Jamāʿat al-Taqrīb Bayn al-Madhāhib al-Islāmiyya
The Jamāʿat al-Taqrīb Bayn al-Madhāhib al-Islāmiyya (Society for the Rapprochement of Islamic Schools of Thought) was founded in Cairo in 1947 as the central institution of the 20th-century Islamic ecumenical movement. Its establishment signaled a shift from informal calls for Muslim unity to a structured, scholarly effort aimed at bridging the historical divide between Sunni and Shia Islam [1]. The society’s explicit mission was to foster mutual understanding and legal respect through direct dialogue, moving beyond the politically oriented Pan-Islamism of the previous century.
Activities and Key Achievement
The society’s work was channeled through its flagship journal, Risālat al-Islām (The Message of Islam), which served as a primary platform for scholarly exchange. Sunni luminaries like Grand Imam Mahmud Shaltut and Shia authorities such as Muhammad Taqi al-Qummi published articles and theological discourses side-by-side [2]. This collaborative environment culminated in its most famous achievement: creating the conditions for Shaltut’s landmark 1959 fatwa recognizing the Ja’fari (Twelver Shia) school of jurisprudence as orthodox.
Decline and Legacy
The society’s existence was heavily dependent on the political climate of Gamal Abdel Nasser’s Egypt. As regional politics shifted, particularly with the rising rivalry between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, state support waned. The society gradually declined in influence throughout the 1960s [3]. However, its legacy as the primary modern model for formal Sunni-Shia theological dialogue remains intact, inspiring subsequent ecumenical initiatives.
References
- ↑ Rizk, Y. (2013). Modern Islamic Ecumenism: A Historical Analysis. Journal of Islamic Studies, 24(2), 145–167.
- ↑ Brunner, R. (2004). Islamic Ecumenism in the 20th Century: The Azhar and Shiism Between Rapprochement and Restraint. Brill.
- ↑ Brunner, R. (2004). Islamic Ecumenism in the 20th Century: The Azhar and Shiism Between Rapprochement and Restraint. Brill.