We are moving towards the global government of al-Imam al-Mahdi (‘a), and underground resources will definitely be part of Anfal. Anfal also belongs to the Imam of the Age. Now the question is, will Anfal be used like it is now at the time of the reappearance of the Imam? Will the geographical and political borders that currently exist also exist at the time of the Imam? Most likely, these limits, boundaries, and borders will not exist at the time of the Imam, as a result, energy resources will no longer be allocated within borders; therefore, the quality of use of energy resources will also be different.

Although Hujjat al-Islam wa al-Muslimin Dr. Ahmad Ali Qani’ has written books and articles mostly in the field of media and communications jurisprudence, he has always considered himself committed to the jurisprudence analysis of emerging issues. His writings on endowment of money and the jurisprudence of politics and security stem from this concern. We talked to him, who has had extensive experience in various countries and has been the president of the Islamic Azad University of Ghana and the Islamic Center of Sierra Leone, about the future of energy jurisprudence and the issues facing this emerging jurisprudence in the next 100 years. The member of the faculty of al-Imam al-Sadiq University (‘a) believes that alternative energies and the lack of geographical borders will be among the most important challenges for energy jurisprudence in the next 100 years. The details of the exclusive conversation on contemporary jurisprudence with the associate professor of the Department of Jurisprudence and Fundamentals of Law at al-Imam al-Sadiq University (‘a) are as follows:

Contemporary Jurisprudence: What do you think are the most important issues facing energy jurisprudence in the next hundred years?

Qani’: One of the most important issues facing energy jurisprudence is the common resources of countries. Currently, the common resources that exist around the borders of countries are divided in a certain way; but there is a debate as to whether these common resources of countries should be divided in half according to the geographical border or according to the people on each side of the border? I imagine that this is one of the debates that will be raised around energy issues in the future.

Another debate is the rights of future generations. Currently, individuals and countries use energy resources to whatever extent they can, both for fuel, petrochemicals, and household fuel and production centers. It seems that this type of efficiency of energy resources is foolish efficiency. If humanity really thinks about this, it can use other forms of energy for heating so that it can exploit oil resources in other industries, just as gas is used in petrochemical industries. The use of oil resources, in addition to causing air pollution and thinning of the ozone layer, causes significant damage to agriculture and the environment. Such issues will be important topics for jurists in discussing energy in the future. It seems that in the future, the lifestyle of humanity in all countries will completely change in this regard.

Another issue is that humanity will probably use more energy inside the earth or ocean waves and wind energy in the future, and in return, use less hydrocarbons inside the earth.

Another issue is the fair consumption of energy within the country. For example, currently, in the case of gasoline, whoever has more uses more; gasoline that is also produced with high-end computers. If we want to make this consumption fair, it must be planned in a different way and the jurists must focus more on this issue; because the current style is certainly not a fair style and is a forbidden method. Jurisprudence says that a fair method must be replaced. Similarly, the fair use of energy income must also be planned. For example, the income from oil is not distributed fairly among the people. For example, those who work in the Ministry of Oil enjoy high salaries that employees in other places do not enjoy. This unfair behavior must first be identified well and then a ruling must be issued and in the next stage it must be proposed to the government so that the unfair style can be corrected.

Another thing is that we are moving towards the global government of al-Imam al-Mahdi (‘a) and underground resources will definitely be part of Anfal. Anfal also belongs to the Imam of the Time. Now the question is whether Anfal will be used like it is now at the time of the reappearance of the Imam? Will the geographical and political borders that currently exist still exist during the time of the Prophet? Most likely, these limits, boundaries, and boundaries will not exist during the time of the Prophet, as a result, energy resources will no longer be exclusive to the borders; therefore, the quality of energy resources used will also be different.

Contemporary Jurisprudence: Will the assumptions and foundations of energy jurisprudence change in the next hundred years? In what areas do you think these changes will be?

Qani’: Yes, it will change, and in many ways. One of the issues that still exists now, but the jurists have not addressed it, but will inevitably address it later, is unfair behavior in energy consumption between residents of one country and between residents of different countries. This unfair lifestyle is due to incorrect assumptions that will change in the future, God willing.

Contemporary Jurisprudence: Will the method of “researching” and “solving” energy jurisprudence issues change in the next hundred years? What do you think these changes will be like?

Qani’: We do not think that the method of researching and solving issues will change much. Of course, jurisprudence gains access to new jurisprudential rules over time; but now we cannot say anything definitively about this.

Contemporary Jurisprudence: Will the responses of jurists to energy jurisprudence issues change in the next hundred years? In what direction do you think these changes will be?

Qani’: Divine traditions and laws are not going to change. If it becomes clear in the subject matter that the jurists of the past have made a mistake or the nature of the subject matter has changed, the rulings they issue and the responses they give to the issues will also change; but it is not possible to say anything definitively or to specify the case or example.

Contemporary Jurisprudence: How do you assess the relations between jurists and environmentalists in the next hundred years?

Qani’: Certainly, more relations will be established between jurists and environmentalists. What we have seen so far is the incorrect practice regarding the environment, which has caused the environment to deteriorate and become corrupt, as evidenced by the noble verse: Corruption has appeared on land and sea because of what the hands of people have earned so that He may let them taste some of what they have done that perhaps they will return. (Al-Rum: 41). When it is seen that the earth is being destroyed and the ozone layer is being eroded, environmentalists will become more supportive and will extend their helping hand to jurists, and jurists will also pay more attention to these issues; therefore, communication in this direction will increase. Perhaps science will also progress and other energies will be discovered that have less environmental risks and damage.

Contemporary Jurisprudence: What suggestions and solutions do you have for better solving issues related to energy jurisprudence in the future?

Qani’: By better understanding these issues, jurists should prepare the ground for solving problems. Understanding the issue also means using technical experts to properly introduce energy sources and establish better communication with them; because with the explanations of these experts, they understand the issue better. Just as now, in banking issues, a jurist who uses the opinions of banking experts understands the issue better and, by understanding the issue correctly, can also deduce its rulings well; Therefore, my specific suggestion is that jurists increase their contacts with those who deal with energy-related knowledge.