Third International Conference
Imam Malik College of Sharia and Law organised its Third International Scientific Conference, "The Maliki School and Its Impact on the Legislation of the United Arab Emirates in Light of Contemporary Needs and Developments", on Monday and Tuesday, 24-25 November 2025, at the InterContinental Dubai Festival City hotel, under the patronage and in the presence of Sheikh Rashid bin Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, with researchers and specialists in Sharia and law from inside and outside the United Arab Emirates. According to the introduction to its book of proceedings, the conference sets out to explore the interaction between Maliki jurisprudence and Emirati legislation, grounding it from a historical perspective, analysing it from an applied perspective and looking ahead to its future prospects, and offers an opportunity for dialogue between jurists and legal scholars. The book publishes 17 papers in three axes.
Download: Book of proceedings (PDF, Arabic, 575 pages)
Conference axes
- The Maliki School: Its Origins, Foundations, Distinctive Features, and Contemporary Reality (page 5)
- The Maliki School and Emirati Legislation: The Interaction of Source and Application (page 158)
- Future Prospects: Strengthening and Developing the Relationship between the Maliki School and Legislation in the United Arab Emirates (page 473)
Papers
Axis 1: The Maliki School: Its Origins, Foundations, Distinctive Features, and Contemporary Reality
| Researcher | Institution | Paper | Page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Hafiz Abdulrahman Muhammad Khair | Professor of Maliki Jurisprudence; Dean, Imam Malik College of Sharia and Law | The Maliki School: Historical Roots in the Emirates, Aspects of Its Keeping Pace with the Times, Contemporary Challenges and Prospects | 7 |
| Sheikh Thani bin Abdullah Al Muhairi | Taba Foundation for Research and Consultancy, Abu Dhabi | History of the Maliki School in the Emirates | 41 |
| Mr. Obaid Khamis Al Rashid | PhD student in Sharia, Imam Malik College of Sharia and Law | The Historical Roots and Geographic Spread of the Maliki School and Their Effect on Its Jurisprudential Presence in the United Arab Emirates | 77 |
| Prof. Dr. Adel Hassan Hamza Saeed | Secretary-General, Islamic Fiqh Academy of Sudan | The Methodological Foundations and Jurisprudential Distinctiveness of the Maliki School | 101 |
| Prof. Dr. Ismail Muhammad Shindi (Amayreh) | Al-Quds Open University | The Maliki Jurisprudential Schools and Their Role in Codifying the Principles of the Maliki School and Spreading It | 132 |
Axis 2: The Maliki School and Emirati Legislation: The Interaction of Source and Application
| Researcher | Institution | Paper | Page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Shams al-Din Muhammad al-Tukayna | Professor of Comparative Jurisprudence; former Dean, Imam Malik College of Sharia and Law | The Maliki School and Its Impact on Endowment (Waqf) Laws in the United Arab Emirates (Interaction of Source and Application) | 161 |
| Prof. Dr. Omar Abd Abbas al-Jumaili | Professor of Principles of Jurisprudence and Objectives of Sharia, Imam al-A'zam University College in Baghdad; Sunni Endowment Diwan, Iraq | Manifestations of the Maliki School in Emirati Endowment Legislation: A Maqasid-Based Study of the Philosophy of Codification and Mechanisms of Application | 212 |
| Judge Dr. Ali Abdullah Issa al-Dhabahi | Senior Judge of the Court of Cassation, Dubai Courts | The Maliki School as a Source and Principal Reference for Emirati Legislation | 268 |
| Mr. Abdullah Abdulrahim Salihi | PhD student in Sharia, Imam Malik College of Sharia and Law | The Maliki School and Its Applications in Preserving the Status of the Family (the Emirati Family as a Model) | 288 |
| Dr. Ahmad bin Abdulaziz al-Haddad | Chief Mufti; Director of the Ifta (Fatwa) Department; Chairman of the Higher Sharia Authority at the Central Bank | Maliki Jurisprudence and Its Impact on the Legislation of the United Arab Emirates | 335 |
| Prof. Dr. Imad Hamdi Ibrahim | Al Wasl University, Dubai | The Consideration of Custom ('Urf) among the Malikis and the Effect of Drawing on It in the Emirati Personal Status Law (Achieving the Objectives of the Family Bond as a Model) | 342 |
| Judge Muhammad Jasim al-Shamsi | President of the Estates Court, Dubai Courts | The Influence of Maliki Jurisprudence on the Provisions of Divorce for Harm in the Personal Status Decree-Law No. (41) of 2024 | 369 |
| Dr. Mahdi bin Abdulkarim al-Sawti | Researcher, University of al-Qarawiyyin, Faculty of Sharia, Agadir, Morocco | The Impact of Maliki Jurisprudence on the Emirati Personal Status Law: Child Custody Issues as a Model | 393 |
| Prof. Dr. Abed Fayed Abdel Fattah Fayed | Professor of Civil Law, Faculty of Law, Helwan University | The Universal Character of Imam Malik's Jurisprudence: The Role of Maliki Jurisprudence in the French Civil Code and the Emirati Civil Transactions Law. A Comparative Study | 431 |
Axis 3: Future Prospects: Strengthening and Developing the Relationship between the Maliki School and Legislation in the United Arab Emirates
| Researcher | Institution | Paper | Page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Abdulkarim Mustafa | Professor of Shafi'i Jurisprudence, Imam Malik College of Sharia and Law | Challenges of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Judicial and Legislative Trends: An Analytical Study of Risks and Safeguards in Light of the Principles of the Maliki School and Emirati Law | 475 |
| Ms. Irsal Abdulsalam al-Kubaisi | PhD student in Sharia, Imam Malik College of Sharia and Law | The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Fatwa-Making within the Framework of the Principles of the Maliki School | 501 |
| Prof. Dr. Mahmoud Ismail Mash'al | Professor of Jurisprudence, Its Maxims and Sharia-Based Governance (Siyasa Shar'iyya), Imam Malik College of Sharia and Law | Approaches and Comparisons in Codification between the Maliki School and Emirati Law, and Anticipating What Is New with Artificial Intelligence | 526 |
Recommendations
The conference closed with a speech by H.E. the CEO Prof. Dr. Issa bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Mana Al Humairi and a set of recommendations, of which the following were published in the closing news item (College concludes its third international conference with key recommendations):
- Affirm the consideration of public interest (maslaha) and custom ('urf) where there is no legal text, given their central standing in the Maliki School.
- Train specialised researchers to study the use of mechanisms for developing jurisprudence in confronting contemporary developments, and to benefit from modern tools in support of Maliki jurisprudence.
- Codify Maliki jurisprudence in line with the requirements of reality, and in a way that strengthens its role in social and economic life in the United Arab Emirates.
- Coordinate with judicial bodies to document the presence of the Maliki School in contemporary court rulings by collecting examples and analysing them jurisprudentially and legally.
- Issue a judicial and ethical charter for the use of artificial intelligence that sets controls for using it as an auxiliary tool and not as a source of ijtihad, with the necessity of human review of its outputs.
- Establish a smart, reliable national knowledge platform for Maliki jurisprudence and Emirati law, working as a specialised search engine that links judicial reasoning to the Sharia sources.
- Add a comprehensive definition of harm in Article (71) covering physical, psychological and financial harm and electronic harm, in addition to negative harm arising from failing to prevent harm.
- Add special procedures in Article (72) for cases of sudden violence and expulsion from the marital home, such as empowering the wife and children and issuing temporary protection orders.
- Set mandatory standards for the two arbitrators (hakamayn) including training in family counselling and impartiality, with the appointment of a neutral third arbitrator in case of disagreement.
- Add a paragraph to Article (73) guaranteeing confidentiality, with penalties for disclosing information, and allowing the use of virtual sessions.
- Provide an exception in Article (74) to raising the amount of compensation (iwad) above the dower where the wife causes complete harm, with the possibility of paying the compensation in instalments.
- Grant the two arbitrators the authority to propose family rehabilitation programmes and to resubmit the case after the programme is completed, to strengthen family stability and reduce divorce rates.
- Prepare a comprehensive encyclopaedia on endowment (waqf) covering all its Sharia, historical and investment aspects, under the supervision of a major jurisprudential or endowment institution.
Conference news
- 23 November 2025: Rashid bin Hamdan attends opening of conference on the Maliki school and UAE legislation
- 28 November 2025: College signs cooperation agreement with Al-Azhar University, signed on the margins of the conference
- 28 November 2025: College concludes its third international conference with key recommendations
Media coverage
- Emarat Al Youm, 24 November 2025 (Arabic): "A scientific conference in Dubai focuses on scholarly communication between jurists and legal scholars". The report states that the conference was held under the patronage and in the presence of Sheikh Rashid bin Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, with leaders of Dubai Courts, the President of the University of Bahrain and the Vice President of Al-Azhar University among the participants.
Recordings
The conference sessions were broadcast publicly on the College's YouTube channel.