Doha: The Islamic Research and Studies Department at the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs concluded the third cultural season of the Ummah Seminar with its fourth and final scholarly session focused on pathways to reforming Islamic preaching.
According to Qatar News Agency, the event was attended by HE Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs Ghanem bin Shaheen Al Ghanem, alongside a group of scholars, preachers, and academic specialists in religious and intellectual affairs. Held at the Imam Muhammad bin Abdulwahhab Mosque, the seminar centered on utilizing collective religious duties (furood kifayah) to renew Islamic discourse and enhance its role in social reform.
Participants included Dr. Ali Al-Ajmi Al-Ashi, Chair of Curriculum and Academic Programs in the Department of Creed and Dawah at Qatar University's College of Sharia and Islamic Studies; Professor of Hadith Sciences at Qatar University's College of Sharia and Islamic Studies, Dr. Adel Amin Al-Harazi; and imam and preacher at the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs, Dr. Yahya Batti Al Nuaimi.
Sheikh Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Ghanem Al-Thani, Director of the Islamic Research and Studies Department, emphasized in his opening speech that calling to God is a high form of devotion and the path of the prophets and righteous. The seminar aimed to revive and activate the concept of collective duties in religious outreach to address imbalances in the dawah field, responding to rapid intellectual and cultural changes with a reformist vision.
Dr. Al Harazi discussed reform prospects in Islamic preaching and the promotion of furood kifayah culture. He highlighted the importance of reviving the duty of calling to God in the contemporary Muslim context and presented proposals to energize Islamic discourse, spread knowledge of dawah, and foster collective responsibility in conveying Islam's message.
Dr. Al Ashi argued that mainstreaming furood kifayah within society is fundamental to reforming Islamic preaching. His recommendations included integrating these duties into educational and dawah curricula, training qualified preachers, and supporting collective projects within a holistic framework.
Dr. Al Nuaimi focused on the future of Islamic preaching in contemporary societies, emphasizing the need for institutional organization and fiqh Al awlawiyyat (jurisprudence of priorities). He highlighted the importance of realism, collective participation, and the role of dawah institutions in embodying furood kifayah for development, education, and social reform.
He also outlined the characteristics of successful dawah institutions, stressing the need to focus on human beings, strengthen faith, and respect human dignity. He called for training preachers with strong religious grounding and technical competence, leveraging social media to counter extremism and promote a balanced Islamic message.
Dr. Al Nuaimi concluded by affirming that institutional religious work helps organize efforts, unify energies, and meet societal needs, thus embodying the unity of the Muslim ummah in a tangible way.