1 Rajab 910 AH (8 December 1504)

After the fall of the Kingdom of Granada in 1492 and the flight of Boabdil to Oran, the era of rightful Muslim rule in Spain had come to a permanent end. As Islam expanded in the Eastern Mediterranean under the Ottomans, the Maghribi rulers in the west were steadily losing ground to the Christian Kings of Iberia. As these borders moved, they left behind in Spain a great number of devout Muslim subjects, who had as a condition of Granada’s surrender been offered religious tolerance by the Spanish rulers. This had been observed for a time, but now after the Alpujarras revolt crackdowns had begun in earnest. Most Muslims were faced with the option of conversion or death, with those lucky enough to reside on the coast having a chance at expulsion via corsair benevolence.

Previously Ahmad al-Wansharisi, the leading expert on Muslims in Spain, in 1491 had declared that it was the duty of Muslims to emigrate from places in which their religion is prohibited or face punishment in the afterlife. However, having received the petition and plea of hundreds of Muslims living in Castile or having escaped, there has been reignited debate in religious scholarly circles about the practice of Islam under immense duress. Ahmad ibn Abi Jum'ah al-Maghrawi al-Wahrani, a jurist from Oran, has taken it upon himself to issue a ruling on the matter via fatwa. The legal ruling is published on this day as the Oran Fatwa, ruling on the practice of Islam under intense pressure for conversion. It is as follows:

• You must carry out salat (ritual prayer), even if only by small movements. If it cannot be completed during the day, you must make up for it with prayer at night.

• The giving of ritual alms must be carried out, even if by giving to beggars.

• If ritually pure water is not available, then you should wipe yourself clean in the ritually approved fashion. If this is not practical, prayer is not required in the absence of clean water or stone. It is sufficient to point to clean stone or trees in accordance with the words of the Prophet (“Take from them whatever they can bring”).

• If you are forced to worship other gods, know in your heart that their beliefs are forbidden and turn your true prayer towards Allah. If you are forced to consume pork and wine, do so, but in your heart reject it.

• If forced to marry people of the book, do so, but know in your heart that their beliefs are false and strongly reject them.

• If you are forced to utter words of blasphemy, subvert them in any way possible and reject those phrases in your heart.

• If you are forced to charge usury, donate it to charity and keep only the principle.

In these ways, it is permissible to practice Islam without attracting the ire of strong oppressors. If you know in your heart that your commitment to Allah is strong and true, and you practice properly at the earliest convenience, then the foregoing of ritual will not be a damnable offense nor an abandonment of the faith. Islam has in its history endured many hardships, including those suffered by the Prophet Muhammed himself. This is but one more temporary struggle for our people. Those who weather this storm will be rewarded for their faith and devotion in time.