The Effect of Covid-19 on moral commitment and the role of Islamic fatwas in promoting morality,

Abstract

The present study, which is the first study of its kind in Qatar, revolves around  the role of Islamic fatwas at the state of Qatar on the moral commitment of a sample of Qatar university employees (faculty and staff) during the time of COVID-19. The study mainly tried to explore the community’s response to these fatwas and its impact on societal guidance. Therefore, it  tried to answer the main question of the study which is what is the effect of the pandemic on people’s behavior and system of values? This study aims to assess the role of Islamic fatwas at the state of Qatar on the moral commitment of a sample of Qatar university employees (faculty and staff) during the time of COVID-19.To achieve this aim and answer the questions of the study, an e-questionnaire was developed, validated by a group of experts, and administered on a representative sample of the population of the study (n =244), from Qatar university employees (faculty and staff) during the academic year 2022-2023.  For quantitative data, the descriptive approach was employed using SPSS-28, while content analysis was applied to the qualitative data collected in response to the open-ended question in the questionnaire. Results showed that COVID-19 pandemic affected the religious values as 60% of the participants sought spiritual support through worship, 64% had a positive attitude towards improving ties of kinship, and 49% increased the sense of social responsibility. The study also showed the importance of the role of religious scholars in society, especially in times of crisis when people refer to their fatwas and guidance for enlightenment. In conclusion, Fatwas played a vital role in reinforcing many moral values although other values were badly affected by the outbreak of the pandemic.