Speaking at a 2-day seminar on “Relevance of Islamic Law in the Contemporary World” organized by Islamic Fiqh Academy (India) here on Saturday, they asked the community to codify the Sharia laws to check this practice. They also stressed the need to educate judges and Muslim lawyers about Sharia laws.
In his address, General Secretary of the Fiqh Academy, Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rehmani said that the courts of land have been going beyond their jurisdiction.
Quoting a former speaker remark that courts are not interpreting laws but making laws, he said the community should not be remained in defensive frame of mind as India is a multi-religious and multi-cultural country.
He said that review of the codified Muslim personal Laws Compendium was being carried out and so the fiqh Jafriya. Fiqh Shafi and Salfi would be included in the revised edition. The work is going under the supervision of former Supreme Court judge, Justice Syed Shah Mohammad Qadri. It said that the translation done by Prof Tahir Mahmood of codified Urdu version of Muslim Personal laws titled as “Majmuea Qwanine Islami” is not up to mark and he had incorporated many of his opinions in it.
In his inaugural speech, General Secretary of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board Maulana Syed Nizamuddin said that the Islamic laws are not man-made therefore; its relevance and importance will remain till the end of life on the earth. ‘Islam is a complete system of life, so it provides guidance to every aspects of life’, he said.
During day-long deliberations, relevance of the principles and precepts of Islamic Shari’ah and the historical role that Sharia’h played in development of legal concepts and just laws around the world came up thorough discussions.
A number of topics including legal concepts and issues pertinent to human rights, criminal justice, trade, environment, gender, family, minority rights, alternate dispute resolution, international relations, were discussed in the light of Islamic Shari’ah, and the contribution it could make in the contemporary legal discourse.
Former Dean, Faculty of Law, Osmania University Prof. Ahmadullah Khan has suggested that the net work of Darul Qaza should be expanded to block level. On the last day of the seminar, former chief justice of India, Justice J.S. Verma would make valedictory address.