The Role of Online Fatwas in Responding to Contemporary Objections to the Qurʾān

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Al-AzharUniversity

Abstract

This study explores the role of online fatwas in addressing and refuting contemporary objections raised against the Qurʾān. It argues that online platforms—often the very means through which such objections are propagated—can be effectively employed to counter them. Responding through online fatwas not only follows the Qurʾān’s model of engagement with critics but also constitutes a scholarly obligation, particularly for scholars affiliated with Al-Azhar, as this task falls within the scope of Qurʾanic sciences. It is also a crucial means of protecting the Muslim community—especially the youth—from confusion and ideological distortion.
The study highlights the specific advantages of online fatwas in this context: speed, accessibility, cost-effectiveness, and their ability to reach audiences who may not be formally trained in Islamic studies or who lack the time or resources to investigate these issues independently. It also outlines the necessary qualifications for issuing such fatwas, including expertise in the Qurʾān and Sunnah, familiarity with Qurʾānic argumentation (jadal), awareness of major objections and their refutations, knowledge of key texts in the field, and the ability to critically assess apocryphal material.
Employing descriptive, analytical, and critical methods, the study emphasizes the importance of online fatwas in defending the Qurʾān against both linguistic and ideological challenges. It presents selected examples of linguistic objections and offers structured responses drawn from the work of the Al-Azhar Global Center for Electronic Fatwa, providing practical models for broader application.
The study concludes with several recommendations, including the need to classify and archive such objections electronically, develop a searchable database of responses, digitize and disseminate key scholarly works, and monitor emerging objections in order to produce timely and authoritative replies.

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