A deeply religious country like Saudi Arabia has adopted a scientific approach for moon sighting
ISLAMABAD: The recent recommendations by the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) have given rise to a considerable amount of adverse reactions to the extent of demanding the disbanding of the organisation. However, the Council is not the source of the problem.
We should acknowledge that various schools of thought among Muslims differ over interpretation of religious laws to tackle modern-day issues. The solution lies in taking recourse to Ijtihad, that is, consensus. A deeply religious country like Saudi Arabia has adopted a scientific approach for moon sighting. The only way to resolve religious controversies is to have learned religious scholars develop a consensus on the application of religious commands as per the prevailing environment and situation in the modern world.
Dr Najeeb A Khan
Published in The Express Tribune, June 4th, 2016.
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