Research output
Complete citation
al-Hudawi, Mohamed Jabir Ali, Emin Poljarević, and Khalil Ahmad. “A Critical Examination of the Theoretical Foundations of Wasaṭī Minority Jurisprudence.” Sociology of Islam 10, nos. 3–4 (2024): 258–279. https://doi.org/10.1163/22131418-10030007.
Status
Published (2024)
Publication type
Peer-reviewed journal article
Overview
This article critically examines the theoretical foundations of the waṣaṭī approach to minority jurisprudence, focusing particularly on the work of Yusuf al-Qaradawi and Taha Jabir al-Alwani. It presents waṣaṭiyya as an attempt to navigate between adaptationist and rejectionist approaches to the legal and ethical challenges faced by Muslim minorities. Through revivalist ijtihād, these scholars developed rulings intended to support Muslim participation and integration in non-Muslim-majority societies. The article nevertheless identifies limitations in a framework shaped mainly by Western minority contexts and insufficiently attentive to longer, more diverse histories of Muslim minority life. Its main contribution is therefore constructive as well as critical: it calls for a broader comparative framework capable of addressing varied minority conditions across regions and legal traditions.
Research question or central concern
What are the strengths and limitations of waṣaṭī minority jurisprudence as a framework for Muslim life outside Muslim-majority societies?
Main argument, approach, and contribution
Through conceptual analysis of major reformist jurists, the article argues that revivalist ijtihād enables legal integration but requires a wider comparative horizon beyond predominantly Western cases.
Keywords
Waṣaṭiyya; fiqh al-aqalliyyāt; Muslim minorities; revivalist ijtihād; legal integration; Islamic jurisprudence
Links
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Emin Poljarević 