acts of civil...
Qaradawi made his first public appearance in Egypt after 1981. In Tahrir Square he led Friday prayers on February 18, addressing an audience estimated to exceed two million Egyptians. It began with an address of “Oh Muslims and Copts,” referring to Egypt’s Coptic Christian minority instead of the customary opening for Islamic Friday sermons “Oh Muslims”. He was reported to have said,“Egyptian people are like the
genieJinn or genies are supernatural creatures in Arab folklore and Islamic teachings that occupy a parallel world to that of mankind. Together, jinn, humans and angels make up the three sentient creations of Allah. Religious sources say barely anything about them; however, the Qur'an mentions that...
who came out of the lamp and who have been in prison for 30 years.” He also demanded the release of political prisoners in Egyptian prisons, praised the Copts for protecting Muslims in their Friday prayer, and called for the new military rulers to quickly restore civilian rule.
On February 21, 2011, he talked about the
protests in LibyaThe 2011 Libyan civil war was an armed conflict in the North African state of Libya, fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and those seeking to oust his government. The war was preceded by protests in Benghazi beginning on 15 February 2011, which led to clashes with security...
and issued a
fatwaA fatwā in the Islamic faith is a juristic ruling concerning Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. In Sunni Islam any fatwā is non-binding, whereas in Shia Islam it could be considered by an individual as binding, depending on his or her relation to the scholar. The person who issues a fatwā...
against
Muammar GaddafiMuammar Muhammad Abu Minyar Gaddafi or "September 1942" 20 October 2011), commonly known as Muammar Gaddafi or Colonel Gaddafi, was the official ruler of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977 and then the "Brother Leader" of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011.He seized power in a...
:
He also called on Libyan ambassadors around the world to distance themselves from Gaddafi’s regime.
In the
Jerusalem Post,
Barry RubinBarry Rubin is an American-born Israeli expert in terrorism. He is a professor at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Israel and the director of the Global Research in International Affairs Center of the IDC, and a senior fellow at the Interdisciplinary Center's International Policy...
drew a parallel between Qaradawi's sermon and the Ayatollah Khomeini returning to
IranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. He also said that Qaradawi was encouraging the
Muslim BrotherhoodThe Society of the Muslim Brothers is the world's oldest and one of the largest Islamist parties, and is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. It was founded in 1928 in Egypt by the Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna and by the late 1940s had an...
to suppress opposition when he made reference to
hypocritesMunāfiq is an Islamic Arabic term used to describe a religious hypocrite, who outwardly practices Islam, while inwardly concealing his disbelief , perhaps even unknowingly....
in his sermon.
Brookings InstitutionThe Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, D.C., in the United States. One of Washington's oldest think tanks, Brookings conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics, metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, and...
member Shadi Hamid says that Qaradawi is in the mainstream of Egyptian society, and that he also has appeal among Egyptians who are not Islamist.
In the
Eurasia Review,
Princeton UniversityPrinceton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
Professor Aaron Rock dismisses claims that Qaradawi is the Khomeini of Egypt, but he does see his influence as a sign that Islam will play a significant role in the shaping of Egypt's politics. He writes, "Neither Qaradawi’s popularity nor his rhetoric should distract from the fact that Egyptian revolution’s grievances were based on a desire for political liberty and economic opportunity. That said, Islam remains an important framework for public debate and a reservoir of political symbolism".
Muslim sects
Al-Qaradawi has written about the danger of extremist groups of Islam, especially when done through blind obedience. He released a dissertation on the subject. He listed indications of extremism:
- The 1st indication of extremism include bigotry
A bigot is a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices, especially one exhibiting intolerance, and animosity toward those of differing beliefs...
and intolerance, which make a person adamantly devoted to his own opinions and prejudices, as well as rigidity, which deprives him of clarity of vision regarding the interests of other human beings, or the purposes of Shariah, or the circumstances of age. Such a person does not allow any opportunity for dialogue with others so that he may compare his opinion with theirs, and chooses to follow what appears to him most sound.
- The 2nd indication of extremism manifests in a continuous commitment to excessiveness, and in attempts to force others to do likewise, despite the fact that Allah has not commanded it, and the existence of good reasons to make things easy. A person motivated by piety and caution may however, if he so wishes, choose a hard-line opinion in some matters and on certain occasions. But this should not become so habitual that he rejects advice when he needs it.
- The 3rd indication of extremism is the out-of-time and out-of-place religious excessiveness and overburdening of others, i.e. when applying Islamic principles to people in non-Muslim countries or to people who have only recently converted to Islam, as well as to newly committed Muslims. With all these, emphasis should not be put on either minor or controversial issues, but on fundamentals. Endeavours should be made to correct their concepts and understanding of Islam before anything else.
- The 4th indication of extremism manifests itself in harshness in the treatment of people, roughness in the manner of approach, and crudeness in calling people to Islam, all which are contrary to the teachings of the Qur'an and Sunnah.
Sufism
Al-Qaradawi has been an avid caller to what he calls "Islamic
SufismSufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
", praising those who practice it as pious. He has also been a staunch defender of the Ashari school of belief within Islam, going so far as to claim that the whole Muslim world follows this school as well as all Muslim religious schools in the world.
Shi'ites
Al-Qaradawi has also described Shi'ites as
hereticsHeresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
("mubtadi'oun"). Fellow member of International union of Muslim Scholars,
Mohammad Salim Al-AwaMohammad Salim Al-Awa is an Egyptian Islamist thinker, widely considered to belong to the moderate Islamic democratic strain. He is the former Secretary General of the International Union for Muslim Scholars based in London, and head of the Egyptian Association for Culture and Dialogue...
criticized Qaradawi for promoting divisions among Muslims. In response, the Iranian Press Agency has described Qaradawi as "a spokesman for “international
FreemasonryFreemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
and
rabbiIn Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
s".
Qaradawi accused what he called "heretical" Shias of "invading" Sunni countries.
Non-Muslims
Al-Qaradawi has strongly pressed for dialogue with Non-Muslims. He also puts emphasis on conversations with the West, including Jews, Christians, and secularists. He writes that this effort should differentiate itself from a
debateDebate or debating is a method of interactive and representational argument. Debate is a broader form of argument than logical argument, which only examines consistency from axiom, and factual argument, which only examines what is or isn't the case or rhetoric which is a technique of persuasion...
, for the latter does not often result in mutual cooperation. In his book titled
Priorities of The Islamic Movement in The Coming Phase, he recounts his experience:
Regarding the rights and citizenship of non-Muslim minorities, Qaradawi has said:
In his book titled
The Lawful and Prohibited in Islam, al-Qaradawi wrote:
In May 2008, al-Qaradawi told visiting Rabbis from
Neturei KartaNeturei Karta is a Haredi Jewish group formally created in Jerusalem, British Mandate of Palestine, in 1938, splitting off from Agudas Yisroel...
movement,
He also added that relations between Muslims and Jews only became strained with the emergence of
ZionismZionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
and the establishment of
IsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. He also said that Muslims and Jews were subjected to the same persecution following the fall of Islamic rule in
AndalusiaAndalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
, now
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
However, al-Qaradawi has also made statements that some critics charge are anti-Semitic. In a January 9, 2009, sermon during the Gaza War, shown on Al-Jazeera, Qaradawi prayed (as translated by MEMRI):
Also, in August 2005, the
Wall Street Journal reported that the
Dublin-based
European Council for Fatwa and ResearchThe European Council for Fatwa and Research is a Dublin-based private foundation, founded in London on 29 March - 30 March 1997 on the initiative of the Federation of Islamic Organisations in Europe...
, of which al-Qaradhawi is president, had used the anti-semitic
Protocols of the Elders of Zion in its theological deliberations. Al-Qaradawi's remarks were sharply criticized by the
Anti-Defamation LeagueThe Anti-Defamation League is an international non-governmental organization based in the United States. Describing itself as "the nation's premier civil rights/human relations agency", the ADL states that it "fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects...
(ADL), which accused him of inciting violence against Jews.
Apostasy
Al-Qaradawi says that
apostasyApostasy , 'a defection or revolt', from ἀπό, apo, 'away, apart', στάσις, stasis, 'stand, 'standing') is the formal disaffiliation from or abandonment or renunciation of a religion by a person. One who commits apostasy is known as an apostate. These terms have a pejorative implication in everyday...
— Muslims leaving Islam — is a grave danger to the Muslim community and that it is the duty of all Muslims "is to combat apostasy in all its forms and wherefrom it comes, giving it no chance to pervade in the Muslim world.""
With regards to the punishment of apostasy, al-Qaradawi supports the classical Islamic tradition on some points but differs on others. He considers execution as a penalty in principle, but the only apostates that are to be executed are those that combine other crimes with apostasy (e.g. "incit[ing] a war against Islam"). He also advocates that the apostates to be executed should be given a chance to repent. Finally, he believes that "hidden apostasy" (where the apostate does not "proclaim" his conversion) may be left to the judgement of God in the Hereafter.
While al-Qaradawi believes that the Muslim community is not allowed to punish "intellectual apostasy", where the apostates do not "swagger" about their conversion, he still strongly condemns it. He says "These people are not noticed when they invade or begin to disseminate their falsehood, but they are mostly felt when they affect the minds. They do not use guns in their attacks, however, their attacks are fierce and cunning." Nevertheless, he concedes that "Erudite scholars and well versed jurists ... can not take an action in face of such professional criminals who have firmly established themselves and have not left a chance for law to be enforced on them."
Freedom and democracy
Al-Qaradawi has spoken in favor of
democracyDemocracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
in the Muslim world, speaking of a need for reform of political climates in the Middle East specifically.
On February 22, 2011, he held an exclusive interview with OnIslam.net, dismissing the allegation that he wanted a religious state established in Egypt:
Terrorism
After the September 11 attacks, al-Qaradawi urged Muslims to donate blood for the victims and stated,
He denies that Palestinian suicide bombing attacks constitute terrorism, claiming that "when Palestinians face such unjust aggression, they tend to stem bloodletting and destruction and not to claim the lives of innocent civilians", but qualifies that with "I do agree with those who do not allow such martyr operations to be carried out outside the Palestinian territories."
Al-Qaradawi has suggested the legitimate use of (defensive) suicide bombings against enemy combatants in modern times if the defending combatants has no other means of self-defense.
The
Malaysian IslamicMalaysia is a multiracial country with Islam being the largest practiced religion, comprising approximately 61.4% Muslim adherents, or around 17 million people, as of 2010. Islam is declared as the "religion of the federation". Though there has been much debate on whether Malaysia is a secular...
Scholar,
Dr.Muhammad Afifi al-AkitiDato' Dr Muhammad Afifi al-Akiti BA , MA , MSt , DPhil , MSIEPM – also known as Shaykh Afifi – is Fellow in Islamic Studies at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, and Islamic Centre Lecturer in Islamic Studies at the Faculty of Theology, University of Oxford, and is a Fellow of Worcester...
, rules that there is no
Islamic legalFiqh is Islamic jurisprudence. Fiqh is an expansion of the code of conduct expounded in the Quran, often supplemented by tradition and implemented by the rulings and interpretations of Islamic jurists....
for this view and that female soldiers can only be killed in direct combat. With regards to suicide bombings he says that they are "breaching the
scholarly consensus Ijmāʿ is an Arabic term referring to the consensus of the Muslim community. Various schools of thought within Islamic jurisprudence may define this consensus as that of the first generation of Muslims only; the consensus of the first three generations of Muslims; the consensus of the jurists...
. . . because to endanger one's life is one thing and to commit suicide during the attack is obviously another".
With regards to male soldiers he states,
it goes without saying that they are considered combatants as soon as they arrive on the battlefield even if they are not in direct combat - provided of course that the remaining conventions of war have been observed throughout, and that all this is during a valid war when there is no ceasefireHudna is an Arabic term meaning a temporary "truce" or "armistice" as well as "calm" or "quiet", coming from a verbal root meaning "calm". It is sometimes translated as "cease-fire"...
...
Western governments have met al-Qaradawi to request release of European civilians kidnapped in Iraq and have thanked him officially, praising his cooperation. The French Foreign Minister
Michel BarnierMichel Barnier is a French politician of the Union for a Popular Movement and Vice President of the European People's Party . He is the current European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services...
wrote to al-Qaradawi: "With such a clear condemnation of the abduction of the French hostages you have sent a clear-cut message demonstrating respect for the tenets of Islam."
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Al-Qaradawi condones
PalestinianThe Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
attacks on Israelis. A resolution issued by The Islamic Fiqh Council affiliated to the
Muslim World LeagueThe Muslim World League is one of the largest Islamic non-governmental organizations. Muslim religious figures from 22 states founded it in Makkah in 1962.-Structure:...
in its 14th session, held in
DohaDoha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar...
(
QatarQatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
) on 11–16 January 2003 has upheld his views on the matter. Defending bombings against Israeli civilians, al-Qaradawi told
BBC Newsnight in 2005 that:
- "An Israeli woman is not like women in our societies, because she is a soldier."
- "I consider this type of martyrdom operation as an evidence of God's justice."
- "Allah Almighty is just; through his infinite wisdom he has given the weak a weapon the strong do not have and that is their ability to turn their bodies into bombs as Palestinians do".
He supports suicide attacks on all Israelis, including women since he views the Israeli society as a "completely military" society that did not include any civilians. He also considers pregnant women and their unborn babies to be valid targets on the ground that the babies could grow up to join the Israeli Army.
At the press conference held by the organizations sponsoring his visit to
LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, al-Qaradawi reiterated his view that
suicide attackA suicide attack is a type of attack in which the attacker expects or intends to die in the process.- Historical :...
s are a justified form of resistance to Israeli occupation of the rightfully
Palestinian TerritoriesThe Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
. He has also justified his views by stating that all Israeli civilians are potential soldiers, since Israel is a "militarized society." Because of these views, al-Qaradawi has been accused by Western countries and Israel of supporting
terrorismTerrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
.
Al-Qaradawi is opposed to attacks outside of the Palestinian Territories and Israel, and against non-Israeli targets. For example, on March 20, 2005, he condemned a car bombing that had occurred in Doha, Qatar the previous day. One Briton, Jon Adams was killed. Al-Qaradawi issued a statement that said
According to IslamOnline, Qaradawi released a fatwa on April 14, 2004 stating boycott of American and Israeli products was an obligation for all who are able. The fatwa reads in part :
Statements on Adolf Hitler and the Holocaust
In a statement which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on 28 January 2009 during the Gaza war, al-Qaradawi said the following regarding
Adolf HitlerAdolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
and the Holocaust:
Iraq war
In an address aired on Qatar TV on January 5, 2007, al-Qaradawi questioned the trial of
Saddam HusseinSaddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
under American supervision in Iraq, but agreed to it if it were conducted by the Iraqi people "after liberating Iraq from American colonialism". He also suggested that the trial was "an act of vengeance by the Americans" for his missile attacks on Israel. He strongly criticized the way Saddam was hanged:
Hezbollah
In response to Muslim scholar
Abdullah Ibn JibreenAbdullah ibn Abdulrahman ibn Jibreen was a leading Sunni cleric in Saudi Arabia and a member of the Senior Clerics Association.He was also a former member of the Permanent Committee for Islamic Research and Fataawa in Saudi Arabia....
's fatwa declaring that it was forbidden for Muslims to support or pray for
Hezbollah because they are Shia, al-Qaradawi issued a contrary fatwa, stating that it was mandatory for all Muslims to support Hezbollah in its fight against
IsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, claiming that "Shias agree with the Sunnis in the main principles of Islam while the differences are only over the branches." In this fatwa, he also called upon the Sunnis and Shia of
IraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
to end the civil war.
2010–2011 Middle East and North Africa protests
Qaradawi declared his support for the rebels led by the
National Transitional CouncilThe National Transitional Council of Libya , sometimes known as the Transitional National Council, the Interim National Council, or the Libyan National Council,...
in the
2011 Libyan civil warThe 2011 Libyan civil war was an armed conflict in the North African state of Libya, fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and those seeking to oust his government. The war was preceded by protests in Benghazi beginning on 15 February 2011, which led to clashes with security...
, urging Arab nations to recognize them and “to confront the tyranny of the regime in Tripoli". He suggested weapons be sent to the rebels to assist the, and said “Our Islamic nation should stand against injustice and corruption and I urge the Egyptian government to extend a helping hand to Libyan people and not to Gaddafi.”
In response to the 2011 Bahrain protests, Qaradawi was reluctant to give support claiming that," The protests in Bahrain are sectarian in nature. The Shias are revolting against the Sunnis,". He claimed that Shia protesters attack Sunnis and occupied their mosques. He acknowledged that the Shia majority had legitimate concerns in regards to fairness with the Sunnis saying that,"I want them to be real citizens of their country".
Qaradawi said all Arabs should back up the protesters in the
2011 Syrian uprisingThe 2011 Syrian uprising is an ongoing internal conflict occurring in Syria. Protests started on 26 January 2011, and escalated into an uprising by 15 March 2011...
, saying "Today the train of revolution has reached a station that it had to reach: The Syria station", and "It is not possible for Syria to be separated from the history of the Arab community". He declared his support for the protests against what he called Syria's "oppresive regime", claiming "atrocities" were committed by it. He called for victory against the ruling Ba'ath party and claimed the army would be the major factor in the revolt. He claimed that when he offered to mediate negotiations between the
Muslim BrotherhoodThe Society of the Muslim Brothers is the world's oldest and one of the largest Islamist parties, and is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. It was founded in 1928 in Egypt by the Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna and by the late 1940s had an...
and the Syrian regime,someone deliberately sabotaged it. Qaradawi also expressed his support for the
No Fly zone put in place by western nations over LibyaOn 19 March 2011, a multi-state coalition began a military intervention in Libya to implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973, which was taken in response to events during the 2011 Libyan civil war...
, saying "The operation in Libya is to protect the civilians from Gaddafi’s tyranny", and slamming the Arab League leader
Amr MoussaAmr Mohammed Moussa is an Egyptian politician and diplomat who was the Secretary-General of the Arab League, a 22-member forum representing Arab states, from 1 June 2001 until 1 June 2011. He is a candidate in the 2011 Egyptian presidential election....
for criticism of it.
Women and gender issues
Commenting on the role women played in social active issues:
Although over sixty year have passed since the Movement emerged into existence, no women leaders have appeared that can confront secular and Marxist trends single-handedly and efficiently. This has come about as a result of men's unrelenting attempts to control women's movement, as men have never allowed women a real chance to express themselves and show special leadership talents and abilities that demonstrate their capability of taking command of their work without men's dominance.
I believe that women's Islamic work will succeed and prove itself in the arena of the Islamic Movement only when it gives birth to female Islamic leaders in the fields of Call, thought, science, literature and education.
Accordingly, women as well as men can dedicate themselves to Allah, and serve as a jihad human bomber.
I do not think that this is impossible or even difficult. There are genius women just as there are genius men. Ingenuity is not a monopoly for men. It is not in vain that the Holy Quran tells us the story of a woman who led men wisely and bravely and made her people fare the best end: it is the Queen of Sheba, whose story with SolomonSolomon , according to the Book of Kings and the Book of Chronicles, a King of Israel and according to the Talmud one of the 48 prophets, is identified as the son of David, also called Jedidiah in 2 Samuel 12:25, and is described as the third king of the United Monarchy, and the final king before...
is told in Surat Al Naml. I have observed in the University of Qatar that girls make better students than boys.
Rape
In 2004
The Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
reported that
IslamOnlineIslamonline is a global Islamic website on the Internet providing services to Muslims and non-Muslims in several languages. Its motto is "credibility and distinction." Sunni Muslim scholar....
was asked the following question "Are
rapeRape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
d women punished in Islam?", and a panel headed by Qaradawi replied: "To be absolved from guilt, the raped woman must have shown some sort of good conduct... Islam addresses women to maintain their modesty, as not to open the door for evil... The Koran calls upon Muslim women in general to preserve their dignity and modesty, just to save themselves from any harassment... So for a rape victim to be absolved from guilt, she must not be the one that opens... her dignity for deflowering...If, after trying her best to resist the attack, she gets overcome by the assailants, she is totally absolved from punishment... any woman, who, despite doing her utmost to resist these thugs and their ilk, is raped, is not guilty of any sin."
The report by the
Telegraph was sought challenged by the
Muslim Association of BritainThe Muslim Association of Britain is an Islamic organisation in the United Kingdom established in 1997.-Anti-war activities:Along with Stop the War Coalition and Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, it has co-sponsored various demonstrations against the 2003 invasion and occupation of Iraq...
, who believed the article to be false from "right-wing media" attempting to "stoke up the flames of hate" against al-Qaradawi. It demanded that the
Telegraph issue a full apology as well as resignation of the two writers of the article.
IslamOnlineIslamonline is a global Islamic website on the Internet providing services to Muslims and non-Muslims in several languages. Its motto is "credibility and distinction." Sunni Muslim scholar....
denied that al-Qaradawi wrote the answer, and claimed that they clearly stated raped women were not punished.
Wife Beating
Al-Qaradawi told
The GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
that
wife-beatingDomestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
was neither "obligatory nor desirable" but that he "accepts it as a method of last resort – though only
lightly". He stated on Channel 4 News that it was justifiable in certain circumstances but "The ideal was for Muslim men never to beat their wives, and if husbands wrongly beat their wives, they have the right to fight back." The British newspaper
The Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
writes that al-Qaradawi, in his book
The Lawful and Prohibited in Islam, states that wife-beating is permissible after the failure of all other means of persuasion. In such circumstances, a husband may beat his wife "lightly with his hands, avoiding her face and other sensitive areas."
Female Circumcision
While stating that female circumcision is "not required" in his book,
Modern Fatwas", he adds: "whoever finds it serving the interest of his daughters should do it, and I personally support this under the current circumstances in the modern world."
However, he does believe that it becomes prohibited when it harms females physically or psychologically.
Homosexuality
Al-Qaradawi believes that
homosexualityHomosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
should be punishable by death. In his online site, Al-Qaradawi says, "it should be clear that this man committed two heinous crimes: 1) homosexuality, and 2) murder. Each crime is sufficient to warrant death penalty. In addition, this man has severed ties of kinship by seducing and killing his nephew."
On June 5, 2006, on the Al Jazeera program
Sharia and Life, al-Qaradawi (a regular on the program) reiterated orthodox views on homosexuality. When asked about the punishment for people who "practise liwaat (
sodomySodomy is an anal or other copulation-like act, especially between male persons or between a man and animal, and one who practices sodomy is a "sodomite"...
) or sihaaq (
lesbianLesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
activity)", al-Qaradawi replied: "The same punishment as any sexual pervert – the same as the adulterer." (
MEMRIThe Middle East Media Research Institute is a Middle Eastern not for profit press monitoring organization with headquarters located in Washington, DC. MEMRI was co-founded in 1998 by Yigal Carmon, a former colonel in the Israeli military intelligence and Meyrav Wurmser, an Israeli-born, American...
translation). The punishment for adultery is
stoningStoning, or lapidation, is a form of capital punishment whereby a group throws stones at a person until the person dies. No individual among the group can be identified as the one who kills the subject, yet everyone involved plainly bears some degree of moral culpability. This is in contrast to the...
.
In an interview with
Der SpiegelDer Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. It is one of Europe's largest publications of its kind, with a weekly circulation of more than one million.-Overview:...
, Qaradawi said that his attitude towards homosexuality is the same as that found in
ChristianityChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. In the interview he stated, "One year ago, there was a demonstration against me in London because I spoke out against homosexuality. People seem to have forgotten that it wasn't me who came up with this mindset. It's part of God's order spoken of by
MosesMoses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
and even mentioned by
JesusJesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
."
Other Views
Wailing wall
On the subject of the Wailing Wall, Qaradawi said:
Mecca Time
In April 2008, at a conference in
QatarQatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
titled "Mecca: the Center of the Earth, Theory and Practice", al-Qaradawi advocated the implementation of
Mecca TimeMecca Time is a time standard that uses the line of longitude that goes through Mecca, Saudi Arabia as its Prime Meridian. Its proposed use as a global standard is based on the claim that the city is the true center of the Earth and thus should become the basis of the world's timezones...
to replace the Greenwich Meridian as the basis of the world
time zoneA time zone is a region on Earth that has a uniform standard time for legal, commercial, and social purposes. In order for the same clock time to always correspond to the same portion of the day as the Earth rotates , different places on the Earth need to have different clock times...
system.
Muhammed Cartoon Controversy
Al-Qaradawi called for a "Day of Anger" over the
cartoonsThe Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy began after 12 editorial cartoons, most of which depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammad, were published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten on 30 September 2005...
, but condemned violent actions in response to them.
Salman Rushdie
Al-Qaradawi endorsed Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's call to execute novelist
Salman Rushdie for
blasphemyBlasphemy is irreverence towards religious or holy persons or things. Some countries have laws to punish blasphemy, while others have laws to give recourse to those who are offended by blasphemy...
in regared to his novel
The Satanic VersesThe Satanic Verses is Salman Rushdie's fourth novel, first published in 1988 and inspired in part by the life of Prophet Muhammad. As with his previous books, Rushdie used magical realism and relied on contemporary events and people to create his characters...
, stating that "Rushdie disgraced the honor of the Prophet and his family and defiled the values of Islam."
Muslim Brotherhood
Al-Qaradawi was a follower of Hasan al-Banna during his youth and a longtime member of the
Muslim BrotherhoodThe Society of the Muslim Brothers is the world's oldest and one of the largest Islamist parties, and is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. It was founded in 1928 in Egypt by the Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna and by the late 1940s had an...
. He has twice turned down offers to be its leader. In an interview on the Dream channel, al-Qaradawi states the following about his relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood (MB):
From Muslim Academics
In 2004, 2,500 Muslim academics from
Saudi ArabiaThe Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
,
IraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and from the Palestinian territories condemned al-Qaradawi, and accused him of giving "
IslamIslam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
a bad name." with regard to his views on the rights of Palestinians to defend themselves against Israelis.
From Islamic Scholars
Qaradawi's methodology has been analysed by other Ulama. The Pakistani Scholar,
Muhammad Taqi UsmaniMuhammad Taqi Usmani is a Hanafi Islamic scholar from Pakistan who was born in 1943. He served as a judge on the Federal Shariat Court of Pakistan from 1981 to 1982 and the Shari'a Appellate Bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan from 1982 to 2002. He is an expert in the fields of Islamic...
has stated that "There is no doubt that I—as the lowest student of Islamic Fiqh—with my benefitting from the books of the outstanding Dr al-Qaradāwī to a very large extent, and my supreme wonderment at the majority of [his works], have found myself, in some particular issues, not in agreement with him in the results the he has arrived at, but these sorts of differences (ikhtilāf) in views based on juristic judgement (ijtihādī) are natural, and cannot be the [sole] basis for judging [their author] so long as the people of knowledge do not deem [the bearers of such opinions] to be weak intellectually, or in religion, and [in any case] the importance of these books and their value in scholarship and da‘wa are not affected by this to even the slightest, most insignificant degree."
In addition, he refers to some modern scholars by writing "What we see today, very unfortunately,is that the one who brings forward elevated ideas in his writings and lofty theories in his speech and his sermons often does not rise", "above the level of the layman" but exempts Qardawi by saying "As for the outstanding, erudite scholar, Dr Yūsuf al-Qaradāwī, may God (Most High) preserve him, God (Most High) has indeed made me fortunate enough to accompany him in travels and in residence, and sit with him and closely associate with him in long and repeated meetings. [From this] I found him manifest in his personality exemplary Islamic qualities, for he is a human being before he is a Muslim, and a devoted Muslim before he is a caller to Islam (dā‘iya), and a caller to Islam before he is a scholar and jurist."
Disagreement with Muhammad Sayyid Tantawy
"But, the Sheikh
TantawyMuhammad Sayyid Tantawy was an influential Islamic scholar in Egypt. From 1986 to 1996, he was the grand Mufti of Egypt...
entered, or was pushed to enter, the area of Fiqh Islamic jurisprudence. He did not prepare himself for the task. He did not study, practise, or write in Fiqh. He did not train himself in navigating through the deep waters of Fiqh. Therefore, he was not successful in many of his hard-hitting opinions. This was the reason of my disagreement with him despite the old friendship between us."
Entry into western countries
Al-Qaradawi has been banned from entering the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
since 1999 and the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
since 2008, though he visited London in 2004. In July 2003 he visited
StockholmStockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
,
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, for a conference at the
Stockholm MosqueZayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan's Mosque , commonly known as the Stockholm Mosque or the Stockholm Grand Mosque , is the largest mosque in Stockholm, Sweden. It is located at Kapellgränd 10, adjacent to the small park Björns trädgård, in the Södermalm district of Stockholm...
arranged by the Muslim Association of Sweden. During the conference al-Qaradawi expressed his support for suicide attacks against Israeli civilians, calling the fight against the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories a "necessary
JihadJihad , an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God ". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is...
".
Fatwa controversy with MEMRI
The
Middle East Media Research InstituteThe Middle East Media Research Institute is a Middle Eastern not for profit press monitoring organization with headquarters located in Washington, DC. MEMRI was co-founded in 1998 by Yigal Carmon, a former colonel in the Israeli military intelligence and Meyrav Wurmser, an Israeli-born, American...
(MEMRI) (citing Asharq Al-Awsat), alleges that al-Qaradawi issued a Fatwa following the
Iraqi insurgencyThe Iraqi Resistance is composed of a diverse mix of militias, foreign fighters, all-Iraqi units or mixtures opposing the United States-led multinational force in Iraq and the post-2003 Iraqi government...
, saying,
All of the Americans in Iraq are combatants, there is no difference between civilians and soldiers, and one should fight them, since the American civilians came to Iraq in order to serve the occupation. The abduction and killing of Americans in Iraq is a [religious] obligation so as to cause them to leave Iraq immediately. The mutilation of corpses [however] is forbidden in Islam.
Al-Qaradawi, however, denies this allegation:
I have not published a Fatwa on this issue. At the Egyptian Journalists' Union a few days ago I was asked about the permissibility of fighting against the occupation in Iraq, and I answered that it is permitted. Afterwards I was asked concerning the American civilians in Iraq and I merely responded with the question – are there American civilians in Iraq? It is a matter of common knowledge that in Fatwas such as these I do not use the word "killing" but rather I say "struggle," which is a more comprehensive word than the word "killing" and whose meaning is not necessarily to kill. In addition, I have condemned the taking of hostages on a number of occasions in the past and have demanded that they be released and that their lives not be threatened.
Shaker Al-NabulsiShaker Al Nabulsi - Dr. Shaker Al Nabulsi is an American author and columnist of Jordanian descent. He is a signatory of the St Petersburg Declaration and has authored numerous books and written widely-cited articles on politics, religion, literature and the Arab world.He noted that "There are...
, a former Muslim who writes for the liberal site Ethal, called for the creation of a petition to the UN calling to put Qaradawi and his like on trial for incitement and support of
terrorismTerrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
.
Alcohol fatwa controversy
Al-Qaradawi issued a fatwa in 2008 stating that the consumption of tiny amounts of
alcoholIn chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
(<0.5% concentration or 5/1000) was acceptable for Muslims. The statement was made regarding
energy drinkEnergy drinks are beverages whose producers advertise that they "boost energy." These advertisements usually do not emphasize energy derived from the sugar and caffeine they contain but rather increased energy release due to a variety of stimulants and vitamins....
s, where fermentation occurs naturally as part of the production process. This does not contradict with the widespread view that consuming alcohol is totally forbidden to Muslims. (chapter 5: verses 90–91). The fermentation in this process is natural and unavoidable, similarly it is an extremely small proportion.
Awards and recognition
Al-Qaradawi has been awarded by various countries and institutions for his contributions to Islamic society. Among them are
- King Faisal International Prize for Islamic Studies – 1994
- The Islamic Development Bank (IDB)
The Islamic Development Bank is a multilateral development financing institution located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It was founded by the first conference of Finance Ministers of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference , convened 23 Dhu'l Qa'dah 1393 AH.The bank officially began its activities on...
Prize in Islamic Economics – 1991
- Sultan Al Owais Award for Cultural & Scientific Achievements – 1998–1999
- Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah (Sultan of Brunei) Award for Islamic Jurisprudence – 1997
- Dubai International Holy Quran Award
The Dubai International Holy Quran Award is an annual award given for memorization of the Qur'an sponsored by the government of the United Arab Emirates Alhumdulillah.-External links:* *...
for Islamic Personality of the Year – 2000
- Tokoh Ma'al Hijrah (Hijra of the Prophet) award by the Malaysian Government −2009
- The State Acknowledgement Award for contributions in the field of Islamic Studies from the Government of Qatar – 2008
The Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies, part of the
Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community DevelopmentQatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development is a government-funded, chartered, non-profit organization in the state of Qatar, founded in 1995 by decree of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of Qatar and chaired by Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned...
, instituted the "Sheikh Yusuf Al Qaradawi Scholarships" in 2009, awarding them to five students each year for post-graduate studies. It also named after him its newly established research centre, The Qaradawi Center for Islamic Moderation and Renewal.
He is a trustee of the Oxford University Center for Islamic Studies and has been named as the technical consultant for a multi-million dollar English-language film about Prophet Muhammed produced by Barrie Osborne.
A 2008
Foreign PolicyForeign Policy is a bimonthly American magazine founded in 1970 by Samuel P. Huntington and Warren Demian Manshel.Originally, the magazine was a quarterly...
poll put him at No.3 in the list of the Top 20 Public Intellectuals worldwide.
Fiqh az Zakat
Al -Qaradawi has authored more than 80 books and his academic style and objective thought are considered to be some of the main characteristics of his works. His most famous work is
The Lawful and Prohibited in Islam. Professor Mustafa al-Zarqa declared that owning a copy of it was "the duty of every Muslim family." His book
Fiqh al-Zakat is considered by some as the most comprehensive work in the area of
zakatZakāt , one of the Five Pillars of Islam, is the giving of a fixed portion of one's wealth to charity, generally to the poor and needy.-History:Zakat, a practice initiated by Muhammed himself, has played an important role throughout Islamic history...
.
Abul Ala MaududiSyed Abul A'ala Maududi , also known as Molana or Shaikh Syed Abul A'ala Mawdudi, was a Sunni Pakistani journalist, theologian, Muslim revivalist leader and political philosopher, and a major 20th century Islamist thinker. He was also a prominent political figure in Pakistan and was the first...
commented on it as "the book of this century in Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh)"
The prominent
DeobandiDeobandi is a movement of Sunni Islam. The movement began at Darul Uloom Deoband in Deoband, India, where its foundation was laid on 30 May 1866.-History:...
Islamic scholar
Muhammad Taqi UsmaniMuhammad Taqi Usmani is a Hanafi Islamic scholar from Pakistan who was born in 1943. He served as a judge on the Federal Shariat Court of Pakistan from 1981 to 1982 and the Shari'a Appellate Bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan from 1982 to 2002. He is an expert in the fields of Islamic...
, said this about the work:
The first book that read in its entirety of his works is his valuable book Fiqh al-Zakat, and I benefitted much from this great, encyclopedic, rewarding work through which the author did a great service to the second of the pillars of Islam, in a way that the umma needs today, when it comes to the application of zakat at the level of the individual and the group. Indeed this work manifested the genius of its author, and his inventive methodology, not only in the clarification of issues pertaining to zakat and their compilation, but in stimulating research in contemporary topics that no one before him had touched upon, and basing them upon the principles fiqh and its jurisprudential theory.
Fiqh al Jihad
His book
Fiqh al-Jihad has been widely commented on.
The GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
s writes:
This book has also been analyzed by
University of MichiganThe University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
professor
Sherman JacksonSherman A. Jackson is an American scholar. He is the King Faisal Chair of Islamic Thought and Culture and Professor of Religion and American Studies and Ethnicity at the University of Southern California. He was formerly the Arthur F...
and Tunisian reformer Rachid Ghannouchi.
His views on jihad have attracted criticism from some hard line groups:
Major works
Some of al-Qaradawi's major works are:
He has also published some excerpts of his poetry in the book Nafahat wa Lafahat
.
Al-Qaradawi has also been the subject of the book The Global Mufti: The Phenomenon of Yusuf al-Qaradawi
published by Columbia University Press. He is also profiled as one of the leading liberal voices in contemporary Islam in Charles KurzmanCharles Kurzman is a Professor of Sociology at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who specializes in Middle East and Islamic studies. Among his publications are:* * * * * -External links:*...
's book Liberal Islam: A Sourcebook, published by
Oxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
.
See also
- Abdullah bin Bayyah
- Khurshid Ahmad
- Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
- Quick list on Islam
External links
- Islam Online
- Personal website (in Arabic)
- Al-Qaradawi's books translated into English and French
- Wolfgang G. Schwanitz
Wolfgang G. Schwanitz is a German-American Middle East historian. He is a specialist in comparative studies of modern international relations between the United States, the Middle East, and Europe...
: Global Mufti al-Qaradawi, Webversion 12-2010
- "Shaykh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi: Portrait of a leading Islamist cleric", Ana Belén Soage, Middle East Review of International Affairs
Middle East Review of International Affairs is a quarterly journal on Middle East issues edited by Barry Rubin and published by the Global Research in International Affairs Center of the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Israel, which he also owns and directs.The GLORIA Center also publishes...
, 12/1 (March 2008), pp. 51–65
- Yusuf al-Qaradawi and Minorities: Learned Intolerance, Qantara.de
Qantara.de is an Internet portal in German, English, Arabic and Turkish, designed to promote intercultural dialogue between the Western and the Islamic world....
- Daily Assembly 14 September 2005, Mayor of London about Qardawi and Pope John XXIII, pp. 12–13, Greater London Authority
The Greater London Authority is the top-tier administrative body for Greater London, England. It consists of a directly elected executive Mayor of London, currently Boris Johnson, and an elected 25-member London Assembly with scrutiny powers...