The 7^th Annual Contemporary Fiqhī Issues Workshop

Date: July 4-5, 2019

Venue: Al-Mahdi Institute, Birmingham, UK

Islam has institutionalized, endorsed, and at times even enforced different forms of paying dues with the objective of providing for different categories of social or individual needs and requirements. Both mandatory and recommended categories of taxes and dues that Islam promotes are classified under the generic title of ṣadaqāt, which include zakāt, khums, fidya, kaffāra, fiṭra, waqf etc.

In the contemporary age, Muslims reside in an array of governing models (from Islamic government models to secular states) and this raises important questions relating to the efficacy and the potential for the evolution of financial institutions for Islamic taxes and dues. These questions are pertinent for Muslims living in the West, wherein they are already subject to mandatory dues or state taxation structures, which are levied irrespective of a person’s religious identity.

The 7^th annual Fiqhī workshop at the Al-Mahdi Institute seeks to facilitate scholarship by directly addressing questions that analyze the origins, current structures and further development of financial institutions for Islamic dues. The Workshop topics include:

• Historical and contextual studies regarding financial institutions for taxes and dues that were institutionalized and endorsed by Islam, and their efficacy for past and present Muslim societies.

• Critical analysis of textual and theological foundations used to derive rulings about financial institutions for Islamic taxes and dues.

• (Re)assessing potential developments in jurisprudential and theological approaches, affecting prospective efficacy of Islamic taxes and dues.

• Empirical research analyzing grassroot performances and acceptance of financial institutions for Islamic taxes and dues. In particular, examining how taxes, dues and charity (ṣadaqa) are channeled through religious authority structures and their impact upon the ultimate beneficiaries.

The workshop is pleased to host presenters from both traditional seminary and academic backgrounds, presenting from a range of disciplines.

Source: Al-Mahdi Institute