Council of Senior Scholars (Saudi Arabia)
The Council of Senior Scholars (Hay'at Kibar al-‘Ulama - هيئة كبار العلماء, also known as the Senior Council of
History
Prior to 1971, the council met informally, headed by the Grand Mufti.[1]
On 29 August 1972 King Faisal ibn Abd al-Aziz issued a royal decree establishing the Council.[5]
Until 2009, the body was restricted to members of the
As of 2022, the Grand Mufti,
Fatawa
The Senior Council assists in reviewing requests for fatwas prepared by the four (or five) member
The Senior Council and the Permanent Committee issue fatwas, the
Ulama
While the ulama of Saudi Arabia and the Council are sometimes used interchangeably (for example here Archived 2019-01-26 at the Wayback Machine), in fact, of the estimated 7,000 to 10,000 people that made up the ulama and their families in the 90s and which might have reached 20,000 in 2011 as per Sherifa Zuhur,[8] only thirty to forty of the most senior scholars "exercised substantive political influence".[4]
Oversight
According to Simon Henderson, the council must give a fatwa of approval before a new king is crowned.
Support for monarchy
The Council is often used to provide religious support for government edicts. For example, in 2011 it issued a fatwa ruling against protest demonstrations calling them "deviant intellectual and partisan connections". Demonstrations "and anything that leads to disunity and fragmentation of the nation" were not allowed under Sharia (Islamic law). Reform could only come from giving advice and counsel, "and not by issuing and collecting signatures on intimidating and incendiary statements that violate what God the most High has commanded" (sura 4, aya 83, of the Koran were cited in support).[11]
It is rarely in opposition to government policy, and when it does disagree, the Council generally expresses it by silence.[2] Observers differ as to how much influence the Council has. Many believe the government generally consults the Council prior to issuing legislation, while other believe that "more often than not", the government does "as it likes and then seeks approval after the fact".[2] According to Christopher Boucek,[12] the influence of the Council and ulema in general varies according to how "secure" the royal family feels. Great levels of royal confidence lead to less disregard shown to, and greater control over the religious establishment.[2] Unlike other ulema, Saudi scholars do not have income-generating lands or endowments to fund them and are dependent on government salaries.[1]
In 1992
See also
- College of Cardinals
- Islam in Saudi Arabia
- Wahhabi movement
- Assembly of Experts, a council of Islamic theologians
References
- ^ a b c d e "Saudi Arabia: The Coming Storm" By Peter W. Wilson p. 26-27
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Saudi Fatwa Restrictions and the State-Clerical Relationship"| by Christopher Boucek| Carnegie Endowment| 27 October 2010
- ^ Bligh, Alexander. 1985. " The Saudi Religious Elite (Ulama) as Participant in the Political System of the Kingdom." International Journal of Middle East Studies 17, no. 1, 37-50
- ^ a b "Council of Senior Ulama". globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
- ^ Islamopedia: "Standing Committee for Scholarly Research and Issuing Fatwas, (Saudi Arabia)" Archived February 26, 2012, at the Wayback Machine retrieved 22 June 2013
- ^ Saudi Gazette: "Council of Senior Ulema reconstituted" Archived 2012-09-15 at the Wayback Machine 22 June 2013| (list of members of the council)
- ^ Al Arabiya: "Saudi Arabia blocks 'Islam Question and Answer'" (in Arabic) 2 September 2010
- ^ Sherifa Zuhur, Saudi Arabia, ABC-CLIO, 2011, p. 189
- ^ Henderson, Simon. "After King Abdullah Succession in Saudi Arabia" (PDF). August 2009. Washington Institute for Near East Policy. p. 9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 January 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
The ulama must then declare the new king an imam (Muslim leader).The declaration can only be made on the basis of a fatwa indicating that the decision is legitimate. The approval of the nation's religious leaders not only authenticates the succession on religious grounds but also serves as a reminder of the historically close relationship between the House of Saud and the dominant Salafi version of Islam in the kingdom. In theory, a danger exists that the ulama will be independent in its judgment and issue a fatwa bequeathing leadership outside the normal line of succession, but this has never happened. The ulama issuing the fatwa comprises members of the Supreme Religious Council, appointed by the king.
- ^ a b Olivier Roy; Antoine Sfeir (eds.). Columbia World Dictionary of Islamism. p. 403.
Abd el-Wahhab's doctrine lays down that people are subject to the absolute authority of the sovereign in return for the sovereign's absolute obedience to the law of God ... The sovereign's fidelity to his commitment must therefore be verified by a body of `ulema` whose role is to examine his politics to verify that they conform to the principles of Islam
- ^ "Saudi Arabia: The Regime Invokes Sharia Law to Prevent Public Protest". 10 March 2011. Library of Congress, US. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- ^ an associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- ^ Hoteit, Lamis; Courtney C. Radsch (4 October 2009). "Saudi cleric sacked over co-ed university spat". AL Arabiya News. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
External links
- General Presidency of Scholarly Research and Ifta' (Fatawa of Council of Senior Scholars), retrieved 9 March 2014