Grand Mufti

:"This page is about the title and persons carrying the title. For the former Grand Mufti of Jerusalem (from 1921-1948), see Mohammad Amin al-Husayni" The title of Grand Mufti ( _ar. مفتي عام) refers to the highest official of religious law in a Sunni Muslim country. The Grand Mufti issues legal opinions and edicts, fatwa, on interpretations of Islamic law for private clients or to assist judges in deciding cases. The collected opinions of the Grand Mufti serve as a valuable source of information on the practical application of Islamic law as opposed to its abstract formulation. The Grand Mufti's fataawa (plural of "fatwa") are not binding precedents in areas of civil laws regulating marriage, divorce, and inheritance. In criminal courts, the Grand Mufti's recommendations are generally not binding either. In the Ottoman Caliphate the Grand Mufti was a state official, and the Grand Mufti of Constantinople was the highest of these. The British retained the institution in some Muslim areas under their control and accorded the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem the highest political stature. In countries such as Australia where the office of Grand Mufti receives no official seal of government imprimatur, clerics can be elected to the position by one segment of the Islamic community in that country and yet not be recognised by other Muslim communities in that country. [citebook|title=Cultural Anthropology|author=Alexander Moore|pages=389|year= 1998|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|id=ISBN 0939693488]

Current Grand Muftis

The following clerics, among others, carry the title of Grand Mufti:

*Lebanon's Grand Mufti, Mohammed Rashid Qabbani
*Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti, Abdul-Azeez ibn Abdullaah Aal ash-Shaikh
*Republic of Albania's Grand Mufti, Hafiz Sabri Cocki
*Australia's Grand Mufti (unofficial), Fehmi Naji El-Imam
*Bosnia and Herzegovina's Grand Mufti, Mustafa Ef. Cerić
*Arab Republic of Egypt's Grand Mufti, Ali Gomaa
*Grand Mufti of Marseille (France), Soheib Bencheikh
*Islamic Republic of Pakistan's Grand Mufti, Munibur Rahmaan
*Russian Federation's Grand Mufti, Ravil Gainutdin
*Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Grand Mufti,(unofficial) Nazim al-Qubrusi
*Syria's Grand Mufti is Ahmad Bader Hassoun

Collective Grand Mufti

Indonesia has a unique system of mufti, in which the position of Grand Mufti is held by Indonesian Ulama Council (Majelis Ulama Indonesia). This assembly can make fataawa (plural of fatwa), such as the fatwa about Ahmadiyah

Past Grand Muftis

*The Palestinian Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Amin al-Husayni (deceased July 4, 1974)
*Pakistani and Subcontinent's Grand Mufti, Mufti Muhammad Shafi (deceased , 1970s)
*Saudi Arabian Grand Mufti, Abd-al-Aziz ibn Abd-Allah ibn Baaz (deceased May 13, 1999)
*Syrian Arab Republic's Grand Mufti, Ahmed Kuftaro (deceased September 1, 2004)
*Australian ex-Grand Mufti, Taj El-Din Hilaly.

References