Askimam
_logo.jpg){kind=logo} Askimam logo on 16 July 2021 | |
_16_July_2021.jpg) Screenshot of Askimam's Belief Category on 16 July 2021 | |
Type of site | Islamic, Hanafi, Legal/Religious |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | South Africa |
| Created by | Ebrahim Desai |
| URL | askimam |
| Commercial | No |
| Registration | Required |
| Launched | 2000
|
| Current status | Active |
Askimam is a website providing information regarding Islam. It was founded by South African Islamic scholar and jurist Ebrahim Desai in 2000. The answers on this website are reflections of the juristic views of the Hanafi Deobandi school of thought.
History
The website was started by Ebrahim Desai, who formerly headed the Darul Ifta of Madrasah In'aamiyyah.[1] V. Šisler suggests that "askimam.org appears to be a technically-updated mirror of the site ask-imam.com", the latter being operative since 2000, however the former being launched in 2004.[2] The aim of the portal is to "provide easy access to common Islamic questions and answers to anyone using the World Wide Web".[2]
According to G. R. Bunt, "Askimam represents a Muslim institution/individual in a minority context, which has acquired a broad global audience for its opinions, which are sought from a variety of religious perspectives. Several new fatwas emerge on the site every day, making this a site likely to receive substantial return visits from interested surfers. The questions themselves indicate some of the challenges facing Muslims today, although it is not possible to quantify the effect or influence that this information has on individuals or communities."[3] In August 2002, the website contained about 4686 religious edicts.[4] Bunt maintains that this "English-language fatwa website is more comprehensive, wide-ranging and potentially influential than the combined web resources of al-Azhar and its sympathisers."[5]
Farhana discussing the site mentions that "A survey of the structure of the fatwas on askimam.org in 2011 revealed that while Desai's students hail from different geographical locations, they generate the bulk of fatwas, and as a master teacher, he was the final authority, as indicated by the closing line at the end of each fatwa: 'checked and approved by Mufti Ebrahim Desai'."[6] The site's founder died on 15 July 2021 in Durban.[7]
Approach
Askimam website reflects the outlook of the Deobandi Hanafi school of thought, and according to Farhana "its answers are concise and do not always provide substantial textual analysis and justifications, and acknowledge the difference between ijtihad and fatwas".[8] Bunt adds that, "the scholars and jurists at Askimam distinguish between the opinions of the four Sunni schools of jurisprudence, and other religious opinions."[9] The questioning guidelines available at the site mention that, "Askimam.org is reserved for Fiqh (Jurisprudence) related queries and only caters for Hanafi fiqh questions." It also suggests people following other Sunni schools of thought to ask their appropriate scholars."[10]
References
- ^ Mohiuddin, Afshan; Suleman, Mehrunisha; Rasheed, Shoaib; Padela, Aasim I. (2020). "When can Muslims withdraw or withhold life support? A narrative review of Islamic juridical rulings". Global Bioethics. 31 (1): 29–46. doi:10.1080/11287462.2020.1736243. PMC 7144300. PMID 32284707.
- ^ a b VÍT ŠISLER. "EUROPEAN COURTS ́ AUTHORITY CONTESTED? THE CASE OF MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE FATWAS ON-LINE". Masaryk University Journal of Law and Technology: 65.
- ^ Farhana 2015, p. 51.
- ^ Bunt 2003, p. 168.
- ^ Bunt 2003, p. 173.
- ^ Farhana 2015, p. 19.
- ^ "Famous Fatwah Portal Ask Imam's Mufti Ebrahim Desai passes away". The Chenab Times. 16 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
- ^ Farhana 2015, p. 52.
- ^ Bunt 2003, p. 172.
- ^ "Questioning guidelines at Askimam". Askimam. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
Bibliography
- Farhana, Ismail (2015). An analysis of the discursive representations of women's sexual agency in online fatwas: a case study of askimam.org (Thesis). University of KwaZulu-Natal. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
- Bunt, Gary R (2003). "Sunni Religious Authority on the Internet II: Muslim Minority Contexts". Islam in the Digital Age: E-Jihad, Online Fatwas and Cyber Islamic Environments. Pluto Press. p. 167-183. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
- Kutcher, Jens (2011). "Islamic Shura, Democracy, and Online Fatwas". CyberOrient. 5 (2). American Anthropological Association, Faculty of Arts Charles University: 50–72.