سِجِلُّ التَّحْقِيقَات
Investigations
Reviews of rulings issued by other organisations
A public record of the Council’s due diligence: where an Islamic ruling issued elsewhere is overt and affects the community, the Council examines it and publishes its position.
الْغَرَض
Purpose
Why this page exists
Members of the community sometimes bring the Council certificates, fatwas or decisions issued by other Islamic bodies and ask whether they can rely on them. This page exists so that the Council’s answers to those questions are recorded openly, rather than passed on by word of mouth.
Each entry sets out the ruling that was reviewed, the organisation that issued it, the Council’s findings and conclusion, and the date of the review. The aim is clarity for the public and fairness to the issuing body, whose response is always invited and, where given, reflected in the record.
الْمَبَادِئ
Guiding principles
The limits we place on ourselves
The review process is bound by the Qur’anic prohibition on spying and negative assumption. It concerns itself only with matters that are overt or that cause clear public harm.
No spying, no suspicion
The Qur’an forbids spying and warns against ill assumption. The Council never seeks out private information and does not review matters on the basis of rumour.
Qur’an 49:12
Verify before acting
Reports are verified against published sources and the issuing body is given the opportunity to clarify before any position is recorded.
Qur’an 49:6
Only what is overt
Reviews are limited to rulings that have been published or openly acted upon, and that cause, or are likely to cause, clear harm to members of the public.
Scope
Fairness and good manners
Differences of scholarly opinion are respected. The Council records its own position; it does not condemn individuals or institutions.
Adab al-ikhtilaf
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اجْتَنِبُوا كَثِيرًا مِّنَ الظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعْضَ الظَّنِّ إِثْمٌ ۖ وَلَا تَجَسَّسُوا
“O you who believe, avoid much suspicion, for some suspicion is sin; and do not spy.”
Qur’an 49:12
Review format
What each entry records
- Reference
- The topic of the original ruling and the organisation that issued it.
- Council’s position
- A summary of the review, the findings of the scholars and the Council’s conclusion.
- Date of review
- When the review was concluded, or the date on which it was opened if still in progress.
السِّجِلّ
The register
Published reviews
2 entries · newest first
Entries marked sample illustrate the format of the register and will be replaced with the Council’s published reviews.
- Ref. 2026-001ConcludedSample
Date of review:
Reference
Validity of a Nikah conducted by video call
Issuing organisation: Sample entry — issuing organisation to be named
A published ruling stating that a Nikah may be contracted where the bride, groom, wali and witnesses are all in different locations joined by video call.
Council’s position
The Council reviewed the ruling against the conditions of offer and acceptance in a single sitting, the presence of witnesses, and the positions of the four schools.
- The majority position requires the contracting parties and witnesses to share one session (majlis) so that offer and acceptance are heard directly.
- Contemporary scholarly bodies have permitted remote contracts where identity is verified and the session is continuous and recorded.
- The ruling as published did not address identity verification or the wali’s role, which the Council considers essential safeguards.
Conclusion. The Council does not object to a remote Nikah in principle, but advises that it should only be conducted with verified identities, a continuous recorded session and the wali’s explicit participation. Certificates issued without these safeguards should be verified before reliance.
- Ref. 2026-002Under reviewSample
Date of review:
Reference
Issuance of an Islamic divorce certificate without notifying the husband
Issuing organisation: Sample entry — issuing organisation to be named
Reports that a certificate of Khula was issued within days of application and without any attempt to contact or hear the husband.
Council’s position
The Council is examining whether the process met the requirement that both parties be given an opportunity to be heard and that reconciliation be attempted.
- Fairness (al-'adl) in adjudication requires that the respondent is notified and invited to respond.
- A guaranteed or fast-track outcome is inconsistent with a genuine attempt at reconciliation.
Conclusion. Review in progress. A concluding statement will be published once the issuing organisation has been given the opportunity to respond.
Bring a ruling to the Council’s attention
If you have received a certificate or ruling from another organisation and wish to verify it, or believe a published ruling causes public harm, you may refer it to the Council. Please include a copy of the document and the name of the issuing body.
Refer a ruling for review