The Islamic Research Institute (IRI), in collaboration with the Shari‘ah Academy, International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI), organised an extension lecture titled “A World of Fatwas: Reflection on the Ḥanafī Tradition in Colonial Era South Asia” at the Allama Iqbal Auditorium, Faisal Masjid Campus, IIUI.
The lecture was delivered by Professor Justin Jones, Associate Professor in the Study of Religion, Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Oxford. Faculty members, researchers, postgraduate students and scholars of IIUI attended the session.
Professor Jones discussed the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in South Asia as a distinct “world of fatwas,” highlighting the institutionalisation of dār al-iftāʾ, the expansion of fatwa compilations and the growing influence of muftis. He explained how fatwa discourse played a key role in maintaining the authority of the Ḥanafī school, particularly through debates on ādāb al-muftī, taqlīd, the limits of takhayyur and methodological consistency within the tradition.
Participants actively engaged in discussion on the role of the mufti and the institution of fatwa, noting that the widespread issuance of fatwas shaped a unique religio-legal environment in South Asia. The lecture emphasised the importance of interdisciplinary research combining history, law and religious studies.
The session concluded with a vote of thanks by Professor Dr. Muhammad Akram, Director General, Islamic Research Institute and Shari‘ah Academy, International Islamic University Islamabad.