The twenty-fifth session of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA) discussed on Tuesday, 01 Shabaan 1444H correspondent to 21 February 2023G, a number of contemporary jurisprudential issues, including the rulings concerning social media and its principles, the phenomenon of street children, and the impact of modern mental illnesses on legal capacity in Islamic law.

The panel discussion related to social media dealt with the shariah rulings on various activities on social media websites, including e-commerce, the enforcement of contracts and liabilities through modern means of communication, and the transmission and posting of forbidden content and false information on social media.

IIFA Scholars and experts recommended enacting strict regulations to hold accountable any person or entity that publishes offensive content and raising awareness about the objectives of social media and its optimal use, in addition to ensuring the dissemination of purposeful and informative content through social media.

They also urged researchers and technology specialists to find solutions to facilitate the conduct of commercial contracts and testifying through modern means of communication while avoiding the negative consequences that may result from that.

On its second day, the IIFA session investigated the phenomenon of street children and child labour. As far as this phenomenon is concerned, scholars and experts confirmed that the emergence and spread of this problem have two reasons: the almost complete collapse of moral restraint and the absence of a legal deterrent.

They emphasized that the appropriate Shariah rule for this phenomenon is prohibition because it is considered an injustice and exploitation.

The scholars and experts explained that addressing this phenomenon is achieved through enhancing moral awareness and strict application of the penalties stipulated by the laws for anyone involved, whether it be the child’s guardian, relative, gang, or other agents.

The IIFA session also discussed the impact of modern mental illnesses on legal capacity in Islamic law, detailing the types of mental illnesses and their relationship to criminal liability.

Scholars and experts also discussed the principles for implementing the objectives of Islamic law (maqasid) in conducting contemporary financial transactions in accordance with Shariah.

It is expected that the IIFA will issue resolutions dealing with these emerging issues within the framework of the authentic collective jurisprudential reasoning (ijtihad) of the scholars of the Muslim world in the current era.

The current session witnesses the participation of 200 scholars from the OIC member states with expertise and specialization in Shariah disciplines, economics, medicine, and sociology to discuss 160 research papers on the issues and topics of the session.