Explanation of the Hadith: “Indeed, the cure for ignorance is asking.”

The Shaykh : The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) confirmed this clear meaning in the noble verse with a hadith narrated by Abu Dawud in his Sunan and others from the collections of the Sunan. It is from the hadith of Jabir ibn 'Abd Allah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent out a military expedition, and one of its members was wounded in his body after a battle took place between the Muslims and the polytheists. When morning came and he rose to pray the Fajr prayer, he found that he had emitted semen and was obligated to perform ghusl. However, due to the many wounds he had sustained in his body, he felt that he had no choice but to ask the people of knowledge, hoping they would find a dispensation for him—may Allah have mercy on you—hoping they would find a dispensation for him not to perform ghusl, fearing that it might cause him harm or death. So he asked those around him, and they said to him: “You must perform ghusl.” And because the souls of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) were believing, tranquil souls that did not follow the guidance even if obedience to the Shari'ah ruling might expose them to destruction or death, the wounded man, who was injured in the cause of Allah, did nothing but follow the order of the one who issued the fatwa that he had to perform ghusl. So he performed ghusl, and the outcome of his affair was that he died. This is because you know that one who has wounds in his body and is exposed to cold water while in the open, not in a house or building, and there are no means to heat the water, and water is poured on his body, results in his death.
When news of his situation reached the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), the matter alarmed him and he became greatly angry with those who had issued a fatwa stating that he was required to perform the full ritual bath. He invoked a curse upon those who had issued a ruling without knowledge, saying (peace and blessings be upon him): , Here is the point of interest in this authentic hadith, Then he said (peace and blessings be upon him), and I will return to it soon, if Allah wills, regarding his statement: .
Then he said (peace and blessings be upon him): “It would have been sufficient for him to strike the ground with a blow and then wipe his hands and face with it, and then he would have been pure.” In this hadith, related to this brief introduction, if Allah wills, is the obligation of being careful in issuing fatwas to people, and that it is not permissible for anyone to issue a fatwa unless he is certain of his fatwa. Otherwise, the sin of his fatwa returns to the one who issued it.
From here, we reiterate the warning that going out, as it is called in the present age, for da'wah (calling others to Islam) is a matter specific to the people of knowledge, and not for the ignorant or those who are in the process of seeking knowledge. Rather, going out is for the one who is knowledgeable of the Book and the Sunnah, so that he is able to issue a truthful and correct fatwa that conforms to the Book and the Sunnah, if he is asked about a matter that arises for some of those around him, and that matter is not one of the common matters in which people usually fall, and in which all students of knowledge usually share knowledge. Here you see in this hadith that a man from among the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was wounded in the cause of Allah and emitted semen, so ghusl became obligatory upon him. He asked those around him if they could find a dispensation for him not to perform ghusl, and they said to him: “You must perform ghusl.”
So he obeyed them, and he is rewarded for his obedience because he performed the obligation that was established for him by the Shari'ah, which is . But those who were asked were not from the people of dhikr (remembrance). And you know that dhikr in this verse is like the word dhikr in another verse, such as the saying of Allah the Exalted: , meaning it is the Qur'an. So when the Exalted said in the first verse: , He only means the people of the Qur'an who know the meanings of the Qur'an, especially those verses related to rulings: what is permissible, what is not permissible, what is obligatory, and what is not obligatory, and the like. These are the ones who should take the lead in answering people's questions. The majority of the Muslim community are those who are obligated to ask. So whoever asks while not knowing has performed the obligation that Allah the Exalted made obligatory in the verse and the Messenger in that hadith. And whoever issues a fatwa without knowledge has not performed the obligation, because issuing fatwas is tied to the people of dhikr.