What is the ruling on transmitting fatwas from scholars without verifying them?
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Question : Honorable Shaykh, may Allah preserve you. Returning to our previous question, unfortunately, some students or individuals transmit fatwas from scholars without being certain of the answers. We would like Honorable Shaykh Muhammad to answer regarding this?
Answer : The answer to that is, as I said first, that some people transmit from scholars what they know the scholars would not say. This is either because they understood from the scholar's answer something other than what the scholar intended, or because they posed the question to the scholar and the scholar understood it differently than the questioner intended. Either the person has a bias and wants to justify his action, so he says, "So-and-so issued a fatwa for me," or he has a bias to harm the scholar to whom the statement is attributed, so that he tarnishes his reputation. On this occasion, I advise our brothers who transmit from scholars or hear what is transmitted from scholars to be careful and not to rush.
If they hear from a scholar something they find strange, it is obligatory for them first to verify the transmission. Who transmitted this? People say this is nothing, but it is an attribution to an unknown person. They must verify it. If it is established with them that the scholar issued that fatwa, then if they are people of reflection, they should look into the issue. Perhaps the scholar issued a correct ruling that they do not know is correct until after research. This happens often. Often a person hears from a scholar or reads in a scholar's book an issue that he finds strange at first glance, but upon reflection, he sees that the truth lies in it. If the correctness of what was transmitted from the scholar does not become clear to them, then they should contact the scholar and say, "We heard such and such." But they should contact the scholar with respect, reverence, and seeking the truth, not with contempt, reprimand, or defamation. Rather, with...
...proper conduct. For example, he says, "We heard, Shaykh, may Allah reward you, that you said such and such. Is this correct?" If he says yes, then the discussion comes. For example, he says, "Does not the Qur'an say such and such? Does not the Sunnah say such and such? Do not the Companions say such and such?" Then he looks into it. And the scholar, if it becomes clear to him that the truth is contrary to what he said, must return to the truth, or clarify his viewpoint in a way that convinces the one he is addressing, because the goal, if Allah wills, is to reach the truth. Good, good.
And I see that it is a favor from Allah the Exalted upon a scholar, if he makes a slip, that He facilitates for him someone to discuss it with him so that he returns to the truth.
The presenter : May Allah reward you with good for this blessed guidance.
Answer : The answer to that is, as I said first, that some people transmit from scholars what they know the scholars would not say. This is either because they understood from the scholar's answer something other than what the scholar intended, or because they posed the question to the scholar and the scholar understood it differently than the questioner intended. Either the person has a bias and wants to justify his action, so he says, "So-and-so issued a fatwa for me," or he has a bias to harm the scholar to whom the statement is attributed, so that he tarnishes his reputation. On this occasion, I advise our brothers who transmit from scholars or hear what is transmitted from scholars to be careful and not to rush.
If they hear from a scholar something they find strange, it is obligatory for them first to verify the transmission. Who transmitted this? People say this is nothing, but it is an attribution to an unknown person. They must verify it. If it is established with them that the scholar issued that fatwa, then if they are people of reflection, they should look into the issue. Perhaps the scholar issued a correct ruling that they do not know is correct until after research. This happens often. Often a person hears from a scholar or reads in a scholar's book an issue that he finds strange at first glance, but upon reflection, he sees that the truth lies in it. If the correctness of what was transmitted from the scholar does not become clear to them, then they should contact the scholar and say, "We heard such and such." But they should contact the scholar with respect, reverence, and seeking the truth, not with contempt, reprimand, or defamation. Rather, with...
...proper conduct. For example, he says, "We heard, Shaykh, may Allah reward you, that you said such and such. Is this correct?" If he says yes, then the discussion comes. For example, he says, "Does not the Qur'an say such and such? Does not the Sunnah say such and such? Do not the Companions say such and such?" Then he looks into it. And the scholar, if it becomes clear to him that the truth is contrary to what he said, must return to the truth, or clarify his viewpoint in a way that convinces the one he is addressing, because the goal, if Allah wills, is to reach the truth. Good, good.
And I see that it is a favor from Allah the Exalted upon a scholar, if he makes a slip, that He facilitates for him someone to discuss it with him so that he returns to the truth.
The presenter : May Allah reward you with good for this blessed guidance.
Source
قناة «فضيلة الشيخ محمد بن صالح العثيمين»، 2710- ما حكم نقل فتاوى عن علماء لم يتأكدو منها/سؤال على الهاتف 📞 /ابن عثيمين — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.