The اللجنة الدائمة for Scholarly Research and Ifta (Al-Lajnah ad-Da'imah lil-Buhuth al-Ilmiyyah wal-Ifta)

The اللجنة الدائمة for Scholarly Research and Ifta (Al-Lajnah ad-Da'imah lil-Buhuth al-Ilmiyyah wal-Ifta) was أُسس by Royal Decree No. A/137 on 8/20/1391 AH (1971 CE) under the General Presidency of Scholarly Research and Ifta in المملكة العربية السعودية. The committee was created to serve as the Kingdom's authoritative collective body for issuing Islamic legal rulings (fatwas) on matters of creed, worship, transactions, social issues, and all areas of concern to Muslims. Its establishment reflected the Saudi government's recognition that complex contemporary issues required the collective expertise of multiple senior scholars, rather than relying on individual opinions alone.

The committee's structure was designed to ensure the highest level of scholarly rigor and collective deliberation. It consists of senior scholars appointed by royal decree, each of whom has demonstrated mastery in one or more branches of Islamic sciences. When a question is received, the relevant members research the issue independently, consulting القرآن, the السنة, the consensus of scholars (ijma'), and analogical reasoning (qiyas), as well as the positions of the four أُسس madhahib. They then convene to discuss their findings, debate the evidence, and arrive at a collective ruling. This process of collective ijtihad (scholarly reasoning) produces fatwas that carry far greater authority than individual opinions, as they represent the consensus or majority view of the Kingdom's most learned scholars.

The committee's first chairman was Sheikh Ibrahim ibn Muhammad Al al-Sheikh, who was succeeded by Sheikh Abdul Aziz ibn Baz — arguably its most influential leader — who headed the committee from 1975 until his death in 1999. Under ابن باز's leadership, the committee's output expanded dramatically, and its fatwas gained international recognition and respect. Notable members over the years have included Sheikh Abdul Razzaq Afifi (vice-chairman for many years), Sheikh Abdullah ibn Ghudayyan, Sheikh Abdullah ibn Qa'ud, Sheikh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen, Sheikh Saleh al-Fawzan, Sheikh Bakr Abu Zayd, and Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al al-Sheikh (the current Grand Mufti). The committee's الحج-related work is particularly voluminous and significant. Every year, as millions of الحجاج prepare for and perform الحج, thousands of questions arise about specific circumstances, modern conveniences, medical situations, and logistical challenges that classical texts may not directly address. The committee has addressed everything from the validity of performing الطواف on motorized carts, to the permissibility of using electronic counters for الطواف circuits, to the complex fiqhi questions surrounding الحجاج who become ill or lose consciousness during critical rites. Their rulings on delegation (niyabah) — when a الحاج may appoint someone to perform rites on their behalf due to illness or incapacity — have been particularly important for elderly and disabled الحجاج. The committee's fatwas have been compiled and published in a collection exceeding 30 volumes, organized by topic, which serves as an indispensable reference for scholars, judges, preachers, and laypeople throughout the Muslim world. These volumes are available in Arabic and have been partially translated into several other languages, extending the committee's influence far beyond the Arabic-speaking world.