Fatawa Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyya

Fatawa Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyya (Arabic: فتاوى دار الإفتاء المصرية, also published under the title al-Fatawa al-Islamiyya min Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyya) is a multi-volume official compendium of selected legal rulings issued by successive Grand Muftis of Egypt at Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyya from 1313 AH / 1895 CE onward Fatawa Dar al-Ifta al-Mis…+1.

Background and Publication

The initiative to publish the archive of Dar al-Ifta's rulings was launched during the tenure of Grand Mufti Jad al-Haqq Ali Jad al-Haqq Fatawa Dar al-Ifta al-Mis…+1. The collection draws directly from the official registers preserved in the library of Dar al-Ifta, beginning with the first register established on 7 Jumada al-Akhira 1313 AH / 21 November 1895 CE under the Grand Mufti and Shaykh al-Azhar Hassunah al-Nawawi Fatawa Dar al-Ifta al-Mis…+1. Official fatwas prior to that date were housed in the National Archives (Dar al-Watha'iq al-Qawmiyya) Fatawa Dar al-Ifta al-Mis….

In Ramadan 1400 AH / July 1980 CE, Dr. Zakariyya al-Barri, Egypt's Minister of Awqaf and president of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (al-Majlis al-A'la lil-Shu'un al-Islamiyya), commissioned the Council to print and publish the collected fatwas with financial and institutional backing, supported by successive ministers of justice Fatawa Dar al-Ifta al-Mis…+1.

Editorial Method and Structure

The preparation of the collection was carried out by the Mufti's Technical Office, which established two specialized judicial divisions staffed by judges and public prosecutors who held degrees from al-Azhar's Faculty of Sharia Fatawa Dar al-Ifta al-Mis…+1. One division was tasked with sorting and indexing the registers, extracting overarching legal principles (al-mabadi'), and selecting representative fatwas, while the other assisted the Grand Mufti in conducting comparative jurisprudential research Fatawa Dar al-Ifta al-Mis….

Because the institutional registers contained duplicate and repetitive inquiries, the publication adopted a selective format focusing on practical legal applications and comparative jurisprudence Fatawa Dar al-Ifta al-Mis…. The initial publication phase compiled miscellaneous rulings (al-mutanawwi'), with plans for separate dedicated series covering endowments (waqf), criminal law (jinayat), and inheritance (mawarith) Fatawa Dar al-Ifta al-Mis…+1. By early reporting in the compilation, twelve volumes had been produced Fatawa Dar al-Ifta al-Mis….

Each fatwa entry in the work is arranged under a standardized format:

• The subject heading and title of the inquiry Fatawa Dar al-Ifta al-Mis…+1.
• The name of the issuing Grand Mufti and the date of issuance (both Hijri and Gregorian where recorded) Fatawa Dar al-Ifta al-Mis…+1.
• Enumerated legal principles (al-Mabadi') distilled from the ruling Fatawa Dar al-Ifta al-Mis…+1.
• The question (al-Su'al), including the querent's identity or official source and registry details Fatawa Dar al-Ifta al-Mis…+1.
• The reasoned legal verdict (al-Jawab), complete with citations to classical legal texts and Quranic and hadith evidence Fatawa Dar al-Ifta al-Mis…+1.

The opening volume also contains an extensive introductory treatise examining the history, rules, and sources of fatwa issuance, the role of muftis, and the institutional development of Dar al-Ifta Fatawa Dar al-Ifta al-Mis…+1.

Scope and Content

The compendium includes fatwas from successive Grand Muftis of Egypt, including Hassunah al-Nawawi, Muhammad Abduh, Muhammad Bakhit al-Muti'i, Abd al-Rahman Qara'ah, and Jad al-Haqq Ali Jad al-Haqq, among others Fatawa Dar al-Ifta al-Mis…+4.

Its contents encompass:

• Ritual worship and creedal issues Fatawa Dar al-Ifta al-Mis…+1.
• Financial transactions, gifts, and property law Fatawa Dar al-Ifta al-Mis…+1.
• Personal status, marriage, divorce, and family law controversies Fatawa Dar al-Ifta al-Mis…+1.
• Endowments and judicial rulings Fatawa Dar al-Ifta al-Mis…+1.
• Social issues, arts, and contemporary public events, such as communal incidents and international treaties Fatawa Dar al-Ifta al-Mis…+3.

Beyond its legal utility, the collection serves as a historical and sociological record reflecting public inquiries and the development of Egyptian society over more than eight decades Fatawa Dar al-Ifta al-Mis…+1.