UDC: 340.5:28-67
BBC: 67.03.04
Khapchaev S.T.
Fatwas as a tool for regulating public order in countries with Muslim law: a comparative legal analysis
Keywords: fatwa, Islamic law, public order, public administration, Sharia expertise, legal implementation of fatwas, relations between the state and religious institutions, digital platforms
In modern Muslim legal systems, the fatwa has evolved from a form of individual religious consultation into a powerful tool of public administration that influences norms of behavior, public policy and market processes. The need for a scientific analysis of this phenomenon is due to the processes of digitalization and globalization, which are fundamentally changing the mechanisms of legitimization and dissemination of religious authority, taking it beyond national jurisdictions. The purpose of the study is to build a theoretical and legal model of fatwas as a tool of public regulation (a form of "soft law"), typologize models of its institutionalization in Muslim legal systems and determine the conditions for "positivization" and sustainability of the regulatory effect, taking into account the influence of the digital environment. Materials and methods. The study is based on a systemic analysis of fatwa texts and official documents of religious authorities, national regulations governing Sharia expertise, as well as a body of scientific literature and case materials on Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, Turkey, Indonesia, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates. The comparative legal and institutional approaches were applied in combination with content analysis: the statuses of fatwas, channels of their "positivization", forms of coercion (legal, social, economic), as well as the role of digital platforms and "cyber muftis" were compared. Results. The study analyzed and compared various national models of fatwa institution regulation: from state monopolistic control (Saudi Arabia) and bureaucratic integration (Turkey) to quasi-public partnership (Indonesia) and theocratic model (Iran). The general trend towards centralization and bureaucratization of the fatwa-issuing process was revealed, effectively turning religious authorities into civil servants. The analysis of the digital environment simultaneously showed the formation of a competitive field of "cybermufties" and transnational networks, which is changing the structure of religious expertise. Fatwa enforcement is established to be provided not only by legal, but also by powerful social and economic mechanisms (halal industry, Islamic finance, etc.). Conclusions. The fatwa in modern Muslim legal systems functions as an element of public regulation and a form of "soft law" that can become mandatory in the presence of formally established recognition and enforcement procedures. The impact of fatwas varies and is determined by the architecture of the "state-religious institutions" relationship; the type of institutionalization determines the nature and strength of the regulatory impact. The digital environment accelerates replication and increases variability of interpretations, but a stable regulatory outcome occurs where procedural transparency, institutional responsibility, and legal enforcement mechanisms are provided; in their absence, the impact is short-lived and vulnerable to challenge.
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About authors
- Khapchaev Sultan T.
- Candidate of Legal Sciences, Head of the Department of Constitutional and Civil Law, Stavropol Branch of the Krasnodar University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, Russia, Stavropol (hapchaev82@yandex.ru; ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8677-5207)
Article link
Khapchaev S.T. Fatwas as a tool for regulating public order in countries with Muslim law: a comparative legal analysis [Electronic resource] // Oeconomia et Jus. – 2025. – №4. P. 94-111. – URL: https://oecomia-et-jus.ru/en/single/2025/4/9/. DOI: 10.47026/2499-9636-2025-4-94-111.
