Muslim Judicial Council — Fatwa Department

Founded at a Muslim Progressive Society meeting in Cathedral Hall, Cape Town, under Chairman Shaykh M. Shakier Gamieldien; the original Supreme Council issued fatwas, a role now held by the Fatwa Committee headed by the Mufti and Qadi. The Majlis al-Ifta meets bi-monthly in Athlone so questions are debated before a fatwa is issued. Serves Shafi'i and Hanafi communities; 18 departments incl. Qada, Halaal Trust, arbitration. Notable for anti-apartheid stances and the 1980s Ahmadiyya court case. 'The Karaan Legacy' collects ~50 years of fatawa of Mufti Yusuf Karaan and Mufti Taha Karaan.

Founded: 10 February 1945

The MJC publishes only the fatwa title and answer, not the questioner’s text — here the title stands in for the question.

Scholars

• YA

  ML Yaaseen Abass

  Head of Fatwa (Mufti), MJC; Fatwa Committee; Imaarah member

  Listed on the current MJC leadership page as head of the Fatwa department (Mufti) and member of the Imaarah and Fatwa Committee. The MJC biography is marked 'coming soon'; no teachers/lineage published.

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• MT

  Mufti Muhammad Taha Karaan (1969–2021)

  Former Mufti / head of the MJC Fatwa Department (2015–2021); founder, Dar al-Uloom al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah, Strand

  Shafi'i scholar, son of MJC Mufti Yusuf Karaan; hifz in one year at Waterval Islamic Institute, then graduated from Darul Uloom Deoband in 1991 with top distinction and a two-year graduate diploma at the Higher Institute for Islamic Studies, Cairo. Founded DUAI in Strand (1996), headed the MJC Fatwa Department after his father's death and sat on the Muslim Personal Law Board, and led Islamic finance at ABSA and other institutions. Renowned polymath and calligrapher; died of COVID-19 on 11 June 2021.

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• AK

  Mufti Abdurragmaan Khan

  Former MJC Mufti (appointed Oct 2021); Fatwa Committee since 2013; Rector, Dar al-Turath al-Islami

  Hifz under Shaykh Ismail Londt (Dar Ubaiy, 2000); graduated from Dar al-Uloom al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah, Strand (2006) under Mufti Taha Karaan, lecturing there 2006–2015. Founded Dar al-Turath al-Islami (2009), co-founded the Mahabbah Foundation (2011), joined the MJC Fatwa Committee in 2013 and was named Mufti in October 2021; many fatawa on the MJC library are answered by him.

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• NM

  SH Nabeel (Nabiel) Majiet

  Qadi (Head of Qada), MJC; Fatwa Committee member since 2008

  Studied at Waterval Islamic Institute (1987–91), hifz at Darul Islam, then a BA (Hons) in Islamic Law (Comparative Fiqh) at Al-Azhar; further Honours and a Master's in Islamic Thought at IPSA, now a PhD candidate at UWC. Teaches Shafi'i fiqh and usul at Madina Institute SA, heads Islamic Studies at Al-Azhar High School, and is imam of Masjid Touhid, Parow Valley.

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• ZH

  ML Zakariyya Harnekar

  Fatwa Committee & Executive Council, MJC

  Graduated in 2016 from the institution of Mufti Taha Karaan (DUAI), teaching there six years; since 2023 teaches at The Kurani Institute and part-time at Mizan Institute. Holds a BSc (Maths, UCT) and BA Hons (Arabic, UWC); interests in kalam and usul al-fiqh.

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• SG

  ML Siraaj Giri

  Fatwa Committee member & administrator, MJC

  Hifz under Sh Ismail Londt and Alimiyyah under Mufti Taha Karaan at DUAI, Strand, working directly under him in the Fatwa Department for his last three years; informal study in the Middle East incl. under Habib Umar. Founder/director of Al-Suffah and heads the academic programme at the Sumayah Foundation.

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