Warning Against Speaking About Scholars and Issuing Fatwas Without Knowledge
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Question:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. He says: In our present day, there is a group that rushes to issue fatwas, and they present their fatwas through the media in ways that contradict the texts. Another group of newspaper writers launches attacks on the great scholars, distorts their fatwas, accuses them of being strict, and incites the common people against them. What is the obligation in this regard?
Answer:
You know that the people of truth in every age have enemies, even the messengers.[Al-An'am 6:112] A trial and a test, so leave them alone with what they fabricate. Then He said: [Al-An'am 6:113]. [Al-An'am 6:113]. The people of evil accept these rumors and these statements and rejoice in them. As for the people of good, they deny them.
They deny them and are disgusted by them, and this is the consequence of Allah’s ruling that the believer be distinguished from the hypocrite. Were it not for these matters, the believer would not be distinguished from the hypocrite. This is the case in every age, and in the end times the matters become severe, the trials and fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) intensify. Praise be to Allah, the people of good are in a good state and it does not harm them. And the people of evil, their speech or the speech of other people of evil does not benefit them. This is what reassures the believer: that the people of good are not harmed by this; rather, it increases their elevation with Allah and with creation. As for the people of evil, their evil, their hypocrisy, and their joy in these matters do not benefit them; rather, it harms them in the near and the far future. As for issuing fatwas (scholarly legal rulings) without knowledge, everyone bears the responsibility for what they say; everyone bears the responsibility for what they say,[Al-Isra 17:36], so whoever issues a fatwa is accountable for it before Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He.
It is not as if one issues a fatwa and leaves, and his purpose is achieved, or the people of evil achieve their purpose and leave. It is recorded and written upon them, and they will be held accountable for it on the Day of Resurrection, or they will be punished in this world. So they are never left alone.[Al-Fajr 89:14] We rely on Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, and we do not look at these people, nor do they move us. Rather, we stand firm upon the truth and do not care about their actions or their words, because this even befall the messengers (peace and blessings be upon them). So how about the followers of the messengers? Yes.
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. He says: In our present day, there is a group that rushes to issue fatwas, and they present their fatwas through the media in ways that contradict the texts. Another group of newspaper writers launches attacks on the great scholars, distorts their fatwas, accuses them of being strict, and incites the common people against them. What is the obligation in this regard?
Answer:
You know that the people of truth in every age have enemies, even the messengers.
And thus We have made for every prophet an enemy - devils from mankind and jinn, inspiring to one another decorative speech in delusion. But if your Lord had willed, they would not have done it
وَكَذَٰلِكَ جَعَلْنَا لِكُلِّ نَبِيٍّ عَدُوًّا شَيَاطِينَ الْإِنسِ وَالْجِنِّ يُوحِي بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَىٰ بَعْضٍ زُخْرُفَ الْقَوْلِ غُرُورًا وَلَوْ شَاءَ رَبُّكَ مَا فَعَلُوهُAnd [it is] so the hearts of those who disbelieve in the Hereafter will incline toward it
وَلِتَصْغَىٰ إِلَيْهِ أَفْئِدَةُ الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْآخِرَةِand that they will be satisfied with it and that they will commit that which they are committing.
وَلِيَرْضَوْهُ وَلِيَقْتَرِفُوا مَا هُم مُّقْتَرِفُونَThey deny them and are disgusted by them, and this is the consequence of Allah’s ruling that the believer be distinguished from the hypocrite. Were it not for these matters, the believer would not be distinguished from the hypocrite. This is the case in every age, and in the end times the matters become severe, the trials and fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) intensify. Praise be to Allah, the people of good are in a good state and it does not harm them. And the people of evil, their speech or the speech of other people of evil does not benefit them. This is what reassures the believer: that the people of good are not harmed by this; rather, it increases their elevation with Allah and with creation. As for the people of evil, their evil, their hypocrisy, and their joy in these matters do not benefit them; rather, it harms them in the near and the far future. As for issuing fatwas (scholarly legal rulings) without knowledge, everyone bears the responsibility for what they say; everyone bears the responsibility for what they say,
And do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, the sight and the heart - about all those [one] will be questioned.
وَلَا تَقْفُ مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ إِنَّ السَّمْعَ وَالْبَصَرَ وَالْفُؤَادَ كُلُّ أُولَٰئِكَ كَانَ عَنْهُ مَسْئُولًاIt is not as if one issues a fatwa and leaves, and his purpose is achieved, or the people of evil achieve their purpose and leave. It is recorded and written upon them, and they will be held accountable for it on the Day of Resurrection, or they will be punished in this world. So they are never left alone.
Indeed, your Lord is in observation.
إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَبِالْمِرْصَادِ
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، [2687 -2802] التحذير من الكلام على العلماء،والفتوى بغير علم - الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.