History of responsa in Judaism in the context of "Fatwa"

⭐ In the context of fatwas, the historical function of providing legal interpretations and guidance mirrors a similar practice found in which other legal traditions?

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⭐ Core Definition: History of responsa in Judaism

The history of responsa in Judaism (Hebrew: שאלות ותשובות, Sephardic: She'elot Utshuvot, Ashkenazic: Sheilos Utshuvos; usually shortened to שו"ת Shu"t) spans a period of 1,700 years. Rabbinic responsa constitute a special class of Rabbinic literature, differing in form but not necessarily in content from Rabbinic commentaries devoted to the exegesis of the Bible, the Mishnah, the Talmud, and Halakha (Jewish law). The codes themselves contain the rules for ordinary incidents of life. The responsa literature covers all these topics and more.

The mode, style, and subject matter have changed as a function of the Jewish people's travels and the development of other halakhic literature, particularly the codes. Formulation of responsa, or she'elot ve-t'shuvot (questions and replies), generally involves an individual or group asking Jewish educators, legal decisors, rabbis, or heads of yeshivas about a predicament or topic for which the Halakha is unclear or non-existent and the responding party responding via informal or formal correspondence. Responsa remain important components of the Jewish legal system, being developed based on questions posed today. The development of responsa literature is divided into six periods: Tannaitic, Geonic, first Rabbinic, second Rabbinic, third Rabbinic, and fourth Rabbinic.

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👉 History of responsa in Judaism in the context of Fatwa

A fatwa (UK: /ˈfætwɑː/ ; US: /ˈfɑːtwɑː/; Arabic: فتوى, romanizedfatwā; pl. فتاوى, fatāwā) is a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law (sharia) given by a qualified Islamic jurist (faqih) in response to a question posed by a private individual, judge or government. A jurist issuing fatwas is called a mufti, and the act of issuing fatwas is called ifta'. Fatwas have played an important role throughout Islamic history, taking on new forms in the modern era.

Resembling jus respondendi in Roman law and rabbinic responsa, privately issued fatwas historically served to inform Muslim populations about Islam, advise courts on difficult points of Islamic law, and elaborate substantive law. In later times, public and political fatwas were issued to take a stand on doctrinal controversies, legitimize government policies or articulate grievances of the population. During the era of mass European invasion, fatwas played a part in mobilizing resistance against foreign aggressors.

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