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The Practice of Fasting (Sawm) in the Modern World

The fiqhi rules and regulations governing the practice of fasting (sawm), observed by adherents of the Muslim faith, are derived from textual sources – the Qur’an and Hadith – by traditional usul al-fiqh methodology.  These regulations remained largely unchanged and unquestioned whilst Muslim peoples lived in similar geopolitical contexts to those prevalent in the formative years of Muslim history.

However, Muslims now reside in a diverse range of locations with very different contexts. This has increasingly resulted in these rules being questioned due to conflicts in the Muslim psyche regarding their applicability and relevance. New fiqhi questions relating to the practice of fasting have now arisen with a resultant need for scholarship to either offer contemporary justifications for traditional stances, or offer theoretically consistent alternatives. This workshop facilitated scholarship directly addressing the contemporary fiqhi issues facing the practice of fasting in the modern world.

Presenter Title of Paper View Abstract
Sheikh al-Mushtaq al-Khaqani
Imam al-Jawad Foundation for Thought & Culture, Iran
The Relevance of Time and Space in Religious Interpretation according to Sayyid Kamal al-Ḥaydari Click here
Dr Ali Fanaei & Riaz Walji 
Al-Mahdi Institute
Length of Fasting: A New Interpretation of the Relevant Texts Click here
Ayatullah Professor S. Mustafa Mohaghegh Damad 
Shahid Beheshti University & The Iranian Academy of Science
The Juristic Principle of Feasibility (al-Qā’idatu al-Maysūr) and its Applicability to Fasting Click here
Professor S. M.  Ghari Fatemi
Shahid Beheshti University
What Extent of Difficulty Relieves the Obligation of Fasting? Click here
Sheikh Arif Abdul Hussain 
Al-Mahdi Institute
Rethinking the Fiqh of Fasting within a Broader Framework Click here