Egypt's Official Fatwa-Issuing Body In Attack On Calls For Jihad Against Israel By Qatar-Affiliated International Union Of Muslim Scholars (IUMS): These Calls Are Irresponsible And A Violation Of Shari'a Law

Memri

08-04-2025

On March 31, 2025, the Qatar-based and funded International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) – an arm of the Qatari regime that disseminates anti-West extremist Islamic terrorist ideology – issued a fatwa (religious ruling) calling on all Muslims and all Islamic countries to wage jihad against Israel, and presenting this as an duty incumbent on every Muslim. [1]
In response to the fatwa, on April 7, 2025, Dar Al-Ifta, Egypt's official fatwa-issuing body, published a statement harshly attacking the IUMS fatwa and declaring that it contradicts shari'a law. No element or organization, it said in the statement, is entitled to issue religious rulings on a sensitive matter such as jihad in a manner contradicting Islamic shari'a law and endangering the stability of the Muslim countries and societies. It added that it is only the ruler and the country that may make decisions about war – not any entity or association lacking legitimate authority, and went on to assert: "A call to wage jihad, without taking into account the capabilities of the ummah [Islamic nation] and its existing political, military, and economic situation, is an irresponsible call, which contradicts the principles of shari'a."
Dar Al-Ifta further stressed in the statement that Islamic shari'a law warns against hasty decisions that do not take the public interest into consideration and are likely to increase the damage that will be done to the Muslim ummah (nation) and to society. It also said: "Whoever calls for waging jihad must, first and foremost, stand himself at the head of the ranks, just as the Prophet Muhammad led the battles."
It is notable that several days before the Dar Al-Ifta issued this statement, the Egyptian Salafi sheikh Yasser Borhamy spoke out against the IUMS fatwa. His move was viewed as corresponding to the position of the Egyptian regime. [2]
It may be that the tension between the IUMS and Dar Al-Ifta – religious institutions representing Qatar and Egypt respectively – reflects the tensions between the two countries, which have increased following the current "Qatargate" scandal in Israel and the allegations that Qatar had paid advisers to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to provide negative messages about Egypt to journalists, which would also lessen the latter's role as an honest broker between Israel and Hamas. These tensions were apparent in criticism of Qatar by Egyptian politicians and journalists, and accusations that it was scheming against Egypt. [3]
Emblem of the Egyptian Dar Al-Ifta (Source: Facebook.com/EgyptDarAlIftaMedia)
The following is a translation of Dar Al-Ifta's statement in response to the IUMS fatwa calling for jihad against Israel:
"In the name of Allah the Compassionate and the Merciful
"The Egyptian Dar Al-Ifta studied the calls published recently announcing that it is the duty of every Muslim to wage armed jihad against the Israeli occupation, and demanded of the Islamic countries that they intervene militarily immediately to impose a counter siege [on Israel].
"In the framework of our shari'a responsibility and based on the rules of Muslim jurisprudence and the foundations of the Islamic shari'a, Dar Al-Ifta declares the following:
"1. Jihad is an explicit shari'a concept that has clear and specific conditions, foundations, and goals from a standpoint of religious law. [No] particular element or organization has the right to initiate a religious ruling regarding such delicate and sensitive issues, in a manner which contradicts the rules of shari'a and its noble intentions or in a way which endangers the security of the societies and the stability of the Islamic countries.
"2. The Egyptian Dar Al-Ifta asserts that support of the Palestinian people and its legitimate rights is a shari'a, humanitarian, and moral obligation, but on the condition that the support will be in the framework of the interests of the Palestinian people and not in service of certain agendas or escapades whose consequences have not been taken into account and which will bring upon the Palestinians themselves more destruction, displacement, and disasters.
"3. One of the most prominent rules of the Islamic shari'a is that the declaration of jihad and the decision to wage war and fight are made only under a flag, and in our times, this is implemented [only] by a legitimate country and the political leadership, and not by means of statements that are issued by entities or associations which lack any legitimate authority and that do not represent the Muslims in theory or in practice. All incitement [urging] individuals to take action that opposes their countries and to come out against decisions made by the ruler are deemed a call to chaos, to unrest, and to degeneracy on earth, and this is forbidden by Allah and the Prophet [Muhammad].
"4. A call to wage jihad, without taking into consideration the capabilities of the ummah and its current political, military, and economic situation, is an irresponsible call which contradicts the principles of shari'a which instruct us to take measures and to take the outcomes into account. The Islamic shari'a encourages us to evaluate the benefits and damage, and warns against hasty decisions that don't consider the public interest and are even likely to multiply the damage that will be caused to the ummah and to society.
"5. One of the laws of Islam is that whoever calls for jihad must, first and foremost, stand himself at the head of the ranks, just as the Prophet Muhammad led the battles, [4] instead of sparking feelings and arousing emotions and leaving it to others to deal with the consequences.
"6. It would be wise and correspond to the aims of shari'a, if the efforts of the Islamic ummah were directed to serious work to stop the escalation and prevent the uprooting [of the Palestinians], rather than to ill-considered escapades that will deepen the crisis and worsen the tragedy of the Palestinians.
"Based on the above, the Egyptian Dar Al-Ifta stresses the necessity to gird oneself with knowledge of religious law, with wisdom and with insight and not to be influenced by grandiose slogans bereft of all logic or connection to reality..." [5]
[1] See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 11903, Fatwa By International Union Of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), Based In And Funded By Qatar, Declares 'Armed Jihad' Against Israel Obligatory For All Muslims, Calls To Urgently Form 'Islamic Military Alliance' Against Israel, March 31, 2025.
The International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) routinely disseminates extremist ideology and a discourse of hatred, incitement to jihad and terrorism and antisemitism, in a manner which corresponds to Qatar's support, for decades, of various terrorist organizations across the world. The IUMS was founded in 2004 by Egyptian-born sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradawi, an important Muslim Brotherhood (MB) ideologue known for his extremist positions in favor of jihad and terrorism and even in support of suicide attacks, as well as for his extremist positions regarding the West and the aspiration that Islam will control Europe. As a result of these positions, Al-Qaradawi became a controversial figure in the Islamic world and appears on designated terrorist lists in several Arab countries while he is forbidden to enter a number of Western countries. Those who have followed in his footsteps in the IUMS, such as Ahmad Al-Raissouni who was the group's chairman until 2022, and Ali Al-Qaradaghi who has been chairman since 2024, have held similar positions in favor of jihad and terrorism.
[2] Facebook.com/yasserborhamy, April 5, 2024; Arabi21.com, April 6, 2025; and Al-Arab (London), April 6, 2025.
[4] The Arabic term ghazwa is used to refer to raids and battles led by the Prophet Muhammad in the early days of Islam.
[5] Facebook.com/EgyptDarAlIftaMedia, April 7, 2025.