DUBAI (Al-Arabiya.net)
An Egyptian lecturer who caused an uproar about how females should breastfeed their male co-workers to be able to stay alone together, apologized on Monday and retracted his Fatwa (Islamic ruling) after being threatened with disciplinary action by al-Azhar Islamic University.
Ezzat Atiya, head of Hadith (Prophetic Tradition) Department of al-Azhar University, made the headlines through the Arab media last week after his highly controversial Fatwa was published on Al-Arabiya.net.
“Breastfeeding an adult man five times makes it legal for the woman to sit alone with that man at a closed workplace. This way, the woman can take off her veil in front of her work-mate without being in violation of Islamic rulings,” Atiya told Al-Arabiya.net last week.
Atiya based his ruling on an incident that took place at the early days of Islam, over 14 centuries ago. The incident happened immediately after adoption was prohibited by Islam and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) ruled that a woman should breastfeed her foster son so as to be able to receive him at home like her own son.
He explained that as long as Prophet Muhammad made a ruling and that ruling was not contested through a Quranic verse, then “we, Muslims, should follow it”.
Atiya’s apology came after the Supreme Council of al-Azhar said he should be suspended and referred to a committee for questioning.
He signed a written statement of apology and retraction of the fatwa that was circulated among al-Azhar university’s students and staff and was also published by the Egyptian media.
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Highly unusual
Atiya’s Fatwa and explanation drew heavy fire from all streams of the Islamic hemisphere.
The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s banned but tolerated Islamic opposition with 88 MPs, denounced the Fatwa and over 50 of its MPs contemplated questioning al-Azhar officials over the matter.
Sabry Khalafallah, a Brotherhood MP, told Al-Arabiya.net that the breastfeeding issue was discussed by the group’s MPs and they expressed their concern such “controversial Fatwa” would stir shock waves in the Egyptian society.
He added that the Brotherhood MPs agreed to give al-Azhar – Sunni Islam’s oldest and most prestigious institute – a chance to handle the matter decisively.
Khalafallah also said the media should handle such odd rulings with more responsibility and not give room to more abuse to Islam as a religion.
The strange ruling was also dismissed by Sheikh Ashraf Abdul Maqsoud, a specialist in Islamic heritage and Prophetic Hadith, accusing Atiya of opening the door for Islam enemies to launch more attacks on the divine faith.
“The incident at question was a single one that happened in very certain circumstances that can not stand a repeat. So, it can not be used as a logic for such strange Fatwa,” Abdul Maqsoud told Al-Arabiya.net.
On his part, Muslim thinker Gamal El-Banna said the issue of breastfeeding Fatwa now should be a good chance for Muslim scholars to modernize Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence).
“I’ve been calling for a more modern interpretation of rulings and Fatwas for ages now because of the huge changes that the world witnessed,” El-Banna – brother of the Muslim Brotherhood founder – told Al-Arabiya.net.
El-Banna who is no strange to controversies himself, with his unusual and unconventional way of interpreting Islamic rulings, added that the need is more compelling now than ever to breathe fresh rulings into the modern society.
He himself has drawn fire from Islamists few months ago when he said the veil was not an Islamic compulsion and that marriages could still be valid without witnesses.
Interviews by Farraj Ismael
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