Today, Monday, it was announced the death of the scholar Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi at the age of 96, who is considered one of the most prominent Sharia scholars in the Islamic world in the modern era, and was famous for adopting the approach of the school of facilitation and moderation based on combining the provisions of Sharia and the requirements of the era.

The legacy of Islamic reformism

The late Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi is described as the heir of the Islamic reform school. Historical awareness of the role of the scholar in life and society, while jurisprudence receded from public life and the role of the (religious) scholar in society diminished due to many factors, we find Al-Qaradawi accompanying the jurist’s reference and the role of the thinker preoccupied with the issues of the nation, so we find him present in major issues, expressing his position on them and mobilizing the masses for that."

Al-Khatib continued, considering this complex role that combines jurisprudence and thought, which is accompanied by a comprehensive role, "because it is a continuation of the legacy of reformism, as we find it among Egyptians such as Muhammad Abdo, and Tunisians such as Khair al-Din al-Tunisi, who believed that one of the obstacles to progress is that clerics know Sharia and do not He taught them worldly matters, and that politicians, on the contrary, know the world and do not know religion.

And he added, “Hence his reformist vision regarding the role of scholars is summed up in the fact that the guiding scholars are worthy of insight into the politics of their countries and consider the defects in their internal and external conditions, and to help the leaders of politics by arranging organizations woven according to the pattern of Sharia, considering them among the best interests, and from the necessary harms the least.” According to what Al-Khatib quoted on the authority of Al-Tunisi in his book, “The Best Paths in Knowing the Conditions of Kingdoms.”

Al-Khatib says that the role played by Al-Qaradawi is related to these same ideas and perceptions, and with all that, "Al-Qaradawi's keenness to establish a global scientific reference - prostrated by his founding of the International Union of Muslim Scholars in 2004 - was not outside the circle of his movements and the reality of his impact, as he met his scientific encyclopedia with a prestigious position." Among the innumerable scholars and peoples he met, and in particular his preoccupation with the Muslims of both the West and the East, in an effort to embody the Islamic nation that he constantly talks about and strives for its unity.

Al-Qaradawi Project

Al-Qaradawi’s books, intellectual opinions, and jurisprudential fatwas constituted a reliable reference and a wealthy source for the sons of what was known as the Islamic awakening since the sixties of the twentieth century, and shaped the culture of entire generations of students in particular, and researchers and scholars in general.

In addition to his books, Al-Qaradawi participated for decades in the establishment of many Islamic bodies and institutions in the fields of science, advocacy, charitable, economic and media fields.


In addressing the "intellectual map and cognitive creativity", Al-Khatib wrote about Al-Qaradawi's encyclopedia, who compiled important books in areas, the most important of which are interpretation and Quranic sciences, where he wrote "From the Objective Interpretation of the Qur'an", "Patience in the Qur'an", "Reason and Science in the Qur'an", and in the Sunnah of the Prophet He wrote many specialized books, adopting the approach to understanding the Sunnah in the light of the Qur’an, and wrote “The Sunnah as a source of knowledge and civilization” on the legislative aspect of the Sunnah and the Sunnah as a source of knowledge and as a source of civilization.

In the doctrine, the Sheikh classified messages, including “The Existence of God,” “The Reality of Monotheism,” “The Phenomenon of Exaggeration in Atonement,” “Belief in Predestination,” and others.

The reformed jurist who did not turn a blind eye to the issues of the nation and the holder of prominent political positions, after which he was repeatedly arrested.. The departure of the scholar Dr. # Yusuf_Al-Qaradawi pic.twitter.com/v5XSSZAjQn

- Al Jazeera Egypt (@AJA_Egypt) September 26, 2022

In the field of “facilitating jurisprudence,” the Sheikh wrote the series “Facilitating Jurisprudence for the Contemporary Muslim in the Light of the Qur’an and Sunnah,” trying to facilitate understanding on the one hand, and facilitate work and application on the other, according to Al-Khatib.

Al-Qaradawi also wrote in Usul al-Fiqh and Jurisprudential Heritage and dedicated his book “How to Deal with Heritage, Doctrine and Difference,” acknowledging that heritage is the work of the Islamic mind and has no infallibility or sanctity in itself. Change, and defined in the book "Religion and Politics" his concept of the state, the system of government, minorities, "legal politics" and issues of the Imamate and others.

In addition to scientific and intellectual work and methodological rooting, Al-Qaradawi wrote a view of the Islamic awakening trend. He wrote “The Imperative of the Islamic Solution.” His book, “Islam Civilization of Tomorrow” was devoted to the criticism of Western civilization, and he wrote the treatise “The Factors of Capacity and Flexibility in Sharia” to show the capacity, flexibility and ability of Sharia to accommodate human development. And in the messages to rationalize the awakening, Al-Qaradawi wrote “Features of the Muslim Society that we seek,” “On the Jurisprudence of Priorities,” “Priorities of the Islamic Movement in the Next Stage,” “The Islamic Awakening between Legitimate Difference and Reprehensible Dissent,” and the book “Islamic Awakening from Adolescence to Adulthood.”

Al-Qaradawi wrote on the jurisprudence of behavior and spirituality, and he has books including “God’s Life and Knowledge”, “Intention and Sincerity”, “Reliance” and “Repentance to God”. Rather, he was concerned with ensuring a decent standard of living and regular permanent aid. He was preoccupied with the areas of poverty, zakat, banks and Islamic financial institutions. In his book “The Problem of Poverty,” he was concerned with taking care of the rights of the poor and preserving their dignity to reach a “perfectly sufficient” society.

In one of the episodes of the Sharia and Life program, Al-Qaradawi said, “Politics has turned into bloodshed, perpetration of crime, and a plan for evil.. This does not become politics. To mend the hernia," he said, adding that political reform starts from the bottom.

An unfinished encyclopedia

In his elegiac article in the Al Jazeera blogs, the academic and researcher in Islamic purposes Wasfi Ashour Abu Zayd wrote, saying that Al-Qaradawi's life was "an example of the working scientist, the mujahid jurist, the firm fundamentalist, and the pioneering thinker who left the world and left it before he saw an encyclopedia of his complete works that will soon be published in more out of 100 volumes.

Abu Zayd added, "Imam al-Qaradawi left with these large and huge volumes a legacy that would reform the Muslim nation, but rather humanity, because of his facilitation in fatwas, evangelism in advocacy, guidance in opinion, wisdom in action, and sincerity in literature, his prose and poetry."

However, he added, "However, the greatest distinguishing feature of Imam al-Qaradawi is neither jurisprudence nor fatwa, although he was a pioneer in this field and again, but he was distinguished by the human aspects and high-end feelings that he was surrounded by whenever we saw him or saw us." (The second of Rabi’ al-Awwal 1345 AH – 30 Safar 1444 AH), he visited the world and wrote in it in every field of Islam: belief and faith, jurisprudence and principles, da’wah and recommendation, fatwa and ijtihad. And I saw students for him, and monitored for him books translated into worldly languages, so Muslims benefited from him: scholars and preachers, jurists and muftis, Muslims and non-Muslims.