Introduction A fatwa refers to an official edict concerning Islamic law given by a person who is qualified to interpret Islamic jurisprudence and draws understanding from it. This person is referred to as a mujtahid (Mufti). To some extent, a mujtahid is allowed to give a different legal ruling based on his knowledge of Islamic law. The main use of Fatwa is to present a well-informed juridical opinion on a particular subject for personal use or even for use in courts. A Fatwa is however not a legally binding document. Before a Fatwa is enacted into law, it must be adopted by a judge in a sharia court as a basis for making a ruling or if it has been accepted by a sultan as imperial law. Due to the important role of Fatwa in shaping peoples conduct and bringing human action into the sphere of fiqh , Fatwas will always remain a significant influence in the development of Islamic law and jurisprudence. Issues addressed in Fatwas The subject matter that is to be commonly found in Fatwas mainly has discussions concentrating on matters of religion, laws, public morality and ethics. When a Muslim faithful is confronted with a situation that brings confusion in any of the above-mentioned areas, they are often encouraged to seek the opinion or the advice of a specialist regarding the matter; this is what is referred to as the fatwa. The person who gives this expert opinion is called a Mufti while the individual who seeks a fatwa is known as the Mustafti. A Mufti gives a fatwa through an act known as futya. It is a must for the Mufti to be learned and knowledgeable in three specific areas. These are; Islamic law ( fiqh), the Koran and Hadiths (Petersen2). It is widely accepted that prophet Mohammed is the first mufti. Questions addressed in Fatwas can be drawn from any subject area. It is common that the questions covered in Fatwas are those that address matters of human conduct across all walks of life and they include for example cases of illicit sexual intercourse ( zina), prostitution, suicide, finance, corruption, marriage, civil issues, and religious questions as well. Salim and Azra (2003, p. 117) explain that in recent times, Fatwas have been prominently used to tackle modern problems that are not adequately covered in Islamic law books and the Quran. The main reason why some of the contemporary problems cannot be adequately covered in fiqh books and the Quran is that most of the law books and the Quran were written a very long time ago. These modern problems include the adoption of various family planning practices like vasectomy, severing of fallopian tubes in females, the use of intrauterine devices, political demonstrations, issues about secularization, theater, television, cinema, and use of modern communication like the internet. Overview of Islamic Jurisprudence According to Capes (2003, para 1-3), Islamic jurisprudence mainly revolves around understanding the relationship between the teachings of the divine legislator (Allah) and human affairs. The important areas of concentration in Islamic jurisprudence are rules regarding worship and those relating to the world in which people live. The second area is then subdivided into various sections each dealing with a