[2] “I have asked People of Knowledge and I have a Fatwa, and I am acting on the verdict”. [This should not be based on desires or personal ambitions]

In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.

Caution to Those Seekers of Fatwa Who Say That They Understand The Evidence

Imam Ibnul Qayyim [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said, “The loftiest ambition in pursuit of knowledge is to acquire knowledge from the Qur’an and the Sunnah- to be granted understanding by Allah [i.e. blessed to acquire sound knowledge and act upon it] and through the Sunnah of the Messenger, and acquaint oneself with the boundaries of the revelation [i.e. neither going into excess nor being lackadaisical]. And the most baseless ambition of the students of knowledge is to confine their ambitions in following the bizarre affairs and that which has neither occurred nor has it been revealed, or acquainting (oneself) with the differences of opinion and pursuing the statements of the scholars, whilst having no ambition to acquaint oneself with what is correct among those statements. Little is there to benefit from the knowledge of these people”. [1]

Imam ash-Shaatibee [may Allaah have mercy upon him] stated regarding the attitude of the unjustified pursuit of concessions: “This arises from following one’s desires. Desire leads to a too easygoing attitude and the pursuit of concessions for oneself and others. So, you see him adopting that for himself or passing that judgment for his relative or friend, which he would not do for another person due to the desire of that relative and friend”. [2]

Imaam Ash-Shaatibee [may Allaah have mercy upon him] also said, “If a Mukallaf [i.e. the sane one who has reached the age when the obligations of the Shariah are obligated on him or her] seeks after concessions in the Madhabs in every affair that is difficult for him and every statement that agrees with his desires, then he will remove himself from the firm handhold of piety and persist upon the pursuit of desires”. [3]

Ibrahim Ibn Abee Ablah (died 152AH – may Allaah have mercy upon him) said, “He who carries the odd affairs of knowledge carries a lot of evil”. [4]

Abdur Rahmaan Bin Mahdi (died 198AH – may Allaah have mercy upon him) said, “The one who pursues the odd affairs of knowledge cannot be an Imam in knowledge”. [5]

Imam Ash-Shaatibee [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said, “f desires enter (a person), it leads to following the ambiguous matters out of being eager to prevail and become victorious through establishing excuses in issues related to difference of opinion (or differing); but rather it leads to splitting, disharmony, enmity, and hatred due to the different desires and lack of (sound) agreement; however, the Shariah came to curtail (vain) desires completely. If some of the premises of the evidence were not established except through desires, it would not result except in following desires and that is contrary to the Shariah, and opposing the Shariah is not fr of the Shariah at all. Therefore, following desires concerning what one may regard to be adherence to the Shariah is tantamount to misguidance.”. [6]

Caution to Judges and Muftis

Imaam Ibnul Qayyim [may Allah have mercy upon him] also stated, “It is not permissible to act and issue Fatwas in the religion ordained by Allah [The Almighty] based on desires, preference and what is agreement with one’s goal, so he seeks a saying that agrees with his goal and the goal of those who love him; then he acts according to it, issues fatwa and judges according to it, judges his enemy and issues fatwas against him. This is one of the most sinful acts and one of the greatest of sins, and Allah’s Aid is sought (against this behaviour)”. [7]

Imaam Ibnul Qayyim [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said: “It is not permissible for a Mufti to act upon whatever he wants from the statements (of the scholars) and the different angles upon they seek to establish the proofs, without examining the affair that carries the weightier proof. The scholars hold a consensus that it is forbidden to do this”. [8]

Mistakes of The Sincere Scholars In Ijtihaad

Amr bin Al-Aas [may Allah be pleased with him] narrated that he heard Allah’s Messenger [peace and blessings of Allah be upon him] saying, “If a Mujtahid gives a verdict according to the best of his knowledge and his verdict is correct, he will receive a double reward, and if he gives a verdict according to the best of his knowledge and his verdict is wrong, even then he will get a reward”. [9]

A Mujtahid is not deprived of reward and his judgment is different from that of one who is not a Mujtahid. Shaikhul Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said: “The one who speaks about the religion without knowledge and out of ignorance (is guilty of) lying and sinning. The one who intentionally speaks to oppose the truth is threatened with entry into the fire of hell, as opposed to the affair of the one who speaks based on permissible Ijtihaad because he strives, fears Allah as much as he is able, desires to seek knowledge as much as he was able, speaks for the sake of Allah, knows the stronger proof and speaks based on that. This person is given two rewards if he is correct; but if he is mistaken, he receives one reward”. [10]

Al-Allaamah Abdur-Rahmaan Bin Yahyah Al-Mu’allimee [may Allaah have mercy upon him] spoke about this affair that the sincere ones fall into some mistake as a trial for others, as to whether they will follow the truth and abandon his speech, or be deceived by his virtuousness and lofty (status)! He (i.e. this sincere scholar) is excused; rather he is rewarded for his Ijtihaad and intention for good, and he is not degraded. However, the one who follows him (out of being) deceived by his great (status) without turning towards the true evidence in Allah’s Book and the Sunnah of His Messenger [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] is not excused; rather he is upon great danger. [11]

Finally, we ask Allah to protect us from all the obstacles that may prevent a person from accepting the truth after its clarification. Al-Allaamah Abdur-Rahmaan Bin Yahyah Al-Mu’allimee [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said, “It may be that a person is upon ignorance or falsehood, then another person comes along and clarifies the proofs for him, so he sees that by acknowledging such proofs, it would necessitate that he is lacking (in understanding) and that it was that person who guided him. And due to this we find that it is not difficult for some of those attributed to knowledge to acknowledge their mistakes when it becomes manifest to them in their research and studies, but it becomes difficult for them if it was others who clarified such mistakes. When another person clarifies the truth for him, he sees that acknowledging such truth would necessitate an acknowledgment of the clarifier’s virtue, knowledge, and correctness due to that clarification, and thus that becomes great in the eyes of the people and many people follow him [i.e. the person who clarified the truth]. So you will find some of those attributed to knowledge being eager to prove the mistakes of other scholars even if that is done by way of falsehood due to envy and seeking to diminish their status amongst the people. To oppose desires for the sake of the truth -in affairs of knowledge and creed- can indeed be difficult to accomplish, therefore it requires (sincere) research and contemplation. And in this regard, one needs to ask the scholars and benefit from them, adhering to fear of Allah, seeking the Tawfeeq of Allah and guidance”. [12]

We ask Allah:
اللَّهُمَّ أَصْلِحْ لِي دِينِي الَّذِي هُوَ عِصْمَةُ أَمْرِي
وَأَصْلِحْ لِي دُنْيَايَ الَّتِي فِيهَا مَعَاشِي
وَأَصْلِحْ لِي آخِرَتِي الَّتِي فِيهَا مَعَادِي
وَاجْعَلِ الْحَيَاةَ زِيَادَةً لِي فِي كُلِّ خَيْرٍ
وَاجْعَلِ الْمَوْتَ رَاحَةً لِي مِنْ كُلِّ شَرٍّ

O Allah! Rectify my religion for me, which is the safeguard of my affairs; rectify my worldly [affairs], wherein is my livelihood; and rectify my Afterlife to which is my return, and make life for me [as a means of] increase in every good and make death for me as a rest from every evil. [13]

[1] An Excerpt from Al-Fawaa’id. Page 99

[2] Al-Muwaafaqaat. 5/84

[3] Al-Muwaafaqaat. 3/123

[4] Siyar A’laam An-Nubula 6/324

[5] At-Tamheed 1/64 by Ibn Abdil Barr

[6] Al-Muwaafaqaat 5/221

[7] I’laam al-Muwaqqi’een 6/125

[8] I’laam al-Muwaqqi’een 6/124

[9] Al-Bukhari Number 7352

[10] Al-Arba’oona Hadeethaa Fee Usoolil Fiqh. pages 32-33

[11] Raf’ul Ish’tibaah. pages 152-153

[12]An excerpt from ‘At-Tankeel Bimaa Fee Ta’need Al-Kawthariy Minal Baatil’ 2/180-181 with the checking of Imaam Albaanee (rahimahullaah)]

[13] Saheeh Muslim Number: 2720