MAKKAH: A set of recommendations built around legal rulings relating to worship procedures at the Two Holy Mosques were on Tuesday issued at a symposium held in Makkah.
The meeting, staged by the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, highlighted the scientific status of fatwas and Saudi Arabia’s commitment to the moderation approach in various fields.
Delegates discussed the importance of investing in technology, artificial intelligence, digital transformation, and social media to improve services and Shariah provisions at the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah.
Officials pointed out that work was underway to establish an information center to create a database for fatwas related to the Two Holy Mosques, translate them, and convert them to digital content to serve the Islamic world by incorporating AI.
Videos and e-guides relevant to Hajj, Umrah, and Ziyarat provisions, translated into multiple languages, were also suggested along with training programs for workers at the mosques.
The style, accuracy, legal clarity, and issue of fatwas was discussed along with the importance of considering the multiculturalism of visitors to the Two Holy Mosques.
Symposium attendees noted the need to strengthen the role of fatwas in areas including security, the rights of nations, and combating extremism, violence, and terrorism, and they called for the establishment of a research chair to deal with the jurisprudence of fatwas and related sciences and issues.
In addition, it was recommended that female guides from Shariah colleges in Saudi universities carry out the task of directing and guiding women’s questions at the Two Holy Mosques, and that special attention be given to fatwas in educational curricula.
Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Sudais, head of the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, said the symposium had been the first of its kind held by the government agency and was aimed at implementing programs related to the fatwa of the general presidency, the fatwa in the Two Holy Mosques, and efforts to make it easier for visitors to access the holy sites.
