Negotiating Worship Priorities

A Fiqh al-Awlawiyyat Analysis of Al-Azhar Fatwas on Qurban and Aqīqah within Contemporary Economic Contexts

Abstract

Legal tensions between qurban and aqīqah under contemporary socio-economic constraints require a systematic reorientation of worship priorities that balances personal devotional obligations with collective social responsibility. Although classical fiqh literature has discussed the legal status of both rituals, scholarly attention to how authoritative fatwa institutions operationalize methodological tools to reconcile normative texts with modern economic realities remains limited. This study addresses this gap by examining official fatwas issued by Al-Azhar, a leading reference institution in the Muslim world, focusing on how it formulates priority judgments when Muslims face financial limitations. Using a qualitative design, the research applies discursive content analysis to selected Al-Azhar fatwas, integrating the framework of Fiqh al-Awlawiyyat (jurisprudence of priorities) and the Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah approach to identify the ratio legis (ʿillat al-ḥukm) underpinning Al-Azhar’s prioritization logic. The findings demonstrate that Al-Azhar consistently prioritizes qurban over aqīqah through istislāḥī reasoning that highlights qurban as a muwaqqat (time-bound) ritual whose benefits extend beyond the individual to broader communal welfare. This prioritization is further reinforced by the ritual’s strong association with public distribution, poverty alleviation, and social solidarity, making it more aligned with maṣlaḥah ʿāmmah (public interest) in contexts of economic disparity. The study contributes to contemporary Islamic legal studies by clarifying how Al-Azhar negotiates worship conflicts through priority-based reasoning, and by proposing a practical normative model for lower-middle-class urban Muslim communities in managing competing devotional practices under financial pressure.