Royal Activities
Monday 29 June 2015

HM the King, Commander of the Faithful, Chairs Fifth Religious Lecture of Ramadan

HM the King, Commander of the Faithful, Chairs Fifth Religious Lecture of Ramadan

 HM King Mohammed VI, Commander of the Faithful, accompanied by HRH Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan and HRH Prince Moulay Rachid, chaired, Monday at the Royal Palace in Casablanca, the fifth religious lecture of the holy month of Ramadan.

 

   The lecture was delivered by Widad Aidouni, member of the local Ulema Council of Tangier, under the theme of "Jihad between the requirements of Sharia and the innovation of the era" drawing on the Quranic verse: "if they had referred it back to the Messenger or to those of authority among them, then the ones who [can] draw correct conclusions from it would have known about it." (Surrat Annisa, verse 83).

 

   The lecturer tackled four main points: the definition of the concept of Ijtihad and the stages of its development until the emergence of Islamic doctrines, the techniques of Ijtihad and its evolution, the situation of Ijtihad in Morocco, and the prospects of Ijtihad in the light of societal developments.

 

   She emphasized that the concept of Ijtihad refers to the mental and intellectual effort needed to reach a judgment on a case which has not been the subject of any explicit text of the Qur'an or the Sunnah and no unanimity among the believers, underlining that ijtihad is the ideal way to reconcile religion and evolution of the community, following criteria and rules defined by religious scholars.

 

   Aidouni added that the person who is vested with the mission of Ijtihad shall consider the public interest and the needs of believers as the purpose of Sharia is to reform society and fight all misdeeds and manifestations of evil and depravity.

 

   The mission of the person interpreting the Quranic verses is to ensure that society's interests are preserved, she said, adding that all that is contrary to equity, general interest and wisdom is opposed to Sharia.

 

   The lecturer, who noted that the Qur'an boasts over 300 verses that encourage ijtihad, said that this noble mission rests solely with scholars and Ulemas who are well aware of doctrinal issues and enjoy the intellectual qualities required to understand the religious texts.

 

   According to Aidnouni, Moroccan scholars have not been on the fringes of this movement as evidenced by the many history books that have addressed this issue, citing several Moroccan scholars who have made meritorious contributions to the interpretation of Quranic verses and the understanding of the divine message.

 

   At the end of this religious lecture, HM the King was greeted by several scholars from the Islamic world.

MAP 29 June 2015