Editing Wahhabism (section)

=== Views on modernity ===
{{See also|Islam and modernity}}
Since the Arabian Peninsula was never occupied by [[colonial powers]], it wasn't directly challenged by [[Western world|Western]] [[modernity]] until the mid-twentieth century, unlike the rest of the [[Muslim world|Islamic World]]. While the Saudi ruling class spearheaded modernization drive across the [[Saudi Arabia|Kingdom]]; response of the religious establishment to the drastic influx of modernity was varied, ranging from scholars who rejected modern influences to tech-savvy clerics who eagerly embrace [[modern technology]] and [[social media]]. Various preachers harmonise pious lifestyle with modern culture while simultaneously engaging with [[Muslims]] of diverse backgrounds across the globe through social media networks. Assisted by scholarly guidance from a wide range of Islamic revivalists across the world like [[Abul Hasan Ali Hasani Nadwi|Abul Hasan Ali Nadvi]], [[Abul A'la Maududi]], etc. The [[Islamic University of Madinah|Islamic University of Medina]] was established in 1961 to promote a [[Pan-Islamism|pan-Islamic]] response to contemporary challenges and modern ideologies. To intellectually counter the ideological spread of [[Western liberalism]], [[socialism]] and [[Secularism|secular]] [[nationalism]]; numerous works of classical scholars like [[Ibn Kathir]], [[Ibn Qudamah|Ibn Qudama]], [[Ibn Hazm]], Ibn Taymiyya, [[Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya|Ibn Qayyim]], etc. were mass-distributed through Saudi publishing centres and during [[Hajj|Pilgrimages]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mandaville |first=Peter |title=Wahhabism and the World: Understanding Saudi Arabia's Global Influence on Islam |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |date=2022 |isbn=9780197532577 |pages=38, 49, 58–59, 87–88, 96 |chapter=}}</ref>

On the other hand, some influential Wahhabi clerics had also been noteworthy for issuing various archaic ''[[Fatwa|fatawa]]'' such as declaring "that the sun orbited the Earth", and forbidding "women from riding bicycles on the grounds that they were "the devil's horses", and "from watching TV without veiling, just in case the presenters could see them through the screen". The most senior cleric in Saudi Arabia as of early 2022, [[Saleh Al-Fawzan]], once issued a  ''fatwa'' forbidding "all-you-can-eat buffets, because paying for a meal without knowing what you'll be eating is akin to gambling".<ref name="Wood-power-Atlantic-3-2022">{{cite journal |last1=Wood |first1=Graeme |title=ABSOLUTE POWER |journal=The Atlantic |date=3 March 2022 |url= https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/04/mohammed-bin-salman-saudi-arabia-palace-interview/622822/ |access-date=4 March 2022 |archive-date=10 July 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220710120845/https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/04/mohammed-bin-salman-saudi-arabia-palace-interview/622822/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Despite this, the contemporary Wahhabi religious framework has largely been able to maintain Saudi Arabia's global image as a pious society which is also aptly capable of addressing modern challenges.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Mandaville |first1=Peter |title=Wahhabism and the World: Understanding Saudi Arabia's Global Influence on Islam |last2=Hasan |first2=Noorhaidi |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |date=2022 |isbn=9780197532577 |page=78 |chapter=7: Salafism, Education, and Youth}}</ref>

To resolve the novel issues of the 20th century, [[King of Saudi Arabia|King]] [[Ibn Saud|'Abd al-Azeez ibn Saud]] appointed [[Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Al ash-Sheikh|Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Aal Al-Shaykh]] ({{died-in|1969}}) as the [[Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia|Grand Mufti]] in 1953 to head ''Dar al-Ifta'', the legal body tasked with crafting Wahhabi juristic response to the novel problems faced by Arabian Muslims. In 1971, ''Dar al-Ifta'' was re-organized to include a larger number of elder scholars to boost its intellectual output. Dar al-Ifta headed by the Saudi Grand Mufti, consists of two agencies: i) [[Council of Senior Scholars (Saudi Arabia)|Board of Senior Ulema]] (BSU) ii) Permanent Committee for Scientific Research and Legal Opinions (C.R.L.O) Wahhabi scholars advocated a positive approach to embracing technology, political affairs, etc. while maintaining a traditional stance on social issues. Contemporary ''fatwas'' also demonstrate a receptive outlook on visual media, medical field, economic affairs, etc. ''Dar al-Ifta'' became an influential institution in Arabian society and it sought a balanced approach to modernity; positioning itself between religious idealism and varying societal, economic and material demands. As a result, some scholars like Fandy Mamoun have stated that "In Saudi Arabia, different times and different places exist at once. Saudi Arabia is both a pre-modern and a post-modern society." The legal approach is characterized by taking from all law schools (''[[Madhhab|Madhabs]]'') through Scriptural precedents to sustain a legal system compatible with modernity.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Al-Atawneh |first=Muhammad |title=Wahhābī Islam Facing the Challenges of Modernity |publisher=[[Brill Publishers|Brill]] |date=2010 |isbn=9789004184695 |location=Leiden |pages=xiii–xxii, 81, 147–149 |chapter=4: Modern Wahhabi Jurisprudence}}</ref>

In opposition to the ''Taqlid'' doctrine, Wahhabi scholars advocated the proof-evaluation theory which believes in the continuous appearance of absolute ''[[Mujtahid]]s'' (''Mujtahid Mutlaq'') and claims an ''[['ijma|<nowiki/>'Ijma]]'' (scholarly consensus) that the doors of ''[[Independent legal reasoning in Islamic law|Ijtihad]]'' remain always open. This juristic approach had enabled flexibility in response of Wahhabi legal bodies to modernity. These include the encouragement of mass-media like [[television]], [[internet]], etc. to promote virtue. Internet would be made publicly accessible to Saudi citizens as early as 1997.<ref>{{Cite book |last=E. Vogel |first=Frank |title=Islamic Law and Legal System: Studies of Saudi Arabia |publisher=[[Brill Publishers|Brill]] |date=2000 |isbn=9004110623 |location=Leiden |page=78 |chapter=2: Ijtihad as Law: Doctrines for Theory and Practice}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Al-Atawneh |first=Muhammad |title=Wahhābī Islam Facing the Challenges of Modernity |publisher=[[Brill Publishers|Brill]] |date=2010 |isbn=9789004184695 |location=Leiden |pages=65, 115–120 |chapter=}}</ref> In 2000 ''[[fatwa]]'' on the internet, [[Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia|Grand Mufti]] [[Sheikh Abdulaziz al-Sheikh|ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz Āal al-Shaykh]] explains:<ref>{{Cite book |last=Al-Atawneh |first=Muhammad |title=Wahhābī Islam Facing the Challenges of Modernity |publisher=[[Brill Publishers|Brill]] |date=2010 |isbn=9789004184695 |location=Leiden |page=119 |chapter=6: Wahhabism Applied: Flexibility towards Change}}</ref>
{{blockquote|In my opinion, the Internet is both a blessing and a curse at one and the same time. It is a blessing as long as it used for doing God's will, commanding good and forbidding wrong. However, it is liable to be evil when it aggravates God .... I call our leaders ... to impose [[Internet studies]] primarily in schools and among society.}}

In the financial sector, Wahhabi approach is based on [[Islamic economics]]. [[Islamic banking and finance|Islamic banking]] system is encouraged and digital transactions like [[credit card]]s have been sanctioned. Employing the results from observatories to sight the monthly [[Crescent Moon of Islam|Crescent moon]] is today permitted and preferred by the clerics. In the [[medical field]], various ''fatwas'' legalising novel procedures like [[Corneal transplantation|corneal transplant]], [[Autopsy|autopsies]], [[organ donation]]s, etc. have been issued. In marital and gender-related issues, [[Divorce in Islam|divorce]] is encouraged for incompitable marriages. On the issues of [[birth control]], [[abortion]]s and [[family planning]], the legal bodies are conservative and generally prohibit them, viewing them as a contrary to [[Quran|Qur'anic]] commandments and Islamic principles to raise Muslim population. However, family planning measures are permitted in certain scenarios, wherein the legal principles of necessity are applicable.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Al-Atawneh |first=Muhammad |title=Wahhābī Islam Facing the Challenges of Modernity |publisher=[[Brill Publishers|Brill]] |date=2010 |isbn=9789004184695 |location=Leiden |pages=121–179 |chapter=}}</ref> The Board of Senior Ulema (BSU) stated in a 1976 ''fatwa'':<ref>{{Cite book |last=Al-Atawneh |first=Muhammad |title=Wahhābī Islam Facing the Challenges of Modernity |publisher=[[Brill Publishers|Brill]] |date=2010 |isbn=9789004184695 |location=Leiden |pages=136–137 |chapter=6: Wahhabism Applied – Flexibility Towards Change}}</ref>
{{blockquote|wBirth control and contraception, due to fear of want (''khishyat al-imlāq'') are prohibited, since God guaranties the sustenance of His creatures. However, if birth control comes to avoid harm to the woman ... or in cases in which both spouses agree that it is in their best welfare to prevent or postpone a pregnancy, then birth control is permitted.}}