What is your opinion regarding those who ask scholars using the phrase "What is the ruling of the Shari'ah" or "What is the Shari'ah's ruling on such-and-such"?
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The questioner : May Allah forgive you, O honorable Shaykh. Peace be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings. My question is: There are some questioners who, when they wish to ask one of the Shaykhs a question, say, "What is the Shari'ah's ruling on this issue?" or "What is the Shari'ah's opinion on this issue?" Please give us a ruling, and may Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : Attributing the phrase "What is the Shari'ah's ruling" or "What is the Shari'ah's opinion" to a person who errs and hits the mark is an error. This is because the Shari'ah is not restricted to any person except the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who is the one who is not approved in error regarding the religion of Allah. As for anyone other than the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), you cannot say, "What is the Shari'ah's ruling?" He is a human being who errs and hits the mark. However, say, "What is the Shari'ah's ruling in your view?" or "What is your opinion on such-and-such?" This is the safer and better approach. Suppose you said to this man, "What is the Shari'ah's ruling?" and he replied, "The Shari'ah's ruling on such-and-such is that it is forbidden," when it is not forbidden. That would be lying about the Shari'ah. For this reason, we see that the best way to express it is to say, "What is the Shari'ah's ruling in your view?" or "What do you see regarding such-and-such?"
The Shaykh : Attributing the phrase "What is the Shari'ah's ruling" or "What is the Shari'ah's opinion" to a person who errs and hits the mark is an error. This is because the Shari'ah is not restricted to any person except the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who is the one who is not approved in error regarding the religion of Allah. As for anyone other than the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), you cannot say, "What is the Shari'ah's ruling?" He is a human being who errs and hits the mark. However, say, "What is the Shari'ah's ruling in your view?" or "What is your opinion on such-and-such?" This is the safer and better approach. Suppose you said to this man, "What is the Shari'ah's ruling?" and he replied, "The Shari'ah's ruling on such-and-such is that it is forbidden," when it is not forbidden. That would be lying about the Shari'ah. For this reason, we see that the best way to express it is to say, "What is the Shari'ah's ruling in your view?" or "What do you see regarding such-and-such?"