The Amman Message: An International Initiative for Islamic Unity

Contents

• Introduction
• The Three Points of the Amman Message
• Recognition of the Major Islamic Schools of Thought
• Rejection of Unwarranted Takfir
• Regulation of Fatwa Issuance
• Significance
• Original English Text of the Amman Message's Three-Point Declaration

Introduction

In 2004, King Abdullah II of Jordan launched an international Islamic initiative that became known as the Amman Message. The project sought to clarify the fundamental principles of Islam, promote unity among Muslims, and counter the growing practice of unwarranted takfir (excommunication).

Over the following years, the initiative received endorsements from more than 500 Muslim scholars, religious authorities, and public figures from over eighty countries, making it one of the most widely supported contemporary statements on Islamic doctrine, orthodoxy, and intra-Muslim relations.

(The Holy Kaaba in Mecca is the focal point of the annual Hajj pilgrimage and serves as a shared destination for Muslims from diverse schools of thought and traditions around the world.)

The Three Points of the Amman Message

In July 2005, a conference of leading Muslim scholars issued a three-point declaration summarizing the central principles of the Amman Message.

1. Recognition of the Major Islamic Schools of Thought

The declaration affirmed the legitimacy of eight recognized schools of Islamic jurisprudence (madhhabs):

• Hanafi (Sunni)
• Maliki (Sunni)
• Shafi'i (Sunni)
• Hanbali (Sunni)
• Ja'fari (Shia)
• Zaydi (Shia)
• Ibadi
• Zahiri

The declaration emphasized that followers of these schools are Muslims and cannot be declared apostates.

2. Rejection of Unwarranted Takfir

The Amman Message rejected the practice of declaring other Muslims to be unbelievers solely because of doctrinal differences. It further affirmed the legitimacy of:

• Ash'ari theology
• Authentic Tasawwuf (Sufism)
• Authentic Salafi thought

The declaration stressed that Muslims who affirm the basic tenets of Islam should not be subjected to takfir.

3. Regulation of Fatwa Issuance

The declaration emphasized that religious rulings (fatwas) should only be issued by qualified scholars operating within recognized Islamic legal methodologies. It rejected the notion that unqualified individuals could independently establish new schools of law or issue rulings that contradict established principles of Islamic jurisprudence.

Significance

The Amman Message became one of the most influential contemporary statements promoting Islamic moderation, mutual recognition, and dialogue among different Muslim traditions. It was endorsed by hundreds of scholars and religious authorities from countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, and many others across the Muslim world.

Despite this broad support, some groups and individuals have continued to reject parts of its framework and have persisted in declaring other Muslim communities—including Shia Muslims—as heretical or outside Islam.

Original English Text of the Amman Message

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

May peace and blessings be upon the Prophet Muhammad and his pure and noble family

(1) Whosoever is an adherent to one of the four Sunni schools (Mathahib) of Islamic jurisprudence (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi`i and Hanbali), the two Shi’i schools of Islamic jurisprudence (Ja`fari and Zaydi), the Ibadi school of Islamic jurisprudence and the Thahiri school of Islamic jurisprudence, is a Muslim. Declaring that person an apostate is impossible and impermissible. Verily his (or her) blood, honour, and property are inviolable. Moreover, in accordance with the Shaykh Al-Azhar’s fatwa, it is neither possible nor permissible to declare whosoever subscribes to the Ash`ari creed or whoever practices real Tasawwuf (Sufism) an apostate. Likewise, it is neither possible nor permissible to declare whosoever subscribes to true Salafi thought an apostate.
Equally, it is neither possible nor permissible to declare as apostates any group of Muslims who believes in God, Glorified and Exalted be He, and His Messenger (may peace and blessings be upon him) and the pillars of faith, and acknowledges the five pillars of Islam, and does not deny any necessarily self-evident tenet of religion.
(2) There exists more in common between the various schools of Islamic jurisprudence than there is difference between them. The adherents to the eight schools of Islamic jurisprudence are in agreement as regards the basic principles of Islam. All believe in Allah (God), Glorified and Exalted be He, the One and the Unique; that the Noble Qur’an is the Revealed Word of God; and that our master Muhammad, may blessings and peace be upon him, is a Prophet and Messenger unto all mankind. All are in agreement about the five pillars of Islam: the two testaments of faith (shahadatayn); the ritual prayer (salat); almsgiving (zakat); fasting the month of Ramadan (sawm), and the Hajj to the sacred house of God (in Mecca). All are also in agreement about the foundations of belief: belief in Allah (God), His angels, His scriptures, His messengers, and in the Day of Judgment, in Divine Providence in good and in evil. Disagreements between the ‘ulama (scholars) of the eight schools of Islamic jurisprudence are only with respect to the ancillary branches of religion (furu`) and not as regards the principles and fundamentals (usul) [of the religion of Islam]. Disagreement with respect to the ancillary branches of religion (furu`) is a mercy. Long ago it was said that variance in opinion among the ‘ulama (scholars) “is a good affair”.
(3) Acknowledgement of the schools of Islamic jurisprudence (Mathahib) within Islam means adhering to a fundamental methodology in the issuance of fatwas: no one may issue a fatwa without the requisite personal qualifications which each school of Islamic jurisprudence determines [for its own adherents]. No one may issue a fatwa without adhering to the methodology of the schools of Islamic jurisprudence. No one may claim to do unlimited Ijtihad and create a new school of Islamic jurisprudence or to issue unacceptable fatwas that take Muslims out of the principles and certainties of the Shari`ah and what has been established in respect of its schools of jurisprudence. 

Source: Official website of the Amman Message, "The Three Points of the Amman Message"