The Amman Message: A Summary
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you.
Presented here is a summary of the Amman Message, which contains much goodness. Indeed, nothing is more complete than the Word of Allah the Almighty and the Sunnah of His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
The Amman Message began as a detailed statement issued by His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein on the eve of the 27th of Ramadan, 1425 AH / November 9, 2004, in Amman, Jordan. Its purpose was to publicly declare the truth of Islam, define what true Islam is, and clear it of misconceptions and actions that do not represent it. Its goal was to clarify to the modern world the true nature of Islam.
To provide the statement with greater religious legitimacy, His Majesty King Abdullah II sent the following three questions to twenty-four of the world's most senior and prestigious Muslim scholars, representing all schools of jurisprudence and thought in Islam:
Who is a Muslim?
Is Takfir (declaring someone an apostate) permissible?
Who has the right to issue Fatwas (religious rulings)?
Based on the Fatwas issued by these great scholars (including the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ayatollah Al-Sistani, and Sheikh Al-Qaradawi), His Majesty King Abdullah II convened the International Islamic Conference in July 2005. Two hundred prominent Muslim scholars from fifty countries participated. In Amman, the scholars reached a unanimous consensus on three key issues that later became known as the "Three Points of the Amman Message":
The Three Points
First: Whosoever is an adherent to one of the four Sunni schools of jurisprudence (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i, and Hanbali), the Ja’fari, Zaydi, Ibadi, and Zahiri schools is a Muslim. It is impermissible to declare them an apostate (Takfir). Their blood, honor, and property are inviolable. Furthermore, according to the Fatwa of the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, it is impermissible to declare adherents of the Ash’ari creed, or those who practice true Sufism, as apostates. Similarly, it is impermissible to declare adherents of true Salafi thought as apostates.
It is also impermissible to declare any other group of Muslims as apostates who believe in Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He), His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), the pillars of faith, respect the pillars of Islam, and do not deny any necessity of the religion.
Second: There is far more that unites the schools of thought than divides them. Adherents of the eight schools are in agreement on the fundamental principles of Islam. All believe in Allah, the One and Only, and that the Holy Qur’an is the revealed Word of Allah, and in our master Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) as a Prophet and Messenger to all humanity. All agree on the five pillars of Islam and the pillars of faith. Differences between scholars of these schools are in the subsidiary branches (furu’) rather than the principles (usul), and such difference is a mercy. As it was said of old: "Difference of opinion among scholars is a good thing."
Third: Recognition of the schools of thought in Islam means adhering to a specific methodology in issuing Fatwas. No one may issue a Fatwa without specific personal qualifications defined by each school. No Fatwa may be issued without following the methodology of the schools, and no one may claim the right to Ijtihad (independent legal reasoning) to create a new school or offer rejected Fatwas that lead Muslims away from the rules, constants, and established schools of Sharia.
Global Impact and Recognition
The political and religious leadership of the Islamic world unanimously adopted these three points at the Organization of the Islamic Conference Summit in Makkah in December 2005. Throughout the year from July 2005 to July 2006, these points were also adopted by six other international Islamic conferences, culminating in the International Islamic Fiqh Academy conference in Amman in July 2006. Consequently, over five hundred leading Islamic scholars from around the world have unanimously endorsed the Amman Message and its three points.
This constitutes a historic religious and political consensus (Ijma) for the Ummah in our time. The significance of this is:
It is the first time in over a thousand years that the Ummah has officially reached such mutual recognition between the various schools of thought.
Such recognition is legally binding for Muslims, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "My Ummah will never agree upon an error" (Ibn Majah).
A Message for All
This is good news not only for Muslims—providing a basis for unity and a solution to internal conflict—but for non-Muslims as well. Protecting the schools of thought in Islam necessarily means preserving the internal checks and balances of the faith. This ensures balanced Islamic solutions to key issues such as human rights, women’s rights, religious freedom, legitimate Jihad, and good citizenship. It also exposes the religiously illegitimate views of extremists and terrorists. As George Yeo, Singapore’s Foreign Minister, stated at the UN General Assembly: "Without this clarification, the war against terrorism would be much harder."
Implementation
While this is a historic achievement by the grace of Allah, it remains ineffective if not practiced. His Majesty King Abdullah II is now working to implement it through:
Inter-Muslim treaties.
National and international legislation defining Islam and prohibiting Takfir.
Utilizing media and publishing to spread the message.
Incorporating the Amman Message into school and university curricula globally.
Making it part of the training for Imams to be included in their sermons and lessons.
And our final prayer is: All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the Worlds.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you.
Presented here is a summary of the Amman Message, which contains much goodness. Indeed, nothing is more complete than the Word of Allah the Almighty and the Sunnah of His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
The Amman Message began as a detailed statement issued by His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein on the eve of the 27th of Ramadan, 1425 AH / November 9, 2004, in Amman, Jordan. Its purpose was to publicly declare the truth of Islam, define what true Islam is, and clear it of misconceptions and actions that do not represent it. Its goal was to clarify to the modern world the true nature of Islam.
To provide the statement with greater religious legitimacy, His Majesty King Abdullah II sent the following three questions to twenty-four of the world's most senior and prestigious Muslim scholars, representing all schools of jurisprudence and thought in Islam:
Who is a Muslim?
Is Takfir (declaring someone an apostate) permissible?
Who has the right to issue Fatwas (religious rulings)?
Based on the Fatwas issued by these great scholars (including the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ayatollah Al-Sistani, and Sheikh Al-Qaradawi), His Majesty King Abdullah II convened the International Islamic Conference in July 2005. Two hundred prominent Muslim scholars from fifty countries participated. In Amman, the scholars reached a unanimous consensus on three key issues that later became known as the "Three Points of the Amman Message":
The Three Points
First: Whosoever is an adherent to one of the four Sunni schools of jurisprudence (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i, and Hanbali), the Ja’fari, Zaydi, Ibadi, and Zahiri schools is a Muslim. It is impermissible to declare them an apostate (Takfir). Their blood, honor, and property are inviolable. Furthermore, according to the Fatwa of the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, it is impermissible to declare adherents of the Ash’ari creed, or those who practice true Sufism, as apostates. Similarly, it is impermissible to declare adherents of true Salafi thought as apostates.
It is also impermissible to declare any other group of Muslims as apostates who believe in Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He), His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), the pillars of faith, respect the pillars of Islam, and do not deny any necessity of the religion.
Second: There is far more that unites the schools of thought than divides them. Adherents of the eight schools are in agreement on the fundamental principles of Islam. All believe in Allah, the One and Only, and that the Holy Qur’an is the revealed Word of Allah, and in our master Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) as a Prophet and Messenger to all humanity. All agree on the five pillars of Islam and the pillars of faith. Differences between scholars of these schools are in the subsidiary branches (furu’) rather than the principles (usul), and such difference is a mercy. As it was said of old: "Difference of opinion among scholars is a good thing."
Third: Recognition of the schools of thought in Islam means adhering to a specific methodology in issuing Fatwas. No one may issue a Fatwa without specific personal qualifications defined by each school. No Fatwa may be issued without following the methodology of the schools, and no one may claim the right to Ijtihad (independent legal reasoning) to create a new school or offer rejected Fatwas that lead Muslims away from the rules, constants, and established schools of Sharia.
Global Impact and Recognition
The political and religious leadership of the Islamic world unanimously adopted these three points at the Organization of the Islamic Conference Summit in Makkah in December 2005. Throughout the year from July 2005 to July 2006, these points were also adopted by six other international Islamic conferences, culminating in the International Islamic Fiqh Academy conference in Amman in July 2006. Consequently, over five hundred leading Islamic scholars from around the world have unanimously endorsed the Amman Message and its three points.
This constitutes a historic religious and political consensus (Ijma) for the Ummah in our time. The significance of this is:
It is the first time in over a thousand years that the Ummah has officially reached such mutual recognition between the various schools of thought.
Such recognition is legally binding for Muslims, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "My Ummah will never agree upon an error" (Ibn Majah).
A Message for All
This is good news not only for Muslims—providing a basis for unity and a solution to internal conflict—but for non-Muslims as well. Protecting the schools of thought in Islam necessarily means preserving the internal checks and balances of the faith. This ensures balanced Islamic solutions to key issues such as human rights, women’s rights, religious freedom, legitimate Jihad, and good citizenship. It also exposes the religiously illegitimate views of extremists and terrorists. As George Yeo, Singapore’s Foreign Minister, stated at the UN General Assembly: "Without this clarification, the war against terrorism would be much harder."
Implementation
While this is a historic achievement by the grace of Allah, it remains ineffective if not practiced. His Majesty King Abdullah II is now working to implement it through:
Inter-Muslim treaties.
National and international legislation defining Islam and prohibiting Takfir.
Utilizing media and publishing to spread the message.
Incorporating the Amman Message into school and university curricula globally.
Making it part of the training for Imams to be included in their sermons and lessons.
And our final prayer is: All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the Worlds.