Conditions for transmitting a fatwa and issuing fatwas without knowledge
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
This brother Abu Salim asks: Regarding the transmission of a fatwa from one person to another, or in a specific issue to others, are there conditions for transmitting it? And what is the ruling on issuing a fatwa without knowledge?
Answer:
If you are in a country where there are scholars, refer the questioner to the scholars, and do not transmit a fatwa to him. You may have erred in transmitting it, or the one who issued the fatwa may have also erred, or he may not be one of the people qualified to issue fatwas. So refer him to the people of knowledge, and do not take it upon your responsibility. It is not permissible for anyone to engage in issuing fatwas except one who has the qualification and the fear of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. This means having scholarly qualification and fear of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. It is not permissible to issue a fatwa without knowledge, and it is not permissible to be lenient in the rulings in order to please the questioner or to make things easy for him, or the like of that. Making things easy, and praise be to Allah, is in the Shari'ah. The Shari'ah is easy and facilitating, and departing from it is a hardship, not a facilitation. Therefore, it is obligatory that no one intervene in issuing fatwas except one who is qualified and fears Allah, Mighty and Majestic. Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you,
This brother Abu Salim asks: Regarding the transmission of a fatwa from one person to another, or in a specific issue to others, are there conditions for transmitting it? And what is the ruling on issuing a fatwa without knowledge?
Answer:
If you are in a country where there are scholars, refer the questioner to the scholars, and do not transmit a fatwa to him. You may have erred in transmitting it, or the one who issued the fatwa may have also erred, or he may not be one of the people qualified to issue fatwas. So refer him to the people of knowledge, and do not take it upon your responsibility. It is not permissible for anyone to engage in issuing fatwas except one who has the qualification and the fear of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. This means having scholarly qualification and fear of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. It is not permissible to issue a fatwa without knowledge, and it is not permissible to be lenient in the rulings in order to please the questioner or to make things easy for him, or the like of that. Making things easy, and praise be to Allah, is in the Shari'ah. The Shari'ah is easy and facilitating, and departing from it is a hardship, not a facilitation. Therefore, it is obligatory that no one intervene in issuing fatwas except one who is qualified and fears Allah, Mighty and Majestic. Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you,
Source
نور على الدرب - الفوزان - 02/248 — archive.org (9:51)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.