International Islamic Fiqh Academy: Representative Office in Iran

File:International Islamic Fiqh Academy

The International Islamic Fiqh Academy: Representative Office in Iran is a regional liaison of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA), an international scholarly body affiliated with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. The representative office functions to support Iran’s academic and religious engagement with the Academy, facilitate scholarly cooperation, and promote the exchange of jurisprudential research between Iranian Islamic scholars and the global fiqh community. It also serves as a focal point for coordinating Iranian participation in IIFA conferences, research initiatives, and collaborative meetings on contemporary jurisprudential questions affecting the global Muslim community (Mehr News Agency, 2025).

The presence of such an office reflects the broader institutional relationship between Iran’s religious educational centers and international fiqh institutions aimed at fostering unity and scholarly dialogue across Islamic legal traditions.

Background

International Islamic Fiqh Academy

The International Islamic Fiqh Academy (Template:Lang-ar) is an international Islamic legal institution established in 1981 by the Third Islamic Summit Conference under the auspices of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Headquartered in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, it brings together eminent scholars (*fuqaha*) from diverse Islamic legal schools to address contemporary issues through collective *ijtihad* (juristic reasoning) and provide Shariah‑based legal opinions on social, economic, scientific, and ethical questions. The Academy’s work emphasizes scholarly rigor, fidelity to Islamic sources such as the Qurʾān and Hadith, and openness to modern realities faced by Muslim communities worldwide (Wikipedia, n.d.; IIFA Statute, n.d.).

Within this framework, the Representative Office in Iran operates as a national link, facilitating participation in IIFA activities and ensuring that Iranian scholars contribute to and benefit from international fiqh discourse.

Islamic Scholarship in Iran

Iran is home to major Islamic seminaries (*hawzas*), particularly in cities like Qom and Mashhad, that play a pivotal role in Shiʿa jurisprudential thought and education. These institutions traditionally engage with fiqh and usul (legal theory) and often contribute to international scholarly networks. The Representative Office in Iran is designed to harness and integrate Iranian scholarly output into wider fiqh debates, fostering mutual understanding and shared jurisprudential development across sectarian and methodological boundaries.

Establishment and Purpose of the Representative Office

Creation and Mandate

While the International Islamic Fiqh Academy itself was founded in 1981, the establishment of a dedicated Representative Office in Iran is a more recent development linked to expanding international engagement by Iranian fiqh scholars. This permanent or semi‑permanent office functions as a liaison between the Academy and Iranian academic and religious institutions, facilitating:

• Coordination of Iranian participation in IIFA conferences and sessions.
• Dissemination of IIFA deliberations, resolutions, and publications within Iran.
• Organization of domestic seminars, workshops, and scientific discussions that reflect IIFA themes.
• Strengthening Islamic unity through jurisprudential dialogue involving Iranian and international scholars.

In practice, the office supports Iranian delegations and representatives, such as Iranian jurists attending major IIFA events, and hosts scholarly sessions in Iranian academic centers focused on Academy outputs (Mehr News Agency, 2025).

Representative and Scholarly Roles

The Representative Office often serves as the institutional sponsor for Iranian jurists appointed to IIFA committees or sessions. For example, Iranian scholars have participated in international fiqh conferences under the Academy’s auspices, presenting research on topics such as emerging legal issues, Islamic financial jurisprudence, and rights of children in *fiqh* discourse. A delegation chaired by Ayatollah Ahmad Moballeghi represented Iran at the IIFA conference in Doha, Qatar, presenting research across thematic sessions that engaged both Shiʿa and Sunni jurisprudential perspectives (Mehr News Agency, 2025).

By coordinating attendance and scholarly output, the Representative Office fosters bridges between Iranian and international legal scholars, contributing to a shared jurisprudential vocabulary and cooperative research culture.

Functions and Activities

National Scientific Sessions

One of the key activities linked to the Representative Office in Iran is the organization of academic sessions that analyze and disseminate findings from IIFA conferences. For instance, the office’s research arm has initiated a series of scientific meetings in Qom focused on reviewing the reports of IIFA’s Doha conference, which included hundreds of contributions from Muslim scholars worldwide. These sessions aim to translate international fiqh developments into the domestic academic discourse and encourage Iranian scholars to engage more deeply with global jurisprudential trends (Mehr News Agency, 2025).

These academic gatherings typically cover topics such as:

• The use of *istishab* (presumption) in emerging jurisprudential questions.
• Jurisprudential perspectives on children’s rights in modern contexts.
• Shariah governance of Islamic financial institutions.
• Legal competency and mental health in fiqh frameworks.

By hosting and analyzing such discussions, the office helps contextualize IIFA resolutions for Iranian scholars and facilitates scholarly contributions to future IIFA deliberations.

Publications and Knowledge Exchange

The Representative Office disseminates IIFA publications within Iran, including research summaries, conference proceedings, and jurisprudential opinions. These materials are shared with academic institutions, seminaries, and research centers, enabling Iranian scholars to remain informed about global jurisprudential developments and incorporate them into local teaching and research programs.

Additionally, the office encourages Iranian scholars to prepare and submit their own research to IIFA sessions, fostering an active exchange of legal reasoning and scholarly insights.

Fostering Islamic Unity and Jurisprudential Dialogue

A broader purpose of the Representative Office is to promote **Islamic unity through jurisprudential engagement**. By supporting Iranian participation in IIFA forums, the office helps bridge sectarian and regional differences, emphasizing shared Islamic legal values and collaborative inquiry. This aligns with trends within Islamic scholarship that seek to harmonize legal positions across diverse traditions and enhance mutual respect and understanding among Muslim jurists.

The academic sessions organized under the office’s auspices often highlight cooperative jurisprudential efforts rather than sectarian disputes, reflecting an inclusive approach to Islamic legal discourse (Mehr News Agency, 2025).

Representative Office and International Cooperation

Collaborative Agreements

The Representative Office in Iran is part of a wider ecosystem of cooperation between the International Islamic Fiqh Academy and similar bodies. For example, the Academy has signed memoranda of cooperation with organizations such as the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought to strengthen joint efforts in jurisprudential research, cross‑school collaboration, and integration of diverse legal perspectives (International Islamic Fiqh Academy, 2023).

While not exclusive to Iran, such agreements underscore how regional representation feeds into broader cooperation aimed at enhancing jurisprudential unity and cross‑institutional synergy.

Academic Engagement Abroad

Iranian jurists associated with the Representative Office often participate in IIFA conferences and sessions held outside Iran, contributing research papers, participating in panel discussions, and engaging with scholars from around the world. These interactions not only highlight Iran’s scholarship on the international stage but also enable cross‑pollination of ideas that enrich Islamic fiqh discourse globally.

Reception and Impact

The Representative Office’s work is viewed as an important step in integrating Iranian fiqh scholarship into international jurisprudential networks. Its activities support scholarly exchange, promote mutual understanding of legal traditions, and contribute to cooperative efforts to address complex contemporary issues through Islamically grounded legal reasoning.

Academic observers note that such regional representation helps diversify the range of voices and perspectives within the International Islamic Fiqh Academy, contributing to a more inclusive jurisprudential environment. The emphasis on cooperation and scholarly dialogue reflects wider movements within modern Islamic legal thought that prioritize unity and collective problem‑solving among Muslim scholars.

Challenges and Scholarly Debate

While the Representative Office facilitates academic engagement, some scholars note the challenges inherent in balancing national contexts with international jurisprudential norms. Questions arise about how best to integrate different legal methodologies, reconcile diverse jurisprudential positions, and translate international legal deliberations into local scholarly practice. These conversations contribute to ongoing scholarly debate about the nature of collective *ijtihad* and the role of representative offices in contemporary Islamic legal institutions.

See also

• International Islamic Fiqh Academy
• Organization of Islamic Cooperation
• Fiqh
• World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought
• Islamic unity