Amman Message A H H Abdulla II issued on 9 Nov 2004

[mohamedshah]

The Amman Message (Arabic: رسالة عمان‎) is a statement which was issued on 9 November 2004 (27th of Ramadan 1425 AH) by King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein of Jordan, calling for tolerance and unity in the Muslim world.[1] Subsequently, a three-point ruling was issued by 200 Islamic scholars from over 50 countries, focusing on issues of: defining who a Muslim is; excommunication from Islam (takfir), and; principles related to delivering religious edicts (fatāwa).[2]

The Amman Message was delivered in Amman as a Ramadan sermon by Chief Justice Sheikh Iz-al-Din al-Tamimi in the presence of King Abdullah II and a number of Muslim scholars.[3] According to a report issued by the International Crisis Group, "The sermon stressed the need to re-emphasise Islam's core values of compassion, mutual respect, tolerance, acceptance and freedom of religion."[1] The next year, in July 2005, an Islamic convention brought together 200 Muslim scholars from over 50 countries who issued a three-point declaration (later known as 'Three Points of the Amman Message').[2] This declaration focused on:[4]

A) The recognition of eight legal schools of thought (madhāhib) and the varying strains of Islamic theology namely :-

1) Sunni Hanafi
2) Sunni Hanbali
3) Sunni Maliki
$) Sunni Shafi'i
5) Shia Ja`fari - which includes the Ithna 'Ashariyyah and the Isma'iliyyah
6) Shia Zaydi
7) Shia Ibadi
Zahiri


b) The forbiddance from pronouncing disbelief (Takfir) upon (or excommunicating) others recognized as Muslims
c) The stipulations placed as preconditions to the issuing of religious edicts, intended to prevent the circulation of illegitimate edicts

Explaining why the message was issued, King Abdullah stated: "[W]e felt that the Islamic message of tolerance was being subjected to a fierce and unjust attack from some in the West who do not understand Islam's essence, and others who claim to be associated with Islam and hide behind Islam to commit irresponsible deeds.