Rule: If the purpose of the choice is facilitation, it is a matter of personal preference; if the choice is for the benefit of another, it is for the public interest. Examples of this are mentioned.

The Shaykh : Here we take a criterion in this context, a useful criterion. We say: if the purpose of the choice is facilitation, it is a matter of personal preference, meaning if you desire this or you desire that. And if the choice is for the public interest, for the benefit of another, it is according to the interest. The guardian of the Muslims is given a choice between this and that: is it for his own facilitation, or is it for the interest of the Muslims?
The student: For the interest of the Muslims.

The Shaykh : The second is for the interest of the Muslims, so he must choose what is better: the ransom or the expiation. Now, if we give a guardian of an orphan a choice between two types of action and tell the guardian of the orphan to do this or do that, what type of choice is this?
The student: For the public interest.

The Shaykh : For the public interest, not facilitation? We told the guardian of the orphan to do this or that. I mean, I say the guardian of the orphan is given a choice between opening a shop with the orphan's money and giving it to a trustworthy person for a profit-sharing partnership. What is this choice?
The student: For the public interest.

The Shaykh : For the public interest. He looks at the interest. It is not a matter of personal preference. But if we tell a person that if an oath expiation becomes obligatory upon him, he should feed ten poor people, or clothe them, or free a slave, what is the purpose of that?
The student: Facilitation.

The Shaykh : Facilitation. So it is a choice, meaning it is a choice based on personal preference. His saying, the Exalted: is a choice for the public interest because it is a guardianship over another.