Centre gears up to fatwas on fasting and Ramadan

More than one million fatwas (Islamic rulings) were issued by the Ifta' centre, which is responsible for issuing religious rulings, from August 2008 to June this year, a senior official said. Dr Mohammad Al Kaabi, director-general of the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments (GAIAE), said they had prepared for a bigger number of enquiries on issues related to fasting and Ramadan by arranging for several fatwas to be published in the coming days. The high demand of people seeking to get correct Islamic rulings on different aspects of their lives has seen the authority expand from offering toll-free phone services to a fully fledged centre. Al Kaabi told Gulf News that the Ifta' centre had answered 146,533 fatwas during the first six months of this year. The Ifta' centre answers Islamic enquiries. More than 1,000 calls are received daily at the centre and this number exceeds 3,800 during Ramadan, Al Kaabi said. He added that the centre will be fully operational during Ramadan. A large number of fatwas related to fasting and Zakat have been gathered and prepared for publication in the press. Workshops will be organised soon with the aim of unifying the fatwas, particularly those related to modern issues. Around 40 well-educated Muftis (men and women) work at the centre to answer enquiries, Al Kaabi said. He said the number of enquiries on Islamic ruling had increased since the service began. The Centre for Ifta' was established at the GAIAE's premises in May 2008. Al Kaabi said the toll-free number (8002422) received between 200 and 250 calls each day during 2007. "The centre put an end to individual fatwas, which were issued here and there, which caused doubt and trouble among people." Al Kaabi added that the centre unifies and regulates Ifta' in the UAE. It also protects Muslims from improvised or false fatwas, while establishing direct contact between the people, and religious and Sharia (Islamic law) scholars, he added. The centre also enhances religious awareness and instils the Islamic concepts of moderation and tolerance, in addition to understanding society's needs, and helping people resolve their problems in compliance with Sharia, Al Kaabi added. The centre answers Muslims' enquiries in three languages (Arabic, English and Urdu). From / Gulf News