Fact-check: Did Saudi Arabia’s Permanent Fatwa Committee Issue a Fatwa Rejecting the Abraham Accords?
Claim: A viral WhatsApp message which subsequently found its way to Facebook claims that Saudi Arabia’s Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta (Permanent Fatwa Committee) issued Fatwa No. 19402 rejecting the Abraham Accords and condemning initiatives promoting religious unity among Islam, Christianity and Judaism.
The message further alleges that the fatwa was issued contrary to the wishes of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and serves as an official Saudi rejection of the Abraham Accords.
Verification: Findings by PRNigeria show that Fatwa No. 19402 is an authentic ruling issued by Saudi Arabia’s Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta. The fatwa discusses the concept of the “unity of religions” and addresses proposals such as constructing a mosque, church and synagogue in one location and publishing the Qur’an, Torah and Gospel together. The ruling reaffirmed the committee’s traditional Islamic position on the finality of Islam.
The Abraham Accords, however, were signed on September 15, 2020, by Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain under the auspices of then United States President Donald Trump. Since the accords came into existence in 2020, any claim that a 1997 fatwa was issued specifically to reject them is historically inaccurate.
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Further checks indicate that Fatwa No. 19402 was issued in 1418 AH (1997 CE), approximately 23 years before the Abraham Accords. This establishes that the ruling predates the agreement and could not have been a response to it.
The fact-check also found no evidence supporting the claim that the fatwa was issued against the wishes of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. In 1997, Mohammed bin Salman was not Crown Prince and held no senior governmental office. No official Saudi records, reports, or documents connect him to the issuance of Fatwa No. 19402.
Additional review suggests that social media users have retroactively linked the 1997 fatwa to contemporary interfaith initiatives such as the Abrahamic Family House and the Abraham Accords. While the fatwa addresses theological concerns regarding religious pluralism, it does not mention either initiative because both emerged decades after the ruling was issued.
Conclusion: The claim misrepresents an authentic 1997 Saudi religious ruling as a contemporary response to the Abraham Accords. Although Fatwa No. 19402 exists and rejects the theological concept of the “unity of religions,” it was issued more than two decades before the Abraham Accords were signed and cannot reasonably be described as a rejection of them.
Verdict: Misleading
